If you’re not excited to be living in 2019, then I suggest you take a closer look around. I was watching “The Price is Right” on the TV at my nail salon when I noticed something unusual. Drew Carey was announcing the prize and the camera turned to a new car. This is where I noticed something unfamiliar. The model who was showcasing the car was not a female model with flawless features – it was a man.
I was surprised to see a tall, handsome man wearing a button-up shirt and slacks pointing to the car, smiling and clapping. He looked like he was mixed with darker features. This isn’t what I was accustomed to seeing. Although the man was attractive, I was wondering what happened to the typical cast of full female models?
(Devin Goda: male model on The Price is Right)
Drew Carey announced the next prize, which was a jacuzzi. I was expecting to see a female model walk out wearing a bikini to do the work. But, the same man I mentioned earlier came out again wearing board shorts and showcased the prize. He was smiling at the camera and gesturing towards the large jacuzzi tub with 8 jets. Anyways, the male model’s name is Devin Goda and is a retired NFL player who played for the Baltimore Ravens. I think he’s a wonderful addition to the show’s energy and I hope it will bury the Hugh Hefner-like stigma behind “Barker’s Beauties” (yes, I said it.)
I noticed that almost every game show with models is comprised of women wearing tight clothes, showing their legs, with big hair and a face covered in makeup and false lashes. I have spent my entire life watching the iconic Vanna White wearing fashionable attire on “Wheel of Fortune”. On “Deal or No Deal”, again an army of gorgeous gals are standing on stage waiting their turn to reveal what’s behind their number.
(Howie and the female models on Deal or No Deal)
These women spend hours upon hours under bright lights and cameras behind a male host. I personally can’t imagine having my hair covered in hairspray, heavy makeup caked on my face with false lashes in a tight dress and high heels whilst smiling for an entire eight hours a day. (Now that I think about it, this does sound like something I voluntarily subject myself to for an immediate family member’s wedding or other special occassion LOL)
(Vanna White on Wheel of Fortune)
Now, this isn’t merely a feminist observation, this is about viewing women as more than objects. Media has always portrayed the “ideal” female embodiment which is thin, long hair with flawless features and a huge smile on her faces. I am honestly sick of it and happy to see the shift in advertising.
If you haven’t noticed, the mannequins at the department stores have NORMAL SIZED WAISTS. You guys…this excited me the most, especially since I know I will never be a size 2. Now, when I am shopping at Target, I am happy to notice the shapely models on the ads. It goes beyond that – I see thick, plus-size, dark, tan, freckled, and a wide variety of humans on big name brands. Diversity is here…let’s wake up and smell the hummus.
As I sat in my pedicure chair, I realized how women have been objectified my entire life and things are finally changing. So, it is refreshing to see a male model showcasing a prize instead of a woman. This gives me hope that gender equality is becoming a reality.
I come from a culture where women are marginalized and not treated with equality. My parents came from Iraq, which is in the Middle East. Let’s just say that this part of the world has a lot of catching up to do when it comes to treating women with basic human dignity. Sadly, our culture remains the same in the United States. Our society continues to maintain certain expectations on women such as: marriage, children, and becoming housewives. Women continue to stay at home while the men work.
The children in my community have grown accustomed to having their mothers be the sole parent while their father’s primary responsibility is to work in order to pay the bills. It’s tragic that men are groomed to believe that they don’t need to make an effort as a parent by establishing a meaningful relationship with their son or daughter.
I know highly successful women in my community who don’t feel as though they are not successful. I am bewildered by how they feel unhappy and incomplete. When I ask them what they think is missing, they tell me that they cannot make their families happy because they aren’t married with children. I pray that these women find peace in their lives for the goals they want to achieve rather than the goals that society expects of them.
Meanwhile, men remain single well past their forties and nobody bats an eye. Don’t get me wrong, there’s pressure, but the pressure on women is much more intense than it is for men. A woman thinks something is wrong with her if she doesn’t get married. We need to cut this out. If it is ok for a man to remain single for the rest of his life, the same applies for a women. We truly need to realize that perpetuating the past will prevent equality from moving forward.
In some parts of the Middle East, the inequality is more extreme. Women can’t drive and are covered from head-to-toe in black garments and they are get punished for exposing their skin. Then, there’s the female mutilation. Small girls have their future stripped from them at young ages as their fathers treat them like property by marrying them off for their own agendas. Don’t even get me started on the human trafficking and turning women into sex slaves. The fact that this trade continues to thrives makes my blood boil.
I have been reading books from other fellow female authors and reading the stories brings tears to my eyes. The lives of women who live in villages where terrorism wreaks havoc are lost. I really wish I could do something to stop these terrorist groups from destroying people’s lives. I want to do something to change the existing conditions yet I feel like I am sitting on my hands for now.
I hope the cultures who marginalize women take notice of the shifting paradigms. The shift is happening whether they believe it or not. It doesn’t matter how slow the pace is, but it IS moving forward. Now, with the technology of social media and the internet connected humans globally, change is unstoppable. The status quo will not remain the same, especially if there are people like me who are determined to change it. I know one day I will do something to contribute to change, but for now, I will pray, have hope, and embody the change I want to see in the world.
Where have you noticed change in our world? Please share your observations about what you notice. If we choose to acknowledge and appreciate the change that is around us, I promise you that more change will continue to manifest. So, come on down, and let’s discuss the change that you see or want to see in our world.
Love,
Josephine