Confession time: I’m a shopaholic. Bags are my weakness. So are boots. I’m obsessed with dark washed jeans and oversize sunglasses and Rachel Bilson’s entire wardrobe.

Needless, to say I take the time to make outfits out of all of these clothes that I acquire. I read magazines and blogs and spend far too much time trying to find the perfect outfit for every occasion. So yes, I am a woman who often worries about her appearance, or at least the appearance of her clothes. And I’m not afraid to admit it, much to the disapproval of the likes of Sandra Bartky.

I first encountered this feminist writer in my Philosophy and Feminism class last semester, when reading her article, Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power. Bartky discusses the roles men and a male dominated society (i.e.: the patriarchal power), play in the way in which women portray themselves. Women, she claims, feel as though they are constantly being watched by a male power and as a result, we feel it necessary to take part in this “beautification process” society has thrust upon us.

The process of beautification, she claims, is insignificant. It is a practice women take part in only because they feel they have to. Women, Bartky claims, feel as though they must always look perfect, as though they must always strive for the ideal. They are never good enough, but always reaching, always working in an attempt to please that nonexistent gazer. From waxing our eyebrows to straightening our hair, its all for someone else. And by conceding, Bartky explains, the patriarchy remains in control. Men continue to have the power. Read More »

When you’re wearing high heels, the last thing you want to do is walk a long distance from your parking space to the store. Well, frankly, the last thing you want to do is walk at all, which is kind of impossible. But the city of Seoul in South Korea is all over this one with its Women Friendly Seoul Project, a plan to turn the city in a more heel-friendly place. Sounds pretty awesome, huh?

The city plans to paint close to 5,000 public parking spaces pink to reserve them for women. Other measures are being taken as well to improve the overall quality of life for women in the city. The program will pave streets to make them more high-heel friendly, improve lighting, build additional women’s public restrooms, create safe parks for women, add more public day-care centers, and expand an already-existing women’s taxi service. By 2010, the city’s transformation into a so-called women-friendly haven will be complete.

While these improvements may help reduce the frustration of everyday inconveniences for women in Seoul, they will probably not foster gender equality, which is a hot-button issue in South Korea that the government has had limited success in addressing. In fact, these efforts just might undermine women’s attempts to compete in a male-dominated society. Read More »