The Way Women Ruin Themselves

The Way Women Ruin Themselves
Kate Freeman

The past years have seen the women’s war. The media portrays women in a sick and disgusting way. Women are ‘supposed’ to be stick figures with giant boobs, tight butts and mechanically processed hair and nails. Today’s models weigh 23 % less than the average woman. Still, the media allows them to dominate our culture. Pictures of dying women plaster society while NEDA has reported a huge rise in the number of eating disorders affecting the United States. The problem isn’t just an image-it’s the way that women express themselves.
In some foreign cultures women struggle just for basic rights. African and Asian cultures (just as an example-there are more nations) restrict women and label them as property. In America and many European nations, the ‘feminist movement’ is just another restriction that women bring upon themselves. ‘Bra-burning’ and crazy politicians including Hillary Clinton rally for women in ineffective manners. It is important that women regain rights, but first we need to establish an image of strength and internal beauty.
Women fight for rights in a desperate attempt to make their lives better. They often destroy their own goals. Feminism is often a poison that has choked society. “I struggled to understand why feminism wanted me to make a choice between my rights and those of my future children.” Comments Wendy Priesnitz. Feminists often manage to show the world a twisted version of their gender that furthers men’s ability to degrade and destroy them with ease. We further destroy ourselves by submitting to the media’s image of women. “We don’t need Afghan-style burquas to disappear as women. We disappear in reverse—by revamping and revealing our bodies to meet externally imposed visions of female beauty.” Complains Robin Gerber. We take diet pills, pinch our stomachs and obsess over being ‘fat’. Women need to stop. They break themselves down by means that are all their own.
Many men believe women can only cook, clean, and reproduce. They eliminate the possibility that a woman could have intelligence-or a plan in life. Men often use women but we are often remain flawed and do not realize what actions do or mean to men. Short skirts to us mean we’re fulfilling the rights of fashion. To men they mean ‘easy access’ and they use us while we remain baffled at how they could be so ‘sexist’ and ‘rude’. We never own up to our actions while men never own up to theirs.
“Women’s magazines are full of articles urging that if they can just lose those last twenty pounds, they’ll have it all—the perfect marriage, loving children, great sex, and a rewarding career.” There is no quick fix in life. The way that the media portrays every situation is twisted. We can have ‘four periods a year, great sex, lose twenty pounds and have a great life’. The only catch is we’ll suffer from internal bleeding, STDs, stomach disorders, and depression. But that’s just the price to pay for beauty-right???
90 % of women desire a different image-be it loss of weight or a changed personality. “Women are sold to the diet industry by the magazines we read and the television programs we watch, almost all of which make us feel anxious about our weight.” Claims Jean Kilbourne. Popular shows have the same effect. There’s ‘this giant list’ wrong with you. “Oh-but if you change that-you’ll be like totally like amaziiiiiiing!” (MTV) There is no easy solution to looks, emotions, weight, or anything else-especially in a woman’s life. We live in America where, despite our luck, we are still second best. Our conditions are already damaged, but we have the power to make something out of ourselves. Women around the world need to stand up in a successful way, and forget what the media shows us about life. We do matter, and can have a huge impact-without destroying ourselves.
Sources:
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle Rocks the Boat> Wendy Priesnitz
The Anti-Women Women’s Movement and the True Women’s Manifesto> Bonnie Erbe
Women’s Rights>Elisabeth Prügl
The War against Women>Emily MacFarguhar
Beauty and Body Image in the Media> Robin Gerber
Study Results from Miami University>New Insights into Eating Disorders>Women’s Health Weekly