My daughter and I have completely different relationships to makeup and dress codes and what it means to be taken seriously as a woman, and when we argue about her school choices or career prep, we're really arguing about two different theories of how to survive and thrive in a world that judges women's appearances. She thinks my approach is outdated compliance, I think hers is naive idealism, and we both want her to succeed.
More people experience this than they realize.
Different generations are navigating competing strategies for how women should present themselves to gain respect and opportunity, while both wanting the same outcome.
“Where Are You with Femininity — constructed and contested?”
If this sounds familiar, the Library can help you find the bigger picture.