Women's Liberation to a halt?

Being a woman is really hard. In many ways it is harder than it used to be before. I do acknowledge and appreciate all the aids we got nowadays; it’s not as physically demanding to do everyday chores anymore. I am grateful we have running water, laundry machines, electricity and everything else we install in our houses which makes house chores still a little time consuming (and it’s time consuming only because it has to be done, not because it takes a lot of time to actually do them) but not really straining.  We now have a different kind of pressure which to some becomes so overwhelming they run their lives by it: Appearance!

A survey done in Norway reveals that at least 50 000 women suffer from some kind of eating disturbance. 15% of 17-year old girls in our capital are underweight. Half of the girls in high school have tried to lose weight, or are currently on a diet.

Surgeon, or injections, to change looks are more and more common within all groups of society and age. And the guys fall into line in increasing number. So called beauty corrective procedures are spoken about as more normal, and a far more preferred solution, than acceptance of nature’s course and beauty of the human body.

The desire to be both thin yet (to some extent) curvy (not so curvy it is hard to get into fashion brand clothes, though) is greatly encouraged by the many who make money on selling us low self-confidence.

As a result of this, the survey I mentioned also say that the girls feel they have to spend twice as much time on their appearance than they do on homework and reading.

If you don’t live it just trust me: it’s hard and it’s never good enough! We try to be up to standards nobody really knows, set by… nobody knows. The rules to what and who is beautiful changes, like a forever ongoing urban legend.

It is as if what we suspect others think, when they see us, is what defines us as individuals. I know that it is very fashionable to pursue happiness more than anything else. But we are so desperate to show our happiness we forget to take a real good feel and think about how we really are. All those brave smiles on perfect faces seldom reach and beam through glittering eyes.

I know for a fact I am not alone in feeling the pressure of visual happiness. I am not the only one who is tired of newspapers, magazines and TV series telling me what happiness really is, how to become happy and how to be even more happy. And the recipe to happiness seems to be the same for everybody, even though we all know, deep inside, that’s far from the case. Nobody can really tell how to measure happiness anyway. The expectations and demands I face on how to lead a happy life sometimes give me a feeling of failure, even though I know I am ok.

Deep inside I know I am lucky because I can handle being miserable and sad for a while, and appreciate unexpected moments of pure happiness.

On the other hand I don’t post pictures of myself either. I don’t show off to the world, maybe in fear of what “they” might say if my love handles, double chin or not so perfectly plucked eyebrows show too well. I am far from perfect: I fall into the same pit “everybody” else does.

And then I start thinking how stupid it is to let what others may or may not think limit myself, even the least. And then I get into thoughts about how arrogant I am to think like that. As if I’m not part of the world, or that I’m perfect or something. If I wasn’t at all affected or influenced by what’s going on around me, and to my fellow-beings, I would have been a sole island, which I’m not.

It is so sad that even when you are the best at something, it is never good enough, because you should have been equally good at something else.

I think that girls throughout the entire western world struggle to find courage to talk in class, meetings and gatherings because they know everybody’s eyes will turn their way as soon as they open their mouths. Some will measure and study, not only their body but also how they dress, how they talk and their gestures.

As a result of this there is less challenges on the structures of power established in our society, and we miss out on a lot of good thoughts and ideas which could have improved society as well as business.

Feminist is an insult and women who speak up to fight the unreasonable demands women face are called ugly and jealous.

We like to think that we have come a long way as far as Women's Lib is concerned. But when we let what others say about food, working out, make up, clothes and how it all affect us run our lives, how real is the liberation?

I like to think that if I just try to forget what I look like, act and talk I am actually pretty skilled... and good at it!