Women are equal to men in many aspects. It is sometimes true that a man cannot live without a woman. Women have important roles in the society where they belong. Marie le Jars de Gournay (1660), “Equality between men and women” stated that women are equal to men in their capacity for normal reasoning and action. Gournay believed that sexual difference are related exclusively to reproduction.
“Ideas about the equality of women to men-right to participate in society, earn fair pay, control our bodies and speak our voice in political decisions,” Freidan (1995).
Equality is considering women in society and recognizing their rights. It is allowing both sexes to do what they want to do and exercising their rights as part of society. It is also means that equality is experiencing both men and women having the same rights in such a way that they are free of themselves.
In the past, women were given lesser importance than men. In male-dominated societies, women were perceived as weak and have lesser influence in terms of decision-making. In some parts of the world, women are victims of exploitation and their rights have been violated. Some are depicted as sex objects. Today, men in society judge women on physical appearance, because of this judgment; women feel they have to be perfect in their ways.
Everywhere we go; we see and hear different images of women-in arts and literature. In paintings, for example, we see a portrait of a naked woman. Song lyrics also portray different images of women and often described as “bitch”.
Pollock (1999)
“The term "images of women" suggests that we can distinguish women as a gender from ways in which women are represented or women from their images. Also, this could imply that it is possible to distinguish between good and bad images of women.”
“Images of women are somewhat like less limited. Women were usually flat, shadowy figures, someone's wife or girlfriend or they stock figures of fun; the mother in law, the kid, sister, the old maid. Unfortunately, most of these images are not just restricted but negative. These images misrepresent who we are, demean us and make it harder to see women as people. When women are only shown as beautiful and passive or rich and bitchy, it becomes more difficult for women to accept them as the diverse, multifaceted people they really are,” (Seger, 1999).
Thus, “the mother image portrays an independent woman… the mother is “life” and life is what she brings. (Aldrich, 1996).
Moreover, “women play a very important role in the family as caretaker of children and therefore men is the primary breadwinner to provide his family's needs,” (Canfield, 1996).
Banner (1997)
"Social class played a role in defining the image of beauty for women… the idealized mainstream images of women have often been young, representing the stage of life associated with purity, innocence, and sexuality.”
De Beauvoir (1952)
“Women will always be women. Other prophecy that in casting off their feminity they will not succeed in changing themselves instead they will become monsters.”
Nowadays, women go through plastic surgery to enhance themselves-face lift, butt lift, liposuction and to name a few. Women, no matter how they are portrayed they will always be what they are.
Wood (1994)
“There are two images of women: good women and bad ones. Good women are pretty, hard-working, focused on home, family and caring for others; bad women are portrayed as sex objects like prostitutes and whores.”
Israel (1999)
“Taking back the music,” other songs refer to women as prostitutes and strippers, and women being roughed up and often called the names of animals… when it comes to lyrics of black women, they are nearly degrading and verbally abusive.
Cooper (1997)
“Images of women in Popular Song Lyrics,” female in some popular song lyrics are lyrically viewed as beautiful, devoted and virginal… At other times women are cast as wily, wicked, lustful beings that are guilty of heartbreaking and all forms of lawless behavior. Many songwriters have excoriated popular song lyrics for too often imaging women as sex objects and passive playthings.
Baker (1999)
“Through many song lyrics women are portrayed as passive sex objects for powerful men to dominate… Examples are given that shows how powerful man are and how women are portrayed as something, which they are not. Sometimes it is the way women carry themselves that determines how men perceive them. Women have the tendency to carry themselves in a way where a lot of attention is brought upon them.”
Women are often depicted as sex objects to look at, not humans to be respected. Women will continue to be portrayed in bad ways as long as songs and any other sources are heard and read. There will always be a negative portrayal of women as long as women are put forth as being less competent than men, and judge based on appearance.
