International Women’s Day

“I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves.” – Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 

It’s amazing to realize just how much is being celebrated in this day.  I’ll be honest, I don’t even remember hearing about Women’s Day last year.

I’m not even quite sure how to tackle this.

After some reading, I’ve discovered today celebrates the accomplishments of women in history in the advancement of gender equality. Of course it began with advocating for better working conditions and the right to vote. So much more has evolved from the first day women protested for their rights and freedom. Yet, as I read a list of specific events happening in countries around the world, many women in other cultures are still struggling. It’s hard for me to imagine being a woman that is completely denied basic rights, let alone allowed to speak her mind. Especially since I’m such a strongly opinionated lady!

Definitely today is about empowering women and continuing to create a better futures. That’s a good way to summarize it, but today means many different things around the world. Just as there are a number of countries, there’s a number of different issues. I’m incredibly grateful I was born in Canada, because if I were still the same person elsewhere I could not imagine the rage I would feel because oppressed. Though of course I am the person I am because I was raised in this culture where women can get an education and have careers.

Instead, a topic I feel quite strongly about, I’m one who struggles with her body image and feelings of being inadequate.

Here I don’t even know where to begin either. It’s something that upsets me immensely, and have no power over. I’m completely against the media and every over-sexualized image of women. The constant goal to sell things, using women to entice men and make women want to be her. Unfortunately it’s something I’ve fallen victim to, like many young women my age, where I constantly wish I was “her” for whatever crazy, messed up psychological reason.

I don’t deny men are also assaulted with images of what an attractive man should look like, I just feel like women are much more harshly judged. I feel like there is more lee-way to who the attractive man is, where as women it’s quite consistently the same. I find it’s quite obvious, with the numerous celebrity women who are constantly trying to keep up with the idealized body image. Though because I don’t particularly follow celebrity gossip I don’t have any examples but I’m sure anyone can think of a few.

It just frustrates me to no end that even young girls try to mimic these so called role models, thinking they need to starve themselves to stay skinny and think plastic surgery will fix everything. It’s just dumb, really. It’s so disappointing how low society has gotten in the use of “sex sells”. Prime example is that stupid Hardee’s hamburger commercial with Kate Upton. Not even going to link it cause I don’t want it here. It’s really laughable how they cast a famous model to “model” with this hamburger, worse thing is that it’s going to work. Really guys? Just because some hot chick was making-out with this hamburger you’re going to go out and buy it? Is that really the kind of incentive you need? Sadly it is. Just like how great Victoria’s Secret models look which plants the idea in womens heads “if I get that super expensive bra I’ll totally look like her!”

DAMN YOU ADVERTISEMENT. How you anger me so!

Not to mention the recent culprit of super-photoshoping H&M, where people realized that the 4 different skin tone models were actually the same, digitally rendered body with different a skin colour. In whichever article I read it pretty much asked the same thing I thought, does this mean that some brands now are giving out the message that no female model is good enough for their clothing? They have to render one to do so? The amount of computer editing that is done to every magazine and advertisement images is shocking. Pretty much anyone can model, because it doesn’t matter it won’t look like you any more by the time they’re finished!

Dove is a huge participant is showing women’s real beauty. Here’s a video that shows a time lapse of photoshop retouching.

I think that’s a great quote at the end “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted” because for some reason society has decided that this standard of “beauty” isn’t even possible. It’s all faked. There are so many people who know better, and I’m sure many men that aren’t even this shallow but then that really makes you wonder why is it still like this? How come it’s so difficult to change?

At this point I might just end up feeling angry if I continue this post. I probably have more to share, but I can’t get my ideas sorted out. It’s okay! I’m sure I’ll get a chance to talk about this soon. I just wanted to do a post that was more or less relevant to something, though I just got to rant more, yay!

World needs more real beauty, less fake stuff. Need to stop putting this impossible imagine into young girls’ mind so they don’t grow up thinking there’s something wrong with them. An issue I’m trying to overcome, even with the knowledge that it’s all completely bogus. Oh well!

Ima out!