In the wake of the “Steve Harvey Miss Universe Incident,” there has been a lot of dialogue about beauty pageants being detrimental to women–pretty much the same argument there is every year until the pageant is over and then we all promptly forget about it again. Since we’re already on the subject, let’s also talk about some other hot topics in the world of “things that are bad for women,” shall we?
Fat Shaming
With gorgeous full-figured women like Tess Holliday and Beth Ditto gracing the covers of magazines, many women are learning to accept their bodies as they are. Just as prevalent, keyboard warriors all over the internet are trying to beat back the fat acceptance movement at every turn, screaming “BUT YOU’RE UNHEALTHY!” all the while. Let’s just get one thing straight: These people couldn’t care less about whether or not a complete stranger is unhealthy. It’s just that fat people make them feel icky. Lose the entitlement, internet mob! A woman accepting and loving her body is the healthiest thing she can do. Fat or thin. Why other people can’t just let a homie live is beyond me.
Sexy Selfies
I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard women down other women for posting sexy selfies on Instagram or Twitter. If they’re not slutty for posting a photo that others deem inappropriate, then they’re fake for making their life seem perfect online or for using filters.
What is wrong with being proud as hell that my ass looks amazing in that photo? Someday when I’m old I want to look back like Rose from Titanic and be like “Damn, girl! Your derriere was on point!”
There is another side to this. If you post candid or unfiltered photos, those same people will say you’re ugly and that you don’t care about your appearance. You just cannot win.
We live in an age where we can pick and choose our best selves to show to the world. People have been taking selfies for ages, it’s just easier now. So next time someone takes a selfie, compliment them the best way you can. Not only will it make them feel great, it will make you feel great too.
Unattainable Standards
We as a culture spend a lot of our time with our noses on the internet, which is fine. It’s the age we live in now. Women and girls feel like they have to be as pretty as Kim Kardashian, that their lives need to be as perfect as their favorite YouTubers. We can blame the Internet and Victoria’s Secret models for this, or we can accept responsibility and talk to our children about it instead. Guess what? Just like the photos we take of ourselves, we are only seeing the part of a celebrity’s life that they want us to see.
It is literally their job to look that good all the time. That’s what they do. For the sake of realistic expectations, it’s important to remind impressionable girls this, and to remember it ourselves.
Sexual Promiscuity
Ugh. This one is a big one for me. I understand that having fewer partners lessens our chances of contracting an STD, but honestly, when someone gets called a slut, it’s because she has sexual experience, not because she’s being unsafe. A woman’s “number” does not determine her value or the level of respect she deserves. If she is being safe and not hurting any of her partners emotionally or physically, what is the problem here? Let me tell you what the problem is: your perception of how women should be, and not how they actually are.
Women enjoy sex. I know! Shocking, huh?
The Miss Universe Pageant
Listen. The Miss Universe Pageant is popular among women for a reason. If you really want to know those reasons you can Google it. All I’m going to say about this is that if they want to traipse around in fabulous dresses and bedazzled bikinis why not just let them? They’re ridiculously pretty and smart. Give her a pat on the back for having that much discipline. Go on with your bad self–wear that bikini!
The Point
There are worse things in the world than being fat, or being a “slut,” or being Miss Universe. If you ask me, I would totally rather be any of those things than, like, a hateful person or something.
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