I just witnessed a fedorian facebook post.Â
The entire thing was about how women shouldn't give into the standards of beauty that society sets. That they shouldn't let themselves feel heartbroken. That they should be okay with being themselves.Â
That sounds like a reasonable set of statements. People should feel free to be themselves.Â
But, you know, it's nice to know that the women of the world have your permission to do all the things that you think that they should. According to you, women who care about what society thinks (and there are people who do care, and still live healthy lives) are dumb, and they should stop. According to you, women who put stock in make-up are vapid, shallow, and trying, for some unknown reason, to "hide their inner beauty." According to you, women should not feel heartbroken.Â
Did it never cross your mind that, maybe, people can care about society and still care about themselves? That they can want to be as fashion forward as whatever the hell is in fashion right now, simply because they enjoy it? Did it ever cross your mind that some women like putting make-up on because they simply just like to? Or that, maybe, they just wanted to have emerald colored eyelids for a change from the drab, everyday flesh tones? Did it never occur to you that being heartbroken is human? That women are allowed to feel emotions without recrimination or guilt on their own behalf for such a thing?
I mean, I know the guy. He's a decent person. He's not purposefully fedorian, but the post made me realize how harmful posts like that are. Because it was liked by men and women alike, with no one calling him out for basically giving women permission to act a certain way.Â
It just startled me. And woke me up.
So, yeah. People get to be people, and they get to make decisions for themselves, and if it's good, then it's good. If it isn't, well, no one asked for my opinions anyway, and I'll keep it to myself until such a time as they do.