The Sweet Ripening of the Woman
by
Stella
Ramsaroop
zone3
As this spring brings buds and blossoms galore, it’s clear that those
trees, plants, and flowers want to burst onto the stage with all their
beautiful glory. It is also quite evident that a new and exciting social
change is springing forth for women as well.
Issues of gender equality come in so many forms; professional,
relational, spiritual, intellectual, and yes, even sexual. Traditional
Western thought demands that women scorn their sexuality, one of the most
vital and enjoyable parts of life.
If you asked a woman in 1905, just one hundred years ago, if she was as
sexually satisfied as her partner, there would have no doubt been a
variety of possible responses. If she was taught that such talk was not
“ladylike,” she may have shied from an answer or stormed off in a pious
huff. However, if you could coax an honest reply, it would have probably
entailed the required deference to the needs of her husband.However, there
is a new season springing to life in America. With women now in powerful
positions in the media, new programs and commercials have a distinctively
feminine flare – the kind that can only be attributed to a strong woman
who knows what she wants and knows how to get it. One example of this
phenomenon is a recent McDonald’s commercial with a woman who says that
when she is eating her McGriddle and drinking some McDonald’s coffee, she
feels anything is possible and dreams of hiring a pool boy – though she
has no pool. How wonderfully scandalous! This commercial brilliantly hits
home with every woman because yes, we think about those types of things
too. I consider this commercial pioneering material. To have a man say
such things is traditionally acceptable, after all men do enjoy sex. But
to have a woman say such things breaks all social decorum, yet opens the
doors of flagrant sexuality on one of the last places to accept the woman
in her real beauty – commercial marketing. Commercial marketing has always
portrayed the woman as either a sex object for men or a Betty Crocker
type, prompting several generations of women to constantly reach for
unachievable perfection projected by one delusional image or the other.
This medium has been slow to recognize the woman for her true self. I
applaud McDonald’s for this bold move. In my opinion, this single
commercial has shattered the 50s prototype and the sex object image into
tiny fragments. My hope is this commercial will set the precedence for
future marketing.
One more very popular example of the changes taking place in the media
concerning women is the new hit show Desperate Housewives. This show is
about reality. When I watch this show I think to myself, “This is how real
women are.” Sure, it goes to extremes at times, as any television drama
does. But it also portrays women who are strong and intelligent.
One of the latest episodes for Desperate Housewives has a scene where
Terri Hatcher’s character wants to give certain man another chance but
decides she can’t bring herself to trust him enough to work things out. I
didn’t expect that ending at all. I was shocked that she didn’t go running
back to those strong male arms, as is oft the ending in most romantic
dramas in America. But no, she was strong, she was brave and she was
intelligent. She was not needy, insecure or “desperate.” It made me proud
to be a woman. Like this television character, women no longer wait to be
told how they should feel or what they should want. They are finally free
to find out for themselves. For these women, fulfillment comes in a
variety of ways - be it through sexual, intellectual, religious,
political, or social pursuits. Today’s woman has many dimensions and I
applaud the media for finally catching up to those of us who have embraced
our many sides to find completion through exploring all that life has to
offer.
It is high time the media targeted the women who are comfortable in our
own skins. Maybe this change is because they finally realize we are too
intelligent to buy into the absurd notion that we need to be recreated
into some 18-year-old anorexic to be beautiful. More likely, women are the
ones calling the shots behind that camera. Either way, a new season has
definitely started and it promises the sweet ripening of the woman.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Stella Ramsaroop is a western world traveler, a life-long student, a
wanna-be stargazer, and an Aquarius in all its forms (if you know what
that means). Her articles emphasize the importance of continued
development and protection of gender equality in all aspects of a woman's
life.
Stella is also the proud mother of four almost-grown children with her
"husband" Paul, whom she married almost 20 years ago.
Visit Stella’s Website at http://www.newsparade.com/index.htm
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