rosie the riveter stood as a feminist empowering women figure many years ago, and it seems as though society has packed her up and put her up with the christmas decorations in the attic.  In 2016, someone unpacked her and let her take the face of multiple women this year and had brought back women empowerment and expressing sexuality.  Beyoncé, one of these empowering women, released one of the best albums of 2016, and it was about loving yourself as well as loving an unfaithful man.  So many women are quick to leave a cheating man, and personally I feel like they have every right to.  However, Beyoncé took back her cheating husband in the most feminist, female empowering ways ever. In the album, it almost sounds like she took him back, but under her conditions.  We all know, Beyoncé does NOT need Jay-Z, but quite frankly, I think he needs her.  She acknowledges this and makes half an album about it.  Hold Up was expressing how good she was to him, and reminding him that she can move on and still be Beyonce, but will Jay Z be jay without Bey? She also reminds him of how good he’s got it, and he’s got the baddest woman in the game up in his sheets.  The song that was the best that completely embraced her femininity, was Sorry.  The whole thing is showing how a woman can be strong and unapologetic without a man.  Women need to learn this.  I’ve seen so many women sit back and take all types of shit from their man because they feel like they won’t be anything without them.  Bullshit girl.  Go be your own woman.  You were born without a man and were raised not being dependent on a man sexually, so what makes you think you need one now?  Another woman who I think is the dominant in her relationship is Nicki Minaj with Meek Mill.  Her net worth is 80+ million,  his is 2+ million.  Money isn’t everything, but one this it does represent is powet, and in that relationship if money is power, Minaj sure has the longer stick.  These were two, short, very brief examples of women being strong, independent women in 2016, and we need to make this a resolution to carry this over into 2017.

Beyoncé had performed one of her country flavored songs off of Lemonade called “Daddy Lessons.”  She performed on the CMA’s which stands for Country Music Awards, she performed the song as a duet with The Dixie Chicks.  Although Beyoncé is most famously known as a pop star, she made a guest appearance at the country show.  A huge amount of people were highly upset that Beyoncé would be performing at a Country Award show because she’s not country.  Many people forget that country music originated from Black people and white people took it and made it popular.  So, it baffles that people who were majority white were upset that ,a black pop icon who has been a completely success all by herself performed at their show.  Yes, granted she is.  more Pop-star, but regardless, her family is from Texas and Alabama.  Both of those states are in the south, where many years ago, and still till this day, are a huge country music/rap music region because both of those genres do originate in the south.  Rhthym and Blues, Country, and Rock was first created by black slaves on plantations that were created and used to pass time while they were in the fields doing work.  So many people categorize artists  based on the genres that the mainly perform and can never break outside of those socially constructed barriers without “loosing their roots.”  I think it’s hypocritical to box people in to certain stereotypes based on what makes them happy, but if they even resemble some other artist that so happen to be in the same genre, they copying that artist and being “completely unoriginal.”  How do you expect someone to be original but shame them and completely disregard their talent as an artist when they try to explore new avenues in their music and share their talents with different people in the world?  Regardless of who you are, Beyoncé is here to stay and reign her rightful spot at Queen B.

Many moons ago, surgery wasn’t necessarily frowned upon, but people feared it.  They felt as if they could completely avoid surgery they would.  However, it seems as if plastic surgery has become a new fad.  People are afraid to age and I feel like a lot has to do with because they don’t take care of themselves when they were younger and now they are aging terribly so they resort to getting face lifts, botox, eyebrow lifts.  Sometimes people go under the knife and go for plastic surgery for health reasons, for example, my grandma had eyebrow lift done because her skin was sagging and was literally blocking her vision.  Sometimes getting plastic surgery done can be for health reasons, but 75% of society get it done for mere beaty enhancements.  A huge part of the reason for this high rate in plastic surgery has A LOT to do with beauty standards that we see in society.  Models, Actresses, and TV Personalities are photoshopped and caked with make up to perceive this look of flawlessness when it all actuality, its computer generated.  We have regular members of society look up to these celebrities and aspire to look like them so they get face lifts, and tummy tucks, and implants to achieve this body that is naturally unachievable, sort of like a Barbie Doll.  Then of course what happens to the people who want to achieve this look, but can’t afford it? Their self-esteem plummets to absolutely nothing and feel like they aren’t good enough because these guys only chase these pretty women who 90% of the have something fake about them, whether its hair, nails, body, or clothes, its fake, but that’s the new ‘norm’.  Nothing is real anymore and it’s become socially acceptable to have something fake about you.  This is typical laziness, instead of working for something, you go and buy it.  There is going to come a point where, people are going to be able to pre-determine how their babies are going to look when they are born.  It’s dangerous for our well-being as a society.

Reading the information from this weeks reading really opened my eyes about what female sexual empowerment really means.  I always thought that it means that women should just be screaming ‘I want sex!’ and that was that.  However, what it really means it for both sexes, mainly for women to take a stand and say ‘yes, I have sexual needs, and damnit they need to be filled’.  Whereas, for men, they need to respect women as sexual beings, but not just as sexual beings, just as everybody respects men for more than just their penises.  Also, a big ideology that I think needs to be put to an end is the dichotomy of men being a stud for sleeping with multiple women, and women being sluts for sleeping with multiple men.  Neither is true, and the beliefs that revolves around these ideas I think can be broken if we acknowledge these women celebrities as feminist icon and understand what these artists are saying if we want there something to be done.  If we want feminine equality, not only sexual but emotional and mental both in the workplace and out in society, we need to use the resources and make it known, including celebrities, art, music, performances.  My last brow-rising thought from these readings are the idea that women are scared.  Women can’t own their own sexuality because men take advantage of it and force their sexual needs on the women as if they’re here for men’s sexual pleasure.  Some men feel as though when women are sexually open with their wants and needs that they’re asking for it.  This is rape culture, and if we’re not fighting for feminism and women being able to freely voice their sexual desires without them being scrutinized, then we’re simply promoting g rape culture.   Sex without consent is rape, and rape is technically illegal. However, there are numerous cases where women have accused men of raping them, the man being convicted guilty, and they only receive 3 months in jail.  How is that supposed to make that woman feel?  She already has to physically and psychologically deal with being raped and having absolutely no fucking justice for this girl!  No one stands for women when it goes against the WHITE male.  We need to not only enforce feminism in education, but also remember it when it comes to the law.  Women are a lot more than just a pair of breast, vagina, and a piece of ass.  It’s time to start treating them as more than just a sexual object.

While looking up information on my topic, I was watching good morning America. Barack Obama and Michelle Obama we’re being interviewed about a new museum that opened up highlighting black history. Interesting enough the same interview that he was giving of the museum had a Display showcasing hair picks with a fist at the top. This symbol shows that there is power in our hair power in loving ourselves. I thought great there’s my photo. I began to Google when they showed another picture that absorbed my attention.

They showed a picture of a little boy touching the president of the United States hair. Barack Obama spoke about the experience. The little boy was taking a picture with the president and his family. When the picture was over he asked the president A question he had been pondering. he wanted to know if Obamas hair felt just like his. The president smiled and said well why don’t you touch it and find out. That is when this picture was taking as the boy was touching Obama’s hair to see how it compared to his.

So often when researching about natural hair my biggest motivation is inspiring young girls to love The way that they were born. I failed to see that boys too are looking at us, the adults to model their own lives. The hair on the presidents head did not represent hair follicles but possibility. The possibility that a boy with hair like his could grow up to become someone important. This picture has helped put into context why The natural hair movement is such an important one. The little boy was looking for a connection. He was trying to see if Obama was really like him. If someone who had something that we tend to find insignificant like hair just like his could become the president of the United States. It is fascinating to me how observant children are. Most people don’t consider how things like hair can effect Young minds. This picture is now hanging in the White House.