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Present in today’s society is the trend to see women primarily on the covers of tabloids, lying on a beach in a bikini, with an arrow pointing at her body beside the words, “Whose cellulite is that?” or “Want this hot bikini bod?” The press and mass media outlets in general have developed a tendency to depict women in a critical or sexualized manner, focusing more on image than on character or merit – and this often has the unfortunate effect of perpetuating stereotypes regarding gender roles. The author of ‘Raising Girls’, child psychologist Steve Biddulph, is one of the many people trying to combat this issue. Biddulph believes that for growing girls, the world has become a much more fragile, frenzied and scarier place than ever. One of the ways he believes people can help bring about change is by ensuring women and girls everywhere have an “aunties army”: female role models who are not recognized for their waistline, but for their capabilities. Her Campus UOttawa agrees, and we want to help.
In 1927, the famous TIME magazine started its annual ‘Person of the Year’ issue in which a person, group, idea or object was featured. In the book, Person of the Year: 75th Anniversary Celebration, the editors of TIME explained that the Person of the Year represents someone who has, “most affected the news and our lives, for good or for ill, and embodied what was important about the year, for better or for worse.” There’s no doubt that since 1927, TIME has featured people, groups, ideas, or objects that live up to that description. Furthermore, it is certainly positive to have TIME as a dominant mainstream fixture in the media as opposed to tabloid magazines. However, a pattern that many have not failed to notice is that the majority of nominees recognized as ‘embodying what was important about that year’ have been men. Since TIME started its Person of the Year issue, only 6 women have been featured, the first of which was Wallis Simpson in 1936 (for whom King Edward VIII abdicated his throne to marry).
This is not an indicator in any way that TIME is a sexist magazine; the magazine does write many articles about powerful women. Since 1927, there indeed have been many men who have played crucial roles in the unfolding and development of history, and there is no harm in recognizing that. Conversely, the fact that only six women have been featured should not be seen as an indicator that women have not also played a significant role in affecting society.
Recognizing a Person of the Year is a subjective idea. For some, current Person of the Year, United States president Barack Obama, is the ideal candidate in regards to the many affects he has had on the world in 2012. For others maybe the runner-up, fourteen year-old Malala Yousafzai, an inspiring young girl from Pakistan who was shot by the Taliban after advocating for girls education, is the ideal candidate. The point is that the accomplishments of both these people are not diminished or deteriorated by the fact that TIME as or has not recognized them.
TIME has not featured only six women because the magazine has purposefully decided to ignore the accomplishments of women. If there was some objective measuring tool that could be used to officially measure the one person who has embodied each year since 1927, maybe it would be a man every time, maybe it would be a women every time, maybe it would be dead even. But no such tool exists, and that’s okay. The fact that more men have been chosen as Person of the Year shouldn’t be viewed as a loss for women, because to recognize or to celebrate men isn’t to ‘play down’ or to ignore women. What should be the focus is not a reduction in the representation of men, but an improved representation of women. This is not an issue that pertains to any one specific magazine, but is instead an indicator of a society at large that generally associates power and leadership as male qualities.
That is why we at Her Campus UOttawa would like to use this space as an outlet to commend the women who affect our lives and make a difference. We want to celebrate their accomplishments and all the ways that they inspire us. Though these specific women may not be featured on the cover of a world-famous magazine anytime soon, their accomplishments remain an embodiment of the powerful impression a strong individual can make on the lives of many.
As a young girl with a big heart once said, “Everyone has inside of her a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is!” – Anne Frank
And as another woman with big-time confidence in her own potential once asked, “Who run the world?” – Beyoncé
That’s a loaded question, but I’ll give you a hint to at least one part of the answer…
Girls!
Stay tuned.
If you know a woman who you think should be featured on Her Campus UOttawa’s ‘Who Run The World’ blog, send us an email to emhcuottawa@gmail.com
Photo Credits
Cover photo: www.talkingsupe.com
First Photo: http://www.time.com/time/cover…
Second Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/e…
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