Men
look to those who are called a “Man’s Man,” such as Indiana Jones, James Bond,
Han Solo, Russell Crowe in Gladiator and Mel Gibson from Braveheart and many of
those superheroes. They see these men in movies or read about them and view
that as being a man.
-
Tough,
as in able to hold his own in a fight
-
Loyal
to his friends and the woman he is with
-
Smart
-
Wants
to fight or stand up for what is right or good
These
men all have very clear qualities. Women on the other hand that answer wasn’t
so clear. So, when I was presented with the question of who or what a Women’s
Woman is I found I needed to do some research and may need a little more
definition. The ladies we discussed try to lead their lives, it would seem, in
ways that magnify their natural grace and show their accomplishments or
talents.
And
in my research of finding who the Women’s Women are and what traits they all
had in common I was reminded of this scene from Jane Austen’s book Pride and
Prejudice:
Bingley- Well, I think it’s amazing you young
ladies have the patience to be so accomplished.
Caroline- What do you mean Charles?
Bingley- You all paint tables and play the piano
and embroider cushions. I never heard of a young lady, but people say she is
accomplished.
Darcy- The word is indeed applied too
liberally. I cannot boast of knowing more than half a dozen women in all my
acquaintance that are truly accomplished.
Caroline- Nor I, to be sure.
Elizabeth- Goodness… You must comprehend a great
deal in the idea.
Darcy- I do.
Caroline- Absolutely… She must have a thorough
knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing and the modern languages, to
deserve the word… And something in her air and manner of walking.
Darcy- And, of course, she must improve her
mind by extensive reading.
Elizabeth- I’m no longer surprised at your knowing
only six accomplished women. I rather wonder now at your knowing any.
Darcy- Are you so severe on your own sex?
Elizabeth- I never saw such a woman. She would
certainly be a fearsome thing to behold.
You’re
probably wondering why I was reminded on this insignificant scene of one of the
most well known and beloved stories by women. Well, you’ll understand pretty
soon.
I
did get a wide range of answers from women like Audrey Hepburn, Xena Warrior
Princess, Princess Kate Middleton, Wonder Woman, etc. But the qualities and
traits that appeared the most that were had by the kind of women that appear
even in the outliers had some similar traits as well. All-in-all they were,
using the word from the Victorian Era, “accomplished.”
You
see, when a young lady was accomplished in the Victorian Era in America and
Europe it meant she had many skills that helped her become connected and be
respected in society. Her skills would often precede her allowing her to do
well in the world.
Now,
I, being a lover of words, looked up the word accomplished and was led this
definition, “proficient as the result of practice or training… Having social
accomplishments.”
After
reading this definition I had the idea that it’s “ladies” who are considered
accomplished; so I looked up the word lady and found: “A woman of refinement.”
I
then wondered what the dictionary had to say about the word refine. I found
this under to refine, “to improve… to free from what is coarse, vulgar or
uncouth.”
This
led me to come to the conclusion that an accomplished lady is one that tries to
improve herself and become better than what she was or is and possibly tries to
be her best self and to smooth her rough edges, avoids vulgarity. It’s not that
she seeks perfection, but she has that drive to seek out to become more.
No
one can be perfect in this life (excluding Jesus Christ himself), but most have
that drive to better themselves and be accomplished if not in many things but
in something.
This
drive is what I found in common among the names given to me as examples of a
Women’s Woman. They all were or are talented and done well in their field of
choice.
-Audrey
Hepburn: A talented, classy actress who started the timeless trend of that
“little black dress” that is a must have for all women.
-
Kate Middleton: fashionably modest princess of our day.
-
Marjorie Hinckley: An excellent example of a mother and wife to the former
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
-
Hermione Granger: The fictional young lady from the Harry Potter Series who is
clever, loyal, brave and well-loved by all fans of this series.
-
Maggie Smith: The skilled actress who seems to be amazing at every character
she plays.
Others
that were mentioned were Julie Andrews, Sandra Bullock, Mandy Moore, as well as
Anne Romney. Some fictional women are Elizabeth Bennet, Jane Eyre and Dr. Jane
Gray.
Some notable qualities the all
possess are:
-
Talented
-
Kind-hearted
-
Graceful
-
Classy
-
Quiet
Strength
-
Comfortable
with who they are
-
Loyal
to family and friends
-
Clean
image
I
can go on and list more women, but then that would be redundant. There are many
other note-worthy and great women who are talented and made something of themselves,
in politics and in other fields such as, art, sports, etc. These appeared the
most.
I’m
not saying we ought to model ourselves after these ladies or even worship them,
but I am admitting that they seem to be on the track to something good. Why is
it that people seek out to know about these ladies of fame and fortune? Why is
it that Clothes Company try to copy their style so people can dress like them?
We are drawn to them, we see things in them that we want; talent, confidence,
classiness, gracefulness.
Now,
I’m not saying these ladies have it all together in their private lives, but
they can hold themselves together and not spill their private problem out for
all to see, at least they seem to try. They have this quiet strength that helps
them move forward.
We
as women, I’ll have to admit that we, in some way big or small, we are drawn to
these ladies. We are drawn to the same way the men are drawn to their action
stars and heroes. We want to know about them and how they came to be who they
are. We want to know their thoughts on certain subjects. It’s even true for the
everyday ladies in our lives. Think of
that friend or woman you admire because they have this certain way about them
that draws people to them in a good way.
It
can be said about these ladies, “They light up a room simply by entering
it”. In our hearts we want to be like
that. I’m not saying we want to be popular or famous. We want to be talented,
strong (but not course), graceful, confident, and timeless. We all want that
moment even if it is just once where when we enter the room and we light it up.
The
sad part of all of this is that most of us don’t think that this will ever
happen to us; that we will ever reach this point. Doubt, our own lack of faith
in ourselves and the world tries to prevent us from getting there. The world
tries to make this ideal seem unreachable or not something that ought to be
reached. These ideas turn women the other directions. On one extreme of the
spectrum women could turn harsh and controlling or on the other end, where we
think we are untalented or the only talent is catching guy’s attention.
Think
about it, there are the “strong” business or political women who have that
masculinity about them, as they try to leave their femininity behind assuming
that is a weakness. The other women on the other spectrum they are sex symbols.
Pamela Anderson’s only obvious skill was able to look good while running down a
beach. There are also women, like Paris Hilton, who are famous because of their
looks or they have successful parents. In the end these women are just girls,
making a mockery of what it means to be a woman.
I’ve
seen this in women today, ordinary women. Women who think they have to be
“strong” and independent and not let anyone in, leaving behind their
gracefulness. Then the other women who think the only thing they assume they
are good at is looking pretty and/or drawing in the attentions of guys.
These
girls don’t have much in the way of hobbies or developed talents. I’ve seen
them many times in my life. Ask them what they are good at or what they like to
do and the kind of respond they will give is something like, “I dunno…”
What
many people don’t realize is that when someone is good at something confidence
comes with that. Women who find their worth beyond guys and within themselves are
on their way to becoming a Woman’s Woman.
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