Tuesday 3 June 2014

Why are women such a controversial news topic?

Women constantly seem to be in the news, and are often discussed in a controversial way, whether it's from discussing feminism, to the objectification of women, to mature women being replaced by younger women. Women seem to be a constant in the media, and not for the most positive reasons, which is something that needs to change. 

For example, the song "Blurred Lines" led to a large amount of controversy about the objectification of women and the lyrics did not help Robin Thicke's case, which then led to criticism all over the world, which led to feminists into a frenzy. 




Firstly, why is feminism such a taboo word? Feminism is often in newspapers, magazines and on TV, for example, Jessica Day from New Girl tries to put off a prospective roommate by satirically saying: 



This would suggest that saying things like this are repulsive and repellent. But it shouldn't be. The word "feminist" has become a tainted word and people seem to flee at the first mention of it. However, I think it should be moulded into something positive rather than being derogatory. 

We need to listen to Michelle Obama and teach younger girls this: 




More and more celebrities are talking about feminism and are trying to offer a positive view on the subject. Beyoncé is one of the most well known and controversial feminists in the celebrity world. Her recent song "Flawless" is supposed to empower women and address feminism: 



One of the most recent and highly successful influential speakers on feminism is Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie who has been changing people's views on feminism around the world, by encouraging women to aim as high as they possibly can and not to be intimidated by being female. Trust me, if you don't know about this lady yet, then you NEED to!  




What I'm trying to say by writing this piece is that feminism and women shouldn't be seen as a taboo subject, but should instead be spun into a positive outlook. On the other side of the coin, some men can be intimidated by the word feminism, which is why we have to remove the negative stigma that is derived from the word feminism. 




When we eventually do this, then and only then, will the topics of feminism and women become openly discussed and less taboo. Why is it taboo? Well, I don't know, and I don't think many people do; my reaction is summed up by Jennifer Lawrence: 




Sources: 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/22/fashion/who-is-a-feminist-now.html?_r=4

http://www.salon.com/2014/04/28/the_problem_with_saying_the_media_has_a_%E2%80%9Cwoman_problem%E2%80%9D/ 

http://hellogiggles.com/everyones-asking-feminism-asked-kids 

http://hellogiggles.com/word-girl-really-offensive

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimamanda_Ngozi_Adichie

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/rihannas-practically-naked-dress-why-it-could-be-one-of-the-most-powerful-feminist-statements-the-pop-world-has-made-to-date-9485981.html 

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