A New Brand of Feminism?

Every time I think of feminists, I picture women angrily throwing their bras out the window and campaigning for their right to be miserable in a cubicle all day long just like men. Really, as a woman I find it utterly ridiculous. No real, down to earth woman wants to be a man-hating, childless, loose-legged business woman her whole life. 

Ok, maybe some of them do, but not me. No way!

And, to make matters worse, we're being blasted by society from all sides that being super thin is very important to be beautiful and attractive. Yet the level of thin, flawless skin, and beautiful bright eyes and white teeth is not achievable when half of it is Photoshopped! Would you say the girl above is attractive?! I think not, I think she needs to eat something fattening. Yet that is what we are being told that we need to be in order to be relevant.

Anyone who knows me will say I'm a major dork. I take that as a loving compliment compared to what I could be called. I love to love, to laugh (a lot of the time at myself), to be done up some days and in sweats the next, to go out and conquer the world and then just sit at home in pjs and curl up with a good book and some ice cream.

And, until more recently, I thought I was alone.

There was no representation of women like me in the music industry, hollywood, or politics, no magazines featuring real, down to earth women and their real lives. But now I've noticed a big push for that sense of authenticity, almost like society has become so fake and so shallow that now they want the exact opposite. And I love it!

The role models I see that are authentic include Jennifer Lawrence, Miranda Lambert, and Sarah Palin, to name a few of the top ones. Jennifer is goofy, dorky, loves food, loves her body, and has a genuine laugh that shoots her to the top of the awesome women list. Miranda Lambert is proud of her body and isn't afraid to be her wild and crazy self on stage or in interviews. And Sarah Palin is unlike the current female politicians, who would faint at the idea of hunting a bear or going fishing.

And what makes these women even more awesome is the fact that they don't need to pretend to hate men in order to be strong and beautiful. Jennifer is engaged and Miranda and Sarah are happily married, and stand by their men unashamedly while still being their own unique selves. In fact, I'm sure anyone who has to take care of a husband or kids knows that they are much more strong than someone strutting around in a business suit and heels!

“I don’t care about being stick-thin. I don’t want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry—I see them and think, Honey, you need to eat! I feel my best when I’m a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, ‘You’re beautiful and confident, and that makes me feel I can be, too.’”

On top of these fantastic women setting a great example for younger women all over the country, there are add campaigns popping up about being a "real" woman. Here are some of the more recent ones:

Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" ads feature women with every different body, skin, and hair type.

American Eagle has a new campaign out stating that they won't airbrush or photoshop their female underwear models anymore.

 And some magazine covers have featured women with un-retouched faces, cellulite,  greys in their hair, and all the other things that the media normally tells women they can't have.

This is definitely the beginning of a new era for women, where they can be strong, beautiful, real, happy, work all day or stay at home, be classy or be a dork, and don't have to be a man-hater. Granted I know there will be (and are everyday) attacks on these women trying to put them back into line, but I think it's to the point where whoever thought they were in control of our image is slowly losing it, one real woman at a time.