honestly women are made to feel so inadequate in every respect, but especially in regards to our appearances, that it’s no wonder empowerment rhetoric is so trendy rn. ur made to feel like shit about your skin, your weight, your hair, your body, etc etc etc day in and day out. and so when you do your hair, makeup, wear heels and a sexy outfit, it makes sense that a lot of women would conflate the feeling of confidence you get from conforming to femininity with actual empowerment. in actuality i cant think of anything less empowering that having to spend hours altering your appearance just to feel comfortable in your own skin
if I was a corrupt politician with a history of human rights abuses I would be dying for a photo op with Trump bc all I’d have to do is look slightly annoyed and everyone would praise me and forget everything bad I’ve ever done