Yeah, I guess I am but I'm not of the cookie-cutter sort who would have all blame placed on the man and the machine for everything that's wrong with us emotionally fragile female types.
"It's the male ego driven media that makes us so confused and inadequate."
"It's all those commercials and TV shows and videos that make us hate our bodies and binge on cookies and cakes."
"It's Megan Fox and Paris Hilton's faults for being so damn skinny and so damn naked all the time."
Get the fuck over it, love. I understand that these images can be quite pervasive and a strain on one's self image but come the fuck on! Ladies, when will we just decide to be whatever it is that we are and be happy with that? Would I go to bat for Kim Kardashian as a model example of womanly pride? Hell no! That's not because she's sexy in public though. It's because her life bears no importance on anything whatsoever. If her daddy wasn't rich she'd be a high-priced stripper at Club Cheetah somewhere shaking her goods for money. I would, however, question anybody who blames this bitch for whatever poor self-image they would happen to be victims of. I'd be willing to bet that she didn't come to any of you bitches' houses and say, "You ain't shit cause you ain't me." All you women who DO feel that way have only your own fragile psyches to lament for feeding into the hype. Yes. Most men would LOVE to fuck her but guess what? 99.9% of their starstruck asses will not be allowed the pleasure. They will move on and so should you... you deeply embittered bitch.
Anyway... the catalyst for that rant you just endured was provided by this here article:
http://www.newsweek.com/content/newsweek/2011/01/26/disney-princesses-and-the-battle-for-your-daughter-s-soul.html
This authoress (and I'm guessing full-on feminist) whose work was the subject of the article has written a couple books about the struggles of our young girls insofar as their successful psychological development amid so much importance being placed on their outer appearance by our male driven society. This is truly an important issue that should be seriously considered when it comes to what we values we nurture in our little girls, BUT (and that's a big but) there is a line to be drawn. The article here is about her book concerning the obsession little girls are encouraged to have with princesses. From what I read her book was basically yielded of her own experiences in raising her daughter. This woman (Peggy Orenstein) appeared to be determined to raise a non-gendered little girl--not having an identity that could be categorized as being overtly male or female as far as any traits specified by societal norms and typical gender roles. When she sent her off to school, Peggy thought she had her little overall wearing baby down pat. She found later that this was not so. Little Baby Orenstein began to reject her grayness and went deep into the pink end of the gender spectrum.
Now no disrespect Peggs, but if your little girl has been playing with Leggos and building blocks since she was two and all of a sudden when she finally gets around other little girls she's geeked out for Barbies and fluffy pink dresses, maybe that's who she really is in spite of your efforts to sway her. Maybe she's just trying something new... or maybe she's just a lemming who will do whatever everybody else is doing. Don't blame Disney for pushing their Cinderella, Snow White, Princess Jasmine, etc. extra hard. Don't blame Miley Cyrus for being irresponsible and morally adrift in a sea of teenage excess. Don't blame men for being the basely sexual and immature animals that they are. I pray to GOD I don't have daughters but if I do, Lord, one thing I will make SURE to teach her is to KNOW HER OWN MIND. Yes it's one thing to experiment with this and that but don't run blindly behind everybody else hoping that they'll know what's best. Cause one thing about it and two things for certain... they do not lil' mama.
I find that too many girls (who grow up to be women with the same tendencies) are rather eager to emulate what their peers are doing. "You like Justin Bieber? OMG I LOOOOOOOVE JUSTIN BIEBER TOO!" And when they're adults: "You have a Gucci bag? I LOVE GUCCI!" Often I think the problem is not that we as women are so enraptured by what we consume through the media but that many of us are too readily influenced by our social circles. We are taught from a young age that we should be more than happy to be just like all the other little girls in our class. We should always get along with each other. We should all always be super best friends and if not the best of friends then the best of frenemies. Sure you hate that bitch but only because she has something that you hope to get and you just may have it by tolerating her selfishness and vanity. Borrow her Jimmy Choo pumps but defame her in every way as soon as she walks out of the room. Fuck her man while she's away visiting family but text her every hour on the hour to tell her how much you miss her and joke about how raggedy your other frenemy looked today at work. "I hope she don't plan on coming out to the club with ME lookin' like THAT. LOL" Smiley face. Smiley face. I hate you bitch.
THIS MUST STOP.
So for all those little girls out there who have been swept up in fantasies of glorious galas, bulbous ball gowns and spontaneous declarations of undying love and devotion, understand that the clock will strike midnight sooner than you calculated. Very few will cater to the whims of a delusional grown woman who believes she's a pretty princess still waiting in vain for a prince that may not necessarily exist... at least not in the form she would have him. You can't go to work on your birthday with a pretty little tiara on and expect for all the commoners of the village to shower you with gestures of adoration. You can't go on a job interview and will that your fairy godmother magically grant you your wish of gainful employment. You can't go to the ball in your baddest designer get-up and expect suitors to fall helplessly at your feet forsaking the company of all other woman present just because you have a certain "magical quality" about you that they do not. Little princesses are not so forever. They grow old and if they're lucky, self-reliant as well.
Anyway... back to my point. I appreciate ALL feminists and their efforts to illuminate the plight of the female sex the world over. I also appreciate that the patriarchal society in which we live promotes many ideals that would "diminish" the inherent fortitude of womanhood so that they may reinforce their own fragile male egos. I can dig it. I really can... BUT there comes a point when we have to look at OURSELVES and see where WE have failed our own womanhood. There is quite a bit of hype swirling about all our minds, but it is not required that we feed into it. I'm guilty of it myself which is how I know this does indeed occur. Every now and then when I watch a Trey Songz video I say, "Damn I wish I was built like that brizzle..." but I snap the fuck out of it. I don't live in that place. I live in a reality where I know my worth as a woman OUTSIDE of my physical charms (which actually ain't half bad if I say so myself). The only way to be above all the propaganda and lies is not to place blame upon them but to change how we react and adapt to the illusions. It isn't easy sifting through all the images of waifs and bombshells to find the truth, but for our own sanity's sake it must be done.
Just a thought. From one feminist to another...
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