Damsel in Distress Syndrome

Reading Jane Eyre over the weekend, made me appreciate the novel for its avoidance of the conventional story telling climaxes, of a woman in need of saving. Jane despite her hardships molds herself into a woman whose past experiences make her stronger. With this in mind I can't help but think about how the damsel in distress syndrome, has manipulated and involved itself into certain issues over the years. One of the reasons why I avoid 24 hour news channels is because of their misinformed and lazy reporting over the socioeconomic issues of the Global South. I am most bothered when they highlight the plight of women in certain countries mainly Asia and Africa. The discourse centers around the idea of saving third-world women from third-world men. The interference of imperial nations on third-world bodies has been the pre-cursor to colonization and slavery. Feminists have been berated by naive critics who accuse them of not paying much attention to third world issues ,such as criticizing inequalities in Islamic communities etc.. With  the failures of second and third wave feminist movements, these feminists are aware of the dangers of universalizing women's issues.

The Damsel is distress syndrome is something that bombards us through the media and other mediums of society. Reading books like Jane Eyre enables you to think about the way women have been portrayed in society. Jane doesn't use her beauty or feminine charm to get where she needs to, and is never afraid to speak her mind. Despite her tribulations she reaches for the skies and makes a place for her in a world that deeply favors men.