HOW TO PREVENT INTERNALISED MISOGYNY
Misogyny is the hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against
women or girls. Internalized misogyny takes the form of sexist behaviors
and attitudes enacted by women toward themselves or other women and girls.
On a larger scale, internalized misogyny falls under the broad topic of internalized
oppression, which "consists of oppressive practices that continue to make
the rounds even when members of the oppressor group are not present".
Women who experience internalized misogyny may express
it through minimizing the value of women, mistrusting women, and believing
gender bias in favours of men. Women, after observing societal beliefs
which demean the value and skills of women repeatedly, eventually internalize
those misogynistic beliefs and apply them to themselves and other women.
The implications of internalized misogyny include psychological disorders such
as depression, eating disorders, low self-esteem, and
less social support among women.
Internalized misogyny has potential to lead to body issues, lack of
self-confidence, competition, and a sense of powerlessness. It is a major
setback in resolving issues of misogyny as a whole. Ties to psychological
distress such as anxious, depressive or somatic symptoms, have been
identified as results of internalized misogyny. Possible effects can
be depression and suicidal impulses.
Additionally, studies have found connections between as sexual
objectification as a result of internalized misogyny and body shame,
sexual objectification, and disordered eating. Internalized misogyny also
plays a role in lowered academic goals and diminished job performance. On
a larger scale, the presence of internalized misogyny in the world is believed
to alienate those affected from each other and thus further promotes continued misogyny
as a whole.
Society often tears down and
attacks women, normalizing the casual hatred of powerful or successful women,
especially those who don’t fit the mould for femininity. As we grow up, we are
also taught to see each other as competition instead of peers. This breeds some
ugly behaviour.
Most of this can be attributed to
the society we grew up in — we are immersed in sexism and gender stereotypes
from the start. It takes unlearning what society has taught us about gender and
sexuality to recognize our own internalized misogyny.
Through education and
self-acceptance, many women are able to shed their internalized misogyny and
learn to uplift fellow women. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out
there who continue hating women because of their own immaturity or self-esteem
issues. If you find yourself constantly tearing down other women to feel
better about yourself, it is time to grow up.
So many female celebrities get
hate from other women for arbitrary reasons, and it all comes from internalized
misogyny. It is time to stop this ugly behaviour of women tearing down other
women and leave it behind in middle school.
Ways in which we can deal with internalized misogyny are:
1.
Changing your perspective - Instead of trying to scrutinise how
other women look or are based on your own conditioning, try to analyse your
perspective. Stop judging them. Start questioning your own prejudices.
2.
Listening to other women - When a woman shares her experience,
listen. Acknowledge. Make sure that they're heard, and they'll do the same for
you. Show solidarity with them.
3.
Keeping an open mind - Centuries of ingrained prejudices can't be erased
overnight. But try! Try to seek reason. Try to keep an open mind.
4.
Trying to find a common ground - Instead of finding
differences, if you focus on finding similarities, you'll realise how many
experiences you have in common. Unite.
5.
Empathizing with other women - Be kind to women around
you. Empathize with them. Let them know they're not alone in their fight for
justice and acceptance.
Femininity is not inferior. Each person who identifies
as feminine is a human being who expresses themselves uniquely and
individually, with equally valid goals and dreams and aspirations. Having
female friends is a great thing! Feminine influences are important, and the
idea of strong, functional female friendships between real, 3-dimensional
people needs more representation, in both the media and real life.
