Sugar ‘n’ spice as effective as feminism

Friday, November 6, 1998

Sugar ‘n’ spice as effective as feminism

EMPOWERMENT: Sexuality doesn’t preclude women from achieving
greatness

This past summer, I uncovered the answer to one of life’s
greatest mysteries: how the Spice Girls managed to sell over a
billion albums.

You see, the Spice Girls’ market consists almost entirely of
girls below the age of 12. This came to my attention after spending
my vacation as a counselor at a summer day camp, where I had the
great privilege of making sure 14, 5-year-old girls got through
their summers without fatally injuring themselves or each
other.

I cannot begin to tell you how many lengthy conversations about
the inner workings of that Fab Five I must have partaken in over
Cheez-its and Fruit Roll-ups. In fact, on looking back, I think
that we were having the exact same conversation over and over
again.

"Catie, Catie, which one is your favorite? I like Scary the
best. No, no, I like Baby, she always wears those cute dresses and
pigtails!"

"Gee girls, gosh. I just can’t decide. They’re all so, soooo …
"

"Catie, Catie! You wanna know who I like? I like Ginger the
best!"

And without fail, a chorus of "Me too!" would ensue until this
enrapturing discussion finally came to a close after each girl
finished recounting her favorite scene from the movie "Spice
World". And it is from this enlightening experience that I drew an
interesting observation; by far the favorite Spice Girl of the
majority of little girls is Ginger … Ginger, who is undeniably
the most scantily clad and provocative marketing genius of the
group. Seeing that I had just finished taking a "Men, devils or
just plain pigs?" seminar (disguised as a woman’s studies class), I
could not smother the urge to contemplate exactly why 5-year-old
girls felt the strongest affinity to the most voluptuous member of
the Spice Girls.

I’ll tell you why ­ it’s those damn men that did it. Oh,
have they got nerve. First that whole high-heel thing, and now
this. Join with me sisters ­ throw out those pink Daisy
razors, those wonder bras, those form-fitting dresses and help me
fight the patriarchal hegemonic monster that is Man!

Stop right there. That’s not right at all. Put those clippers
away, I’m keeping these strawberry locks, thank you. Because in all
honesty, I like having shaved legs, I enjoy wearing skirts, and
there are way too many steps on the way to class to attempt any
sort of brave, brassiere-less feats.

But please don’t get me wrong, I hold a lot of respect for the
women out there who pursue those choices out of a sincere
preference for them. As long as a woman is donning army boots and
buzz cuts because that is how she truly feels the most comfortable,
more power to her. My problem is with the women who do it out of
sheer spite. And I have even more trouble with the women who try to
make me feel guilty for not doing the same, as if women like me
have been responsible for the exploitation of women through time.
Just as the epistemology of the past was intrinsically flawed
because of their tendency to subjugate women in society, some
feminist discourses have likewise fallen short.

Also, if I were to ever work in an office, I will never allow
anyone to tell me that I would be better off only wearing pants to
work. I refuse to believe that the only way to receive respect in
the professional world is to dress, look and act like a man. Isn’t
that just reinforcing the conception that this is a man’s
world?

I am also not saying that women need to flaunt their feminine
wiles to get ahead in this world. I am simply saying that
femininity is not a synonym for weakness, and it is definitely not
a precursor to promiscuity. Men and women are different and they
have different strengths. There is nothing wrong with admitting
that ­ but there is something inherently absurd in attempting
to rank men and women according to those strengths.

Like Mother Earth and Father Sky, men and women are inextricably
bound to one another. Not necessarily as life partners, but
undeniably as equal forces in the shaping and directing of
humanity’s future. Men and women are complementary parts of a
whole, and any attempt to address society’s woes by villianizing or
forsaking the opposite sex will never succeed.

Recently I decided to approach a professor, whose wisdom
stretches far beyond what I have accumulated in my meager 20-year
flight of fancy, to ask her for a little insight into her
experience with how femininity in America has changed over time.
Her breadth of experience, accomplishments and confidence struck
me; seeing as she is a woman who grew into adulthood years before
the feminist movement of the 1960s, proving that the ability to
rise above has and will always be within our own reach. I was
intrigued to hear that in her estimation society’s attitude toward
women has actually changed minimally through time.

Yet, there are many women who have proven that they can find
their way to the top without any help, by refusing to hide behind
excuses and pointed fingers. This reinforces that no one is ever
going to hold our hands. But that still does not mean that we will
make any more progress with fists of rage.

It’s time to consider the possibility that our society’s
schizophrenic approach to sensuality has roots in something other
than a war of the sexes.

If you will take time to remember, a majority of this
continent’s first European settlers were of the acetic persuasion.
You know whom I’m talking about ­ those crazy, fun-loving
Puritans. My guess is that in a less-tame world, many people found
safety hiding behind stringent regulations and clearly defined
roles. And you don’t have to listen too carefully to hear the
echoes of this mentality still resounding in our own communities
today. But where there is purging, I’ve noticed that binging tends
to follow quickly on its heels, leaving most of us stuck somewhere
in the middle to make sense of it all.

We have gotten to the point where we should be secure enough to
embrace sensuality as a positive element of human nature. Hey, it
is why every one of us is here. Promoting sex as something that is
tainted and lurid doesn’t help anyone. So, I guess I don’t have any
definitive answers for you. Maybe there are a few cliches I could
dig up about being true to yourself. But I guess that is really all
there is, because there really is no one holding our hands.

Just be careful. Be careful of what values and ideas you allow
to permeate into your subconscious, be careful of what foundation
you choose to build your self-identity on, and let’s all try not to
be such hypocritical, horny, little prudes.

Sensuality is like the boogie man ­ it only scares you as
much as you let it and it is only as bad as you make it out to
be.

In fact, Ginger Spice has just become the newest Goodwill
ambassador for the United Nations.

Catie Snow Bailard

Bailard is a third-year communication studies student minoring
in Native American studies.

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