What do you want to be when you grow up? We all have to answer thatquestion at one point in our lives. The funny thing is, no one ever assumesthat we just want to be ourselves. We all have to dream of being somebody,of fitting some stereotype.
This is absolutely normal because we all havefantasies about the ideal or ideals. And women are just as responsible orthe stereotypes created for them as the men. If I didn’t want to bestereotyped as prissy or privileged I would not stick out my pinkie wheneating and holding my tea and would not wear makeup in the amounts that Itend to. If I didn’t want to be called an art freak I would not wear mypaint stained overalls or clay covered sweaters and boots. Women haveevolved just as much as men have (if not more) through out time and havecreated an image for themselves, or rather images. If we are seen as navelike in “Stupid Girl” we are probably living out the oldest of thefantasies of the lady in distress.
And who wouldn’t like to be the helplessvictim? Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White all waiting to be rescued. “Tea at the House” certainly shows the confused child in all of us, howmany people just loved watching “My Girl”. “Bad Boy Number Seventeen” well”. . .
tell me about it stud. . . “; all of the movie “Grease” just makes you(and Sandy for that matter) want to be that trashy blonde with the guy inthe tight jeans and nice car, especially if that guy was trouble.
Intelligent and deadly sure sounds evil in “Splinters” but sure sounds goodwhen you’re the leading lady and greatest opponent of James Bond, Milady inthe Three Musketeers, or Sharon Stone in “Basic Instinct”. It’s powerfuland sexy and women love it as much as men do. Rude and bitchy is somethingwe all have to be and frankly, some of us enjoy it. “Roseanne” and GraceKelly of “Grace Under Fire” sure showed us what the real guts of a womanlook like. She welds, she cooks, she drinks and scratches. She is a womanand a man all in one.
The truth is, I can identify with all of these, andnot because some man created those images for me, but because I find themappealing for myself. I don’t find them stagnant or degrading. I am all ofthose things and it makes me a multifaceted and intriguing personality andI will never give a man credit for that.
