Understanding Womanhood

By:
Belle De Ocampo, Ciamille Renacia, Felise Villegas

• What is the Problem
• Real life examples

• Women Talk
• What can we do?

• What's your story?

What is the problem?

Women are facing various challenges in the world and one of them is society pitting women against each other. Women are often put in competition between each other, be it for beauty, wealth, popularity, and even relationship status. This creates an unhealthy environment for women because it seems that the world is always expecting more of them, by comparing them with other women. This issue has created feuds, and even rivalries. The media tends to exaggerate the slightest problems that women have between each other and instead of creating a bond, instead of indulging each other through womanhood and sisterhood, women are put in the position to compete. Through this website, we aim to tackle examples, both metaphorical and situational, as well as inform our readers about what they can do to help put an end to this issue.

Real Life Examples

Lady Gaga and Irina Shayk

When Lady Gaga and Bradley cooper filmed the movie, When a Star is Born, their chemistry was so noticeable that people started speculating that they were dating. At that time, Bradley Cooper was dating Irina Shayk which made it easier for people to create rumors and something to talk about. There were even articles which were headlined as “Irina Shayk Forcing Bradley Cooper to Choose Between Her and Lady Gaga?” or “Did Irina Shayk Unfollow Lady Gaga on Instagram?”. People started creating an issue for both women when in reality, both women were on good terms and the articles were false.

Constance Wu

Constance Wu from “Crazy Rich Asians” talked about reports, published by Six Pages, saying that she demanded for her name to be put first in articles about her new film Hustlers before her co-stars Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and Lizzo. She denied these claims saying that “People stereotyping us separates us, and when we are not unified it helps the patriarchy stay in power, right?” She also said “I really think that is why patriarchy tries to separate us because they know that when we're together there is nothing more strong and powerful.”

Cardi B and Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj recalled how she lost the Best New Artist Award during the 2012 Grammy Award to Bon Iver following the announcement of the 2021 Nominations saying she had 7 songs simultaneously charting on billboard inspiring a generation while they gave the award to a white man. Wiz Khalifa followed by replying saying he “knows how it feels”. A fan then posted saying how Cardi B won a Grammy when Nicki Minaj didn’t, shows how they didn’t know anything about music where Wiz commented and people took it as Wiz saying that Cardi B wasn’t a self-made artist. Following this event, Cardi B tweeted saying she doesn’t understand why people entertain tweets that pit successful women against each other.

Women Talk
by Joi Barrios

About the Author

Maria Josphine Barrios also known as Joi Barrios, is a Filipina poet, author, and editor. She accomplished a Ph.D in Philippine Literature from the University of the Philippines and her works usually revolve around the love of country, history, and women’s issues --which is in line with the chosen poem “Women Talk.”

Women Talk

Joi Barrios, 1988

Here's to the friendship
that could have been ours:
wife of my lover,
lover of my husband,
lover of my lover.

For women at both ends
are always rivals:
smiling for points
at a beauty contest,
icing the cake
at a cooking competition,
sprinting for the gold
as they race to a man’s heart.

Do we dare
look at each other differently?
Are you not the yardstick
by which he measures my beauty?
Am I not the spice
by which he thinks you bland or salty?
Are we not strings tripping each other
at the finish line?

Look beyond the competition or the race.
Our lives are not entwined
only by this man
but bound
by rituals of womanhood:
first blood of puberty,
blood at hymens breaking,
blood at childbirth.

There is much to share
other than jealousy, anger, rage.
Talk to me, sister:
wife of my lover,
lover of my husband,
lover of my lover,
still, my sister.

Analysis

The poem aligns with the message we personally want to get across to our audience; a message about womanhood. “For women at both ends are always rivals: smiling for points at a beauty contest, icing the cake at a cooking competition, sprinting for the gold as they race to a man’s heart” refers to how society tends to pit women against each other. An example of this is the encouragement of beauty products. Although there is nothing wrong with beauty products, manufacturers and marketers of these products target mainly women and somehow even imply that not being "beautiful" in society’s standards has a negative connotation. This adds more to the already competitive nature of society. However, the lines “Look beyond the competition or the race. Our Lives are not entwined only by this man but bound by rituals of womanhood: first blood of puberty, blood at hymens breaking, blood at childbirth,” imply that despite society always pitting women against each other, the lines encourage the reader to remember that all women went through the same hardships may it be societal, emotional, or even physical due to society’s patriarchal nature.

What can we do?