This past Thursday, I was at my Sister-2-Sister meeting and we brought up the topic of women in the media and how that transfers into the household. The media has given the women of society two very conflicting roles. It is the idea of the slut vs. the idea of the lady. Often on music videos, TV shows, lyrics to a song, etc. you will see, or hear, about women who are either staying at home with the kids, or holding down the household, or there are the women that are going out every night finding a different guy to sleep with and doing whatever men want her to do.
The idea is that every man wants a lady in the streets but a freak in the bed. This is how all of our roles are stereotyped in modern society. You are either one or the other or you are both, but you keep one tightly concealed. We are supposed to be strong independent women out in public, but turn into sex kittens when we get home. These are the main portrayals of women. But it gets confusing at times because at one time we are asked to be at home and take care of the household, but then it gets turned around and we are asked to go out into society and act more like a man and work. Also, there is the idea that we should be innocent and keep our virginity sacred, but it seems as though that is more when it comes to being with other mine, but it's perfectly fine to be a sex goddess with only one guy.
The media has changed the viewpoint of how women are in society. There was a time when marriage was the number priority of women and now it is all about being single. It is to the point of where the morals of women have changed. We are constantly being assigned conflicting roles where it is almost as though women have no true identity until the man decides what he needs.
I have to def agree that women are given very conflicting roles when it comes to society, and especially sex! We talked about this in my Sociology class once, and we concluded that women are supposed to seem virginal and innocent, because that is deemed attractive, but at the same time they are also supposed to be good at sex and know what they are doing. How can you be a virgin AND know exactly what you are doing during sex at the same time...? I personally think that these contradictions are CRAZY! I'm not sure exactly how they all started, but they put immense pressure on women to act a certain way that is, basically, unattainable!
ReplyDeleteI also agree. The classic example is a woman sleeping with different guys being labeled a slut, but a guy who sleeps around is not seen (to other men), as a "player". The constraints women are under are ridiculous, as you point out. We are expected to act like a lady, but also are expected to play other roles, mainly in the bedroom, which don't fit the lady stereotype.
ReplyDeleteI agree with this, too. It reminds me of something I saw on twitter the other day that said, "Every girl wants a good girl who will be bad just for him." Women are expected to be a "good girl" who does nothing wrong and should be seen as "perfect" when that is irrational. Why do women have to be a good girl and always act like a lady when men are able to go around and have sex whenever they feel like it? It's a major double standard and one that is unfair. Women should be equal to men and be able to do anything they please, too.
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