Final Post

Reflecting back on this past semester, we’ve considered issues such as inferiority, violence against women, power, beauty, repression, individuality, complicity, and perfectionism in the books we studied. Personally, the most significant issue that I found interesting was the journey for the female characters to find their true identity whether it was in a male dominated society or in an oppressed society.

I first noticed this in Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues. She says, ‘I see now that I was a prime candidate. I was a playwright. I had for years written plays based on interviews with people. I was a feminist. I had been violated sexually and physically by my father. I had exhibitionist tendencies. I have been known to outrage, and I longed with all of my being to find a way back into my vagina’ (introduction, xxiv). She goes on to describe how she doesn’t remember how this all began or how her monologues led to one of the greatest female movements, the V-Day. However, she says that

‘nothing was important than stopping violence toward women-

that the desecration of women indicated the failure of human beings

to honor and protect life and that this failing would, if we did not correct it,

be the end of us all. I do not think I am being extreme. When you rape, beat,

maim, mutilate, burn, bury, and terrorize women, you destroy the essential

life energy on the planet. You force what is meant to be open, trusting,

nurturing, creative, and alive to be bent, infertile, and broken’ (introduction, xxxii).

She talks about how the word ‘vagina’ is such an unattractive name but through talking to women from all over the world, the word ‘vagina’ has become such a powerful word and an easy topic for women to talk about. Her monologues made women feel comfortable about themselves and to talk about their own vaginas and like she says, ‘In order for the human race to continue, women must be safe and empowered. It’s an obvious idea, but like a vagina, it needs great attention and love in order to be revealed’ (introduction xxxvi). Her monologues gave an escape route and comfort for women to raise their voices and talk about their vaginas, allowing women to find who they are.

In the final chapter of The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, she talks about how women must recognize beyond the beauty myth and ‘ask about the questions about our place in our bodies that women a generation ago asked about their place in society’ (270). Even in the movie Killing Us Softly 4, Jean Kilbourne talks about how women are subjected as objects of desires and women in advertisements are portrayed as inferior and weak against the dominant male. Women literally put themselves through hell to look like the models in advertisements because they are considered as the most beautiful women in the world. Some even spend hundreds and thousands of dollars to get rid of their wrinkles, extra lines on their faces, to get a nose job, to get breast implants, to reduce their chin size, etc. And for what purpose? To quote Naomi Wolf, ‘What is a woman? Is she what is made of her? Do a woman’s life and experience have value? If so, should she be ashamed for them to show? What is so great about looking young?’ (270). I completely agree with Wolf’s concern for women because I feel like most women are just not confident with how they look but this is due to the way the media and the fashion industry advertise beauty. Women are constantly bombarded with criticisms and advertisements that affect their self esteem and confidence. Although aging may seem like the most terrifying phase to go through, but they need to recognize that aging is simply a natural and beautiful thing we humans go through. So what if our skin isn’t as flawless as it used to be in your teens! They should instead, reflect back on those years and cherish the good old memories they had and move on to the future to create more and more memorable moments. I mean let’s face it! Life is too short to worry about the things that aren’t perfect.

‘Women can dress up for our pleasure, but we must speak up for our rights.’ (274). I’m not saying that women shouldn’t wear makeup or dress up every day because trust me, I love doing that! But all I’m trying to say is that women must speak up for themselves and have their voices be heard. By encouraging women to defend themselves, people will begin to understand that women are more than just objects of desire or a sex product. In doing so, women will come to realize who they truly are and come to agreement with their identity.

‘How to begin? Let’s be shameless. Be greedy. Pursue pleasure.

Avoid pain. Wear and touch and eat and drink what we feel like.

Tolerate other women’s choices. Seek out the sex we want and

fight fiercely against the sex we do not want. Choose our own causes.

And once we break through and change the rules so our sense of our

 own beauty cannot be shaken, sing that beauty and dress it up and

flaunt it and revel in it: In a sensual politics, female is beautiful.’ (291).

I think this passage sums up what Naomi Wolf and Eve Ensler was trying to encourage women to do because they both wanted to see the change happen in women. Often times, women do not make their own decisions and instead have their male lover or husband make their decisions for them. Women often do things for the opposite sex and never for their own benefit. I think this passage fits perfectly into the theme of seeking one’s identity because it encourages women to take an adventure to find what they like to do and do the things they want.