I am Woman, Hear me Roar!- Essay

                                                    I am Woman, Hear me Roar!

It shouldn't be a surprise to you that I am amazing. It’s not because I am just a woman, but because I am a woman who knows better. What does that mean exactly? Well, it means awareness…awareness of how women are portrayed in the eye of your fellow male equivalents, the fashion world and even media and knowing that boys will be boys. What can we do about that? Do we adhere to their set of standards or make our own? I mean, we’re all individuals and are independent, right? Now, I’m not going to ramble on [much] about the countless acts of repression that we women have gone through, but I’m simply here to try to enlighten you that we have come a long way and we should be proud of that. We need to become aware of the success of our struggle(s), and instead of playing the part of the “Victim”, we should play the part of the “Achiever”.

I know what you’re thinking…Man, she’s an uber-femi crazy lady!  No, I’m not in the least bit like that. You’re not going to see me burning my bra and bashing men all around me; I’m not a revolutionist. I’m just a lover who was raised to be a compassionate independent woman and do things for myself. I was surrounded by amazing female strength and love by my mother and sisters. Because my father died unexpectedly when I was really young, I grew up watching all the struggles one would see when a man is no longer in the picture.  I became aware early on that it isn’t easy being a female in a “man’s world”. 
 Case in point: My mother was a doctor in the late 80’s until the early 2000’s. At that time, the percentage of physicians that was female ranged from 7%-24% (paraphrased-MedScape). My mother was the only female physician at her office and she knew how to play the game. I remember a day in particular...it was a Superbowl Sunday. I remember questioning her as to why someone who doesn't like football was watching a football game.  She told me that all the men at her office would always gather around and talk sports with each other and never include her because she was unfamiliar with sports. She then said that she’ll be damned if they don’t include her next time. I must have been around ten, but that sure made an impact on me. My mother wasn't going to miss out on possible career-advancing scenarios just because she wasn't in a huddle of conversation with the boys.

Moving on, unless you’re living under a rock, I’m pretty sure that you’re aware of the problem with fashion and moreover, the media and how they portray women in an unhealthy way. Looking through magazines, watching the news or seeing movies, you see women portrayed in an unrealistic sort of manner and always beautiful. The consumer is made to believe that this is how you, a woman, is supposed to look. For someone that works in the fashion industry, I believe I might be a bit more aware of what really goes on (makeup, Photoshop or what-not) but there are many positive attributes happening as well. There are a few women who are aware of the expectations and are doing something about it. For example, Katie Willcox, a plus-size model, founded the movement and platform called “Healthy is the New Skinny (HNS)”.  She was aware of the standard of beauty the industry displays and knew that you can’t change the fact that consumers are attracted to pretty things. You can't change that simple fact. She started the HNS movement “for women to get information and support that leads to the evolution of each individuals mind, body, and spirit.  The media defines women and beauty in a very narrow way, which has contributed to women hating their bodies and themselves.  You are the most beautiful when you are happy and healthy” (HNS Web). This movement is astonishing because it encourages love, healthiness and happiness. Katie has founded Natural Model Management (http://naturalmodelsla.com/) which includes models who are not your stereo-typical size 0 models. There are models of all sizes that are used in countless ads across the world. Hopefully, in her efforts, a little girl won’t starve herself in order to achieve size 0 status.

On the contrary, there are plenty of women who set back the advances of what women,like Katie, have done. They are either unaware of their actions or simply don’t care. Money and fame are big contributors as to why a woman would subject herself to a reality show about “bad girls” or catty, back-stabbing housewives. And the horror of it is, a lot of our younger females are watching these shows and getting the impression that this behavior is acceptable in society. “Girls today are bombarded with media – reality TV and otherwise – that more frequently portrays girls and women in competition with one another rather than in support or collaboration. This perpetuates a ‘mean-girl’ stereotype and normalizes this behavior among girls.” (Womenology). I hardly believe that these ‘bad girls’ are proud of themselves and think that they are doing well in aspect of positive female image in our society. They definitely don’t set a good example for others.

What’s wonderful is despite the setbacks of some of these women, we can achieve so much when we’re given so little.  We’re aware of the issues at hand and some of us are here to do something about it. YOU are amazing. Every woman is amazing. Beauty is perceptual and really cannot be defined specifically.  We just need to become aware and focus on our choices. Women are strength and love and have the ability to change and impact so many. We can achieve magnificent things.  You may say it’s a man’s world but to a lot of women, we believe it’s really OUR world. Here us roar!