Staff Writer - Katrin Callender
Extra, extra, check out this picture! Often the daily news will feature a photograph taken at some event or the other, featuring a woman who caught the photographer’s eye. Too often, especially in the months leading up to carnival, the woman is young and scantily clad. Is it that we have come to believe that a woman is sexy the younger she is and only when she is in a state of undress?
In academic circles, the term the male gaze pops up in relation to the prevalence of female nudity in the media. Without going into those weighty theories, one wonders what constitutes sexiness. So many women and girls wrangle with their desire to make themselves appealing, and the world of business exploits this for advertising and marketing purposes. Many of the campaigns are funny and win us over, so we purchase and make use of items that are supposed to make us sexy. Sometimes we land the object of our desire and sometimes we’re left with buyer’s remorse only to keep us warm at night.
The word itself seems indicative of lust only. But how many of us merely want to be lusted after, without ultimately finding a deeper relationship. I do not presume to judge any woman who is capable of having a casual arrangement with a man or men; but I am yet to meet such a woman. Most of the women I’ve met are interested in the fairy tale, the happily ever after.
For some, the term is used in relation to young, single women only. As though being married, or having children, or being a mature individual, immediately rules out the chance of appealing to a man. While it is not always easy for a woman with a family or other responsibilities, to remain fashionable, I have seen quite a few trendy older women. While time and sometimes lifestyle, threatens to erode our bodies despite all our best efforts, there are many women who manage to remain healthy in both appearance and on paper.
I believe that what makes a woman sexy is as much physical as it is psychological. While she can maintain her physical beauty and dress either provocatively or in the latest style, it is her wisdom and a healthy sense of self that make her sexy. Wisdom comes from experience. As time passes, a woman who listens to the voices of reason around her and, to herself, will grow in wisdom. If she has lead a life that allows her to respect herself and become clearer about what she wants out of life, it will show in her every step. I think every woman is well on her way to being sexy. The question she must ask those pursuing her, perhaps best phrased by Denise Belfon is, yuh think yuh could handle meh?
