I'm sure you've all seen a meme on the internet that tells women how to act or carry themselves. Memes like these are almost always shrouded in some type of false feminist way to make it sound empowering when really, it's the exact opposite. You know the ones:
These memes are not only irritating, but they're also harmful in terms of the progression of female empowerment. They perpetuate misogynistic views of what it means to be a woman and how a woman is supposed to act and carry herself.
The first time I ever saw either of these memes, I didn't give them too much of an in depth glance. In fact, I even thought the second one here was inspirational at one point. And sure, it comes across that way; it feels empowering as a woman to hear that you shouldn't be afraid to speak your mind and stick up for yourself and all that.
However, the problem lies in the fact that it suggests women who don't carry themselves in this respect, or who look up to the Kardashians, are lesser women-- which is not the case. The older I got, the more I realized that as a woman, I don't have to be anyone other than myself and it's okay if I don't fit into the perfect little box of what society expects a woman to be.
This idea of certain types of women being better than others pits women against each other and ultimately negates the progress we are making as feminists, and human beings in general. Just because the Kardashians are viewed in a way that is less than desirable to some people, doesn't make them any less womanly or valuable. And just because women like Princess Diana, and others that are held to a similar standard are seen as greater than, doesn't make them the end all, be all of womanhood. And furthermore, no one should let a meme dictate how they live their life.
Being a woman is about more than the clothes you wear or the way you carry yourself. It's about being whoever and whatever you need to be to feel empowered, fearless, and valued in a world that is constantly telling you that you are less than. From the very beginning, girls are told how to behave, how to dress, etc. It is ingrained in our minds from an early age that in order to be desirable in the eyes of society, we must be "ladylike" and polite and delicate, and that any deviation from these traits is absolutely horrible.
Instead of perpetuating these outdated and harmful female gender norms, we should be teaching girls that they don't have to be a Kardashian, or a Diana, or anyone in between so long as they are unapologetically themselves and are comfortable in their own skin.
These are the memes we should be looking to as inspiration:
There is no "right" way to be a woman, and we don't need to tear other women down in order to feel secure or powerful in our own womanhood. We are all great!
