So I was supposed to have dinner with my mentee in Watertown at the Old Country Buffet. His friend though couldn't come, and we decided to call it off. Nevertheless, I went to the buffet with someone, figuring I didn't want to waste my "buy 1, get 1 free" dinner coupon, and also I skipped lunch today. The food selection was limited and I think I ate more oil than actual food. Unlimited ICEEs made it worthwhile I suppose, but no one comes to a buffet to get brain freeze.
Anyways, I was walking through the mall after and got to play some games. There were working kiosks of some version of Guitar Hero, the new Donkey Kong for the Wii and Marvel vs. Capcom 3. After getting pounded on by a child button masher, I walked around some more looking for my ride back. In the middle of the mall, there's a couple of stands selling all types of fashion services and accessories. The one that probably garners the most attention is the "natural enhancement product for women", or what they call a girdle. They had some video playing along with it and I noted one line that seemed to perplex/stick out: "most women consider a girdle to be a social necessity"
I wonder what social necessity a girdle will accomplish.
In the past, corsets were used to shape and reshape the body to what resembles the hourglass figure. It also holds parts of the body in place. For women, I assume it's the breasts and the fat surrounding the waist/lower body area. The same can be said for men too who wear girdles.
To that end, it seems to be an alteration of appearance for aesthetic and social gains. It allows people to look fitter, and perhaps even physically attractive. But I question if in fact it is a social necessity for women, and even a necessity of society altogether?
In society, the word woman provokes mental images and word associations instantly. Hearing everything from the fairer sex, to the child bearer to the moody one, to the intuitive feeler, and everything else in between makes it difficult to fully or accurately characterize a woman. How a girdle fits into this profile probably relates to the sexual aspect of a woman and how she plays a role as an individual. That being said, is it the case that it is necessary for a woman to look a certain way in order to function in society, that this bolstering mechanism is vital to her being?
Yes, it's understood as well that there are inequalities and prejudices in society that hamper women and men.
When we're first born, we don't understand or have a purpose in life. We have no restraints other than our physical limits (and later mental limits). It is only as we're being introduced to society do we start to form our opinions and purposes BASED on what society dictates to use or how we respond to society. Can we live our lives without purpose ascribed to us? Can we live our lives without societal influence?
Everywhere I go, someone somewhere will have an iPod touch. It's become more of a status symbol than a mere utility tool. But what about the people without them, who either chose to not use it, or for those who can't afford it? Are they seen as lesser people? Tonight and forevermore, I don't want to teach my grandchildren that they need to be a certain thing, have a certain item, join a certain group in order to live their lives to the fullest. Though the association with said implements of society will lead to success in that area, what is the breaking point that they lose their own individuality and strive for something that they never had intended to be in the first place?
