Type: Perspective
A Word on Beauty and Roles
People complain about how Hollywood treats women poorly, and
how if you are female and you want to be a star you play a love interest or
someone’s mother, or The Frustrated Nag if it’s comedy
or deadly serious drama.
When a slightly different role for a woman is created by a television show or movie experiment, people laud it as being inspirational, for a woman being placed in the role of a strong character. The new show about Supergirl was one of these excitements. Wonder Woman will probably be stronger, being a big-budget movie.
The fact that these kinds of things are still talked about shows that real-life perceptions about women are as biased as they are in the media. A woman is expected to be desirable to man, or if she isn’t she is thought of as someone’s mother, or someone destined to be an old maid – her worth, her role is largely defined by who she’s in a relationship with.
If view of Woman is going to change, it should happen with individual perceptions, not broad media changes forcing some view which seems fabricated and unauthentic and does not hold ground in real life. The shift in perception should originate from how any given person thinks about a woman.
An expanded vocabulary will start thoughts on the right path. When individuals, women or men, talk about any female, more words than “pretty”, “ugly”, “nag” or “sweet” should be used. Instead, also say that a given woman is “creative”, “knowledgeable”- say that a woman you’ve just met seems “kind” or “wise” or “talented” at what she does.
It’s true, that females are works of art, are each beautiful among the rest as a sculpture and a portrait are both exquisite pieces in the same museum. Women appear to be more pleasant to look at than men, in general, so it is good to say that a woman is beautiful.
However, the beauty should be explored with minds, not just eyes; beauty should be the complete unity of a lovely exterior and a lovely interior life. If someone is attractive on the outside but a rotten human being on the inside, they are not truly beautiful.
Change within personal relationships is needed as well. If a boyfriend or husband wants to raise his wife’s esteem in her own eyes, let alone in society, let her know how much she is treasured. Her worth is more than flowers or gold, as are you. You cannot buy her. Know that she is not going to be fresh and rosy all the time, but no one is, and anyone who points out graphically edited magazine covers is trying to sell a false reality.
In relationships between friends, remember the ways the friends get along and how each truly likes the other. Kill envy or jealousy of one person’s looks or possessions by admitting it to the friend as soon as possible, and also let them know that what they have are good things, so as to encourage the person and finish the discussion amicably.
There are so many other relationship possibilities not explored here, but know that just because they’re not represented here does not mean they don’t exist. The above are just examples of principles that are transferable to less intimate relationships. Situations are exacerbated in these very close physical and emotional settings.
The emphasis in talking about women should go beyond the good things of what she possesses or what she does, to the reason for being and her relation to the awe-some God of all the universe. Her value comes from this relationship. Every human being is seen in the right view when their existence is remembered to be created in the image of Almighty God.
Once humanity’s true value is revealed, the rule of verisimilitude will guide the writers and directors to mimic these patterns in their works. No one will have to be surprised at how strong a woman is portrayed in any role.
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