21st Century Perfection

 There is absolutely no denying the fact that lately, the subject of the status of women in today's society has raised many questions in my mind. Growing up I never felt indifferent to the male; we eat and drink the same food, sit the same exams and play the same sports... So why at this point in my life have I noticed the stark differences between us? 

Reading an intriguing article the other day, my eyes have definitely been cleared on issues faced by women in the music industry. (Hot Press Article - Lily Allen 'It's hard out here for a bitch') Lily Allen expresses her frustration on the pressures put on woman in today's world, and how one must stand their ground if they wish to remain 'decent'. She describes a strong woman 'to be forceful, assertive, interesting and an unapologetic female,' in response to an article published by the Daily Mail on 'the ups and downs of her ever-changing figure'. Women in the music world, get verbally scrutinized and criticized on a daily basis, if it's not Twitter or Facebook spreading the abuse, it's newspapers and magazines. The media feel it's their 'responsibility' to share with the world their opinion on a single individual. 

Although, it's not just the 21st century women who are being judged. Women have always been regarded as the lesser of the human species. They were ignored and degraded by society, forbidden to give their opinion on any matters concerning their own lives. If they should dare stray away from the status-quo, they were immediately judged and stereotyped. Take for example Mary Anne Evans, better known as 'George Eliot', she was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era, but used a male pen name to ensure her work would be read. Similar to the Bronte sisters who also published their work under male names. Many woman in today's world admire the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, but they too were stabbed and demolished by society. Their views on how a woman should act and live were inspirational and yet society chose to concentrate on their body and image rather than what they had to say... 'The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair'. As I was rummaging through history lately, I came across quite the shocking fact that women have been undoubtedly written out of important events. Women played a vital role in the French Resistance during World War II. However, there was absolutely no recognition of women and their involvement in the resistance prior to the 1970's. It had been regarded as a male affair, with no specific reference made to women. Women received no decorations or citations of honour until 1975. These women were the silent heroins of World War II.


Another serious debate that seems to dominate the media lately; what is considered to be a 'real woman'? This issue in my opinion is only getting worse as the years roll by. People seem to shoot down women no matter what they look like, so why is the world so concerned about the 'real woman'? There's no such thing as a perfect woman, there's no such thing as the right ass or legs or face or weight. The sooner people realise this the better. It seems to me that the media change their mind on a daily basis as to how a woman should really look; one day they're criticized for being too fat the next day hounded for being too skinny. It's an absolute disgrace to see such an overwhelming amount of people who think it's acceptable to demoralise a woman on the basis of looks. It is not OK to publicly attack anybody, let alone a woman who is already possibly uneasy about their appearance.

A woman growing up in today's society will not go down without a fight. Over the past few years women have expressed their frustration at the world from the likes of Lily Allen, Amanda Palmer, Adele to Hilary Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt and Marilyn Monroe. Although I understand that society has come a long way, it is still evident that men have the upper status in the 21^st century world.