Big Lie

Basically, the "Big Lie" that women are fed through various forms of media is that in order to be happy, complete, successful, or feminine, we must be in a relationship. It is infuriating to me that so many narratives feature women who are hardworking, strong, and confident, having all the tools to succeed in life, yet only when they find love do they really appear whole. This is teaching young girls that we must depend on men for our happiness, and that all of our effort should be put into attracting the opposite sex. This makes women value themselves according to their relationship status, telling themselves that if they are single, they must not be "good enough." It also dictates how women should act in love, telling us we should be "good girls" and resist the sexual urges only men are supposed to have. This in turn creates a binary as to what is "feminine" and what is "masculine. "

As far as the "Happier Ever After" narrative goes, I believe that it furthers gender roles, claiming men are the rescuers of the helpless women. Fairytales teach us that once we find love, everything will be great, and all of our problems will go away. It creates a femininity that is passive, waiting for the active males to save us, because apparently women cannot help themselves.

The scary part of all of this is that it is so ingrained in our media, and our minds, that most do not recognize it unless it is pointed out to them. The media has a way of normalizing this "Big Lie" that makes women, and men, not think twice about it.