“She’s such a plain Jane.” I remember that being such a negative from my childhood. When people said that it meant oh she’s not interesting at all. Or maybe they were just talking about a girl’s looks. Either way it’s kind of a shitty thing to say but I think we’ve all seen that people are not always on their best behavior…
What if “she’s such a plain Jane” really means she’s not interested in dolling up for the whole world or she’s not interested in putting on airs to seem important…
What if it means she’s got things that are more important to her than impressing you? What if it means she believes what she thinks of herself is more important than what you think of her?
But the thing is, and stay with me here, we all have some internalized patriarchy/misogyny to unpack. There are very few of us, especially in the older generation, who wouldn’t feel punched in the gut by somebody calling them a plain Jane. It’s one of the things I admire most about younger people today.
Some people seem to think oh, these younger kids don’t care enough about how they present in the world… but what if they care just the right amount? What if they are the ones who figured out their personal worth, their importance to the people around them and who they are in the world is not linked to either a) what they look like or b) what other people think of them.
Food for thought on a Saturday.
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Linda hosts Stream of Consciousness Saturday. This week’s prompt is “plain/plane. Use one, use ‘em both. Bonus points if you get ‘em both in your post. Have fun!”
I love your food for thought post and totally agree! There are a lot of questionable phrases still in use and I can’t stand them. One that springs to mind is “don’t be such a girl” as if to be like a girl suggests weakness.
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Absolutely! This phrase really sets me on edge too. But if I say something about it then I’m just being ‘sensitive’ or ’emotional’.
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I remember a teacher telling my old school class about the next person you meet, regardless of how they look or sound, regardless of how they dress, they could be the most wonderful, beautiful person that you will ever meet.
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What a wonderful message. It’s important for students to hear that sort of thing from people in charge.
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I really like this perspective
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I hope there’s a lot of us out here.
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That is a wonderful perspective Laura.
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Thanks, Sadje. It’s been an introspective sort of week.
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You’re very welcome.
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“What if it means she’s got things that are more important to her than impressing you?”
Perfect!
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I wish I’d understood these things when I was younger…
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Wouldn’t it be wonderful if that could be the way it is? Be the best you can be, without the requirement of always looking like you’re young and beautiful? If wrinkles could be honored as something you’ve earned, and beauty was judged by the quality of being you are? When someone like Trump wasn’t honored for being an a-hole? Sigh.
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I love these thoughts. Well, except for the being honored for being an a-hole part but truth is hard. But the part about wrinkles being earned? 💛
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