13 February 2012

Adele and the Concept of a Real Woman

Apparently, the Grammy's aired last night.  People hate on the adverb, but look what my adverb just conveyed in ten little letters.

I know about the Grammy's and Whitney Houston dying because of Facebook and Flipboard.  My news consumption is primarily through the internet.  I do like it this way because I enjoy seeing the reaction of my friends and unknowns commenting on articles.  I do feel like it is one giant cocktail party.

Adele was the big winner.  Probably deservedly so.  I did buy and enjoy her album until I found myself listless, peevish, and depressed.  It is an excellent album.

What I found curious was the reaction of a friend who in celebrating Adele's win made a comment about Adele being a real artist and a real woman.  Ten years ago I'd be more likely to comment on the real artist part of that statement.

I'm no artist.  I may have used to enjoy "films," but nowadays I just want a good movie--preferably an action flick with an underlying romance featuring a believable heroine.

Which brings me right back to the real woman bit.

I may run, but I'm not a stick.  I have a normal BMI, but I also have curves.  And I am growing a little concerned with the idea that a real woman must be a certain weight to qualify for her estrogen card.

Why can't thin women be considered real women?  Why must our size dictate our validity as a person?

I'd like the phrasings "real woman" and "real man" to be banned.  The whole concept is preposterous, vague, and--therefore--meaningless.

We're all real.  Some of us are healthier than others.  Sometimes you can tell this by looking at a person; often you can't.

1 comment:

  1. I don't think that anyone we know, thin or otherwise, is what people use as the comparison to a fake woman.
    I think the women who are "not real" are those who are glammed up in magazines and videos, whose real skin problems and weight struggles, and frizzy hair are all whisked away by modern technology. Those are fake women--and I would argue that even Adele is probably slightly fake because in spite of being a HUGE fan, I was disappointed to hear my brother-in-law detect a tad bit of autotune in one of her songs on the radio. But by and large, women who are overweight and famous at least SEEM more realistic because you can't photoshop away that much excess.

    So... I don't know the person who said this to you, but I would argue that she probably thinks that real women who work to keep a trim figure (like yo'self) are VERY real and women who are just an illusion and make the rest of us look bad by painting on tans and smooth little bikin lines, those are the women who are not real.

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