*The following is a rant, one I hope is inspiring rather than irritating. Fair warning, I’m a woman, so I’m only assuming I know how some men feel. Enjoy!*
Has everyone seen the new (well, at least it was new to me) Dove video? One of those artists from the FBI draws women based on their perception of themselves and then someone else’s description of them, all without actually seeing them! Then all the women look at the two images and compare them. And every single time, the other person’s image was more beautiful, and more accurate, than their own.
It’s pretty sad, I teared up. You see, it really hits home for me, and I doubt I’m the only one. I honestly believe women have a lot to learn from this. But without downplaying the importance of this -experiment I guess?- I’d like to suggest something similar for men.
That’s right, I’m a male sympathizer. I’m a terribly empathetic person.
There is no denying so many women need to love themselves a little lot more, but many men do, too! Men are completely ignored on this topic. Men CAN feel bad abut themselves. Men CAN hate their bodies. Men CAN be anorexic, and calling it “manorexic” is just as toxic to men as the ‘rape culture’ is to women.
In addition to having the all too human emotion of self-doubt, and even self-loathing, men have the illusion that these feelings are feminine. That they somehow take away from a fella’s manliness.
Guess what. They don’t!
Women, if we want to stand up against culture and the status quo for ourselves, let’s not shove others down to do so.
Feminism is about equality. It’s not about dragging men down. We all deserve equal pay. We all deserve an equal shot at child custody after a divorce. ALL of us are responsible for birth control. None of us should be the victims of a ‘rape culture’. And none of us should have to suffer in silence because we’re forced to act stronger than we really are.
Geeky Girl, Growing Up 