Comments | silver_tiamat: Very Long Post Written Mostly Not By Me

silver_tiamat

Very Long Post Written Mostly Not By Me

Apr 01, 2011 22:23

This is the continuation of my segmentation of "The Beauty Myth" that I wrote about before. This isn't really in response to the renewal of feminism from the film; I've been reading it again all week. I want to say that I've gathered lots of high minded thoughts, but really, all I've done is come to the conclusion that I am disgusted with the fact ( Read more... )

books, philosophical musings, feminism

Comments 9

movie_dancer April 2 2011, 06:52:47 UTC

HELLS YAY LADY!!!! I feel better about myself just reading that you are gonna be happy with YOU as YOU ARE and not as society THINKS/EXPECTS you to be!!! I hope to have that conviction sometime as well. You really are an inspiration to me. Way to be awesome! =D

silver_tiamat April 4 2011, 06:14:57 UTC

And it's hard! Oh man. Just this weekend, we went to try on a pretty dress for me (not to buy, just to play dress up XD), and it didn't fit at ALL because they just don't make dresses for women of my size, who have large breasts, but average size everywhere else. I looked AWFUL and fat, because I had to get a large to try to fit my bust, which of course fit no where else...and it was just horribly depressing, because it underscores how with my body I can wear about two different styles of a dress and NONE other.

It's hard to love your body when the things around you are trying their best to fill you with a strong sense of self-loathing and dissatisfaction. It did NOT help that there were three teens shopping for dresses, and were all teeny-tiny girls who were having trouble finding enough XS dresses. ~_~

But, I'm still going to make peace with myself, and not think negative things about me. Because, I'm NOT letting them win!

outlier1985 April 2 2011, 08:18:00 UTC

First, I must join the sentiment of OMG YAY FOR YOU! :D ( ... )

silver_tiamat April 2 2011, 17:57:47 UTC

I think you dismiss your opinion, and experience too easily. I can tell you what it's like to grow up as a woman, but ALL of my stories and understandings of men growing up MUST BE TOLD TO ME. So, any mentioning you make of what it was like to grow up as Justin, as a male, adds and enriches what I know about what it's like to grow up as a Guy ( ... )

outlier1985 April 2 2011, 23:06:01 UTC

So, any mentioning you make of what it was like to grow up as Justin, as a male, adds and enriches what I know about what it's like to grow up as a Guy.

I'll try to keep that in mind for future reference. xD But yeah... I do tend to automatically set myself in "WHAT WOULD -I- KNOW?" mode, all too often. ._.

Soldiers:
That was another point that stuck in my mind; as you said, it doesn't explain female soldiers. And the concept of people being made to believe that the death of their loved one in service would 'benefit' them kind of struck me as odd, as well. I don't think that's quite how it works, or that anybody really looks at it that way. The idea that they're 'benefiting' from them being gone constantly and being in danger is one thing, but actually dying is something else entirely.

But, I think that it's interesting to see how even though your dad told you to avoid porn, because he felt that it wasn't going to give you a realistic idea of sex or women or whatnot, that you still KNEW it was out there. You still KNEW that you ( ... )

outlier1985 April 2 2011, 23:06:28 UTC

(continued)

But, if it doesn't weird you out too much, I'd like to hear what your dad (and your mom if she had anything to add) said/taught you about masturbation.Heh... I think just a few years ago, this would've been the point where I would've apologized and fled the conversation. Instead I have a reaction of "Wahh? Someone would actually want to hear that? o_O" Progress, I guess? :P ( ... )

Thread 5

urban_twilight April 2 2011, 17:25:44 UTC

Female empowerment ftw! Our whole concept of beauty is definitely a cultural construction, and I wish everyone could just decide to love themselves as they are and not try to measure themselves up to some made-up standard. So, good luck!

silver_tiamat April 2 2011, 18:19:05 UTC

As much as I feel it is VERY important for women to learn how to love ourselves for who we are, I feel that this is not a movement that can be won solely by our own self-acceptance. After all, if to get that self-acceptance it means that we lose a job, or fail an interview, because we aren't fitting into the "look" that "beautiful" women have, we have a problem. If we can lose a trial on sexual assault because of the way we dress, or how many sexual partners we have, we have a problem. If we still can't go into a store and demand that they change their products to more accurately reflect the people they are intended for, because we're supposed to believe this IS how women WANT to look, we have a problem ( ... )