It’s 2022. History has seen 4 waves of feminism. Since 1888, women have gained the right to vote and hold office, the right to higher education, and the right to birth control and abortion. But we’ve still got a ways to go.
What is Patriarchy?
Patriarchy is a social system in which men hold primary power. Men predominate in political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of properties. Patriarchy views men as dominant and women as submissive. Despite our modern, progressive time, here are 5 ways the patriarchy is still thriving:
- Only 6 countries give women equal legal work rights as men. They are Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden.
- For every female film character, there are 2.24 men. The female characters that do exist are hyper-sexualized and younger than 40. Older women appear 10 times less than older men in entertainment media.
- 40% of US films fail the the ‘Bechdel Test’ which requires that a movie:
- Has at least 2 named women in it
- Who talk to each other
- About something other than men
- Only 22% of AI professionals are women – and it could be down to a lack of confidence. Studies show that if girls and women self-objectify they perform worse on math and reading comprehension tests. They can’t throw a softball as hard, run as fast, or lift as heavy of weights as they can otherwise.
- According to the World Economic Forum’s most recent Global Gender Gap report, not until 2130 will we reach gender equality.
‘Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves. The surveyor of woman in herself is male: the surveyed female. Thus she turns herself into an object.’
-John Berger, Ways of Seeing
The Impact
These representations shape and reinforce what it means to be a woman: appeal to the male gaze by maintaining thinness at all costs. We’re taught that our health, happiness, power, and relationship status depend on how hot we look.
The Problem with Patriarchy
We can’t keep living by beauty standards that keep us distracted from our personal power. That way we’ll never reach liberation and empowerment. Rejecting diet culture is a feminist act. It means saying ‘no’ to being a body first and a human second. It means saying ‘yes’ to expecting more for ourselves.
How to Reclaim Your Power
One of the ways to reclaim your power from diet culture and patriarchy is through intuitive eating. Tuning back into our bodily sensations rebuilds self-trust and agency. Cultivating body wisdom ignites the potential within us. The way we engage with food impacts every other aspects of our lives.
If you’re ready to start the revolution, my 1-1 coaching program includes mindset management, intuitive eating, and body image with optional yoga practices to complement what you’re learning in the lessons. By doing the work for yourself you’ll inspire so many other women to do the same. Together, we can do this.
