Beautiful

  As a women, we always have so much attention. Both that of negative and positive. Positive because we  are suppose to: dress, look, and be a certain way.To be Beautiful is what we as women are suppose to be.Of course everyone has a different meaning of beautiful, however media depicts what  beautiful women should look like. We see all the time that sex sells and usually that is a half naked women on tv, adds,and on billboards. We either meet other expectations or not . All though the chapters mainly touched based on how women are treated different than men and by men(which are all very important)  a part of this topic that I believe has to deal with the oppression of women are the pressures from the media and society to look and be a certain way.

Women-VS-Media

  When reading chapter 68  a women opened up about her experience with a food disorder and that she basically hated the body she was in due to all the pressure she had to look a certain way. My daughter was recently bullied because of her weight and so she felt that something was wrong with her.  After a while of hearing the things the other girls had said to her, my daughter Anastasia then started to not eat. At that point I of course notice that she was throwing away her food and addressed the problem.  Just knowing that she did this just because other little girls said she was "FAT!" is very disturbing. And although I teach my daughter to love herself and to be comfortable being who she is, these girls still got to her. Where did these little girls learn what someone should look like or how skinny someone should be?...no where other than the media. Why are 10 year olds worried about how much they should weight in the first place. Its ridiculous for a 10 year old to think they need to be on a diet. Eat healthy yes but diet no. Eating disorders are happening with girls that are too young and why. The pressure women have to look BEAUTIFUL and if we don't meet that expectation then we are looked as different.

               These are the role models our children are suppose to look up to from television:

And this is my idea of what beautiful looks like, my daughter Anastasia.

(These are some good songs that are specifically dedicated to women loving who they are and especially our children)

Women-vs-women

Sexism is something that women experience all the time. If its not bad enough that we are perceived a certain way by society and men, we sometimes get oppressed by other women. Other women oppressing other women, endless cycle. If  women can not uplift other women then why should men? I'm sure men hear other women  degrading other women all the time. Just like with kids, how can we teach them something if we don't practice what we preach? Women degrade other women when they have more power or just because they are apart of a dominate group.  Just today I  felt oppressed by my boss who too is a women. Because I expressed myself and told her the facts, she was quick to remind me that they did not have to work around my school hours and that I was lucky to even still have a job with them. Many people will simply see this experience as a dispute among 2 grown individuals but when power and authority is quickly thrown in, its different. At any rate, I think all women can agree that we deserve rights and to be seen equally by men. But ultimately it starts with us- WOMEN.


http://www.billmuehlenberg.com/2007/01/03/women-in-the-workplace-just-who-is-oppressing-whom/