femininity

When Lady Macbeth prepares the plan to murder Duncan, she falls into the stereotype dividing men and women. Her words, “that tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full of direst cruelty,” play on the commonly held idea that women are weak and femininity hinders the chance of cruelty. Anyone is capable of committing evil deeds, just as they are capable of acting for good. One’s sex cannot determine the morality of his or her actions. Shakespeare’s few lines speak to an eternity of prejudice women have seen.

Since the beginning of time, the world has been dominated by men with a superiority complex. They were thought to be braver, stronger, and smarter. Their fathers had informed them of this fact, and it was passed down through generations of sexism. There are obvious differences between the male and female sex; however, one is not definitively better than the other. In recent times, the number of people who realize the true equality of genders has grown exponentially, but many men refuse to give this admission. In some ways, women have had to fight for their rights more than racial minorities. They must dispute a system and society that claims to be protecting them. Today, Americans can say that women are basically considered equal in terms of legislature. Unfortunately, prejudice still exists among those who have not opened their minds to other possibilities.

Female leaders like Hillary Clinton and Margaret Thatcher face advantages and disadvantages as woman struggling in politics. Anyone who is ever different will be put under scrutiny, and these headstrong females stand out in the crowd. The qualities of a woman are somewhat foreign to the other half of the world. Women are thought to feel their emotions rather than lock them away like a man. And maybe this is true, but it cannot always be seen as a down side. A person who can feel her own emotions can also feel the emotions of those around her. Would this not be a beneficial characteristic, to feel the same way as the citizens in one’s country? It would make pleasing the people far simpler. There are times when emotions get in the way, but to say that men do not feel these same emotions is absurd. Men tend to lock away feelings until they boil over. If women, on the other hand, were able to speak out with compassion for those who have not been defended by men in the past, what is wrong with emotion? Women have a voice that comes from the opposite side of a man’s. The thoughts are processed differently. And while neither may be right or wrong, they are both there. And both are worth listening to.

On the other hand, Hillary Clinton should not be using her femininity as a weapon. It appears that her public crying is an attempt to appeal on the sympathy and compassion of voters. There is nothing wrong with crying, but it is best done in private or with a trusted friend. The public audience should see a strong woman that can act on her emotions with dignity and intelligence. Votes should not be bought with pity for a woman who lacks confidence because she is not ‘likeable’. This is an insecurity shared by both men and women.