Poetry

A Model for Modern Women

She was a role model
For modern women. 
Liberated from the labels 
That had defined earlier generations, 
She was an expert on things cosmetical
From surgical to chemical. 
She was a product of the cutting edge, 
A manufactured woman, 
Celebrated in magazines, 
Sold across the nation. 
In matters of weight, 
She knew exactly how much to weigh in. 
In the powerhouse of business, 
She was inscrutable 
(Thanks to regular Botox injections). 
A beneficiary of affirmative action, 
She traded in ideas and influence. 
A follower of fashion, 
She rode the wave 
After the second wave of the women’s movement. 
Her flawless smiling image on magazine covers 
Guaranteed sales at supermarket checkouts. 
Articles about her reassured women, 
Interested in material culture, 
That their personal fit was simple, 
A mere matter of purchase. 
“Image is all that matters,” she said, 
From her chair in Wonderland, 
Her smile lingering like the Cheshire Cat. 
Was she happy? Did her life have meaning? 
Such questions are absurd. 
She was a role model for women 
Living life through the looking glass.

©Christine M Knight