As Good As She Looks

 When I look at the television, I see images of women too beautiful to touch.  At the other end of the spectrum I see the women of my own culture, the women I grew up with.  This woman does not look dainty or feminine, but has the signs of hard work and worry etched on her face.  I am in love with the image of the strong woman who takes care of her own.

     But everywhere I turn I hear that a woman is only as good as she looks.  Everywhere I turn I see more young girls hurting or even killing themselves in an effort to starve themselves into the “ideal” woman.

     I want to run back to the safety of my own culture—a culture where strong women are revered and appreciated.  But this culture is disappearing as it gives in to the American ideal.  No longer is the African American woman with the few extra pounds considered a pretty lady—now she’s seen as lazy and ignorant.  Even a culture that used to pride itself on its full-hipped women can fall victim to the American idea of skin and bones.

     The sad thing is, I don’t know how to resolve this in my own life.  I can rant and rave all day about the oppressed women, but at the end of the day, people will still judge me.  And I will keep trying to change myself to fit their standards.

     By focusing on how women look instead of how we feel and think, society silences our voices.  By making us objects of beauty, it takes away our spirits and our souls.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   Gabrielle Turner, age 19
                                                                                                                                          Source: Things I have to tell you