women throughout history. A lot of women today as in the past, starve themselves to fit society’s perfect image of a woman.
It is still quite surreal to me that women risked their lives as they choose to impress society. Around the 1950’s many women in the United States were dying of cancer. They could have tried to fight it medically, but they were refusing a drug that had been proven to save lives. They were refusing drugs such as mechlorethamine (NSC 762), because the side effects of such drugs were thought to cause “unfeminine” side effects (Friedan). For example a dysfunctional reproductive system seemed to be a side effect that deemed such “unfeminine” side effects. This known fact shows that women felt like they had to risk their lives to feel comfortable about their image, for acceptance as a “normal” thus “feminine” being. Men correspondingly risked their lives over their wives, children, and country. Society was responsible for the deaths of Males and Females. Throughout my high school experience of being an ordinary observer looking through female lenses, I can see how history has repeated itself. Women in the past have easily adapted to blaming themselves for being who they are. So much that the scars of the past had a great impact in today’s women, positively and negatively.
Today, there is so much negativity that it is difficult not to point out the inevitable; a lot of young females get so caught up in their image to the extent where they do not realize the harm that society inflicts on their health until it is sometimes too late. Magazines and commercials are blinding women today trying to perfect their humanity, just as they were in the past. This public idea of perfection strips women of their bare humanity and instills a constant awareness of their “imperfections”.
It’s crazy at what depth people will go to be accepted. I personally look back at the history of women's lives and pridefully take no shame in being evenly masculine and feminine, as I do not shave anything on my body. I think about how much women struggled throughout history in being accepted as simple human beings.
being accepted as simple human beings. With the circumstances that exist today, I refuse to give society the power that they once easily obtained, I cannot bear to conform and thus be a woman that society can control. My views on feminism may be quite extreme over some little things, but if one really analyzes the past, what looks little to the eyes now, used to be vast and greatly detrimental to lives throughout history.
Above: Photo of Author Kristi Bezhani