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Image / Editorial

WATCH: this must-see video shows just how much pressure women are under every day


By Grace McGettigan
24th Feb 2020

Cynthia Nixon for Girls. Girls. Girls. Magazine

WATCH: this must-see video shows just how much pressure women are under every day

Cynthia Nixon for Girls. Girls. Girls. Magazine

A new video created by ‘Girls. Girls. Girls.’ magazine highlights just how much pressure women are placed under every single day (and how conflicting these messages can be)


“Don’t be too fat. Don’t be too thin. Eat up. Slim down. Stop eating so much. Don’t eat too fast. Order a salad. Don’t eat carbs. You need to lose weight. Go on a diet. God, you look like a skeleton. Why don’t you just eat? You look sick. Eat a burger. Men like women with some meat on their bones. Be light. Be little. Be petite. Be feminine.”

Speaking the words of Camille Rainville, this new video by Girls. Girls. Girls. magazine shows Cynthia Nixon narrating all the ways society puts pressure on women. From how we look, to how we interact with others, the video covers the many conflicting ways in which we are expected to present ourselves to the world.

“Be a lady they said. Don’t talk too loud. Don’t talk too much. Don’t be intimidating. Why are you so miserable? Don’t be a bitch. Don’t be so bossy. Don’t be so emotional. Don’t cry. Don’t yell. Don’t swear.

“You’ll make a good wife someday. Take his last name. You hyphenated your name? Crazy feminist. Give him children. You don’t want children? You will someday. You’ll change your mind.”

The video, directed by Paul McLean, is a disturbingly powerful watch. See it in full below:

Be a Lady They Said from Paul McLean on Vimeo.

Feature photo: Girls. Girls. Girls

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