The women’s movement was about independence, equality and liberation.
Most importantly, the women’s liberation movement was about choice. The
choice to become whoever you want to become. Women such as Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton dedicated their lives so that my
generation of women would have a voice. Women all over the world, from
the Middle East to Africa and Asia struggle each day to find their
voice and fight for their place in their societies.
Shermineh Rohanizadeh: Where Have All the Role Models Gone?
shermie84@hotmail.com
The
women’s movement was about independence, equality and liberation. Most
importantly, the women’s liberation movement was about choice. The
choice to become whoever you want to become. Women such as Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton dedicated their lives so that my
generation of women would have a voice. Women all over the world, from
the Middle East to Africa and Asia struggle each day to find their
voice and fight for their place in their societies. Women in the United
States have it very easy. The generations before us devoted their lives
and worked hard so that we could have opportunities that they never
dreamed of. There are so many women that are doing such great things,
but who do we actually look up to? What do we value about our fellow
women?
Drugs, alcohol, smoking, scandal, sex, bad behavior and
rehab. These are the characteristics of the role models of my
generation . Open up any magazine or newspaper, and you will find a
picture or an article about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, or Lindsay
Lohan. These girls are admired because they are beautiful. They have
beautiful bodies, expensive wardrobes, fame, and great lifestyles. But
what would they have to offer if you took away the makeup, the money
and the clothes? What have they contributed to society? Their idea of
liberation is not wearing underwear! They teach girls that by acting
stupid, wearing revealing clothes, and going to the hot-spot night
clubs they can be successful. Their idea of success is flawed, because
their idea of success is beauty and materialism. The image that they
convey to girls is very negative and hurtful. Their behavior is
counterproductive to the women who made it their life’s work to empower
women, give them a voice, and opportunities.
Why do we only
look at entertainers as role models? Most of them are not worthy of
that title. What does it say about out society and values when we
admire entertainers over women who have made real contributions to
society? Women like Sandra Day O’Conner, Maya Angelou, Oprah Winfrey,
Mother Theresa and so many other women like them have contributed so
much to women. These women are hard workers, ambitious, they are
intelligent, humanitarians, courageous and they empower women. They
show what women can do, they show what women can become. Everything
"they" said we weren’t and we could not be, these women proved wrong.
Everything that "they" say we are, girls like Lindsay Lohan and Britney
Spears proved to be true.
My generation of women has been given the
opportunity to become educated and make our own decisions about our
lives. My generation can do whatever we want, and yet we throw that all
away when we look up to the very women that represent all the things
that we have been fighting so hard against. Women have been working
hard to not be considered objects of affection and pieces of meat that
were created for the sole purpose of pleasing men. We are educated so
that we can create our own lives and be independent from men. We want
to be acknowledged for our intelligence and our minds, not for our
short skirts and flashy tops. As a society, we need to reevaluate our
values and our understanding of the role women play in society. Many
think that we have come so far, and we have, however, these women in
magazines, make me feel that we are sometimes backwards. I want to
start reading about real women in society. I want to feel inspired by
listening to their stories. The problem is not that these few
celebrities act frivolously or carelessly, the problem is that they are
admired for it. It is scary to think that the future generation of
women will have no role models. If we continue with our
celebrity-obsessed ways, then there will not be anyone worthy to guide
and empower the next generation
