#i realized that pageants are a way for women to gain power through financial security

[lala-blahblah]

i am learning so much every day, it is a little humbling but also wow, i am continuing to grow and change and become a better person every day. I need to get a diary so that I stop using tumblr but like. slay.

[unsentimentaltranslator]

#i realized that pageants are a way for women to gain power through financial security#and like i always kind of thought women who participated in them were shallow and upholding narrow minded beauty standards#but no it's like the patriarchy who is witholding power and women are just playing along to get the cash prize so that they can then go on#and use it to fund their education or charities or other things#bc women r forced at times to weaponize their beauty in a way bc sometimes it's all they have#especially like lower class women who lack other resources or who can't rely on their family for support#so I'm sorry women for judging you instead of seeking to understand you#i love you and hope you are doing ok#pageant culture can still be toxic but. it's NUANCED you know.#i did take several classes on feminism in college and somehow did not realize this earlier im sorry

You're standing at a crucial fork in the road right now. The direction the patriarchy really wants you to take is the one where you say "well since they have a valid reason for choosing it, this doesn't warrant any more discussion." But the other direction you can take is the one where you say "wow, it sure is fucked up that women are pushed into sources of income that require them to tolerate being objectified. We need to be much harsher on industries where men collude to shut out women, and on industries where employers underpay employees particularly badly because a lot of the employees are women." This stance is much more disliked because this is the stance that truly challenges men's power and privilege, and a favourite manipulation tactic of theirs is "oh, so you're looking down on beauty pageant contestants? Sounds like you're a bad feminist!" because men have figured out that a lot of left wing women will stop standing up for themselves and other women if they get told that they're bullies or bigots. And you have to ignore it and keep standing up for true equality and liberation that will mean that women no longer have to do objectifying things.

PS: The same applies to prostitution and porn. It applies much more urgently to prostitution and porn because those industries are so much more dangerous, violent and traumatising.

i am learning so much every day, it is a little humbling but also wow, i am continuing to grow and change and become a better person every day. I need to get a diary so that I stop using tumblr but like. slay.