After I read the article from The Raw Story entitled, "Indonesian Women Don Miniskirts In Rape Protest," I felt empowered. Growing up in a conservative family, I was always scolded if my neckline seemed ever-so-slightly too low, or the hem of jean cut-off shorts too short. Because of that, I grew up spending my summers mostly in capri pants or longer shorts and scoop-neck t-shirts instead of the average halter tops and "really short" shorts.
Even during backstage time before a theatre production, I kept myself covered with a robe or a zip-up sweatshirt to hide my bra or camisole that my mic pack was strapped to. Girls in the dressing room made jokes about how they were going to buy me Ace Wrap bandages to strap down my breasts to make me look like all of them. I was humiliated by my own figure, despite being a size 6 and a 30 DD, and therefore continued to keep my top half completely covered. However, I did take the opportunity to show off my legs, having spent the previous eight years dancing and horseback riding. I would put on my tights and then a pair of black "bootie shorts" over top of them, which would keep said pantyhose from sagging or being pulled out of alignment during costume changes--because it never failed I always had the role that had the most costume changes.
The story talked about a large group of women who wore miniskirts and revealing tank tops while holding posters and banners that read phrases like, "Don't Tell Us How to Dress! Tell Them Not to Rape!" as well as "My Miniskirt is My Right!" to protest the governor's comment that a rape-victim had only been victimized because she had been wearing a miniskirt on a public transport bus and was gang-raped.
After I read the article, I found myself pulling out my full-length mirror and staring at my body. I always try to be tasteful in my dress, balancing out the amount of skin I show so as not to be labeled as a "slut," "whore," or a number of smut-leveling names that some girls are given for wearing skimpy clothing. If anything, after five minutes of looking at myself, examining my flaws and the things I love about myself, I decided it was time that more women should take pride in their bodies. We are taught from a young age that we should look perfect. Magazines, celebrities, girls' Barbie dolls and other toys all teach us that we should be thin and have perfect skin, be sexy but innocent, and that our hair should always look in a way that a man would want to run his fingers through it. Our makeup should be flawless, our legs and arms lithe and shapely, our torsos perfect hourglasses, etc.
It's sickening!
From this point on, I'm breaking the mold. I will dress for me and my body type, as all women should. I'm not perfect, and I am not "beautiful" in many people's eyes. But I can celebrate myself and take pride in my imperfections that make me unique.
Men, I'm not an object of sexual desire. I am not just eye candy or a damsel to put on your arm. I am your equal. "I am woman, hear me purr." Treat a girl with respect and you will find there is whole hell of a lot more to a girl than just her face-value.
This is the great blog about women's body image and how culture can affect the way we look at our own bodies. You begin by mentioning the Indoesian story and bring it to a personal level to talk about your own experience with your body image and how that is evolved. I'm curious to know if you see any differences between your experience and the Indonesian women in the article/story you read.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to expand more or read more about this, I highly recommend a book called "The Beauty Myth". It is from the 80's so a little outdated but a lot of the theories are still relevant. It also discusses the economical aspect of maintaining women's beauty and so forth.
And lastly, I want to play devil's advocate too. Since gender is both a construction for women and men, what do you think about the gender roles men are obligated to maintain? I have a book on my shelf about this issue that I have yet to read, but I am curious if you have put any thought into this or read anything about it.