Girls can wear jeans,
and cut their hair short.
Wear shirts and boots,
'cause it's ok to be a boy.
But for a boy to look like a girl, it's degrading,
'cause you think that being a girl is degrading.
But secretely you'd love to know what it's like,
wouldn't you?
What if feels like for a girl.
Ian McEwan, The Cement Garden
I read "The Cement Garden" a few years back. Its a non-stop ride, shocking at times, the kind of book that draws you in, makes you cringe and you can't stop reading. The quote I posted (which Madonna uses at the beginning of her song of the same name) its what stuck with me from the book.
I don't think I ever stopped to really think what it's like for a girl, I understand it is different and well, I always left it at that.
Yesterday, through a friend I ran into a website that not only made me think of what it feels like for a girl, but to a degree helped me to have a glimpse of what that is.
The website open with "A place to treat bros like girls" and as I started perousing it, I found picture upon picture of men, men with perfect bodies/skin/hair/fashion sense...you get the idea.
As I looked at all those perfect men, I caught myself mentally comparing myself to them, realizing how I don't have the perfect body, skin, hair, clothes. The more I looked the more I kept on comparing. And then it dawn on me: Im a grown ass man, I have (thought I had?) a somewhat understanding of who I am, I am comfortable with my body and soul and even then I caught myself thinking that maybe I need to loose weight, lock myself in a gym, go clothes shopping. Immediatly I realized how hard it is to be a girl. To have unreal images of what pretty/cool is thrown at you since you are a child. To be seen as an object, a "pretty one"or not.
Ladies, to all of you, I salute your strenght, your inner power and beauty.
P.
p.s. if you are interested in the website : http://youareanobject.com/
