I admire this lady more and more.
I think it's high-time I read a book of hers:
And I watched this Netflix documentary from a few years back,
about American masculinity:
And to be fair I listened to a little anti-feminist rhetoric as well:
And after it all, I remind myself to pause a little bit, and then check my yardstick (because it's very easy to fall sway to the endless arguments within the world of moral relativism); I think of the Prophet s.a.w., and think about what he would approve. And I'm sorry, don't you think he would be on the side of women? Yes, he would. 😌
He was a feminist man through and through, in a time when the concept of feminism was inconceivable. Extrapolate that to this day, what kind of man would he be in our current society? I wonder. Would he approve the kind of woman I aspire to be? He gave the true example of masculinity: strong and yet gentle; a general on the battlefield and a leader of men, but at the same time would partake in household chores as a daily duty, love and kiss children, and listen to women's advice, and declare love for his wife in front of other men. Actually, I'm realising it's wrong to think of his life as an example for men; he was an example for humanity! As a woman, I too want to serve society, be brave out in the world, but be gentle, respectful, and loving with all people. All the boys in that documentary who were struggling with concepts of masculinity and given poor examples, would they all not have been saved if they had the Prophet s.a.w. as an idol, as an example, as a role model for this life? Would not the entire Muslim world fare better if we actually and truly followed in the footsteps of our Prophet s.a.w.? I wish so deeply that we all would, or at least tried harder, myself included.
---
Not entirely unrelated actually:
there are so so so so many reasons to love BTS,
(and if you know them enough it's impossible to not love them),
but one of the biggest reasons they are awesome,
is their trend-setting now for what it means to be masculine.
I could write a paper on this I think.
(and hey! BBC is releasing a documentary on BTS soon; exciting!
I'll be sure to post it when it's out.)
BTS is perceived as cool, and talented, and strong (think Jungkook and his obsession over his muscles, this little boy), and smart (think Namjoon and his insane reputation as high-IQ genius); admired by both young men and young women. And at the same time, they're not afraid to be goofy and silly, or sad and in pain, or affectionate with their male buddies, or cry in public, or share their feelings on stage, or say "I love you!" to fans and to each other, and throw hearts every time they perform. It is amazing. You can be soft and vulnerable, or have a history of pain and hurt and ridicule, and still be a cool, strong, and awesome man today. I love this so much about all of them, their authenticity; and you can see how they play off each other's strong traits, all seven of them, so that together they are incredible. It's such a healthy thing that they have, and it's something we can all learn from.
An example of why their performances are so awesome:
do you see how cute and silly they are
with those crazy hearts they slotted into their performance???
I always do think Jin is commonly the instigator for such crazy yet lovely nonsense,
and I love him all the more for that open goofiness he brings to the group.
Soft front, strong back, wild heart.
-- Braving The Wilderness,
Brene Brown
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