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Something I Feel Strongly About

#ImAGirlsGirl!!!

By Amber GoddardPublished 6 years ago 3 min read
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Despite the right sort of movement towards equality & progressive attitudes toward stereotypes and systems that oppress people on a daily basis- it is still hard for a woman to be taken seriously as a player in the world of both work and play! Now my piece today is not tainted in aggressive feminism because that can be just as damaging as patriarchal and Misogynist underpinnings in society. What I am looking at is the idea of women empowering other women.

It is sad that there is no loyalty between women. No lifting each other when it is hard to express a movement towards power. It leaves us (women) in a difficult position whereby there is a strange interplay between the roles that we have to adopt when confronted with difficult situations. By this I mean that we are either "crazy, hairy-arm-pitted, lesbian feminists" or "overtly sexual strumpets"!

[Just as an aside isn't it convenient that when women exhibit these traits which are glorified in a man she becomes a target of abuse?!! It seems that she can not be strong, power-hungry and driven to success because she threatens the patriarchal stronghold, neither can she express her own sexuality by knowing what she wants. This is where she becomes a "whore" and "slut"! I have a serious problem with this.]

It seems that neither of these positions that disturb the sentiments of what a woman is within society are acceptable. When there is too much ambition other women are quick to make bitter comments about it. Equally if a woman emulates any sexual behaviour attributed by a man other women find that threatening too. This is what upsets me. There's enough oppression and name calling, why should we get sucked into the same downward spiral?! Of course we will never succeed if our fellow women are (most likely unintentionally) keeping each other down. In this way a patriarchal system runs itself and guys can go and concentrate on the big wide-world and conquering it while women are too busy knocking each other down and not encouraging each other to be the strong individuals they could be!!!

This is why I have always said that women have no place in a business because they are too bitchy and would be more concerned about wounding each other than succeeding on a level that could far surpass a male-run business but we are too stubborn to see that failing about ourselves as part of a species. No, I don't think that males are intrinsically better at business or running a system for that matter. If women could look at how they oppress each other then with the other good qualities and a certain softness that guys just don't, we would run the world! It's a horrible opinion to have because I want for everyone that has the drive and passion to be able to achieve something in their life. But from my work life so far, sadly it is my fellow woman that abuses the small shot at power they have been given and used it as a tool to destroy rather than build.

This has all gotten rather deep and sounds a lot more negative than I intended!

What I would love is for women to empower other women rather than find all sorts of ways to make her feel bad about herself. One of my biggest pet peeves is the way women use body types to make other people feel lacking/targeted/bad about themselves. There's loads to be found online where "curvy girls" are now bashing naturally skinny girls, which really upsets me. It goes against the idea of being body confident in yourself and compares another type of woman just as much as the media glorifies skinny "beautiful" women. That's one of the worst examples of women slating other women. Great! Go be confident in your curves but do not vilify another woman who is comfortable in her skinniness. It defeats the purpose of body confidence and empowering all types of women.

Essentially what I am saying is that I feel like women should be women's biggest fans/cheerleaders and role models. There is enough going in externally that is keeping us down without being negative toward each other and all our wonderful differences. That should make us strong. We should applaud each other for trying to succeed- not extinguish each other's flames because we are made to feel like there is a set "perfect woman," there isn't and we should be telling each other every day that we are wonderful individuals and finding the positive in everything that a fellow woman brings to the table!

feminism
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