Equal is Different
We, women, are looking for appreciation. We don’t want to be judged on our appearance. Femininity still plays a major role in our society. We see how women fight for their equality. Rightly so, research from the World Economic Forum shows that women aren’t treated equally in education, economics, and politics (Nowakowski, 2017).
Of course, many progress has already been made, but we aren’t yet where we want to be. That’s why I will call this trend ‘Equal is Different’. The basis of this trend is that we constantly invent new things in which we strive for equality between men and women. These small things make a big difference. Below, I will mention three signals that match this trend.
Who is the most Beautiful?
In classic Disney animated films, female characters get seven times as many compliments about their appearance as their skills. Linguists Carmen Fought and Karen Eisenhauer has determined this based on the analysis of dialogues in twelve Disney classics. This obviously gives children a distorted view of how the role distribution between men and women should be. They get a wrong message about "what it means to be a boy or a girl and that the value of girls depends mainly on their appearance". Fortunately, Disney has tackled this inequality (Nowakowski, 2017).
See the graphic to see the differences between the Classic period and the New Age. Of the compliments that Snow White receives is 83 percent about her appearance and none of them about her skills. Brave receives the most compliments about her skills, 56 percent of compliments and only 18 percent of compliments were about her appearance. So we see a clear shift over the years. Compliments for skills have increased, and compliments about appearance have diminished.
#MyBeautyMySay - Dove
At some time it has become the norm to judge women by their appearance and use their beauty against them. The latest global research by Dove reveals that 7 out of 10 women at work get more comments about their appearance than about their performance. Dove, therefore, wants to empower women with the #MyBeautyMySay's campaign to decide for themselves what their beauty is (Dove, 2016). Click the video below to see the feature stories of amazing women who stood up for their beauty.
This Dove campaign is a good example of women's empowerment. Every woman sees beauty in her own way, which makes them unique.
The Nike Pro Hijab
Nike has announced the launch of a new and highly anticipated product. It’s a hijab, made of a breathable, lightweight, sport-ready fabric meant to keep the athlete wearing it cool and dry. The hijab caters to the many female Muslim athletes. Many female Muslims had little choice for sports, the hijabs in traditional fabrics are not ideal for training. For example, cotton retains water, so if your sweat remains moist on your head. Nike hopes to inspire women and girls to engage in sports (Bain, 2017).
‘Women and girls with a migrant background are the least involved in sport and active lifestyle’, Said Marian ter Haar, Staff Officer of the Dutch Institute for Sport and Movement (Zijl, 2015). The lack of sport-appropriate clothing is one of the reasons for this (Bain, 2017).
Future Proof
These signals show that we, women, are fighting for their equality. The first signal, the female characters in the Disney films receive more and more compliments about their skill instead of their appearance. I think this is great; children were brought up with the idea a girl’s value depends mainly on their appearance. So, it’s good this changed. Besides, not only the compliments about women’s skills increase. More and more women get a higher position at work. Also, the government is working on this; a legal rate has been set for companies. They must have at least 30% women and at least 30% men in their Board of Directors or Supervisory Board (Rijksoverheid, sd). The second signal shows us women are going to come to the fore for their beauty. Beauty doesn’t have to be based on appearance. The Nike Pro Hijab allows women to show what they can regarding the sport. Women are no longer restricted to go sports; now they can wear the Nike Pro Hijab.
Projects like these create the trend ‘Equal is Different’, and I think this trend has future potential because equality isn’t yet optimal within our society. As long as men and women aren’t totally equal, new projects will be devised which will improve the women’s position.
Women's Rights are Human Rights
Sources:
Bain, M. (2017, Maart 7). Nike is releasing its first performance hijab for female Muslim athletes. Opgeroepen op April 28, 2017, van Quartz Media LLC: https://qz.com/926651/the-nike-pro-hijab-is-being-released-as-the-brands-first-hijab-for-female-muslim-athletes/
Dove. (2016). #MyBeautyMySay. Opgeroepen op April 25, 2017, van Dove Campagnes: http://www.dove.com/nl/stories/campaigns/my-beauty-my-say.html
Nowakowski, K. (2017, Januari ). Waar zijn mannen en vrouwen het meest - en het minst - gelijk? . National Geographic, 6-7.
Nowakowski, K. (2017, January ). Wie is de mooiste? . National Geographic, 14.
Rijksoverheid (sd.) Vrouwenemancipatie (Gendergelijkheid). Opgeroepen op 28 april 2017, van De Rijksoverheid. Van Nederland, https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/vrouwenemancipatie/inhoud/arbeidsparticipatie-van-vrouwen