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The Three Archetypes of Women Coined by the Daily Mail
Archetype 1. Sex Object
Archetype 2. Cinderella
Archetype 3. Whinging So-Called Feminist
As a personal trainer and fitness instructor I am very aware that much of my work is based on vanity. This goes completely against what I believe in and is not why I got into the industry. Stereotypically personal trainers are fit, clean, love how they look a little too much and very mainstream in their approach to life. As a hippy it took me a long time to feel I could still be who I wanted to be and work in this industry. Simple things like for a long time, I wanted to shave part of my hair but was worried it would put clients off. Once I did it there were certainly some people who felt that it was there god given right to tell me they didn’t like it. Members and staff seem to think it’s fine to judge me on my appearance,
even though I would never judge a member on theirs. As this is a male dominated industry you have to deal with a fair few men completely ignoring what you say purely based on gender. It was only once I pushed my way into the weights area of a gym and lifted just as much as some of the men in there that I was given some respect. Only then they realized, ‘oh actually maybe she does know a few things about working out’. Now that I’m established the the industry I feel most of the time I can be who I want to be but it was hard and you have to have a thick skin sometimes.
In secondary school everyone had to look a certain way too be considered ‘powerful’. I had seen girls go from normal teenagers to supermodels and instantly upgraded to the ‘popular group’ only for this reason. They would go away for the summer and come back having lost a ton of weight with blonde highlights and a fake tan. It was like they had been transformed into a clone of society’s expectations of the perfect woman devoid of identity, personality and opinion. They basically became sex objects. There was an expectation, created by the girls themselves, of what men want in a girl and because it was a girls school it became exaggerated and warped by the girls deluded perception of
what men want. There was a huge obsession with homophobia, there was a deep fear of seeming to act like a lesbian. Even though what they perceive to be acting like a lesbian is basically just being yourself. For some reason this change in appearance meant they could now choose who they hung out with unlike the rest of us misfits who actually had feelings and thoughts? Precious thots. I tried at one point to commit myself to becoming this way due to the pressure of it all. However, I found it made me boring and I couldn’t be myself. I decided it was better to be myself and have no friends than degrade myself in that way.
WOMEN IN MUSIC
I have recently discovered some really brilliant musicians from the 60s and 70s. All of which are female. All of which until recently, I had shrugged off because of things I’d overheard about them. I thought they were seen as unpopular, cheesy or naff. When I actually took the time to really listen to their music I realised that this really wasn’t so. In fact, it was quite the opposite, they were ground breaking and current even to this day. I’m going to talk about three women in particular who I think are underrated.
I pride myself on my music taste and go to lengths to find out interesting music new and old. So, why did it take me so long to discover them when they’ve been around my whole life and are so up my street? Why did I have these prejudices about them? Of course this is just my experience but talking to other people many have had the same experience. Why is it that Bob Dylan got the nobel prize and David Bowie had an entire exhibition created in dedication to him at the V&A? I know these three women have been heralded in their own way but not to the same extent at which their male counterparts have. I feel something here needs to change and as women we need to make a point of pushing women more into the spotlight when it comes to musical history.
KATE BUSH Prejudices: weird in a bad way, naff, annoying high voice I actually took the time to listen to her music: Mindblowing. It is hard to actually put into words the first time I listened to The Kick Inside. It was like nothing I had heard before. It was so abstract yet melodic and listenable at the same time. I really feel she should be heralded in the same way that David Bowie has been. Like him she makes it OK to be and feel a certain way. Yes, her voice is high but it has so much strength and guts that it is in no way weak. Listening to her as a woman you feel empowered and proud to be the gender you are.
JANIS JOPLIN Prejudices: naff hippy with an annoying voice I actually took the time to listen to her music: At first her voice can be hard to get to grips with because, in a singing teacher’s eyes, she does everything technically wrong. It takes some time to get used to but once you do you see she has real courage. She sings with such passion and force that few other women have been brave enough to do. Lets also note that there have been many male singers in music history who can’t even sing in key and have never been criticised for it. People just shrug it off with the fact they have personality. Janis can sing amazingly but sometimes sounds a little raspy or nasally. For her its all about the performance and on stage she surrenders herself to the power of music. She lets the music carry her to new depths and places she hasn’t been before. Listening to her live recordings you can almost see her radiate out into her audience, there is nothing quite like it. She has real power to galvanise her audience and make them stop and listen. Few other musicians have had that power.
JONI MITCHELL Prejudices: naff hippy/maybe Christian cheesy folk singer with an annoying voice. I actually took the time to listen to her music: She is as, if not more, eloquent a songwriter as Bob Dylan. Her timing and rhythm is so unique and unlike any other musician I have listened to before. She manages to craft a vast array of complicated emotions and feelings into perfectly formed, beautiful lyrics and melodies. Her songs are therapeutic and soothing in the sense that she pinpoints exactly how you’re feeling right now and how awful it is but also manages to create a sense that it will all be OK in the end. You wouldn’t call most of her songs folk music because they have so much soul. Her vocal range is extraordinary and exquisite, constantly switching from low bassy notes to high soprano. She is without a doubt one of the greatest musicians there has ever been.
As we approached Grovensnor Square, the starting point, there was a real festival-esque atmosphere about with the smell of muddied grass and that other kind of grass. I had a sense that something really exciting was about to happen and I saw other people could feel it too. Suddenly someone was speaking on a microphone and people started to cheer and woop. The march commenced. It took us about an hour and a half later to actually get from the square onto the route of the march but strangely it didn’t seem to matter. There was so much positive energy surrounding us that it would have been impossible to complain or become impatient. Once on the route, the pace really picked up. The force of the amount of people on the march was so powerful that it felt like you were being carried or encouraged along by it. There was lots of chanting, cheering and singing in the crowd but it was an incredibly peaceful affaire. I felt so safe because I was part of this vast expanse of people. There was a real feeling that everything will be OK because we all have each other. This is such a rare feeling to get nowadays when individualism overrules everything. Arriving in Trafalgar Square was like arriving in Eden – a beautiful, welcoming, peaceful community of positivity and love. Under a blue sky, people were making emotional speeches and these were followed by more cheers and singing. The march ended with speakers blaring ‘Ready or Not’ by the Fugees which kick started a singing, dancing fest in centre of the square. We came out of it on a real high. I had never quite felt the same. It was such a good way of making something positive out of something so awful.
Taking long solitary walks in natural surroundings should become an essential part of our daily lives. I’ve always gone on walks because we’ve always had a dog in the family that needs walking. I’ve always liked a good walk but only recently have I started to realise how important it is. I suppose it is since being catapulted into the ‘real world’ that I have really felt a need to go on frequent long walks. A large majority of us now live incredibly fast paced lives. No matter what your situation, life is filled with constant challenges and set backs that can leave us feeling incredibly frustrated and anxious. Being constantly switched on, there are few places left in the western world to actually get away from the constant chatter. Nature is one of them. A good walk should be a long walk, an hour minimum. This is because to begin with you can’t be bothered – ‘there’s not enough time in the day’ is the usual excuse but there’s also a fear of being so alone with your own thoughts. A long walk is not an escape or a distraction it actually brings you closer to your thoughts and the way your mind is working that day. It’s a kind of meditation. As you keep walking, the fear seems to dissipate. The distant traffic quietens until your footsteps are the most prominent noise. You start to notice how much fresher the air is out here. Then you begin to see the tiny details – the colour of the bark, the feel of the soil under your shoes, the moss on the branches. There’s a sense of playfulness as you realise your surroundings. Finally, you feel your thoughts start to breath. You can think much more clearly out here, in the quiet, away from any judgement or obligation. It actually feels good. We need these moments of awareness in our meritocratic society where everything seems as though its your fault. It gives us a chance to gain some perspective and peace of mind. To bring ourselves back to ourselves to a time before we were judged and criticised.
Ready or not, here I come, you can’t hide Gonna find you and make you want me Ms Lauryn Hill