When women are appreciated primarily for a sexually appetising
appearance, the rest of us are left feeling inadequate and wondering what real
women do. There are conceptions that frame our understanding of gender: the
femme fatale, woman as allegorical of a virtue, women as flighty and emotional,
women as docile and concerned with commitment.
I'm sure I can create a similar list with masculinity, but my
concern is with female experience because that's what I know.
I accept that I don't fit into any of these limited boxes and that
all people are different, but on occasion just the very existence of these
stereotypes becomes so disturbing that they deserve my attention and
concern.
It's so sad that feminists need to justify their position against
the notion that feminism equates to outrage and hunger for power. Equality has always been
the benchmark ideal, and in that spirit men also should not be afraid to fight
for the acceptance of multifarious masculinities, so few of the men I know are
strong and emotionless.
I don't think these stereotypes rule people’s lives but I know
that in a way they shape our behaviour and attitudes.
Essentially, you know yourself best and you are the greatest
spokesperson for your own rights. Don't walk unquestioning through the low-ceilinged fluorescent lighted regulation carpeted corridor of socialisation (a walk that lasts a lifetime).
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