Stephen Whitehead - The 16 Faces of Women: The Definitive Guide to Modern Woman

Title Page

THE 16 FACES OF WOMEN

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO MODERN WOMAN

By

Stephen Whitehead

And

Rachael McNicol

Publisher Information

Digital edition converted and

Distributed in 2011 by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior written consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published, and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

The characters and situations in this book are entirely imaginary and bear no relation to any real person or actual happening.

Copyright Stephen Whitehead & Rachael McNicol

The right of Stephen Whitehead & Rachael McNicol to be identified as author of this book has been asserted in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyrights Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Copyright Stephen Whitehead & Rachael McNicol 2009

The right of Stephen Whitehead and Rachael McNicol to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

The Authors

Stephen Whitehead is an academic, lecturer, writer and researcher in gender, sexuality and identity. He has published extensively. Stephen lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Visit www.stephen-whitehead.com for Stephens biography, list of publications and details of his gender and relationship guidance services.

Catch up with Stephen on his blog:

www.stephenwhitehead.blogspot.com

Rachael McNicol is a lecturer, writer and researcher into sociology, theology, gender and womens studies. Her research includes a comparative analysis of the female dress codes within Christianity and Islam. Rachael is currently researching the concept of the sacred feminine in religious discourse. Rachael lives in the Midlands with her husband and three children.

Acknowledgements

Thank you to all those women and men who contributed to the research which informs this book.

Part One: Womens World

Understanding Women

What do we really know about women? Are they as unfathomable, unpredictable and mysterious as they are often claimed to be? Why is it some women are driven to build business empires or sail solo around the world, while others are content to be stay-at-home housewives? Why do some women always need a man in their life, and a kitchen to manage, while others are happiest on their own, backpacking, and living in a tent? Which women are the relationship stayers, and which are the relationship travellers? Whether you are a woman or a man, these questions concern you, for women today are changing as never before. Look around you. Modern woman is a very different species from women of just a few generations ago. They have more power, they have more choices, but also they have more expectations, both from themselves and society. Modern women live complex, demanding lives made up of multiple, often contrasting, roles. To understand 21 st century woman we have to go beyond out-dated stereotypes of femininity.

The aim of this book is not just to unravel women, but also extol them. In revealing the variety that now makes up the modern female species we are celebrating 21 st century woman. At the same time we do not pull back from recognizing the challenges she faces, or from identifying her weaknesses as well as her strengths. Men still have power over individual women, and with this power they often seek to influence if not control womens behaviour, simply because they can physically do so. We all know this. Unfortunately, this extremely unpleasant and often dangerous aspect of gender relations has not disappeared with the emergence of modern woman. This is why we have written this book from a feminist perspective. Not because women are powerless in the face of men, but because increasing numbers of women have power - the power to be their own woman.

But just how many types of women are there? Actually, there are probably too many female types for any single book to reveal, not least because each woman is unique, each female an individual in her own right. No two women are the exactly the same, even twins. Each woman has her own particular traits, quirks, and personality. But there are dominant patterns of feminine identity and it is these that we have discovered through our research and which we detail in this book. As you read this book, so you will surely recognize these female types, because one of them is you, or because one or more you know intimately already.

We can reveal which women are looking for long-term permanent relationships with the good guys, and which are likely to frolic with the not-so-good ones. We expose the women who are most vulnerable in love and those who are sexually adventurous. We predict the female types eager to climb the career ladder and maybe sacrifice having children in the process, and those who are more traditional, dedicated only to caring for their children. We identify the types who yearn to have it all and those who are simply happy to be. We explain how each of these dominant female identities relates to men, family, love and career. But we also explain how a woman can be one type of female in her youth, and change to a very different type in her later years. For our research shows that women are more likely than men to shift personalities during their lifetime. The different types of femininity now available to women are clearly increasing, not decreasing. We can see this happening, for example, as more and more women engage with performances of masculinity in their leisure, careers and relationships. These women are mixing aspects of femininity and masculinity to produce their own unique feminine identity.

In understanding these complexities of modern femininity, we explain the social and psychological influences on the female psyche and how these, in turn, inform the sixteen primary female types discovered through our research. Informed by interviews with women around the world, this book reveals some of the key triggers that bring about change in women, and how such transformations inform their life choices and consequently come to alter their outlook, identity, and destiny.

Although we are detailing dominant patterns of femininity, we are also highlighting the differences and diversities amongst women today. This book is not just written for Western women, but women worldwide. For the change that we see happening to the female species is a global phenomenon, not a specific racial, ethnic, or cultural one. Women, of all classes, cultures and creeds are responding to a rapidly changing world and adapting their femininity as a consequence. Women are evolving. Which is why, for increasing numbers of women, men no longer measure up - they are finding them too immature and limited as long-term partners. As we explain, this is because men are slower to evolve as a species they are less reflexive and adaptable than women. This makes them, overall, less emotionally intelligent than women. It is no surprise to us that so many men just dont understand the woman in their life, the woman they confess to love. They think they understand her, then apparently, she does something totally out of character, or so the man thinks. Actually, it is not out of character at all. It is just that, for the woman, the circumstances have changed and so, then, must she. This is why, for example, serial monogamy and sexual adventuring are simply now lifestyle choices for millions of women of all ages, and not moral issues.

You might ask should we be categorising female faces? Yes we should! Should we box females in and seek a pre-destined path for them? No! The aim of this book is not to stereotype or label women in a negative manner. Rather, it is a celebration of each females journey into womanhood, of femininity itself. Our intention is to offer an original and fresh perspective on women. We do not seek to package women in a simplistic or stereotypical form; rather we intend to provide women with insights into how their own background and experiences have come to inform their character and personality. In so doing, we reveal the intricacies of female identity, the complexities of womanhood. At the same time, we are recognising the continuing barriers to womens advancement as a gender group and as individuals. But in acknowledging the obstacles that women overcome on their road to and throughout their womanhood, we are also acknowledging womens increasing power in society.