On Oct. 29th, Chanté Joseph of Vogue came out with an article that broke the internet and sent women and girls straight to social media to talk about it.
What was the article you ask? It is called ‘Is Having a Boyfriend Embarrasing Now?’
When I read the article myself, I was initially shocked at Joseph’s boldness. I later came to be pleasantly impressed with her use of freedom of speech. That was the last thing anyone expected to be posted on a nothing but normal Wednesday.
Creators on almost every social media platform took an interest to the article and shared their reactions to it. Most were shocked with how it seemed like Joseph remembered free will existed and just ran with it
Many female creators got a good laugh out of the article, because who wouldn’t? An article emphasizing women empowerment in the most nuanced way possible is bound to get reactions like that.
My single friends were even cracking jokes at my friends that are in relationships, asking them if they are embarrassed and how they feel about the article.
Personally, I love the article because I think it perfectly conveys how women in relationships have been deemed the past few years.
In recent years, posting relationship content and turning your page into a fan page for your significant other was seen as cute, and women viewers wanted what these creators had. Nowadays, it is sometimes seen as out of touch and that the woman has no independence from her man.
Independence for women from men has been huge. I think women are tired of the stereotype that women are supposed to measure their success by their relationship status. There is empowerment in rejecting those ideas and glorifying a woman’s personal goals and desires in life, rather than just being in the background while her boyfriend or husband achieves his.
It shows a sense of confidence in oneself and how women do not need to consistently update their relationship status or gain approval from others on social media to feel good about themselves and their relationship.
Whether you are posting your man or deciding to keep him more private, there is now power in that choice. Women are making the decision to post their man solely on the fact if they want to or not, not for anyone else’s eyes or for societal expectations.
Many women are all about owning their lives and not having anyone else, especially a man, influence how they want to portray themselves on social media.
This article definitely made a splash and it got women to take a moment and either continue to, or start to appreciate their individuality more.
Social media is a powerful tool to express yourself. You can post whatever you want on your pages and have full creative freedom to be percieved in any way imaginable.
Whether you do use that creative freedom to post about your happy relationship with your man, or about your happy relationship with yourself, you are justified in doing either. The focus of Joseph’s article in Vogue was the freedom and empowerment in making that choice, and that is a beautiful thing to think about.