I just saw this ad for the 2014 World Cup:
It’s a great commercial, super inspiring. Except for one thing: all the athletes are men, and the only women are nearly naked cheerleader/showgirls in feathered headdresses. (Ok, there are two little girls in soccer outfits posed on the field for a photo op, but I had to watch the video twice to find them.) When these are the stories we see, this is what we learn to believe: women are not here to make goals, we’re here to cheer on our men. We’re here to look decorative and stand out for our absence of clothing. I know, I know, its just an ESPN commercial – but a lifetime of not seeing yourself or your possible future as a person who can make a difference is a heavy burden. This needs to change. I’m not a professional athlete, or a politician, so I’ll never be a role model in that way. I look to history to uncover the archaic origins of our gendered approach to dressing and decorating the body. Men in uniforms suggest power, strength, and the possibility of success (in business, military, or athletic disciplines.) We need to see more women in uniform.
Yes, Chloe, what you point out is true, and the more it is pointed out the more it will be held in our consciousness, and the faster it will change. IT WILL CHANGE. Women and the feminine side of men are at the core of our best hope for survival as the dominating masculine energy has brought us to the brink of self destruction. As I write, Mother Nature is busy setting the record straight with ever growing extremes in climate. She will not be dominated!
But I have strayed from the topic of uniforms. What we wear is an expression of who we are and our position in the culture. I do not look forward to more women in uniform, but rather less need for anyone to assert their power over another.
May you have a rich and rewarding, productive and fulfilling time in Sweden!
Steve, you bring up a super important point: suits and uniforms are just the visual markers for a “boy’s club” of masculinity that men are trying to opt out of just as much as women are trying to gain access to. Women want to be heard and not just be decorative, men want to explore their compassion and be allowed to expose their creativity. This is happening on many levels, but we often first SEE it in clothing. Perhaps the strongest point we can make is that masculinity and femininity are not opposites, and that we all contain elements of both?
Right On! DId you learn that in the Brooklyn Brewery?
Seriously, though, I spent much of my early days (1950’s and 60’s) confused about my sensitivity and other more feminine traits while being subjected to the cultural programming of men. Interestingly, since having a son and exploring male consciousness with a powerful men’s circle I have been feeling the beauty of the masculine/feminine balance more fully than ever before.
I think your journey has been the case for many men. Interesting too, how we still use language like “masculine/feminine balance” as though those two things were mutually exclusive; as though masculine and feminine are different, opposites – reinforcing that men and women are fundamentally DIFFERENT and easily classifiable as unique and separate entities, instead of all people representing a whole non-linear spectrum of personality and presentation of self.