Pedestals like Prisons

I hate the pedestal. I just got an e-mail from the Women & Philanthropy group with THE WORST logo. It's an abstract female figure on a pedestal. I had an almost visceral reaction to it. I really hate the pedestal.

I grew up having positive associations with pedestals. Whenever I might hear, "He puts that girl on a pedestal" I thought, oh. How nice. He elevates her. My analysis of the metaphor was shallow. The statement was intended to be positive and I interpreted it as such. But the thing about shallow analysis is that it doesn't hold up over time. So let's take a closer look at the pedestal as a symbol particularly with reference to women:

The pedestal elevates women above men. Let's be clear--women are not better than men. Men are not better than women. This misplaced elevation isn't necessary or welcome. How often has the argument that women are more spiritual, more sensitive, more nurturing been used to dictate to women what they should and should not do. Not only does the pedestalization of women leave her with fewer choices, but it creates a complex. Woman, placed on her pedestal, must continue to adhere to everyone's expectations of her.

The pedestal and its female occupant are merely ornaments. While architectural columns serve structural purpose, a pedestal is decorative. Its function is to make pretty things like vases, flower arrangements, and women more visible. Once visible, these objects may be appreciated for their physical appearance alone. The woman on a pedestal is no more intelligent than a vase and no more substantial than a flower.

The woman is always put on a pedestal by a man. A woman who is "put" on a pedestal has no say in the matter. If the symbol were so great, why wouldn't men want to join her up there? While theoretically possible for the gender roles to reverse, there's a reason the reverse has never taken off. Men are allowed to succeed or fail on their own. A woman who is picked up and placed on a pedestal has no opportunity.

The woman on a pedestal is fragile. In denying women rights, it has often been argued that women are too sweet, too spiritual, too delicate to participate in, well...you name it. Those opposed to women's suffrage argued that politics would corrupt women. Those opposed to women working outside the home argued that women are physically unable to do so. Like a statue, woman on a pedestal is considered "too valuable" to do anything but sit there in her sphere.

While standing on a pedestal, the woman is immobile. Pedestals don't come with stairs or ladders or wheels. Pedestals are not aerodynamic, and they do not float in water. Where does a pedestal go? Wherever it is placed. A woman on a pedestal is not free to leave it in any other way but falling. The effect of the pedestal is that it keeps woman in her place: in the home...or maybe in the garden.

What the pedestal really symbolizes prison. I'd rather be on the ground. I'd rather be a tree with deep roots and high branches and a thick trunk. I'd rather be a dog with keen senses and deep loyalty. If I can't be on the ground I'd rather be under water as a fish or up in the air as a bird than be stuck on a platform. If any man wishes to compliment me, he won't "put" me anywhere. He will speak to me as an equal. He will treat me with the respect that he demands.

The symbol of placing women on a pedestal is demeaning and should be discontinued.