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Are stilettos and bright red lips empowering? Or is a woman who presents herself in this way conforming to a societal standard? Does covering up her body exude confidence, or instead does confidence mean displaying her curves and skin? What is “right” and what is “wrong” in regards to women's expression?

 

From ancient times to present day, women have been told to look and act a certain way in order to be seen as desirable; whether it be wearing heels, makeup, and revealing clothing, or instead presenting themselves as powerful business executives. These messages throughout history are seemingly conflicting. The bible says, “I desire…that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire...” (1 Timothy 2:8-10). Meanwhile, Cosmopolitan Magazine teaches women how to be “Sexy vs. Skanky”. 

 

Women and girls are often pressured to alter the way in which they display their sexuality in order to conform to society’s standards of desire. With so much pressure on women and girls to adapt to a standard of desirability, many of these new modes of self-expression for empowerment are conflicting.

 

The IC Empowerment Project began with one simple question, what is female empowerment today? Through our research, we are attempting to eliminate the standardized definition of female empowerment and return the meaning back to the individual woman.

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