Illumination on the Subject of Revolutionary Chicks - Part 1

So you know: Revolutionary Chick will be abbreviated "RevoChick". It's faster, and slides off the tongue a little better.


So far, the writings by a few of my esteemed fellow RevoChicks have pertained mainly to the following:

1. RevoChicks equaling independent, intelligent, and strong women, further defined as being in direct opposition to the "typical" inane, breezy and over-sexualized girls of the modern day

2. RevoChicks not needing the male gender, whether for company (friendly or romantic), chivalry (of the opening-the-door variety), or self-actualization of any kind

3. The relative emasculation of men in general, and their resulting inability to "deal" with the above-defined RevoChick

4. The perpetuated stereotypes of women in the media (particularly Disney, as per the usual)

I will address these points in a two-part series. This post will address points 1 and 2.


1) Not much to say here. If this is the definition, it's the definition. Works for me.


2) There are three parts to this point. First is company.
In theory, women’s not needing men for anything whatsoever is marvelous. The reverse is the same for men. However, in the practical arena of the world we live in, it doesn't work. Having been defined as an RevoChick myself, I'll go ahead and say that, for me personally, having my father, grandfathers, uncles, male cousins, boys as friends when I was young, as well as good and bad examples of masculinity in my youth ALL helped me to do two things: define my own standards for myself as a woman, and establish high standards for the men around me. These standards are for behaviours, considerations, and characters that, when I come across them, I esteem. These standards would not have existed but for the men in my life. It's a social necessity and truth: the earth's population is 50% male. Trying to ignore that, or pretend that men don't need to influence your life, is not a good assumption to make. Whether your relationships with men end up being friendly OR romantic, it doesn't make any difference.

For the chivalry bit: I'm pretty darn sure that the old-world style of manners, whether opening the door for a lady or assisting her on her way home, was NOT an indirect insult about her relative weakness to the male gender. (This, coincidentally, is true - physically, women are, always have been, and always will be, the weaker sex - it's just biology.) Instead, it is a statement of their respect for women. You want men to give you flowers, or gifts, or pay attention to you? That's respect. Teaching men not to show that respect by debasing themselves (i.e. rushing to physically exert themselves to open a door so someone ELSE can walk through it), but then expecting them to automatically know to show respect in other aspects, is something I call ridiculous. It's either one or the other, ladies. Either they respect you or they don't. And I say, as a Revolutionary Chick, to demand respect, and appreciate it when men give it to you, rather than rebuking what they see as a considerate gesture.

For the self-actualization part: I agree, to an extent. Women who ask men how they should define themselves as a Woman end up getting an extremely biased and unhealthy image of themselves, and an erroneous idea of what a well-balanced woman needs to be. But completely cutting the male gender out of the picture isn't the right idea, either. As a woman, you will be tested against men, and you will need to know how they will see you, whatever your resulting image ends up. Humans, as a species, are huge on appearances. That's an unchangeable reality. So dressing like a whore will get you viewed - and thus treated - like a whore. Dressing like a guy will get you viewed - and thus treated - like a guy. You're looking for the healthy middle ground: feminine, to reflect who you are, but also somewhat on the conservative side, to reflect how you would like to be treated. How do you want to be treated? With respect, and the knowledge that you are more than the body you have. I'm not saying "Don't be sexy". I'm saying that an overstated physical appearance of "sexy" isn't what you want. But I'm not saying to go to the other extreme, to severely identify yourself with guys by dressing, talking, or acting exclusively like them. Going to either extreme changes the way men view you as a woman, and you will be objectified. Sure, you may get a lot of attention from them, but you will lose your ability to command the respect you deserve.


Part II will arrive shortly.