By Adrienne R
It bothers me that so much of women's media (books, magazine, talk shows, etc.) focus on clothes and makeup as ways to boost women's self-confidence. Pick out any women's magazine on a newsstand today and I'll bet the word "confidence" appears on the cover.
But is such emphasis really needed? Do we all really lack any faith in ourselves?
I don't think so. For women, confidence certainly is tied to appearance. Of course it helps to wear three-inch heels when you're outnumbered by men in a business meeting--but I don't think it's all that matters anymore. We've been in the workplace too long and succeeded too often to deny ourselves some measure of confidence.
Moreover, I think plenty of men have confidence problems that their media never even address. I see a lot of undersized, physically slight men who were probably bullied as children who never gained the self-confidence their muscular counterparts are. I wonder what their confidence booster are.
Bottom line is that I don't think women's media need to advertise fashion and makeup as confidence boosters. I am virtually enslaved by fashion--but because it's fun and girly and makes me happy.
I don't need it to boost my self-esteem.
( photo by miroslavgeorgijevic )
