This week's Vanity Fair cover is the public debut pictures of Caitlyn Jenner, formerly known as Bruce. The ESPY's announced that Caitlyn would be receiving the Arthur Ashe Courage Award this year. What has followed as been interesting and disturbing to watch.
Caitlyn has gotten a lot of attention for being "beautiful." And while she is very beautiful, why is it that all people can describe her as is beautiful or that's the starting point? Why does being a woman equal a social understanding of what is to be beautiful? What about using words like courageous, loving, smart, devoted, strong, etc.? A woman is more than what society deems as beautiful or pretty but that seems to be all society focuses on. Who doesn't like to feel and look beautiful but that's not the main thing that should define a person. Hey society lets expand our descriptions of people, and women in particular, past looks?
Now lets talk about courage - there has been a backlash about why Caitlyn was picked over other people like Lauren Hill, an inspiring athlete who died after battling cancer at too young of an age, and Noah Galloway, a US veteran who lost an arm and leg in the war in Iraq and has gone on to become a sports fashion model, world class athlete and most recently competed on Dancing with the Stars. Yes they are both courageous people for their battles. But Caitlyn also has courage for her own battles she's had in her life. Maybe her's are out there more because of the family she's a part of and their choices to blast society with everything they do.
But here's the thing - having courage looks different for each one of us. For some people getting up and out of bed every day is a courageous effort due to physical, mental and emotional concerns. People have to have courage to go out in public for fear that they will be targets of hatred and violence and may face discrimination and even death. And others have courage every day to smile at a stranger, offer Kleenex to someone who needs one, stop to provide help at emergencies, feed someone who's hungry... the list goes on. Where's the outrage that these folks, more often than not, don't get much if any recognition? Would many of them even want it if it was offered?
What this week has taught me is that American media and society needs to broaden our definitions of the words beauty, courage and what it means to be a woman. I pray we can move past our hang ups and old notions and evolve into something better than where we are presently.
Caitlyn has gotten a lot of attention for being "beautiful." And while she is very beautiful, why is it that all people can describe her as is beautiful or that's the starting point? Why does being a woman equal a social understanding of what is to be beautiful? What about using words like courageous, loving, smart, devoted, strong, etc.? A woman is more than what society deems as beautiful or pretty but that seems to be all society focuses on. Who doesn't like to feel and look beautiful but that's not the main thing that should define a person. Hey society lets expand our descriptions of people, and women in particular, past looks?
Now lets talk about courage - there has been a backlash about why Caitlyn was picked over other people like Lauren Hill, an inspiring athlete who died after battling cancer at too young of an age, and Noah Galloway, a US veteran who lost an arm and leg in the war in Iraq and has gone on to become a sports fashion model, world class athlete and most recently competed on Dancing with the Stars. Yes they are both courageous people for their battles. But Caitlyn also has courage for her own battles she's had in her life. Maybe her's are out there more because of the family she's a part of and their choices to blast society with everything they do.
But here's the thing - having courage looks different for each one of us. For some people getting up and out of bed every day is a courageous effort due to physical, mental and emotional concerns. People have to have courage to go out in public for fear that they will be targets of hatred and violence and may face discrimination and even death. And others have courage every day to smile at a stranger, offer Kleenex to someone who needs one, stop to provide help at emergencies, feed someone who's hungry... the list goes on. Where's the outrage that these folks, more often than not, don't get much if any recognition? Would many of them even want it if it was offered?
What this week has taught me is that American media and society needs to broaden our definitions of the words beauty, courage and what it means to be a woman. I pray we can move past our hang ups and old notions and evolve into something better than where we are presently.
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