Many of them had internal conflicts about the sexist treatment, but most
accepted it and acted innocent and submissive. Typically, women spent their
days working at home, raising children, making visits and generally dealing
with their personal care. ( Lamberto, 2008)
Now, I wonder…. This situation has changed over time?
Yes, we know that nowadays most of women do not depend on their husbands in
economic terms as most of them work, they can express their point of view
regarding any topic in front everyone, but what about the look for an ideal
woman?
I strongly believe that things has not changed as much as it is thought,
since society still portraying women in certain ways.
According to the paper “What society expect from women”, in today's
society one expects women to look perfect, which it seems to start when women
are young and they are in a stage in their lives where they want to be accepted
by their peers, or just simply want to be loved and successful. The media
creates the ideal image of beautiful women in which a majority of the women try
to endure. So, could
we say
that the beautiful woman is the
ideal woman today? According to what our
society demands, yes.
Continuing,
based on the article “The stigma of being a housewife” published by The New
York Times in 2011, women who stay home are increasingly seen as
old-fashioned and an economic burden to society, so they are expected to have a
job and do not help their husbands, but to contribute just like them in economic terms to the household and
at the same to take care of children. So
again, do we idealize women? Definitely yes.
All in all, I consider that we will never stop portraying women, or men, in
certain ways as it is part of our nature to create images of everything,
however we really need to be careful with our prejudices, because one thing is
idealize someone and other is to create stereotypes and judge.
http://www.allfreepapers.com/English/Society-Expects-Women/11747.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/21/world/europe/21iht-LETTER.html?_r=0
Maryorie, I strongly agree with you in the sense that I believe that in fact, from that Victorian era up to now, things have changed but very slowly. Actually, the beauty cannons are so absorbed by our society that every woman who doesn't follow it or tries to break them by dressing in a different way, expressing her honest opinion or doing other things is seen almost as a sort of freak, as it happens with Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice when she did a lot of things that weren't expected from her to do such as going alone to the Bingley's house and by foot, or rejecting Mr. Collins and I consider that the result in that times has not varied over time since still society, in general, and some people, in particular, react to those groundbreaking behaviours or actions and start commenting as it happens in the novel. All these consequences are still happening nowadays because, as you said, society, media and all the conventions that we are taught are still shaping women in certain aspects and although the cannons are not that strong, there are some in terms of behaviour and fashion which lead to pre or misjudge women who are different or simply don't fit in those cannons.
ResponderEliminarFinally, I consider that in spite of those cannons and the fact that we will always have an image of women, we should always be open minded because we are all different and maybe our ways are not the same as others and so on, therefore, for the sake of contributing to a more varied and rich society we should be careful when applying those cannons since they can foster stereotypes and leave aside diversity which is the aspect that makes a culture, country or region rich, inclusive and tolerant
I think that as long as we live in a phalocentric society, we as women are always going to live in the shadow of a stereotype or we will have shoes too large to fit into them. If you decide to be an empowered woman you will be expected to perform as well in the house as in your carreer. If you dcide to stay home you will be expected to be perfect and critisized. It is because of the ideas that sorround us and because women fight against women. If that is not changed, other major things will never do.
ResponderEliminar