Anyone that knows me in real life, knows I am very passionate about the global goals. You can click here for in depth information and ways you can get involved. I’m planning on starting my own little campaign soon, but for right now, I have a quick thought for you.
Last Sunday night, I was sitting down with my family to watch Masterchef as usual. My siblings slowly drifted off until it was only me, my mother and my father remaining. Then something sparked a discussion.
During the ad breaks, we tend to chat about what’s happening in the show and never really pay attention to them. But then the advertisement for this years season of The Bachelor came on and we had a bit of a debate.
My Mum is very much against this show, simply for the way that it portrays women.
“They edit the show and the stylists dress them in a way that completely diminishes who they are as people. They end up looking like unintelligent pieces of meat that men can just pick and choose, when in reality, they most likely have so many important things to say and ambitions other than finding the perfect dress or being handed a rose by this man,” she says.
I have to agree with her here.
Being women, this is nothing new. We have been presented this way in the media for decades and while it is getting slightly better, it’s definitely not going away any time soon.
But then I started thinking.
What about The Bachelorette?
The show is exactly the same, the roles are just reversed. While in the first episode, the men are in tuxes and physically covered up, they are still presented as objects. This is exemplified in later episodes where it’s safe to say, they’re all topless a good chunk of the time.
As Emma Watson said in her famous He for She speech, “Men- I would like to take this opportunity to extend your formal invitation. Gender equality is your issue too.”
That’s something that I feel needs to change. We need to stop looking at feminism as a one sided approach to achieving equality.
Gender equality should not entail the rise and glorification of women.
Gender equality should give both men and women the opportunity to be free.
“Both men and women should feel free to be sensitive.
Both men and women should feel free to be strong.”
While from a legal and political perspective, I agree that women have had to fight tougher battles throughout history, the same cannot and SHOULD NOT be said regarding emotion.
While women were bred to be weak housewives and only speak when spoken to, men were expected to step up, be strong 100% of the time, and provide for their families- the slightest breakdown causing a lifetime of torment.
This rant is rather sporadic and unplanned- I literally just sat down and spent half an hour writing it so I don’t really have an agenda or any memorable thought to give you.
But I ask that any time you make a feminist statement, or plan to fight for gender equality, think about it deeply. Are you fighting for equality for men and women, or are you fighting for the supremacy of women?
