Frustrating Feminist Feats

Feminism is defined as "the advocacy of woman's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men." Seems harmless enough, right? After all, most women only want equal rights to men. However, there are some frustrating western feminist ideologies that take us steps backward.

I say western feminism, because in other countries where women are severely repressed, feminism can be quite useful to enact change. But here in the good old USA, feminism seems to have other motives. Since women are repressed by the media, but not the government, it's more of a "social" change women are seeking in this country, not political change like other countries.

One problem with western feminism today is that the idea seems to come from a sense of entitlement. "I'm a woman, I'm JUST as good as a man, and you must automatically treat with respect!" However, should we hand out respect just because it's demanded?

I'm a firm believer that respect should be earned, not expected. And if women want equality with men, they should take time to earn mutual respect, compromise, and not demand respect from men just because other men treat women badly. That is just reversing the sexism. Respect: It's an honor, and something everyone should earn.

Another thing that bothers me is the idea that all women should be independent, not serving and kneeling to the man or they are weak women. And weak women in today's society is a no-no! But could it be promoting selfishness and entitlement? "Focus on yourself, not on your man!" or "How dare you cook and clean in the kitchen? You're a disgrace to strong women everywhere!"

To me, it's admirable if a woman wants to pursue a career, has her own financial goals, and can take care of herself. But to somehow imply that a woman who DOES enjoy homemaking, being a supportive wife, and taking care of the family is the WEAK woman? That's just more garbage floating around this western, "politically correct" society.

A woman can be strong and hard working, even if she does embrace "typical femininity" and follows standard gender roles. In fact, I believe a woman who sacrifices herself selflessly for the benefit of her family and loved ones to be much stronger and selfless than modern feminists might imagine!

Not to say modern feminism doesn't serve a purpose. There's a reason so many people are adopting it as an important value in their daily lives. It's because people see something wrong with today's society and want change. But we must remember that not everything is as it appears. Myths and dangerous, sexist ideas are becoming a societal norm. The media seems to play the biggest role in this political movement - they do so by playing on our worst fears. And Fear could be one of the greatest forms of mass mind control.

A few years ago, someone might have said that we were closer to gender equality than we had ever been before. Now many people would argue that we're not even close. So which is it? Have we really gone backwards here? Have more problems come up in the recent years? Is it possible these "new" problems were simply exacerbated by the media?

Why DO girls wear so much make-up?

I've seen this floating around facebook and twitter. Most of you ladies are sharing this as if there is an obvious answer to the question. However, the funny thing is, I find this as a useful question some of us ladies should take to a deeper level.

Why DO girls wear so much make-up, anyway?

Like I've mentioned in previous posts, it seems women are always under pressure to appear attractive and hide their facial flaws. Unlike men, who are expected to grin-and-bear-it and get on with life.

While this is not a question that most men might care about, I think we who feel the pressure of embracing femininity and being women need to consider why we really do these things. Why is it that many of us have just accepted the idea of this "meme" as fact, instead of questioning the very essence of it?

The Perpetuation of Popular Female Culture

Shopping, hair, nails, magazines. Women are constantly fed and sold these images on the daily. Many of us women strive for these aesthetic goals, almost as a means of survival. Survival within our social realms as well as survival within our own minds. When we women continue to perpetuate this image obsessed female culture, we continue having to live up to these expectations.

Have you noticed something about all those Women that seem to be successful in society? They are always held to a standard of being beautiful, smart, well groomed, and well-versed. Women in society are obviously held to higher standards when compared to men.

Men can be praised solely on his capabilities, talents, and intellect, whereas women who are equally gifted go virtually unnoticed, especially if they don't fill the acceptable molds of "woman normalcy" within society.

I wonder if it comes from sexualization of females by the male-dominated world, or if it also comes from the female's tendency to perpetuate the female culture.

At some point, we women must realize what we do to continue this way of thinking. Some of us go to great lengths to impress others, to express ourselves, and to boost our confidence. We must ask ourselves, is aesthetic beauty really worth the price if it costs us a chunk of our minds? Is popular thought more valuable than independent thinking?

Every day we women support the "big men" behind the fashion industries and pop culture. Is it really that hard to believe they would keep control over us, especially for the sake of profit? Is it possible that they designed an impossible standard for women to achieve, simply so they could sell back pre-packaged "confidence" to the masses?

If we are aware, we can ultimately say no. Nothing is making us starve ourselves or put on make-up, but the social pressures for women as a whole still remain. Although a form of pop feminism has made it mainstream in our culture, the perpetuation of ideal feminine beauty standards are here to stay...