Dash of Reality

Womanhood: It ain’t all about bouncing breasts and jiggling booties

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Steven Chew Jr. You can read the Chronicles of Chew here.

As a man, you are conveniently served a buffet of sexually explicit images of women on television. Just 30 minutes of music video enjoyment provides more breast and thighs than a bucket at KFC. These images in music videos, film, and magazines give any man enough to satiate a lustful sexual appetite. But is there ever a time to step back and think about how these images affect the female gender?…Um…. No… – Is the response you might get from some men in regards to the question and topic.
As men let’s face it – we all have a mother, maybe a sister, and might experience the joy of having a daughter someday, so what separates the women in our lives from the negative images of women in the media today? -Nothing.

Now, let’s really think about these images. The video hoe, the nympho, the man hungry bimbo, the ditz, the hysterical and powerless female roles in movies and television shows all were created and reinforced by the male’s sexual domination in everyday society. All of these images can have a negative influence on the way women might view themselves. Several young women, who are discovering their “womanhood” or “role in society”, might view these images and mistake them as truth or may feel they cannot transcend the images of what the media depicts them as. It is important to make a conscious effort to teach young women that they are more than these unsubstantial, vapid images and to direct them towards more positive, multi-dimensional female role models.

Continue Reading Womanhood: It ain’t all about bouncing breasts and jiggling booties…