AUTHOR LINDSAY DETWILER
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • READ FREE!
  • The Dark Side
Contemporary Romance Author

Women in 2016: We CAN Do it All... But Should We?

7/1/2016

0 Comments

 
Female Empowerment
Modern women can do it all.

It’s supposed to be a statement expressing female empowerment, but lately this sentiment feels more like a prison sentence. All around me, I see women struggling with this conviction, wallowing in self-doubt, frustration, and perfectionistic tendencies.
The media, articles, and other women tell us we are strong and capable. We can handle it all—a family, a career, children, our health, our social lives—with stereotypical womanly smiles on our faces. Succeeding in all areas of our lives is not only possible; it’s necessary to achieve life satisfaction.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for woman power. I’m all for the idea I can pursue any career path I want, that I am respected and valued in society. I’m all for goal-setting, dream achieving, and self-fulfillment.

I’m just not sure if the “we can do it all” mentality is actually helping me achieve any of those.

The Expectation for Perfection


The problem with the “we can do it all” concept is that it’s so closely related to perfectionist tendencies.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen society’s expectations for perfect mothering come to light in the news. From the criticism poured out online over the Disney gator attack to the Cincinnati gorilla incident, it seems like the entire world expects mothers to be perfect. Certainly all mothers strive to be the best they can be, as they should, but social judgements and expectations can leave many feeling the pressure.

I’ve talked to enough moms to know motherhood is challenging—there's no such thing as perfection, no matter what society tells us. Still, so many are left feeling lackluster because of the high standards society tells us we must live up to. If you don’t have kids? The pressure’s still there, just in a different form.

The 2016 woman doesn’t—or can’t—stop at motherhood, though. The expectations for perfection continue into the workplace. We must strive to climb the ladder, regardless of our selected career choice. We are expected to further our education, go after the promotion, or better our career pathway all while maintaining our family. It doesn’t matter if you’re genuinely satisfied with your position. Women who don’t go after these things are often perceived as unmotivated or not taking advantage of opportunity. 

Add to the motherhood and career expectations the standards for health and
beauty, and you’ve got yourself a perfect concoction of stressors. The media tells us we must work to disintegrate our love handles, blast away the muffin top, and eat the perfect balance of fruits and vegetables. Ice cream on a summer night, or *gasp* takeout for dinner? Where’s your motivation?
​
Thus, the “we can do it all” mentality ultimately leads to an incessant, almost impossible juggling act. Instead of "we can do it all," the sentiment seems to have shifted to "we must do it all perfectly." Those who haven't achieved this standard--which, in truth, is probably most of us--face criticism from society and from ourselves.

What Female Empowerment Should Mean


As with so many things in life, being a self-fulfilled, happy woman in 2016 requires a knowledge of your true desires.

You can do it all… but that doesn’t mean you have to. Further, if you do decide to do it all, it doesn’t mean you have to hold yourself to unrealistic, perfect standards.

Women in 2016 are strong, multi-tasking go-getters. We can pursue our desires.

We can go after big dreams. We can live multi-faceted lives. That’s a beautiful thing.


However, we shouldn’t let the “we can do it all” ideal tear us down or force us to pursue lives we don’t want to claim. Female empowerment is not about forcing us into hectic lives with crazy restrictions and standards. In fact, it should be the exact opposite.

Thus, the true statement we should be striving to achieve is: Modern women can live the lives they seek.

Women CAN do it all... but it doesn't mean we have to.

​

Lindsay Detwiler is the author of three contemporary romance novels includingVoice of Innocence, Without You, and Then Comes Love. She is also a high school English teacher in her hometown. She lives with Chad (her junior high sweetheart), their five cats, and their mastiff Henry. You can find out more about Lindsay atwww.lindsaydetwiler.com, www.facebook.com/lindsayanndetwiler, or on Twitter @LindsayDetwiler.
View on HuffPost
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.


    Banners for Best Romance Book Blogs
    Author Lindsay Detwiler
    Picture
    *As an Amazon Affiliate, I get a small fee for any books purchased through the links below.
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Then Comes Love
    Who We Were Romantic Comedy
    Where Love Went
    Where Love Went Free Read Holiday
    To Say Goodbye
    Picture
    Remember When Lindsay Detwiler

    Archives

    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016

    Categories

    All
    Aging
    Am Reading
    Animal
    Animals
    Animal Testing
    Author
    Author Chat
    Authors
    Bark Box
    Beach
    Beauty
    Beauty Blog
    Beauty Box
    Beauty Review
    Body Image
    Book
    Book Blog
    Book Review
    Books
    Book Sale
    Bookworm
    Box
    Caregiving
    Cat
    Chick Books
    Chick Lit
    Childfree
    Childless
    Children
    Classics
    Clothes
    Contemporary Romance
    Contest
    Cook
    Cosmetics
    Creative
    Creative Writing
    Cruelty Free
    Dad
    Dating
    Divorce
    Dog
    Dogs
    Dream
    Dreams
    Empowerment
    Facebook Live
    Family
    Fashion
    Father's Day
    Fear
    Female Writers
    Fiction
    Free
    Free Book
    Free Reads
    Friendship
    Fulfillment
    Funny
    Gaming
    Giveaway
    Good Books
    Graduation
    Growing Up
    Hair
    Holocaust
    Inspire
    Keith Urban
    Kindness
    Life
    Literary
    Literature
    Live Show
    Love
    Lularoe
    Makeup
    Maplewood
    Marriage
    Mastiff
    Modern Love
    Mom
    Mood Boosters
    Mother
    Mothering
    Mother's Day
    Movie
    Movie Review
    Must Read
    Netflix
    New Author
    New Release
    Organization
    Parents
    Pets
    Phobia
    Pieces Of My Heart
    Poet
    Poetry
    Prize
    Prizes
    Reading
    Refresh
    Relationships
    Review
    Reviews
    Romance
    Romantic Comedy
    Sale
    Self Care
    September 11th
    Show
    Simple Living
    Simply Love
    Stitch Fix
    Story
    Style
    Summer
    Sweet
    Sweet Romance
    Tattoo
    Teacher
    Teaching
    Tech
    Teenagers
    Television
    Thankful
    Thirty
    Tidying
    Valentine's Day
    Vegan
    Wedding
    Win
    Winter Blahs
    Woman
    Women
    Women's Fiction
    Writer
    Writing
    Young Adult

    RSS Feed

Lindsay Detwiler

  About
Contact
Hot Tree Publishing

Disclosure: 
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases

This site is also a part of the Intellinfluence Program, where we receive free products and payment for posting about certain products.

We are also a participant in the Stitch Fix Influencer program, in which we receive fees when you click on the Stitch Fix advertisement. I am also a part of the Jane.com Affiliate program through ShareASale and earn fees when you purchase using the affiliate links.



​**This website uses Google Analytics to improve user experiences. We also use Adsense to create revenue and Amazon Affiliates.

Privacy Policy
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
  • About
  • Contact
  • READ FREE!
  • The Dark Side