Keeping the sisterhood strong

I think it was just a matter of time before I blogged about my opinions on Samantha Brick, and her news story. If you haven't read her article, here it is -Why women hate me for being beautiful . She has also been on 'This Morning' to defend herself.
I think it is great to have self confidence. If you regularly read the blog, you see that I strive to gain more self confidence, and self esteem. I never have a go at any women who has it, and if anything, they are my role models. What I don't like is arrogance.
What came up the most in response to her interview was that people viewed her as arrogant. Where is that line between arrogance and self confidence?
This is how I answer the question personally. Self confidence is personal. Self confidence is the belief that you are the best that you can be. Arrogance is the belief you are the best. Self confidence puts everyone on an even playing field, but arrogance pits you against others, and tries to install a hierarchy.
By implying that because she is so beautiful, that other women hate her, is rather arrogant behaviour. She is saying that because her appearance is the best, that other women don't like her for it. It's their problem with me, not the other way round.
She also mentioned that fact that before she went through puberty and dyed her hair, that she was an 'ugly duckling': in her words, that she was short, fat, and brunette. By saying that, does she not see that she is putting down a whole host of women, myself included? Does she not realise that she could be doing some serious harm? It only needs one comment.
I'll give an example. I went to church yesterday, and went into the hall for a cup of tea afterwards. Now I may not of made my usual effort to look nice, but I didn't look as if I just rolled out of bed either. I got a comment, going "God, you look tired!" Well thanks for that. No, really.
Did they mean any harm in what they said? No, probably not. Did they think about what they said? No, probably not.
I think that this woman needs to understand the phrase 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'. We as women, are all beautiful in our own ways. What I find attractive in a man, isn't the same for someone else. What one person finds attractive, another might not.
Another issue I had with her was the fact she was annoyed at women who were jealous of her, because of her appearance. Now if she didn't do anything to provoke those comments, I would perfectly understand, but she wants her cake and eat it. She quotes:

when you have a male boss, it’s a different game: I have written in the Mail on how I have flirted to get ahead at work, something I’m sure many women do.

So basically, she is trying to say that she can use her sexuality on men to get ahead in the workplace, but will not deal with the consequences she might have afterwards. You can't complain that your looks aren't helping your relations with female bosses, if you are using your looks to get ahead with the male bosses. The attitude of using your sexuality to get what you want implies to me you haven't earned what you have got. It also implies that you will use your body to get what you want, which isn't a good trait for being trustworthy. I suspect that women are wary of her because of her behaviour, rather than her appearance. 
She is saying that the sisterhood has let her down. All I have seen is her letting us down. She has implied that if you aren't like her, you aren't considered beautiful, and has generalised women for being catty and bitchy, for no other reason than her being beautiful. She had such an opportunity to make a positive impact, and decides to slate women.

There are so many women out there who are so inspirational, and proving that every woman is beautiful in their own way. For me, Lynx Garcia (Facebook- Supersize Spanishfly) is an inspiration to me, because she proves day by day that every woman is special, that every woman is beautiful. She has self confidence, not arrogance. She stands up for women. Now that is what I call a beautiful person. Inside and out.

Feminism- pedantic or a just cause??

I have just been reading the article- I blame the media for ignoring feminism, and it got me thinking. Some things that Tanya Gold said I agree with. Politics especially is such a difficult job for a female. Women get automatically judged badly because of their sex. They get the childish misogynist remarks. They are automatically hated for no apparent reason at all, and no-one wants a female prime minister, because it'll be another Maggie Thatcher.
The other issue I also agree with is pay. If we are doing the same job, then we should be paid the same amount.
What I disagree with is that media is the sole problem. There have been so many films that encourage and show the full force of the feminist movement. One of my favourite films recently has to be Made in Dagenham. A film about the Ford strikes, showed a very well rounded, honest view of the strikes, and how it impacted politics, and their family lives. I am not saying that the media is an angel. Far from it, but laying all the blame on the media is not entirely fair.
I think that another factor as to why feminism is forgotten, is because people have heard it all before. People are fed up with some feminists rabbiting on about their views, and making other women feel like dirt in the process.
I think we still have a long way to go. We went from one extreme to another. Women were supposed to be beautiful, the husband's slave. Then we went to this powerful tantrum, where some women would do the exact opposite to a typical women's job, because they wanted to prove that they were a feminist. Wearing male clothes to feel like they had more clout.
We need a middle ground. We need to have equality, and not assume that if we are in the house then we become man servants. But we also need to understand that looking good is allowed. It shows that we want the best from ourselves.
Maybe another idea is before we as women harp on about equality with males, that we find equality, and love from other women. I'm not talking about being a lesbian. I am talking about no bitching, no mean remarks. Treating each other as equals. If we fought less amongst each other, then maybe it would help focus us on the important things. I don't think we realise that we fuel the misogynist fire with all the in-fighting.
I don't know about you, but a better world would be where we have the equal pay, the house of commons to feel less like a playground spat, and the women of the world to be in peace.
I'm going to do my bit for us women. I am not going protesting for equal pay. I won't be shouting off about how attractive women are used in adverts etc. I am going to treat other women with respect, because that is how I want to be treated, man or woman.