From '50s housewife to Rosie the Riveter and CEO, and back again, JLaw's recent scandal says more about society than you think.
As the children of the powerhouse generation that took the 21st century feminist movement to a whole new level, we have pushed women into the workforce and slowly chipped away at what remains of gender inequality. With this, comes the harsh reality that women have to be workforce powerhouses, while maintaining a certain level of sexual charm and appearance. For some reason, it has become a socially supported idea that women cannot be one and the same. We are forced to choose between being a "sexy kitten" or a "witch."
By now, everyone has heard of the so-called Jennifer Lawrence scandal. In case you've been living under a rock, here's the lowdown. A collection of famous stars such as JLaw, Kate Upton, Victoria Justice, and Ariana Grande had their private nude photos stolen from their personal databases and posted on Buzzfeed's ugly cousin, 4chan.Â
Since then, the internet has gone into a frenzy and blown this, so-called, scandal out of proportion, while further exploiting the women involved. Let's rewind the clock a little bit to put this all into perspective. In the 1960s, something truly remarkable happened -- women began to join the work force, to an even greater degree, as a result of men going off to war. They took over various fields such as technology, automobile design and production, food, and clothing; you name it and women did it.
This movement -- alongside other cultural revolutions that took place prior -- kick started the feminist movement that has swept through today's society, attacking gender norms and stereotypes along the way. Since this movement has begun, a change can be noted in American society. Women are being forced to choose between two different personas: family icon, sex icon or the workforce dragon lady. As the lovely Miranda of Sex And The City put it, "Witch and kitten." Â
For example, the other day I was going out and I decided to wear a modest dress and as I walked out the door a girl turned to me and said, "Are you really wearing that out? You look like a lawyer. Go put on shorts and a crop top, or something." Excuse you? A lawyer or a barely-covered party girl, those are my two options? Seriously? So what if I wasn't showing off my boobs; that doesn't mean I'm a nun; I just didn't want to be cold. It is this idea that women have to choose between being a dragon lady and a sexy housewife that has pushed our society 10 steps backward on the road to gender equality. Â
Jennifer Lawrence is not only an Oscar-winning A-list actress who has founded her own philanthropic foundation that works with organizations such as Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Mary's School, and Special Olympics, she is also a stunning example for women because she prides herself on her genuine personality and healthy body image. She provides young women with someone to look up to who isn't as skinny as a string bean or as polished as a brand new marble counter. She's a person who I'd want to go bar-hopping with on Friday and paint my toenails with on Sunday. She makes tripping on national television look classy.   Â
Yet, instead of focusing on all of these marvelous attributes and accomplishments, we brand her as a slut because she took a few private pictures and someone hacked her. How the hell is that okay? She's, now, thrust into the sexy kitten category because she took a few scandalous photos who knows how long ago. By attacking her, we -- particularly as women -- are reverting back to the same gender stereotypes that have plagued us for hundreds of years. We are ignoring the fact that we should be able to express our sexuality without hindrance or consequence. We should be able to be the CEO of a major company and also wear a sexy LBD to dinner with our significant other.
By attacking Jennifer Lawrence, we are attacking the progress that has helped women successfully climb up the political, business, and social ladders of the world. The moral of this rant is to stop slut-shaming this popular icon, and start appreciating the fact that she has a blossoming sexuality that most of us would kill for. We've all thought about taking sexy pictures. We've all taken those Insta-selfies at the beach to show off our bikini bods. Stop making such a big deal out of it. Give Jennifer Lawrence the respect she deserves and get off her back. Appreciate what she's given to 21st century women, and stop feeding the gender stereotypes. Lay off.Â