Historically women were depicted in the
American society as individuals that were docile, bound solely for
the purpose of taking care of the home and raising children. They
washed dishes, clothes, clean house, raise the kids, and those
chores were seen as their responsibilities. The mass media latched
on to these roles and elaborated on them, portraying that these made
for happy homes and family life. But Ed Koch (1924 – 2013), an
American lawyer, politician and political commentator thought
differently when he noted that “stereotypes lose their power when
the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would
suggest when we learn that individuals do not fit the group
stereotype, then it begins to fall apart.” For years - although
women were pigeonholed with domestic responsibilities, still they
proved that they had diverse talents, most capable - just as, and
more than men.
Because of these stereotypes many males
grew up believing females were to be viewed as sexual objects. Even
today in popular media there continues to be much focus on their
beauty and sex appeal. Presently, it's more than being blonde and
blue-eyed. Beautiful women can be seen in all ethnic groups and
shades of complexions. Kat Graham (b. 1989), a Swiss-born American
actress, model, singer and dancer observed that “there was a time
when men thought it was sexy to have a house wife waiting for him to
come home from work in her slippers, but in modern society, I think
an independent woman is even more sexy.” Women are more
independent today, for the most part they have broken through the
glass ceilings of this world which have held them back from
progressing in society. Although today's societies still lacks
meritorious promotions and equal pay for equal work.
Faith-Filled Women
Faith-filled women are a special breed.
Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ - Queen of the Universe is an ideal
role model for Christian women. She witnessed the execution of her
Son - Our Lord Jesus Christ. She bore the grief and pain of this
brutality courageously and huddled together with Jesus' disciples as
witnesses to our Lord's death, burial and resurrection. Eleanor
Roosevelt (1884 – 1962), an American politician, diplomat and the
longest serving First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945
remarked that “a woman is like a tea bag – you can't tell how
strong she is until you put her in hot water.” This was really
true about Jesus' Mother. Many Christian women continue to emulate
her purity and devotion.
Regardless of how intelligent and
spirit-filled women have been, they are some men who have always
viewed them as beings to be manipulated. A few films and TV programs
show women as flaky and unstable. In rare instances, some news clips
show women reporters crying while reporting some tragic stories. A
few male seasoned journalists will criticize them for becoming
personally involved rather than detached and objective. But aren't
such incidents about caring reporters who are empathizing with their
victims?
Women as Creators in our World
Must women be stuck in a world that's
predominantly shaped by men? Anaїs
Nin (1903 – 1977), an established author born to Cuban parents in
France living most of her life in the United States wrote, “How
wrong it is for a woman to expect the man to build the world she
wants, rather than create it herself.” For Nin, a woman must
shoulder those responsibilities and not solely rely on men. We've
seen them do so in the religious life with such personalities like
St. Joan of Arc, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Thérèse
of Lisieux that have weaved spiritual webs for the faithful to
emulate.
In the secular world there are some
prominent women in the military, sports, arts, politics, medicine,
engineering, science, technology and are executives in the corporate
world. These outstanding women are visionaries, proven creators and
image builders.
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