A Time-Honored Position: The role of a mother has changed with each passing generation. Even in the last several decades, I have watched as modern woman took control over the sort of mother she wants to be: a working mother, a stay-at-home mother, a single mother, a mother by blood or by adoption, etc. The world may have an old-fashioned idea of what a mother must be, a checklist of sorts, but I have seen the role of "mother" filled in an endless variety of ways.
The Fight Against Contempt: A
woman’s voice is not one that has been heard or respected for countless
generations; women historically did not and could not speak out in their own defense. Today's women are not this way; they fight actively against abuse, for their own sake and for that of others.
For the Right to Prosper: Women are able to benefit from quality schooling, from accessible healthcare, from careers upon which they are able to support their families, etc. These women are a glowing example of gathering together to protect that which allows them to live and thrive.
Expectations in Both Directions: How
the gender roles of the times have changed . . . Though perhaps laughable by
today’s standards, the sentiment is easily understandable: if a
man has expectations of a woman as a romantic partner, she is perfectly capable
of setting her own conditions as well. In my own immediate family, I watched as this played out; my mother was just as clear with my father on the things she expected of him as he was with her. Their relationship thrived as they communicated with each other - though not always as sassily as this picture might imply.
Acknowledgement at Last: At work, at home, in school, within herself - a woman is a "superhero," and she always will be.
"Pretty" Beyond the Looks
The idea of how a woman is meant to look has changed with the decades, but the world's expectation that women will follow each new standard has not. But in my experience, I have seen the standard challenged time and time again by larger women, women of color, and women with physical disabilities as they operate within their own realms of beauty and wear them proudly.
What Belongs to Which Gender
Salute - The Little Mix
This song mixes typically masculine elements in with a message of female empowerment, utilizing aspects of the military as a means to show the fierceness, durability, and unity of womankind. It speaks to women all over the spectrum, encouraging the break from traditional norms of behavior and the acknowledgement of the power of women.
The Number on the Scale
Body
acceptance in the female community has been a struggle for many years. Meghan Trainor encourages all women, especially those who have long felt out of their element due to their size, to be comfortable in their own skins. Regardless of whether it is attractive to
society or not, a healthy, modern woman sees the value in her own life and every aspect in it.
What to Look for In a Partner
That Don't Impress Me Much - Shania Twain
The world expects women to be with a man romantically if he fits the mold of the "right mate": smart, attractive, wealthy. But a woman today is able to make that decision herself, to decide what sorts of men suit her needs and wants. I have seen women become active decision-makers in their own futures as well as the future of their families.
Against Social Oppression
WARNING:
BRIEF COARSE LANGUAGE; “We are the public school mannequins . . . We are the
girls taught to survive by using our bodies as Swish army knives . . . We know
the answer but do not raise our hands.” Based upon where she is from, a girl experiences each and every
one of the points highlighted by Blythe Baird to some degree. The everyday oppression of women,
while perhaps not as obvious as it once was, is still very much in evidence,
and women of all ages are gaining the courage to speak out against it in a
variety of ways.
Our Own Represenation
I'm Not Buying It - Justice Hehir
WARNING: BRIEF COARSE LANGUAGE; “The world has decided . . . that breast cancer is pink . . . Because when women get sick, we have to do it in a pretty way.” Modern women fight against the ways they are portrayed in media regularly, particularly in terms of the suffering unique to a woman. Women are taking their representation into their own hands and in so doing are informing the world and all in it of the reality of the being a woman.
The Right to Be Beautiful
The
modern woman has become an easy target in the world of technology and
far-reaching media; it is no large feat to simply post a picture of yourself
upon the Internet and receive a flurry of responses both in your favor and designed to tear you down. But I find that women
today are making the decisions to express themselves in whatever way they deem
fit, regardless of whether it fits society’s standards or not. They have
realized that there is simply no way to please everyone; they allow their own
opinions to take priority over anyone else’s.
Sources:
- http://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/parenting/2008/12/special-ways-to-show-your-child-affection.aspx
- http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/img/56721755/Master.jpg
- https://rewire.news/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/differentisnotdangerous-740x525.jpg
- https://i.pinimg.com/736x/16/c6/d4/16c6d47dd3136971133b3599875fbeea--funny-cooking-quotes-cooking-meme.jpg
- http://creativity-online.com/work/axosoft-it-was-never-a-dress/41534
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKTZAsDVkzs
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-j8H6HbRFk
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PCkvCPvDXk
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqFLXayD6e8
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-8v54uji3k
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AaaDO8uCT_Y
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWTRwj9t-vU
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