Femininity, Change, Beauty, and Influence
Day 1- What does femininity mean to you? Does it need to be
reshaped in our culture?
Femininity. To me femininity means grace, class, and
compassion. When I look up to women because they are feminine, they usually
carry those traits. Femininity is holding yourself to a higher standard. It is
having a certain aura which inspires the respect of males. It is being graceful
in any situation, including clumsiness. It is keeping your speech pure and
inspiring others to do the same. It is holding your baby for the first time. It
is having kindness and forgiveness towards others, and yourself. Femininity is
putting makeup on in the morning and
taking it off at night.
Our culture does not support the idea of femininity;
feminists removed that freedom long ago. If a woman shows femininity and speaks
out about its benefits, society hushes her. Below, there are two pictures of
the same girl. Our culture views the actions and behavior of the girl on the
right as being feminine because she is being a strong female. However I believe
our instincts tell us a different story. Between the two pictures, which supports your view of femininity?
We place so
much value on being strong and powerful that we fail to acknowledge that femininity
is strength and has power. I believe the concept of femininity needs to be
brought back to our culture.
Day 2- What does it mean to be a catalyst? How can you be a
positive vehicle of change in your circle of influence, regardless of its size?
A catalyst is a person or event that quickly causes
change or action. To be a catalyst, a person would have to stand up and speak
out for change to happen. They must be willing to take action to cause action. Being
a vehicle of change, or a catalyst, in everyday life could be as simple as
smiling as you grocery shop. It could be complaining less. It could be helping
a friend with something they need. When those little, everyday parts of life
become better the big parts become better.
Day 3- Vanity is defined as being excessively absorbed in one’s
own appearance or accomplishments. How is beauty distinctly different from
vanity?
Beauty is something that originates from inside of
us, while vanity is the search for attention from others. Beauty is hope.
It is serving others, not being self-centered. Beauty is the moment,
not the glamour shot. It is
joy. Beauty is confidence, not arrogance. Often we can
be surprised by beauty, where it lies, because beauty is unexpected, dirty, intricate
and complicated. It is distinctly different because true beauty cannot be faked,
or bought, or made.
Day
4- What is the difference between a manipulator and an
influencer? Can we be one and not the other? How?
Manipulation
is to change in a skillful way for a particular purpose while influence is
having the power to cause change without directly forcing it. I believe the
main difference between a manipulator and an influencer is that a manipulator
is directly forcing change while an influencer simply has the indirect power to
cause change. Manipulation is blindness while influence is trust.
