Distractions , Disunity, and Dress

With International Women’s Day just passing on Tuesday March 8^th, it is a relief to see positive gestures toward the matter of feminism. However, it was not until I scrolled past a Snapchat filter that I became fully  aware of the significance of the day. Checking my calendar, there it was listed, “International Women’s Day”. This was a relief to know that in with all of the information provided to our new technology reliant society through social networks and controversial reality TV, this day was being recognized – or so I thought.

I usually have the company of my TV watching me, more than I am watching it. This was the same case on Tuesday, March 8^th.  Sadly, I can assert that my choice in channels (MTV, Vh1, BET, Teen Nick, E! Entertainment, Oxygen, etc.) which make the top 50 Television Entertainment Channels according to The Wrap Entertainment News, did not acknowledge the day at all. Yet, Kim Kardashian’s nude selfie that debuted on Instagram, then making its way to Twitter, became the entertainment industry’s biggest interest for the week. Television and social networks are provided with the strings to be very influential on its viewers/users representing all sexualities, yet they do not always use their power to constructively spread the positivity of feminism awareness.

Kim Kardashian’s photo prompted responses from celebrities like Amber Rose, Pink, and Bette Midler. Pink in opposition of KimK’s actions stated:

“Shout out to all of the women, across the world, using their brains, their strength, their work ethic, their talent, their magic, that they were born with; that only they possess. It may not ever bring you as much attention or bank notes as using your body, your sex, your tits and asses, but women like you don’t need that kind of attention. In the quiet moments, you will feel something deeper than the fleeting excitement resulting from attention. You will feel something called pride and self respect. Keep on resisting the urge to cave, you’ll never have to make silly excuses for yourself.”

Pink ended her tweet using the hashtags #internationalwomensday #bestrong #upyourrealworth. Viewing the diverse views expressed in the media on this subject, I cannot help but conclude that the lack of unity among women is the number one barrier in advancing feminism. Though we are not all going to absolutely agree with someone else’s actions we do need to allow them to be able to express themselves in whatever way is satisfying to them as long as it is not physically hurting others. This is especially true for women, since we are oppressed as a unit. 

 

As a college student who uses TV as one of my few leisure activities, a reality to which many of my friends on campus can relate, it was unpleasant to see the division of women broadcasted on the predominant media source. This serves as no surprise to me. The reflections of the behavior I see in society and on my campus are reflections of the behaviors exploited by our social media outlets. Being a feminist suggests you should be accepting of all behaviors  in your favor or not. I get the feeling our campus is very closed
off to addressing the freedoms of sexuality, perhaps because its such a controversial and touchy topic. In my opinion, the breakdown of our community members involved in feminist conversations, events, and projects yields a handful of students and some supporting faculty. I find that the majority of people just don’t care; and then there are other persons or organizations that strictly address only certain aspects of “feminism.”

I encounter pro-feminist and anti-feminist acts day in and day out. It is actually pretty hard not to. Feminist issues seem so dominant, so prevalent, and at the same time, so easily brushed under the rug. The comparison of Kim Kardashian and Ayesha Curry for example, measuring who is a better mother or person depending on their clothing choices, is absurd. The torment is also perpetuated on my college campus. We talk about whether or not a student is an “ideal” student, or more promiscuous because the student identifying as a woman chose to take advantage of our warm weather, dressing a little more revealing only to deal with hurtful remarks, thus correlating a person’s personality and intelligence with their attire. It is just wrong. 

 

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About the Author:

Asha P.
Class of 2016 | Transfer
Major: Communication
Minor: Psychology
Blog Theme: Woman A Loud

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Please Note: The views of our student bloggers do not necessarily reflect the views of the UAlbany Advisement Services Center. These are their stories –  their voices.