Essay Post-Feminist
For several decades the feminist movement has blindly fought against the traditional roles that were created for women without setting limits for their diminishment. Some of these roles, irrefutably, were not only created, but also imposed. It would be foolish of one to compare the well-doing of women in societies touched by feminists prior to and after their protests; however, as it is argued in this essay, the feminist movement has been blind in its strategy. They have not considered the repercussions of the values they have fervently sought to put in place of the old ones; or the consequences of the norms they have fought to eliminate. Whether or not these ripple effects could have been foreseen and thwarted is a matter of socio-historical approach, but the dramatic transformation of the attitudes assumed by women over the past century is shown here to be a product of the feminist movement. By changing women’s priorities from domesticity to employment, chastity to empowerment, as well as blindly, thought certainly with good intentions, ignoring the innate biological differences between men and women, the feminist movement has spawned an “equal” situation where women are eager, and somewhat obligated, to exercise their sexual marketability.
The success of the feminist movement in diverting women’s attention from domesticity and family to employment has delayed the age of marriage and as such, increased the pressure on women to resort to their physical appeal in order to attract potential mates. It is no secret that compared to even half a century ago, the age of marriage has increased. While this is surely due to a variety of reasons, it can be strongly proposed that women’s engagement in the workplace is a solid contribution. As women spend their youth seeking financial success, they are much less likely to pursue their marital prospect. Subsequently, while women of fifty years ago would become a wife and thus bound to one man very young, women of today spend a much longer period of time exposed to the male population and its demands. Having not been chosen as a companion, these women are bound to assume an attitude which focuses more or less on their physical appeal. After all, that is the woman’s main advantage in attracting a potential mate. However, it needs to be addressed that the feminist movement has been very clear on its opposition to the very notion of men focusing on women’s bodies rather than their brains; nonetheless, it should be crystal clear that feminists can never change the course of nature, as women will most likely always use their physical appeal to a greater extent than men. Subsequently, the burden of “self-decoration” will always be on the shoulders of the woman. Thanks to the feminist movement, women today are obliged to spend years more than before “self-decorating”, with hopes of a life-long partner.
Furthermore, the elimination of many societal norms that defined the quality