Femme Rant...or something like that...
Okay, I was in such a cranky mood the other day because I just couldn't wrap my brain around a few things.
The biggest one for me lately is self-image. I posted the Marge Piercy poem the other day as a chastisement and yet at the same time encouraging/empowering pep talk for myself. Then the lovely Sarah
http://www.livejournal.com/users/readonthetrain/
commented with...
"I like that. It's said a lot but not much is being done about preventing it as apposed to later fix-up work."
That got me thinking...and anyone who knows me knows that to get anne thinking is as dangerous as lighting a ciggarette during a gasoline fight with your supermodel friends.
I believe that as a woman living in the world today I need to face certain harsh realities of my society and then go forward from there.
No matter what, I am living in a world where the media sets a standard of beauty and what a woman should look like in their opinion.
No matter what, women will be objectified in some way shape or form.
Does that mean I need to buy into that media image? No.
Does that mean that I think objectification of woman is okay? No.
What it does mean is that every day when I look in the mirror I have to remind myself to fight off the little voice in the back of my head that says "You aren't worthy (or beautiful or good enough, etc., etc.) because you don't look like (insert any media based beauty icon here)."
I also have to remember that some days I will care. Some days my workout's will be done as a complete delusional selfish attempt to strive for that "great bod" as opposed to the "great health" I began doing them for. Some days I will feel like a dud in a world of Barbie dolls. Some days I will believe that it does matter what size jeans I wear and that number on the scale will magicly bring me happiness...and most days I won't care about any of those things. That doesn't make me a bad person, it just makes me human.
I believe I need days like that though because fighting off those thoughts makes me stronger. I will have to work harder than the "model-perfect-media-image-icon-of-beauty" to be content and happy with who I am and what I look like. In the end that's what it will come down to. If I can learn to be happy with myself right where I'm at, even on those off days, I will be the better for it.
So I guess I'll conclude this rant with a response to Sarah...
I don't know if there is a ton we can do to prevent the media from setting standards...but we sure can teach our young women not to buy into the hype...and to find their strengths and build on them...and just be happy with the strong, unique, individuals that they are and that God made them to be.
:: anne steps off her little soapbox now ::
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...the trick is to be your own beholder." - stole that from Sarah's LJ...don't know where she got it from though...
The biggest one for me lately is self-image. I posted the Marge Piercy poem the other day as a chastisement and yet at the same time encouraging/empowering pep talk for myself. Then the lovely Sarah
http://www.livejournal.com/users/readonthetrain/
commented with...
"I like that. It's said a lot but not much is being done about preventing it as apposed to later fix-up work."
That got me thinking...and anyone who knows me knows that to get anne thinking is as dangerous as lighting a ciggarette during a gasoline fight with your supermodel friends.
I believe that as a woman living in the world today I need to face certain harsh realities of my society and then go forward from there.
No matter what, I am living in a world where the media sets a standard of beauty and what a woman should look like in their opinion.
No matter what, women will be objectified in some way shape or form.
Does that mean I need to buy into that media image? No.
Does that mean that I think objectification of woman is okay? No.
What it does mean is that every day when I look in the mirror I have to remind myself to fight off the little voice in the back of my head that says "You aren't worthy (or beautiful or good enough, etc., etc.) because you don't look like (insert any media based beauty icon here)."
I also have to remember that some days I will care. Some days my workout's will be done as a complete delusional selfish attempt to strive for that "great bod" as opposed to the "great health" I began doing them for. Some days I will feel like a dud in a world of Barbie dolls. Some days I will believe that it does matter what size jeans I wear and that number on the scale will magicly bring me happiness...and most days I won't care about any of those things. That doesn't make me a bad person, it just makes me human.
I believe I need days like that though because fighting off those thoughts makes me stronger. I will have to work harder than the "model-perfect-media-image-icon-of-beauty" to be content and happy with who I am and what I look like. In the end that's what it will come down to. If I can learn to be happy with myself right where I'm at, even on those off days, I will be the better for it.
So I guess I'll conclude this rant with a response to Sarah...
I don't know if there is a ton we can do to prevent the media from setting standards...but we sure can teach our young women not to buy into the hype...and to find their strengths and build on them...and just be happy with the strong, unique, individuals that they are and that God made them to be.
:: anne steps off her little soapbox now ::
"Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...the trick is to be your own beholder." - stole that from Sarah's LJ...don't know where she got it from though...