Women in Society

Gina Lagrotteria

February 20, 2015

Entry #4

This week was a week when many topics were discussed including enlightened sexism, the role of a mom, and different TV shows that play a role in society.

Enlightened sexism is a term that I never really know about until recently.  Enlightened sexism is a term defining that women already have it all, but they can gain power through showing their body and sexuality. This is something that I do not agree with, I do not think you should have to show your body off to gain power, you should be able to do it with your attitude, positivity, personality and other qualities of yourself. Your power should not be determined of your face, clothes you wear, or your body shape. Women should not have to scoop down the level of revealing themselves sexually to get power. Self-esteem issues are prevalent because of the way people see others in the media and how they are presented. People think the media is real life when in reality it could be far from it.

One of the girls I babysit is in first grade, I had not seen her in a while so when I did, I asked her how she liked her teacher this year and her response was “ I do not like her, she’s fat”. She is in first grade, since when does someone of that age, know what “fat” is and since when does it mean you do not “like” someone because they are fat? I was astonished when that was her answer. I can see not liking a teacher because she is strict but because she is fat? I hope when I become my dream job of being an elementary school teacher that I will not be liked based on the single fact of my weight. Everyone is going to be different shapes and sizes, everyone is not going to be skinny for a variety of different reasons but that does not mean a girl should get judged for their weight. Yes, it is not healthy for you to have too much weight on your body but that’s the decision you as a person have to make to lose the weight to get yourself healthy.

What is the role of women in society? Is it to be a mom?  Is it to work? Most women in society are mothers but that does not mean every single woman has to be a mom. Some women are so into their careers that they do not have time to be a mom and raise children or it is their personal choice not to have them. Women that do not have children are questioned for it though numerous times and people make them feel like it is their “job”/”obligation” to have children. The media makes parenthood glamorous but like anything in the media, it is not like that.  I feel like you can have both a career and kids to some degree though. You can have the job and the kids. You might have to cut back on the hours you work , but you can still have them both.

There are many television shows out there, some are more accurately portrayed than others. For example, even though the bachelor is a show that I enjoy watching. How accurate is it and how much does it really show the accuracy of women? It does not, as you have multiple girls fighting for one mans “love”.  This show shows the vulnerable weak side of women. This show is one of those shows that gives women a bad image in society.

On the other hand, one of my many favorite TV shows is Grey's Anatomy, I feel, as this show is a good representation of women. In this show, they show women as nurses, doctors, and surgeons. They show that these occupations are not only male occupations and women are certainly capable of them. Bailey and Meredith who are two of the surgeons in the show are also mothers; they balance the roles of both jobs.