I respect your opinions. I disagree with some of them, but I respect them.
Using The Real Housewives of...Whatever City as an example of empowerment isn’t a strong example. I could turn it around and make the claim that just by watching “Storage Wars” or “Ice Road Truckers” I know that men are spiteful, petty, shallow, and bicker over silly matters. But I know that’s not true. Aren’t most of those women broke or living on credit anyway?
As for women being “empowered”, I can only go by personal experience. Graduated college, went out on my own, started off as a receptionist and ended up as the head of IT for the southeast region of a big company. My looks, or lackthereof, didn’t play a part in it. Hard work did. I didn’t expect any special favors being female, I just expected to be treated like anyone else, and I was. That’s what should happen in the workplace, and in life, with women. If they’re good at something, that’s good - I say go for it and excel. Looks only go so far.
And now that I’m married with a kid, I’m home with the kid - and I make most of the big and small household decisions because I’m good at it and my husband isn’t (his admission). He makes a great living as an executive for a major corporation, but when it comes to family decisions, he defaults to me because I’m logical and reasonable and he’s...well, geeky and short-sighted (again, his admission). It works very well for us.
I wrestle with guilt for not working every day (my issue - not my husband’s fault). I went to college and earned a good living and now I’m home, not using my talents...other than budgeting and organizing. Whoopdeedoo. But my kid and my husband have a nice, clean, organized life, so I guess that’s good. And this way of life works for us.
So that’s what I have to go on: personal experience. Women (ugly or attractive) who are good at something shouldn’t be shoved back in the kitchen, or wherever, because men want to “feeeeeeeel” powerful. It’s a waste of God-given talent. And when it comes to looks, when was the last time looks mattered when you were on an operating table, or your dog was sick, or you needed a financial manager?
My 2 cents.
Excellent post, coop71. I think the issue of women’s looks is a red herring. Look at pictures of some of the famous women of history - they ain’t all plus a real-meat cheezburger, most of them, and they had rotten teeth to boot. Whatever genetic hand a person is dealt, he or she becomes attractive or unattractive because of who they are inside.
I was 22 when I got married, a college student with no money, and nothing particular to look at, as you can see on my profile (just turn the hair back to brown ...). But I was nice. And I see plenty of ordinary-looking young women getting married today, because they’re nice to the men who decide to marry them.