I have never considered myself a feminist.
The truth is, for someone of my generation I am not sure I even know what that means.
In fact last week was the first time I recall hearing the Helen Reddy song I am Woman which was the theme song for rise of feminism in the 1970’s.
There are times I seriously wonder just how far women really have come in terms of equality. It seems to me that we make gains in some areas and are continuing to fight to maintain the growth in others.
To me this question is particularly prevalent when I am trying to find pantyhose at 7:30 in the morning that does not have a snag, run, or hole in the toe.
Men would NEVER put up with that hassle - EVER. If they had to wear nylons, they would be made of material that would never fall apart and after 1000 washes – those pantyhose would snap back into shape and still look snazzy – without snags, runs, and holes in the toe.
As women, we have gone as far as our pantyhose – we improved our bras and left our toes dangling out.
Maybe I am a feminist.
Was mulling all of this over a while back when one of my friends happened by and asked if I had checked my emails. I opened up what was in my inbox. I did not know whether to laugh, cry or just be in utter shock. Attached to the email were print advertisements that are clearly not from the year 2010.
Here are the headlines targeted towards women and of course with my immediate reaction:
• More Doctors Smoke Camels than Any Other Cigarette!
(Wow that’s a comfort, where do I find these dudes? Because when I am looking for a doctor that is the number one qualification.)
• They are Happy Because They Eat Lard.
(Oh yes, the first thing to do every day is open a tub of lard and chuck some down, yum, the joy!)
• Many Doctors Recommend “Lysol” for Feminine Hygiene for 6 Reasons.
(What the bleep? Have you ever accidently touched Lysol on an open cut on your finger? Did these Doctors even graduate from Medical School?)
• Eat! Eat! Eat! And Always Stay Thin! Fat the enemy that is shortening your life - Banished! How? With Sanitized taped worms. Jar Packed. Easy to Swallow.
(I cannot speak.)
• Tipalet Cigarettes: Blow in her face and she’ll follow you anywhere.
(Good Lord.)
Staring at my computer screen dumbfounded I instantly understood why women demanded the vote, equal rights, and better salaries – leaving their families to enter back into the work force. Without those women who forged ahead and insisted that the current thinking of the day had to improve we would still be letting some turkey blow cigarette smoke in our faces and telling us, yes darling this is a turn on.
So, hats off to you bra burning sisters! Without your pain, determination, and thought we would never have be able to enjoy or appreciate the gain. Betterstill, thank you men for making the change, for without your response I would have been opening up a jar of tape worms for dinner.
Now ladies - can we please work on the pantyhose?
1 comment:
I'll let you in on a little secret about this picture. The eyes and pointing finger in it are Songbird and it was taken after zip lining near Morden, MB last summer.
For more reasons than I can count Songbird achieves in the face of adversity. Of course she writes about the accomplishments of other feminist heroes and has no idea that she's a hero too!
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