February 15, 2008
How to be Feminine
While searching feminism for another class report that I am working on, I came across the sister website of wikipedia caled WikiHow, which basically is a database for you to search anything from how to change a tire to how to be feminine, which I found during my search. It is a compiled list of "steps" that will provide you with the knowledge on how to become feminine. As I read through the steps, I made a decision that most all of these, with the exception of ones such as make-up application, all can be applied to men. More than feminine, it is teaching you how to be a proper person and polite person. One other thing I thought that was interesting was when I searched "How to be Masculine" on the same site, there was no list. So the questions I pose are these: #1. On this list, do you think that femininity is something that has to be accomplished as worked at, whereas masculinity just comes more natural, since according to this website they don't need instruction and #2. Are these steps really an aid in increasing someones femininity or is it more of a way to be an approchable person, whether male of female?
4 comments:
I find it curious that there is no article on "how to be more masculine." I think that in some ways this speaks to the fact that men are rarely encouraged to be masculine, but are rather told to be more sensitive, less aggressive, more polite, things that could be considered feminine (although I agree that a lot of this is just manners and common courtesy). Are we stripping men of their freedom to be men?
I don't think that this is a not really an article about any kind of feminism. It is more about common things that your parents should have taught you. I don't think that woman should be have to be told not to have greasy hair, etc. That's almost undermining women thinking they're not smart enough to figure that out themselves. I don't know why there isn't a list for men. I'm sure that there is somewhere on the internet while it would be interesting what it would list for them.
Men are taught how to be men through similar means. Just because the website does not offer blatantly obvious suggestions other forms of media do. Movies, TV, radio, magazines/newspapers, etc. let men know how to act. Men are expected to act tough, in control, intimidating, powerful, and aggressive. Images of “real men” are plastered everywhere. We have all seen the rippling muscles pictures. These images reinforce masculinity in an arguably unrealistic way. However, since it is everywhere this image is respected and held to be true. Women are targeted in just the same way. They are portrayed as petite in size, unintimidating, beauties. I think random websites have far less impact on how femininity is viewed when compared to all the more subtle suggestions that we unconsciously buy into every day.
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