My friend Sarah recently linked me to a blog entry written by a woman who writes about pretty dresses (the blog is called A Dress A Day), in which the author states that you don’t have to be pretty. She hit the nail on the head and I found myself nodding along with her, especially when I read the following:
“You don’t owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don’t owe it to your mother, you don’t owe it to your children, you don’t owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked ‘female.’”
Despite this entry being from 2006, I think it’s worth posting – it definitely hasn’t expired. I also really appreciate that Erin includes that if you want to be pretty (and I say go with your own definition), go for it! I sometimes get bothered by people who assume that my love of lip and heels makes me less of a feminist (or even when people try to tell me that I can’t be a feminist). I fully agree with the last sentence, in which Erin explains how you get to be pretty: “You get there by traveling the route you find most interesting. (And to hell with the naysayers who say “But that’s not PRETTY”!)”
Follow us on Twitter @mysexprofessor
Pingback: Do Women Hate Pink? | My Sex Professor: Sexuality Education