Last month I wrote for The Federalist about an encouraging sign in marketing: celebrating the joys of being a woman! It was an ad to sell shoes, nothing revolutionary. But the campaign included dresses and waxing poetic about being womanly. Much more fun than the drab complaints that sadly occupy so much of women’s time, especially in advertising.
An aspect of the campaign that was off-putting is how busy and harried the women seemed. Sure, being a mother and having a career will usually mean a scheduling crunch. But do the moments of frantic rush embody feminine energy? What a foolish question!
It’s not in the pushing, prodding, doggedly pursuing that women express themselves best. It’s in the beautiful creations, the doting attention to people around them, the exquisite expression of that je ne sais quoi that renders women fascinating and attractive.
The fact that an ad campaign specifically celebrating womanhood presents such a “girl boss” aesthetic indicates how little our culture understands about womanhood and femininity. Having children and beautifying the world are not side projects to a bustling and successful career. For many women, those pursuits are the purpose of their life.
But I suppose we can’t expect the company selling $400 shoes to critique materialism and consumerism too strongly. In any event, you can read the whole article at The Federalist.
