I spent a portion of my day today when I wasn't working on things at the office, thinking about what defines a real woman. Most of my musing was brought about by this facebook post, where users were discussing that exact topic in the comments section. Most of the comments were down-to-earth and well-meaning, but I think a few people there totally let the meaning fly over their heads and crash into the mountainside behind them.
To me, a real woman isn't a personality genre so much as a physical genre, and to say you are a real woman means that you are not trying in vain to conform yourself to the "norm" that our society and the media want you to believe is the "right and true." The idea of being a real woman means that you have found an inner peace within yourself (you might liken it to a zen, of sorts,) and have determined yourself to break down those social barriers that were put up in the first place. Much like a bull in a china shop, those walls have to come tumbling down if you ever want to make peace with yourself and begin to fully love who you are as a person, regardless of your age, size, color, creed, sexuality, or otherwise. This is important, not only because it teaches tolerance of yourself as well as others, but it means that this idea can be used not only for "Adipositivity", but for everything else under the sun, as well.
In order to fully understand what those social barriers are, we must look at how the rest of the world perceives them, try to understand the reasoning behind their ideals, and make the case for why they aren't what reality is. There's a bit of history, some science and lots of learning this time, so come to class with your thinking caps on. Let's get started. :)
