"Man, I feel like a woman"

I’m a woman. And let me tell you, I enjoy it thus far. 

Yes, men will always continue to rate us on a “Hot or Not” scale. They’ll continue giving us a 7 for “average looking” or 10 for “sultry and sexy”.  But that is mostly society and their hormones talking. There are men out there (more than we think!) who embrace the idea that women, some of them “feminists”, can be strong in the work field and be great conversationalists. Even though they like to see their girlfriend in a nice tight dress with her hair and makeup done up all fancy, they still can have faith in her independence and strength as a person. This is all women can ask for right? Ladies like to admire the sexy male models in Calvin Klein ads, as well. No shame in that.

“Though Feminism has tended to treat beauty as a symbol of oppression, what lurks not far beneath the surface is the reality of beauty as power.” BEAUTY AS POWER.

"makeup"

While reading this week’s honors article, I understood there are many types of “feminists”. The most extreme, and my least favorite variety consists of a group of ladies who think wearing makeup is a violation of their personal rights. They think a simple enhancer is made by men to make them look beautiful for men. The article says, “Much of the argument against the beauty culture is based on the assumption that the sole purpose for aspiring to beauty is to attract men, despite substantial documentation that cultivating one’s appearance has both economic and psychic benefits that may be unrelated to sexual allure.”  Everyone wants to feel good about themselves. They want to feel beautiful. So like I said before, beauty is power. And makeup is one way to do just that for women. No shame in that.

In this blog here, I will connect this article and ideas to my own life, instead of a current event. My mother has raised me to be proud of being a woman. She was never taught that as a young child. She was taught to be submissive. This is called gender socialization. Her father told her he would only pay for her education if she became a nurse or teacher. These are very stereotypical woman jobs, especially at that time. These expectations were part of her gender role. This is defined as “the behaviors and attitudes considered appropriate because one is male or female”.  My grandpa was a loving man, but he expected my grandma to take care of his every need. He expected the same of my mother. My mother does cook, clean, and take care of us four children. However, she has strength and respect for herself. She makes my dad buy the groceries and take care of us, as well. Marriage is a two way street, and I see this working beautifully (most of the time) in my everyday life. My mom teaches me to appreciate my feminine characteristics. She tells me to love being a woman. We may be more sensitive and gentle, but we also have the power to use this to our advantage.

In all, like the wise and beautiful Marilyn Monroe once said,

“I don't mind living in a man's world, as long as I can be a woman in it."