What does equality look like?

Some may wonder why I even ask this question. I can sympathize with these naysayers because, on the surface, our society may appear to maintain a harmonious balance between genders. Although this facade may create a soothing illusion for some, it does not fool those who are tuned into the social atmosphere that consumes our every waking moment. Everyday, images of the “perfect woman” are thrown at girls and women. We are given false expectations of how women should look and where they stand in society. The media further reflects this portrayal of women as objects by commenting on their appearances rather than their thoughts and ideas on important issues. This portrayal plays a big role in shaping young minds into the people we are today. How can girls succeed in a society that cares more about what they are wearing rather than what they have to say?

When I say I am a Feminist* to someone, I can usually expect an eye roll accompanied by a sigh as the person mentally prepares to be lectured. This term has, over the last couple of decades, carried with it derogatory connotations as it often conjures up images of women unhappy with their roles in society and eager to complain loudly to anyone who will listen. Negative connotations of feminism are commonplace in our society, and television evangelist and former Baptist minister Pat Robertson talks on this subject in a 1992 speech during the GOP convention. "The feminist agenda is not about equal rights for women… It is about a socialist, anti-family political movement that encourages women to leave their husbands, kill their children, practice witchcraft, destroy capitalism, and become lesbians" (read the whole article here). These negative connotations are very prevalent in our society today and can often cloud the actual meaning of feminism. The dictionary definition of Feminism is “the advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” So no, it does not mean that all feminists are baby-killing, man-hating, lady-lovers. Feminists just want the basic rights that men are promised everyday. Feminism is the platform for equality, and changing the way that women are portrayed in media will have an effect on the whole society.

So again, I reiterate the question, what does equality look like? There are a variety of ways to tackle this question. I could write a fifty page essay dedicated to the portrayal of women in society; however, I will focus on one of the most powerful influences on our way of thinking— the media. The media is the biggest contributor to the stereotypes and inequalities that are currently embedded in our society. The media exercises so much influence over us that it can affect the way we think, the way we act, what products we buy, and even the way we perceive ourselves and others. All one must do is turn on the TV, read a magazine, or surf the web for a couple minutes and it is easy to come to the realization that we indeed have inequality issues that desperately need to be addressed. Images of women in the media are mainly confined to selling kitchen products, or scantily clad women strutting around to sell a product. The media reinforces stereotypes about women’s roles in society by featuring women in ads for children, weight loss ads, cleaning supplies ads, and beauty ads.

How did we go from an era where ads were filled with strong women, like Rosie the Riveter, to a time that women are used as objects to sell products? Do I really want to see a half- naked woman in a magazine for the sole purpose of selling a fragrance? Do I really want to let my kids browse the Internet when there are demeaning images of naked women in music videos like Blurred Lines (watch video here)? Do I really want to see cooking advertisements on TV with only female actors? Do I really want to listen to one more pantsuit joke about Hillary Clinton, when all I want to know is her political perspective? It is time for women be portrayed differently in the media.

The ability of the media to influence our society’s views in a positive way can be a very effective tool. However, the way the media is currently being used is just reinforcing the negative stereotypes that women have been trying to get rid of for decades. In World War II, women became respectable members of society as their role in the war effort increased dramatically. Posters were hung from wall to wall with the famous slogan “We Can Do it” with portraits of women shown as tough and capable. World War II may have been the beginning of respect for women in society, as women entered the workforce in droves and performed jobs that had been considered male-only positions. For the first time, women were seen as important to our economy— a shift from the previously held beliefs that women were expected to be supporters of men and confined to the caretaker role of the family.

Depictions of women in media today are much less empowering. Using demeaning images of women to sell products has been so embedded in our society that it is difficult to avoid. It is not uncommon to see an ad of a young, pretty model in very little clothing with the implication that you can look like her by purchasing the shoes she is selling. Or a skinny woman smiling to a man in an expensive car implying that he can attract such women by buying the car (For more ads that will probably make you very mad, just click here). However, because marketing industries refuse to consider any other way of advertising, it is challenging to imagine a society in which the media does not reinforce these stereotypes. But surely, there has to be another way. Why can’t women be depicted as who they are, as normal women?

Gloria Steinem, famous for founding MS magazine and for her contributions to the women’s rights movement, actually succeeded in selling magazines that were free of ads that were demeaning towards women. Steinem changed the stereotype that certain ads had to be targeted towards a specific gender just based on what product they were selling. In an article Steinem wrote about MS magazine, she describes the difficulties that she faced with advertisers. “We would convince makers of ‘people products’ used by both men and women but advertised mostly to men - cars, credit cards, insurance, sound equipment, financial services, and the like - that their ads should be placed in a women's magazine.” To read the rest of this article, click here. Although a seemingly easy process, Steinem found it difficult to convince marketers that putting their ads in a women’s magazine would be worth it. However, it ended up that many women appreciated the gender-neutral ads, and MS magazine turned out to be a huge success and is still running to this day.

Now, imagine this on a greater scale. What would happen if EVERY magazine chose to do this? If EVERY advertiser that sold advertisements that negatively portrayed women were to be shut down? If EVERY magazine targeted both men and women equally, and didn’t change their ads based on their gender? That would be something that could completely revolutionize how women are perceived in society.

If the media were to portray more gender- neutral ads, maybe we would have had a female president by now. Hillary Clinton, the most recent woman presidential candidate to run in American history, was somewhat ridiculed by the public and TV news anchors. Around election time, it was all anyone was talking about that America was going to get either the first Black man or the first Woman as a president. In comparing how the two were treated by the public, it becomes quite obvious that women are not recognized for their true political talent but rather their looks, what they wear, and their families. Jon Stewart on The Daily show pokes fun of people’s reactions to Hillary Clinton’s political life. Instead of asking the pressing questions, like health care, taxes, or our future, the media asks her questions about her daughter’s pregnancy. A news anchor reports “Could [the pregnancy] put a bump in Hillary’s 2016 plans, and is it sexist to ask?” In which Jon Stewart replies “NO! NO! noo! Of course not silly billy… Even though it’s a question that has NEVER, EVER, been posed to a male candidate EVER before” (to watch clip click here). This huge contrast between how female and male candidates are treated is clearly identified and Stewart pokes fun at this uneven political ground. If women and men were equal- as the definition of feminism states- women wouldn’t be pestered about their personal and family lives.

This disparity between how women and men are treated is one of the direct results of women’s portrayal in media. When women rise to fill positions of power, it comes to a surprise to many people in our society. It’s seen as something rare, and instead of considering what they are saying, the public feels an obligation to dehumanize powerful women by asking them extremely patronizing questions. Advertisements label women as being sexual objects, which in turn squanders their innovative and unique ideas because of this stereotype that women are only here for their looks. Needless to point out, this double standard has progressed far too long. Society needs to come to terms with the idea that women are equally capable of taking on difficult jobs.

So now we are left with this question: what can we do about all of this? Well, I don’t know about you but I’m starting to hate Feminism. I’ve started to resent the fact that I have to argue for the chance to get equality, instead of being able to take it for granted. I’m infuriated that Feminism is something that we still need today. Perhaps women needed to take on the role of the caretaker, the supporter, back in the pioneer days when roles were determined by actual physical strength. But the Industrial age wiped out that need when women stepped into the roles of both the man and the woman during WWII. There should no longer a need to fight for equal rights. Let’s look at that definition of feminism again: “The advocacy of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.” Feminism shouldn’t need a definition and something I need to explain to people, it should be something that is already embedded in our society. I don’t want to have to prove to everyone around me that I’m capable of thinking for myself without the label of being a Feminist. There is no better time then now to move on, and no better time for women to be treated as an equal part of society. It is time for Feminism to die a hero’s death.

*My reason for capitalizing Feminism is because I believe it is a proper noun and is the name of a Revolution that has changed woman's way of living. It is necessary to our society today and therefore deserving a title of capitalization.