Women Empowering Women
November 12, 2023 marks the second anniversary of the termination of the conservatorship that dictated Spears’ life for well over a decade. The release of her memoir, The Woman in Me, signals a powerful move towards her personal healing and is a reclamation of her life and her voice.
“Though we have advanced past stigma regarding mental health, it still exists, especially against women.”
To be a completely independent woman is a liberating thing, or at least we’re told.
By creating a conversation around patriarchy and the effects it has on individuals, Barbie (2023) subsequently begins a smaller, lesser explored conversation surrounding the concept of antagonism. Barbie (2023) has brought to light how eager we, as a community, are to establish a black and white narrative and label people “villains” and “heroes” despite obvious attempts of storytellers, like Greta Gerwig to emphasise the lack of a villain/heroes.
This is a prevalent issue which is undoubtedly exacerbated by poor media representation, a lack of comprehensive sex education, and a continued societal prioritization of heterosexual, male sexuality over all others.