Prepare Thyself

The following post was actually created about a year ago, but I figured that I would share it anyway. There were some swear words, but I took them out for the sake of posting. I remember Savannah asking about my views with feminism, and for me, it’s mixed. I think this essay(?) might clear it up, but it might not either. Anything in “royal blue” is an addition I just made.

“Women are meant to stay in the kitchen. They are not suited for the workforce.”
“A woman’s place is behind her husband.”
“Women can’t handle any other stress besides child labor.”
“Women are fragile, dainty creatures.”

Screw* all that. I’m no feminist, but to be put down in such a way really ticks* me off. A chick can hold her own just like any other person with a part of the male anatomy* between their legs can. It really is infuriating to be restricted to certain roles simply because of extra fat on your chest and a pair of lips between your legs. No, a woman’s place is not behind her husband. Instead, it’s next to him, and sometimes, it’s in front of him. Sometimes men are weaker than women. Sure, the usual argument is that women are too emotional. They have no place in politics, whatever. Women do push whole human beings out of them, but what do men do? Shove that same human being inside you. Leave you after finding out about the baby. Do men have to go through pain for anything? No, not really, and because of that, they’re weaker than women in some way. Women are not superior, but nor are men. Both have been repressed in some way, but in the end, they’re meant to be equals. (I don’t really care about equality between a man and a woman in some ways, but if something like a wage gap exists, I would like for it to not exist. However, it can be justified in some ways, but I won’t get into that.) Women aren’t dainty or fragile. If they support a growing fetus for up to nine months inside them, I think they can handle some paperwork. Women are meant to stay in the kitchen? Then let them get a job as a chef or something. Get rid of gender roles, the wage gap, whatever the hell separates man from woman, beast from beauty. And that’s another thing. Disney had been showing women as weak beings that need a man to help them out of every situation. And that didn’t really change until somewhere between Beauty and the Beast and Mulan. Thankfully, they changed for future generations to see how life can be. Yet, all the female empowerment stuff being broadcast to children will cause setbacks. (I have found that when things are over-endorsed to me, I don’t really care about them anymore. It feels like it’s being crammed down my throat, and people expect me to swallow it down. Instead, I choose throw it up because it doesn’t mean anything at this point. I avoid Disney unless I’m babysitting because it’s nothing that I want to make my brain rot. The things I read or write already do that for me, so there’s no need to add to the decay.) While it shows little girls that they can be whatever they want, what about the little boys? The little boys will start to think that they can’t do anything because the girls are taking over. Disney is a prime example of that as well. Most of their shows are now focused around girls (especially teenaged) going through some life crisis. Boys can go through the same issue, but instead watch it happen to girls. (I guess it is meant to show the boy or girl that what they’re going through is a universal struggle, and that they aren’t alone.) My little brother loves to watch Disney Channel, but I don’t know if it’s affected him any. To be fair, Disney did create Disney XD, which seems to have more… action in it. The superhero shows are shown there, rather than normal Disney. And there seems to be a spectrum of audiences, really. Disney Jr. is formulated for babies and toddlers, Disney is meant for children and preteens, and Disney XD is more for boys of any age. (As for Nickelodeon, I can’t really say much because I only ever watch Spongebob Squarepants or The Fairly OddParents because their live shows don’t draw my attention. I personally think Nickelodeon should stay with their animated shows, especially those from the 90s-00s because they are golden. I feel like Nickelodeon doesn’t pander to genders; it panders to children. They understand that kids don’t really care about empowerment. They just want to play and be a child, so that’s what Nickelodeon gives them.) Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon are kind of more blended – they have been featuring shows with an almost equal mix of genders for a while longer than Disney. Cartoon Network (if put on a political spectrum) would be the more liberal between the three networks because it has run several shows that feature LGBTQ+ characters, inviting more inclusion than just adding in race and gender. (To end this terrible rant, I would like to pose a question: at which does the beauty become the beast? When does the beast become a beauty?)

Author: Morgan Crosby

The girl from D'Iberville is a really dull girl. She locks herself up in her room, content to spend her time reading and occasionally writing. She loves to read little YA romances and sometimes finds herself with books about history. The main thing motivating her writing is her overactive imagination and the strange dreams that plague her sleep. Her works also stem from what she has heard from music, conversations, or when half asleep. Crazed killers, haunted mirrors, and murderous siblings seem to be part of her stories in some way, but they always start off in her dreams. She started writing when she was in middle school, but had been telling stories since she was little. View all posts by Morgan Crosby