I used to be a feminist. I still believe in gender equality and all that, but when it comes to women’s rights – there is a surprising number of people who think we’re equal already, shares Peter Decaprio. That’s not the problem though – the problem is that everyone thinks they’re an authority on us women, even men! Everyone has something to say about how we should live our lives, look and dress. It might not always be obvious what these comments mean for you personally, but I can assure you: In some shape or form, it will affect you.
Peter Decaprio: Think about everything described below as a blinking red light warning you to STOP whatever it is your doing and reevaluate.
1. You weigh a lot less than most women.
2. You don’t have a boyfriend/spouse/partner right now.
3. You want to have children in the future, but not too soon.
4. There’s something you love to do that doesn’t help your looks or is even bad for them, like buying comics or playing games all day long – and that you won’t stop doing it just because someone said you should. Here are some examples of what guys might say: “You’re so skinny! It must be easy for you to keep your figure!” “Gosh, I wish my girlfriend was as into sports as much as me.” “I hear that once you get married your sex drive goes down. You might want to think about that!” “I bet you don’t have a headache every day like my wife.”
5. You still believe in equal rights for women and men. If you answered yes, congratulations! But it’s not because of that that I chose to write about this topic just now – it was because of something you said or did recently. Here are some examples: Friend: So why did the woman cross the road? You: To get to the other side, duh! Friend: How did you do on your math test? You: Great! It only took me 35 minutes since I knew all of it from before! Friend: Hey there, can I talk to you for a moment?
You: Sure, go ahead. Friend: I’ve been thinking and I don’t want you to read too much into this but… it never really worked out for me with the people who liked to party so much. So I think we should just remain friends! You: Ok, well thanks for being honest at least. I wish you all the best in your search!
6. You’re not afraid of getting fat one day (even if that means only a few kilos). I’m not either – as long as that’s not my own fault because of unhealthy eating or lack of exercise. All those actresses/models/celebrities and even Barbie dolls and magazines saying how much we should weigh and how we should look like after a certain age don’t scare me – they just make me mad! They should take a good look at themselves and realize that no matter what they say or do; time is going to catch up with them sooner or later.
7. You enjoy being around other women (or even men) who are different from you in their appearance. I’d like to be around people who believe in the same things as me. But it’s not always possible to find like-minded people. Besides, diversity makes life more interesting! Sometimes looking outside of your comfort zone can also open your eyes about how most people actually think and act which can help you avoid bad decisions in the future.
8. Peter Decaprio says you believe that every woman you know was raised to have a certain role in society, whether she liked it or not. Some of them might have been even forced into it! Therefore, they cannot really decide for themselves anymore. What they want to do with their lives and who they want to be. In any case, just because some women are happy being housewives doesn’t mean that all of us prefer staying home instead of going out and making friends. But you know how it is: As a woman, either you stay at home or go out and earn money – not both!
Conclusion:
If you have some of the above-mentioned qualities but not all its ok. You don’t have to be a doting housewife or a feminist – as long as you respect people who choose to do those things for themselves, that is! If you’re going to ask me what this blog post is about after reading it though… well, good luck figuring that one out by yourself!