So now we have established what a real woman is I'm going to
talk about why they now feel the need to be slim. I have to be honest I did get
a serious amount of writers block whilst doing this and wrote several articles
which I decided were all awful longwinded and boring. So sorry for the delay
and I hope this isn't to terrible. If it is though you could use it as an
insomnia cure and then I'd still feel good knowing it had a purpose!
So after a great deal
of thought I eventually came to the decision that the main reason girls want to
be thin is because they are growing up with a lack of *drum roll please* ROLE MODELS!
Don't get me wrong there are a great deal of people out
there who are deemed 'role models' but it's another one of those 'real woman'
phrases. It's a load of bull. No one has defined what a role model is and those
who are supposed to be one don't actually seem to have done a great deal for
society. It seems to me that having views that match everyone else's so you can
fit in has become more important than expressing and being true to yourself.
The people that should be considered role models are often considered uncool by
today's youth. (Think Mary Portas, the Queen etc.)
 |
| "I am not a role model." |
To me role models should have 4 main qualities:
1. Treat themselves and their bodies with respect and both their mind and body should be healthy
(obviously there are factors out of our control e.g. coughs, colds)
2. Exercise their right to speak freely
3. Don't bully, condemn or ostracise people for shallow or
unimportant reasons
4. Accessible to people from all generations and walks of
life
At the moment I have 2 people who stand out to me as role
models. The first of these is GAGA! Now you may think I'm jumping on the
bandwagon here but she is an exceptionally clever lady. She's found a way to be
heard by the people who currently need it most. I mean how many 14 year olds
read the news and listen to politics? Now compare that with the number who
watch MTV, listen to the radio or read gossip magazines. Music is a great way
to be heard by people all over the world and her music isn't offensive to the
ear, my mum would listen to it, and that makes her accessible. The message her
music carries in inclusive and aims to stop prejudice.
You only have to look
at her twitter feed to realise how much attention she pays to each of her 24
million followers, something I'm not sure any other famous person does. She's
grateful for fan art and all the little things they do for her, be it say they
love her concert or send flowers for her sick friend. She's like a modern
Mother Teresa except she cures low self-esteem, not leprosy. She dresses how
she wants and doesn't give a rats arse what people think. After many tabloids
declared she used to be a man she didn't go running OK! magazine demanding they
do a feature on her saying it wasn't true. Although she didn't say this I
imagine she may have said something like this:
"What if I was a man? I'd ROCK a penis and it would be
the best god-damn cock in the world!"
She respects herself and that is cool.
So Gaga if you ever
see this, you rock and please keep populating the world with little monsters.
My second role model is someone you have probably never
heard but someone you need to know about. Her name is Lori Smith ,also known as
@lipsticklori, and she describes herself as a 'sex positive LGBT feminist.' She
may not be so accessible to everyone due to her extreme opinions but her
articles are always superbly written and she's not afraid to say what she
thinks. I personally think she's brilliant and I love her sex related pieces
because honestly who doesn't enjoy sex, be it with themselves, one (or several
others) or their favourite adult shop purchase!? She represents and speaks out
for a minority (the B's and the T's), oh and did I mention she has a super sexy
burlesque alter ego @misslollypops.
Clearly she is just an awesome person who is proving that
it's possible to be a combination of a confident sex loving minx and an
intelligent interesting feminist writer. Her blog should be put on the
curriculum for sex-ED. End of. Read it here. Right now.
If you have someone with these qualities that you feel you
can relate to as a role model please leave a comment and let me know. We need
to find these people and make them known so young people have someone to look
up to who's main aspiration isn't to look like a twig.
Ellie x
No comments:
Post a Comment