Images of Women As Read and Heard

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).