Unlearning the Myths That Bind Us

I never really considered myself a feminist, although my views aren't so black and white. I've always wanted the typical "happily ever after"; meet my prince charming, fall in love, get married. I have to assume that this dream comes from my love of Disney. A couple years ago I decided to end a relationship that I thought was my happily ever after. It took a lot out of me. For a long time I put another person's feelings before my own. When I was upset about something, I bit my tongue. I was complacent, as any other Disney Princess would be. When I was younger these fairy tales that Walt Disney created were so idealistic; being older I see things a little differently. The typical Disney Princess has a symmetrical face and a tiny waist, she doesn't voice her opinions, and waits for a man to come to her rescue. The views of how a woman should look and act are very subtle to a young girl, and also very impressionable. Disney has recently started to incorporate a more powerful female role into their movies, for example, Frozen. Queen Elsa is the protagonist of this film, she creates an empire all on her own without the help of anyone let alone a man. However, if you ask a group of four year olds, the majority of them will tell you that Elsa's younger sister Ana is their favorite. Why? Because Ana finds her one true love. I still have the dream of meeting my prince charming and living happily ever after, but I have other dreams too. I want to be able to stand on my own two feet and create a name for myself and not be defined by a relationship. I decided to include the pictures above from Beyonce's "Flawless" video (all hail Queen Bey). Beyonce is a huge inspiration of mine because she has the best of both worlds; she is a successful, empowered woman and she has one of the most idolized relationships in today's pop culture. WOMEN, WE CAN HAVE IT ALL! It is time for the media to start recognizing that.

On an unrelated note I wanted to share this video of a Special K commercial that is trying to promote positive body image for women, I think it is great and I wish stores like this actually existed!