THE BEAUTY OF THE 21ST CENTURY WOMAN

Times and seasons have greatly dented the image and perception of who a woman is. On this special International Women Day, I would like to pay special homage to all women and to highlight their undaunting contribution to life, as well as, political and socio-economic development of the world. Whilst this article does not emanate from an expert on gender issues, the ideas here are engineered from the stroll of an unbiased and unfiltered observer who appreciates the contribution of women and the modernist ideological attack to down-grade them.

As the practice has been, the International Women’s day has gained grounds in almost every nation of the world, where 8^th March has been inscribed in the calendar of many ladies, feminist groups, gender activists, gender development institutions, policy makers and governments alike. At first, this celebration was limited to women in their late thirties and above, whilst, young ladies did not consider themselves women (for age consideration). However, the marketability of the celebration, with its attendant ceremonies across the globe, has raised awareness about the need for young ladies to hold themselves out as women.

Let me point out that our understanding of a woman, her potentials, role, beauty and contributions has undergone much change. The beauty of the ‘traditional’ woman so to say, in most societies was defined by her value to her husband and parents in terms of undertaking certain house chores. Her beauty was not defined, in most part, on the basis of physical appearance or physique if she could not serve the needs of her husband or family in terms of cooking, washing and house cleaning. Also, the traditional lady was defined by how she conformed to certain dress codes and sitting postures. In short, beauty was defined in value other than on its own term.

One may ask the question: have women lost some virtues? I would answer, Yes! First, it was at the instance of feminist movements. These groups propounded theories and set the agenda that pushed women to think independent of their families and immediate societies. To a large extent, this agenda has driven several women beyond levels of absurdity. The traditional woman was being promoted to assume full responsibility of her emotions, body, and desires –womanhood. The Cultural Revolution became the vehicle through which the traditional woman was forced into a certain kind of freedom. This ideology and groups that promoted it, were given preeminence in the media of the day. The idea, although most part of society considered it a form of rebel and alien to common customs, caught up with many societies through the intervention of the media. Particularly, the Playboy Magazine became a ‘trumpetized’ mouth piece. Soon, more and more women became deviants to norms of the society, and an “independent woman” was in the offing.

In recent times, the ideology of women liberation and independence continue to dominate the media landscape, gender debates and even economic development fora. For instance, many development policies and programs are designed with strong role of women, especially because they are the larger part of the population of almost every country and they tend to suffer more when due societal sidelining, and the masculinity of most societies. Also, for those that are married, women tend to become the big losers and should most of the responsibility of child care and training when these marriages fail. A shift from the traditional woman to the modern lady comes with new thinking paradigm.  Although societies, even places with strong religious culture, have moved away from the traditional interpretation and understanding of the woman and her role, there is a new definition of a woman. This new ideology of a woman is defined by various gender activists, feminists groups, fashion icons, legends and people in showbiz. Particularly, the modern woman is defined by nice looks, smart walk, smart body (physical outlook), smart fashion, smart career and smart relationships. The cosmetology industry has taken strong lead in shaping ideas of a woman about herself. This has even descended into defining the biological appreciation of womanhood.  One may ask: where are all these leading us?  

I would like to draw the beauty of the 21^st century lady from the concluding statements of King Solomon in Proverbs 31:29-31. Let me quote it here for reference: Proverbs 31:29 – 31 “Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised. Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.” From this scripture and many others, the real beauty of a woman transcend the traditional understanding, as well as the modernist view of a woman. The highlights King Solomon’s emphatic declaration are (1) a woman should have superior virtuosity, (2) a woman should be beyond favoured person, (3) she should possess complete beauty, (4) she should be praise-worthy and (5) a God-fearing lady. These elements far exceed a supposed gender based understanding of the 21^st century woman. May I also point out that a woman, traditional or modern, is not subservient to a man. Though not equal in many aspects, the value is the same.

A woman, at all levels, needs care, protection, and support. In the 21^st century, this responsibility is more critical than ever before. It is also a fact that needs to be recognized that as equal as men and women are in terms of value, there are organizational and institutional differences. In the standard family system, for example, the man (husband) is given the role of the head. This, however, does not apply in every situation and to every institution and society. For instance, Nabal, the wife of the much touted wise Abigail, did not show leadership by his conduct and behaviour; the great Deborah of old showed bravery when the men at the time showed cowardice and when one of the prophets under Elisha was indebted to the extent that his children were almost bartered in the process, his widow stepped out to seek solution. But King Ahab became one of the worse leaders Israel has had because of his weakness as leader was too glaring. His wife, the famous and much taunted Jezebel, was in charge of decision making.

This goes to admit that the modern woman, as spelt by Proverbs 31, should be physically, emotionally and mentally strong. The 21^st Century woman, as popularly termed, should not reduce her beauty to being a sexist, fashionist, funny-junky, cosmopolitan or Z woman. Also, her success should not only be defined by the academic or career progression, but also in her capability as home maker and home manager. The 21^st century woman is indeed beautiful as she has become more assertive, outgoing, smart, intelligent and daring.

The woman of the 21^st century need to be encouraged, but she needs to exercise caution!

Happy International Women’s Day!!!

Ernest Kwame Affum, PhD.

Lecturer, Author, Mentor, Trainer, Strategist  

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