ESSENTIALISM

Women in Colombia

As a young woman, I can definitely relate to the pressure of having to look a certain way. I can only imagine that this pressure would be even greater, if I lived in a country heralded as having the ‘sexiest women in the world’. 

Colombia is known for it’s beautiful women and whilst you might say “thats a compliment”, it is also a stereotype that puts pressure on women to be physically attractive. A google search of ‘Australian women‘ generates words such as ‘leadership’ and ‘alliance’. In contrast, a google search of ‘Colombian women‘ generates results primarily related to dating them.

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For the vast majority who will never visit Colombia, or meet anyone from there, their perception of the country is largely formed by it’s representation in pop culture. The music of Shakira, for example, is often of a sexual nature and her videos feature her dancing in little clothing. Similarly, the women in shows, such as ‘Narcos’, are virtually always attractive and tend to be prostitutes or gold diggers.

This stereotype not only puts pressure on women, but it also contributes to patriarchal dominance and gender inequality within the country. Research has found..

• the gendered income gap to be at 20%
• over 17,000 reported cases of sexual violence against women (with many more likely to go unreported)
• only 8.1% of congress to be female

Although stereotypes such as this can be difficult to remove, change is starting to happen. Music star, Gelo, says she is trying to change perceptions about reggaeton, a genre in which ‘you have to show off your body’. Her lyrics focus on empowering women in other ways.  The government is also considering ways to reduce barriers to women’s leadership. This may be through education or by offering grants to political parties that encourage female participation.