Turn on the television at any given time and you will witness a barrage of messages aimed at women that focus more on our physical appearance than our economic well-being or overall quality of life. The message to women is more about spending than it is about saving. The message to women is more about living for today, as opposed to investing for tomorrow.
Just about every television talk show features women being made-over; hair dyed, weight reduction, a nip and tuck here and there and maybe a little wardrobe modification. Let us not forget the number of infomercials touting exercise equipment and diet pills that fail to remove this country off the list of having some of the most overweight people in the world. I’ve witnessed many women in the media pitching weight loss products followed by testimonies stating how they shed large amounts of fat and now claim, that as a result, they are finally “whole”.
Priority is given to the fountain of youth, as opposed to the fountain of prosperity. We must reject the notion that our true value is in our physical appearance. The only people who reap the rewards of that myth are the manufacturers who dominate our opinion of ourselves by shaping our self-esteems, claiming that we do not measure up to what are unrealistic standards of beauty. Let’s face it; any woman who has even the least amount of ambition to get ahead in our society must put time and effort into her visual presentation.
The problem arises when we fall victim to a society that takes the emphasis away from women being economically savvy and focus on women being eye candy. Very few advertisements even feature women actively engaging in wealth building activities.
It is time to say, “No” to financial incarceration and take it upon ourselves to become not just good money strategist, but wealth builders and learn more about how the economy functions. Women have been kept in the dark about the bright side of forgoing short-term gratification and taking responsibility for long term investment.
The shocking news about disappearing pensions should be enough to make you take a long hard assessment of your financial goals. A second job and maybe a transformation in your spending habits may be what the financial doctor ordered. Let’s break the chains of financial genocide. The only make-over that really matters is to make-over our minds that we are not going to be stylin’ and profiling while others profit off of our work and contributions.
Let’s commit to taking stock in the future and not let society prioritize what should be important to us. Living in economic devastation has been described as modern day slavery not limited to the undereducated and poor.
Just a couple of weeks ago I sat down and listed all my debt and created a 6 month, 9 month and 12 month pay off plan. I also decided to postpone purchasing new furniture until the debt was paid and I could pay in cash. I am ready to be debt-free
I totally agree. I am making an effort to concentrate on my spending habits and building savings. I just shut off DirecTv by doing so I am saving $919 a year. Is TV really worth $919 a year… not to me especially when I can pay NetFlix $84 a year and actually have several options of what I want to watch. Instead of endless TV channels with poor choices.
I could not agree with you more. Many are opting out of cable for that very same reason. My son wants us to put cable on another television, and I want a TV in my new office/studio; we are going to opt for NetFlix instead. This is not to mention the extra fees that I simply can not justify, plus my husband told me that he doesn’t watch it much anymore anyway.