Week 3 - "Turning Goys into Girls"

In the article Turning Goys into Girls, Michelle Cottle is taking about how women are changing from wanting to be glamorous and fashionable to being concerned with their social, professional and economical statuses.  She talked about how women are growing to be more financial independent so therefore the suitors will need to provide more for the woman if he or she expects to win her heart.  She states that women have been going at it all the wrong way that instead of trying to be perfect and what society wants, we should turn the tables and convince the men that they key to their happiness is with us.  Basically making them work harder and us not work as hard anymore. 

Michelle Cottle’s writing does an amazing job at describing the equality of women and men.  I like the fact that she recognized that everyone wants to be know as attractive or desirable.  Who doesn’t want that?  It doesn’t matter how often we are told that, how healthy we are or how thin or thick we are she states that “In recent years, such publications have embraced the tenets of “evolutionary biology,” which argue that, no matter how often we’re told that beauty is only skin deep, men and women are hardwired to prefer the Jack Kennedys and Sharon Stones to the Rodney Dangerfields and Janet Renos.” (Argument! 261).  She doesn’t say it but from how she describes it you can tell she hates it.  She hates the fact that women seem to think that they have to look like a model.  Even though models are typically a hundred pounds and 5’10” and up.  They are unhealthy and sickly looking.  Why would any women really want to look that way?

I agree with her almost all the way through this article until Cottle talks about how in Men’s Health is “hawking” more about general fitness and healthy lifestyle.  She states “The line between taking pride in one’s physical appearance and being obsessed by it is a fine one -- and one that disappeared for many women long ago.” (Argument! 261).  I myself do not see a “fine line” between looking good and feeling good about how you look.  Its better to be happy about how healthy and amazing you look and are than to fret over how you’re not skinny enough and do not look like the anorexic models in the magazines.

Overall the article was very eye opening and fascinating. Women are finally starting to realize that they do not need a man; if anything men realized that they need women more. Roles have changed and so have times.