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Reading the “Daley Dose of Fashion” column in Monday’s Maine Campus made me think, although probably not about what you’d expect. Instead of causing me to consider the latest fashion trends and must-haves for winter, I found myself pondering the much more serious issue of women’s place in our society. With the recent election and all the talk about change, I couldn’t help but wonder: How far have women come? Where are we now? Maybe, most importantly, with the change that’s sure to come our way in the near future, will there also be changes in how women are perceived and how we view ourselves?
Back to how this all ties in with the “Daley Dose of Fashion.” In the column, Candace Daley writes “I am convinced Uggs are the second-best invention known to women – first being makeup, of course.” While I’m pretty sure Daley is kidding, I think this statement is indicative of the way our society – and sometimes women themselves – views women.
The fact that the two most important inventions for women are jokingly named as boots and makeup says something – women are stereotyped as loving to shop and being appearance-obsessed. True, some women do love to shop, and maybe for some of them Uggs (or some other shoes or clothing) are the most important invention in their lives, but – and this is a big “but” – so do some men. However, I would be surprised to read an article that referred to any kind of clothing as being the most important inventions for men; they aren’t stereotyped that way.
The stereotype of the image-and-shopping-obsessed woman is related to, and to a degree feeds, the expectations placed on women regarding their appearance. Unfortunately, women are rarely judged simply for their accomplishments – it doesn’t seem to matter how smart, successful or talented a woman is. A woman is still likely to be judged on her appearance: “She might be smart but boy, is she ugly” or “who cares if she’s smart, she’s hot.” For evidence, look at the events leading up to the election. When Hillary Clinton was running for the Democratic nomination, she was subjected to negative comments about her appearance and clothing choices. The GOP thought it was necessary to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on new clothes for Sarah Palin. Michelle Obama was criticized for her choice of a “tacky dress” on election night. Would any of this have happened to men in the political sphere? I think not.
So in the spirit of change, I would like to make a proposal. I propose we change the way we look at women as a society. Let’s get rid of our gender stereotypes and judgments. The time has long since come for an end to sexism both blatant and hidden, intentional and unintentional. The time has come for us to start viewing women and men not as homogeneous groups but as individuals deserving of equal respect and treatment regardless of their sex.
Melanie Rockefeller is a senior women’s studies student.
