Thursday, March 22, 2007

What is Femininity?

I just posted this over at Twisty's place, because that's where I got inspired to make it, but I thought I'd post it here too. It's a collage I whipped up last night (I was in a funky depressed-manic mood, mostly from reading too many news stories that involved women being killed, maimed, or otherwise assaulted) in response to the question: What is femininity?

Femininity is one of those prettyful (and lately, empowerful) labels that society (a.k.a the patriarchy) uses to otherwise strip women of their status as humans. Some women cling to this label to be otherwise validated by men and women (as I used to be, in my insecure teenage days). Honestly, I'm not a great writer, so the collage below is meant to represent what I see when I hear the word "femininity".

dumb_fantasy_small

(Here is the bigger version).

Take from that what you will.

I added the dumb fantasy part at the top, because to me femininity (as society sees it) is not only a stupid fantasy, but it's a fantasy where the feminine one is stupid (we're supposed to know more about the science of fashion, babies, and relationships, versus actual lab science, because our fragile feminine minds just aren't built for all those complicated concepts). On a side note, my dad told me he used to go to college with a guy who wanted to marry a "stupid woman", because then he would be able to tell her what to think and what to do. (I think he succeeded, and then they divorced just a few years later, unsurprisingly.)

4 comments:

Shay said...

very very cool collage

Lavender said...

Thanks! I have an idea for another one cooking up. I'll just have to find a magazine to sacrifice.

Unknown said...

how sad to believe this...true femininity is so much more ~ and combines the gentleness of women's nurture with the strength of women's determination. We are so much stronger than me emotionally, though weaker physically, and it is a great balance. Intelligence has nothing to do with femininity. Gentleness, kindness, compassion, life-giving qualities, creativity, those are feminine and I wouldn't trade them for anything

Unknown said...

Crock Pot Mom, I so agree with what you wrote. To be feminine is the best thing in the world. It doesn't mean your weak, a pushover, easily manipulated, have to "give in" to men. It means that you understand your very essence as a woman, one of the most powerful creatures on the planet. I love being a woman. I think that because we are in a paternalistic society and after the women's movement, women seem to think that they have to think and act like men to be accomplished. While I fight for equality in certain areas of society, I know that no man is equal to me as a woman. We are different, but complimentary. That is the beauty of humanity.