On a Lighter Note

But relevant, I believe, to this board simply because of its very nature.
Yes, I know this is all over the Internet, but I wanted to point out how this talented, charming, and confident woman walked out onto stage that night with a complete disregard for any bias that may have been lurking in the audience. Unless this clip was edited, it appears that people almost immediately made snap judgments based upon her appearance, age, and the fact that she had an air of spunkiness, and confidence to her.
It seems to be the thing today, and particularly among females, that if you’re not thin, slender, or carry yourself a certain way, that you’re simply made to be a laughing stock, or remain as some token that will later be removed (from television that is). I’ve noticed this pattern with reality shows (which I will admit, I watch from time to time), that whenever someone is over-confident, they usually end up not doing so well (this is the way they build things up). And of course, whenever someone is humble, or modest enough, they go on to prove that they have what it takes to be successful. (A makeover usually follows after this) This is a dangerous image to portray in my opinion. It tells people that if they don’t act or look a certain way, that they don’t have the talent, or even worse, deserve to be successful.
I had always asked myself, why has this pattern become so mainstream? Is it because we have to be apologetic of our abilities? Is it because the entertainment industry wants everything to fit within a certain box according to standard beauty norms, or gender norms? Another thing I have noticed, is the judgments on appearance, especially on reality shows within the US (I am not sure of reality shows abroad, maybe someone can enlighten me). Males get judged as well, though the strictest of judgments usually fall upon females. I hear comments from the judges on American Idol all the time; comments about outfits, hairstyles, even song choices which should be less “serious”, and more “fun”.
This is why this particular video had me smiling, and beaming with joy. Not only did this woman put these people in their place, she became an inspiration for all those around us who feel that it might be too late in life, that our moment has passed us by, or who feel that they might not be capable of anything worthy, beautiful, or good, simply because they don’t fit the mold of what society deems beautiful.
The females in the audience who rolled their eyes are only proof that even as females, many of us are complicit in judging each other according to patriarchal standards. many of us are not even aware that we’re doing it. This is how embedded it is in our psyches. And we need to stop it and break this cycle. It’s bad enough billboards, and television commercials are telling us how we should be; and how much time we should be spending on our appearance. We should not be attacking each other as well.
I also wanted to share this woman’s voice with everyone here. Just a reminder that dreams don’t have to remain just dreams. She was happy enough just to have her moment in front of a large audience, and I hope she makes it far.