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The Prison of Perfect Femininity
How the pressure to become the perfect woman can prevent women from discovering who they really are.
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Simone de Beauvoir’s radical argument about gender, social expectations, and the roles society teaches women to play.
You may have heard this famous line by Simone de Beauvoir:
One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.
I am going to say something that may sound scientifically impossible at first, but philosophically, it is quite true. At the time of birth, a child does not arrive with a complete set of social expectations about what it means to be a woman. The famous French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir, who is often regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in modern feminism, made a powerful argument. She said that a woman is not born but becomes one.
What she meant was that the role of a WOMAN is something society gives you. It is not simply a natural fact; it is largely a social creation. And one of the biggest tragedies in history is that we have confused biological facts with social expectations.
If you observe, you will notice how children are raised in society. Boys are usually given Lego sets. We encourage them to build things…
