A Woman's Beauty Put Down Or A Power Source

Gender Equality is a big issue throughout the world, but what exactly is it? Well to answer that, it is the view that everyone should receive equal treatment and not be discriminated against based on gender. Today, most women are getting treated differently compared to men. Whether it is based on pay gap, power, or strength the problem comes up. Men think they are stronger and better than women and this upsets women because it makes them feel like they don’t have a place in this world. This is where feminism comes into place. I chose this topic because I can relate to it more than the racial option, although now it could be about the same.

Since the beginning of civilization there have been beauty standards, but as time has gone on, they have continually evolved and changed into what they currently are now. What was once beautiful two hundred years ago may only be average or desired by some, whereas in the past that may have been the most popular look or body type. However for decade’s women put beauty to the side and focused on the evolution of their rights and equality, but now since they have attained many of the same rights as their male counterparts the importance of gender equality seems to be changing. Currently many women are resorting back to issues of beauty and looks because of the societal norms that have come to be popular and important to the masses.

Women have power, power over you, me and everyone. What makes them so special is that we (men) can’t live without them. They are sensitive, and at the same time strong, they care, they love, and most important, they are beautiful. Women have come a long way in society throughout time. They 've gone from being nothing to being something. But yet, there are issues with women in today’s society. Naomi Wolf with her essay “A women’s place” and Zulu Kente’s poem “I know you good woman” they address that the role of woman in our society needs a lot of improvement. Women face daily issues such as their voices are not being heard, they are being paid less than men, their opportunities and education are very limited, male sexism through woman, and last but not least, woman are criticized by their physical appearance.

The book Low Fat Love addresses a variety of sociological issues, one of which is body image (Leavy, 2011). While an individual may hold his or her own personal body image, that image is often shaped by social forces outside the person’s control. That is, standards set by society about gender, also known as gender ideals, influence how individuals view themselves. Gender ideals become internalized through the process of socialization. It is when individuals accept the messages of what it means to be a man or woman in their society and learn the associated norms that they begin to acquire a social identity (Ferrante, 2014).

In present day it is easy for a person to take for granted what comes so simple to them. Women have not always been in the position in which they are seen as equals to men. In the course of the last decade, women have evolved as human beings through revolutions in the 1920’s, 1960’s and modern day era.

On the same token, women face unique challenges that throughout their different life stages that places them into the Special Population group when compared to men. Women still face challenges today in areas of social, economic, sports, political and cultural despite the fact that there has been success in empowering women and shattering the glass ceiling for employment promotions. They live 7 years longer than men, make up majority of the world’s population but yet they are greatly ignored. Some women are subjected to part time jobs and lower wage position than their male counterparts. Likewise, women face ageism and sexism in the media on the average profile of a woman.

Wolf discusses the effect that these standards are having on women in the workplace. A woman’s beauty, or lack of it, can be used against her. In 1986, Mechelle Vinson lost a sexual harassment case. “Vinson was young and ‘beautiful’ and carefully dressed. The district court ruled that her appearance counted against her.” (Wolf 38) “In Hopkins v. Price-Waterhouse, Ms. Hopkins was denied a partnership because she needed to learn to ‘walk more femininely, talk more femininely, dress more femininely,’ and ‘wear makeup’.” She brought in more business than any other employee. (Wolf 39)

Gender inequality has been a dominant and consistent struggle of human culture since its existence. To this day, women constantly face oppression, unjust treatment, and less opportunities. For centuries, women have played inferior roles compared to men, especially in marriage. When a man and a woman would wed, it was understood that the woman would serve her husband’s needs and demands. Over the centuries of human existence, however, many feminists and progressive revolutionaries demanded change in the treatment of females.

Throughout the ages, women have had a paradoxical view lain upon them by many. They are put on a pedestal as these saintly glorious beings, but at the same time they are looked down on for being temptresses that bring anger and scorn into the hearts of many. Women have been labeled as the one with less power in work, their homes, even in their relationships specifically women of color. In retrospect women of color are taught that men will always come first, “that men play dominant roles and women are passive, and men are superior to women” (Zavella et al, 227). As little girls they are told that they have to look a certain way or no boy will like them, they have to act a certain way in order to attract the attention of the male gender. This reduces a woman’s sexual control (Raj et al, 3) in an active heterosexual relationship, but as time progresses and feminism resurfacing in society, women of color are starting to become more confident, and self-reliant. They are starting to decide on the path their relationships go, willing to give equal power to their male partner in order to be on equal standing, unlike their

Gender inequality has engulfed the United States and placed copious varying roles onto the male and female sexes. According to Leila Aboulela, Minaret, “All through life there were distinctions - toilets for men, toilets for women; clothes for men, clothes for women - then, at the end, the graves are identical.” Discrimination places women into different roles and takes away numerous privileges. However in America today after more than a century of struggles by dedicated activists who fought to alter these ideals and gain further rights, the perception of women in society and their contributions to society have been greatly transformed.

From the moment the first American settlers stepped off their musty ship and laid foot on the fertile soil which makes up our great nation, women in America have almost always been seen as inferior when compared to their male counterparts. What’s more, Americans have a rich history in oppressing those we deem to be “lesser.” In terms of women, this oppression has taken on many forms throughout the years. From not being able to go to school to receive a proper education, to being denied suffrage, to being criticized for how they look or what they wear, women have encountered obstacles that men can sometimes only imagine. We as a nation have a defining past in which women were, and sometimes still are, expected to look or act in a manner defined as appropriate by men and even by each other. Nowadays, it seems as though we are attempting to compensate for the years of mistreatment by sending positive messages of acceptance to young girls and women alike. However, while one-half of the population is being praised for their uniqueness, there is still another half who are being left to fend for themselves in the shadows. Men and boys, though always perceived as the strong and indestructible members of society, are not given the same encouraging spotlight as women and girls. We live in a world where problems related to self-image and self-worth are gender-neutral; they do not merely seek to harm a single sex. Why then, does society typically only remind women how truly special they

In our society we are unfairly judgemental and set ridiculous standards for both men and women. Now don’t get me wrong we have indeed grown in our expedition to expand the horizons of equality for men and

While people continue on holding onto their ideal lifestyle relentlessly and abide by social norms and stereotypes, they do not tend to realize that the world and their surroundings are constantly changing at the same time. Whether we like it or not, gender stereotypes are unavoidable and are almost impossible to get rid of. They are a part of our daily life and are etched into our society. The only solution to exemplify gender equality for once and for all is to stop focusing on the past faults, but look beyond stereotypes to recognize and appreciate all the contributions that each male or female has

Today we live in a world that continually stresses to us that, "All men are created equal." While this sounds great at face value, further inspection tells us that this is far from realistic and sadly may never be. One can examine any aspect of society whether it be race, religion, language, level of education, sexual orientation or economic status and notice that there are numerous characteristics and factors of identity that enable others to treat others differently. This truth may not be pleasant or make one feel all warm and fuzzy inside, however it is our society’s reality, however dismal it may be. Even if the statement above as to the equality of all men were true, how about women? Clearly women have made tremendous strides towards

Throughout history and today, we women are constant victims of stereotyping from our society. Certain “rules” have to be followed and certain “ideal” women images have to be kept. We are raised in a way to fill certain position where the society wants us to be and as a result, the opportunities are always limited for us and ideas of our importance in the society are diminishing. Even though women gained some independence, where women can work and take various position in society, the society’s idea of typical role of women never seem to change.