I bet you're wondering, where on EARTH did I find this picture? Well, I'm not happy to say it, but I went on Google search, and typed in "The Ideal American Woman". What stikes me is how our media portrays women. They're telling us order to be beautiful in our society we have to be tall, skinny, tan and blond with blue eyes.
Now these are almost impossible standards to meet and is constantly putting women and young girls all around the world under the pressure of being perfect for their men. Statistics show about 65% of girls in the United States have an eating disorder.
Things we see in the media are constantly polluting our minds and taking us from what's real to whats unnatural. Because of the images of women portrayed in Playboy, pornography, anime, and video games, men and boys grow up to believe that those are the standards all women must meet.
Now, just to clarify, I'm not a feminist. However, I can see the issues of gender roles in todays society. Here in America, women are supposed to be "dainty" and "weak" while men are supposed to be "tough" and "strong".
Girls and women, including myself, see themselves as lesser because we don't have the perfect body. To our society, people believe that women just need to worry about their looks and not as much their education, because lets be honest, who cares if a girl is smart? I recently read an article in Sociology class called "Why aren't we shocked?" in this article I read that Abercrombie & Fitch, a teens fashion store, recently released a T-shirt for girls that says, "Who needs brains when you have these?".
Now, when did it become okay to send that message to young girls?
Oh, wait, I know! When we were younger and Disney Princesses told us that, to get by in life, all we need is to be pretty and then a nice handsome man will take care of us.
The messages being sent to women from all over the world just teaches us that all we are good for is sex and house work.
Now many Feminists would argue that it's not fair that women have to take care of the children and do house work, but personally, I'll agree with feminists that, yes we deserve equal oportunities and equal pay for equal work, but if I so choose the natural path of a womans' life-to be a mother and not have a job but house work-that shouldn't be frowned upon.
I think that feminists were doing good up until they hit the 3rd wave of rebellion. To sum up my bantering, I believe that women should have the same power and opportunities men have in the business world, but I also believe that we need to respect our gender roles as well. We need to realize that just because our job as mothers doesn't pay, it's still an equally important job!
And to the boys- those bodies aren't going to look like that forever anyways, chose a smart gal with a good personality. That's what really matters in the long run. Also, keep chivalry alive, that's another thing feminists tried to ruin.
Everything that you wrote was absolutely valid, but there were two things that shocked me the most: the message on the Abercrombie shirt, and the picture of the Disney princesses.
ReplyDeleteAbercrombie has always been a tad...degrading towards women, but to create a shirt like that sends an alarmingly inappropriate message to both men and women. The girls who see the shirt will believe that message, and personalize it, while the boys will think it that it's okay to place an unhealthy amount of value on appearance. Basically, only negative messages can be thought from seeing that shirt, and the humor is not appreciated by few to none.
As for the Disney princesses, the morals of the story are so dead-on! Growing up, I had never realized how Disney was sending the message that beauty will get you far in life, and how nothing else matters. It also teaches young girls to rely on men, and suggests that without a man, a woman is inadequate. While I may be taking this too far, I would even venture to say that these movies may be one of the biggest reasons why girls feel the need to have boyfriends. They have always been taught that having a partner gives you a sense of security.
Overall, I really appreciated the way that you tied body image, feminism, and the media's impact together, because whether people realize it or not, these issues are all entangled.
Maeve, I really like how you showed passion about this. I agree with pretty much everything you are saying. The way men view women these days is ridiculous, a perfect example would be an event like the Victoria's Secret fashion show. Why do men sit and watch this two hour long event? To watch women strut around showing off their perfectly dieted, airbrushed bodies. This creates a very unrealistic expectation of what women should look like and isn't fair to the rest of the perfectly average women with great brains and personalities. Too bad that gets over looked if you aren't skinny enough.
ReplyDeleteWhen you posted that Abercrombie & Fitch sells a shirt with that saying on it, that disgusts me. As a younger girl, that was one of my favorite stores to shop at, and it grosses me out that they would advertise that to young girls. What kind of lesson does that teach?
This was an awesome blog and I think everyone should read it! It really is eye opening.
Maeve, this blog post is clearly SO relatable for all girls growing up in today's society. We are expected to be something that is clearly not possible to obtain. I think a great example of this is the dimensions of the famous "Barbie" doll brought to life size. Her proportions are off, certain body parts are too big, while others are much too small. She would be incredibly underweight and her legs would not be large enough to support her body. This example just goes to show that the media is making it seem "normal" to be something that is not even possible. Little girls start playing with Barbies at a young age, and it is then that this idea of a "perfect" woman is placed into their heads. I loved this blog Maeve, it was really interesting to read.
ReplyDeleteI love this blog!!! Meave, as I was reading your blog, all I was thinking was, "Jeez she is so right! I cannot believe that! Seriously? I mean seriously? Are you kidding? That is so crazy!" and other various thoughts agreeing with everything you said. I mean Abercrombie is telling girls to be skinny or you aren't pretty. To be honest, that is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. The Disney princesses really hit me though. About how these young, beautiful girls with crooked lives always end up with a fantastic life. These Disney princesses are lovely, but we do not understand then that they are setting us up for failure in our future. We do not understand that they show us that perfection is key: perfect hair, perfect body shape(thin), damsels in distress and 'ole Prince Charming. It's funny because now everyone tells us "grow up", "get real", "be convergent with society". But as innocents they told us "dream big", "anything can happen", "be divergent". What was the point of it all?
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