When it comes to things like past time activities, hobbies and music taste, people often have a really diverse range. But why is it that some of these things are perceived as “better” than others?
We live in the age of social media and easily accessible make-up, so we’ve got access to thousands of tutorial videos for every occasion. We try it, talk about it and swap advice; we enjoy it! Sadly, there seems to be a trend however of demeaning anything and everything “feminine“ unless it pleases the male portion of society. Even as society is becoming more educated in some aspects of gender inequality, there are still issues that are not being addressed enough. Namely the fact that feminine people are told to feel guilty about the things they enjoy! Do you enjoy makeup or fashion? Then you’re vain and shallow (or at least that’s how you’re made to feel). People might not tell you explicitly but you are often treated like that, and this attitude is an attitude that’s reinforced by the media. Yes, the same media that says we need to do these things to be “beautiful” in the first place; and then berates us for doing them! We can’t win.
The most toxic aspect of this issue is that it’s so deeply engraved in people that they don’t even realise how problematic it is. I was told by my own mother that I should re-evaluate my priorities when I pointed out that a lady near us was carrying a Prada bag. Zayn Malik has, in an interview for Billboard, mentioned that he likes it when girls are able to have an intelligent conversation that goes beyond makeup. Newsflash Zaynie; all girls can have a conversation that goes beyond makeup, they just maybe enjoy talking about it as well as, or more than about politics. Politics is messy and corrupt, whilst makeup is, for many, a source of fun, and a form of self-expression and creativity. Maybe some people just don’t want to foster negativity in their lives by constantly dwelling on how bad and cruel the world is? And that certainly doesn’t make them any less intelligent.
Another thing people seem to have an issue with is pop music; apparently if it’s fun and you can dance to it, it’s no longer “real music”. People treat the Top 40 as if it’s some sort of a guilty pleasure, something that decent, dignified people which ‘good taste’ simply cannot enjoy without having had a drink or two. Why is it that people still act like me liking One Direction is something peculiar? I remember once having a fight with a boy on Facebook, he called me a ‘stupid cow’ because I do in fact like 1D and wished me “a lot of luck with my life”. Well I’d like to thank him, because my life is going very well; I’m happy and I’m working on a degree.
Even people in my family, however, seem to have a difficulty understanding how I, a 20 year old with IQ of 136, can enjoy this kind of music. Again, this is because a band with mostly female fanbase can’t be good, right? All of the crazy fangirls yelling and attending multiple concerts and buying merchandise… Crazy. Now imagine we started treating male sports fans the same. Attending or at least watching all of the games, buying jerseys, caps and scarves? That’s some craziness right there, not even mentioning the riots that are often associated with football games. Why does no one treat these largely male fanbases as if there’s something wrong with them? Why do people not question their intelligence and general life choices?
All I ask is for people to think about this, and the next time that they’re about to patronise someone for enjoying inherently feminine things; don’t. I also want all of you reading this to unapologetically enjoy all the wonderful things this world has to offer! Go talk to everyone about the great new lipstick you bought. Go to that concert, yell as much as you can and enjoy every second of it. I want each and every single one of you to stop feeling guilty for enjoying things that are considered feminine, because feminine does NOT equal stupid.