To Be A Woman: A Digital Museum

There is no one-size-fits all definition of women. Each human being has complex and intersecting identities that influences how they see the world around them. To be a woman in the modern world is to a part of a larger social structure that houses a wide variety of life experiences. 

Tyler Feder (Instagram: @tylerfeder)

To be a woman is broad term—it always has been, though it has not always been treated as such. The word “woman” encompasses a wide variety of experiences and it looks different for every person who chooses to wear the label. The way that a transgender, black woman views the world is radically different than the way a straight, white woman views the world. To be a woman in the modern world is to be a part of a complex web of experiences composed of people with interesting identities.  

This is not how women are often portrayed in popular media. Plastered on television screens are white, thin, middle-class, straight women. Women are not shown in their entirety and society is often forced to view women through a single lens.

Monica Stewart- “Every Woman”

To be a woman in the modern world is to acknowledge our differences and support each other in what makes our experiences unique. In the words of Rupi Kaur, “we all move forward when we recognize how resilient and striking the women around us are.”

There is a heavy stereotype about women that seems to penetrate through society. That is that they are fierce competitors with one another. This is often how they are viewed in popular media as well. Often a woman's survival is seen possible only through another women's failure. 

Elizabeth Catlett- “Madonna”

To be a woman in the modern world is a divine role. Like mother nature, she grasps life in her arms and is fiercely protective. This is not limited to woman who are feminine or woman who can procreate, it is an essence that flows through all of the women that surround me and breathes life into those around them.

Women are often seen as agents to be acted upon, rather than fierce beings who breathe life and take it away. Like mother nature, who brings light and a heavy storm. 

Pinterest (original source cannot be located)

As a socially constructed category, the word “feminine” seeks to hold many women accountable, and as a result, otherize those who do not fit into its narrowly defined walls. Femininity looks different for every person (whether male or female). To be a woman in the modern world is to rework the meaning of socially imposed ideas and mold them to fit your experiences and priorities in life.

This does not fit in with popular media and stereotypes. To be a women according to televesion ads and billboard signs is to have perfect teeth, clear skin, and a rocking body. 

Rupi Kaur- “Milk and Honey”

There will always be forces that attempt to teach women that their only worth comes from the size of their bust and their waistline. To be a woman in the modern world is to recognize that we have so much more to offer the world than the limbs on our body. 

This is not what society would teach us. Society would tell us that (paraphrasing Rupi Kaur) what is between our legs is more important than the anatomy of our body. I was taught from a young girl that my worth stems from the way that I look in the mirror. I am still learning how to rewire those thoughts.

Nayyirah Waheed- “salt.”

To be a woman in the modern world is to recognize that you can be both brutal and soft and any other two concepts that have historically been viewed as two separate and distinct categories. Our identities have a connecting “and” nature, not an exclusive “or” nature.

I learned this from my mother. However, stereotypes and media would suggest that women are passive beings and that the correct sentence would be "I am a soft women."

 Lillian Bustle- “Stripping Away Negative Body Image”

As human beings apart of a larger social structure, we have a tendency to compartmentalize parts of our identity. Some, according to beauty standards, fit together more than others. To be a woman in the modern world is to realize that we are all different—some of us are fat, some of us are thin, some of us are simply average, but all of us (as cliché as it sounds) can be simultaneously beautiful. It is growing increasingly important to members of society to support how the woman around them choose to manage their bodies (whether that be rooting someone on for wanting to lose weight or being proud of someone who finds the fat on their body fills out their dress nicely).  

Media would teach us that in order to be beautiful that we have to wear a certain size jean number. It would teach us that there is only one way to manage our body, and that is to hate the fat on our body and cling to the image of thin.

Mari Andrew (Instagram: @bymariandrew)

In a world where social media lives within the small devices that we carry around, it is easy to compare the worst attributes within ourselves to the best attributes of someone else. To be a woman in the modern world is to constantly remind yourself that you are doing the best that you can and so are those around you because real life does not exist within the tiny squares on Instagram.

This is not how woman are portrayed in popular culture. Women are seen as beings who must compete with others in order to succeed. This creates unhealthy, jealous relationships in popular culture and media.

Lorna Simpson

Historically, women of color have been expected to conform to unrealistic beauty standards. Being oppressed is an art that you learn as a young child. As Lilian Smith stated, “we learned the dance that crippled the human spirit… day by day, hour by hour, year by year until the movements were reflexes and made for the rest of our life without thinking.” As oppression is internalized, the movements become second-nature. This work represents women of color reveling in their beauty—something that has long-since been withheld from them

It is often the light-skinned women of color who are cast in movies and television shows. Because of this, young girls are forced to compare themselves to the images that they see in popular culture and through the media. 

Kimothy Joy (Instagram: @kimothyjoy)

The women that came before me were constrained by the social structures that surrounded them. Their life experience was vastly different from the men in their life (and vastly different from the women around them). As a woman in the modern world, my life is also vastly different from the men around me. However, I was taught at a young age that I could have both a career and a family (something that was previously restricted to men). Though there are barriers all marginalized groups face, as women we must believe that we are entitled to things that we have historically been withheld from.

I believe that these stereotypes are changing. Though being able to have both a career and a family was not something that was expected of wome. Popular culture and media often portrays women having both.

Google Images (original source could not be located)

Inequality exists on a spectrum. Douglass S. Massey described the state of racism the United States as a “moving target.” Though sexism does not look like it did in the past, it is still a huge part of women’s lives globally. Women may have gained the right to vote within the U.S., but there are other pressing issues still at hand (both domestically and abroad). Just as women did in the past, women in the modern world must continue persist.

I do not feel like this aligns with stereotypes. I have heard many people claim (women included) that they care about women's issues, but only in impoverished countries were "women are really suffering." Women in the US are often seen as dramatic for claiming that they deserve more rights. It is a battle that continues to be fought.

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