I…don’t see how any of these are “The Patriarchy” at work?
Beauty standards are a really piss poor example, because they exist for both men and women, and they change depending on where in history you’re looking. Right now, thin, tanned men and women are the standard, because it’s a sign of wealth and good health. They can afford healthier diets, gym memberships, etcetera. In the past, larger, paler men and women were the beauty standard, because it meant that they were wealthy enough to not have to work out in the hot sun and that they could afford to be well fed.
So beauty standards. Not Patriarchy.
Girls doing stupid things out of obsession. Not sure how this is Patriarchy, either. I’ve never actually heard of a teenaged girl committing suicide over Justin Bieber, but a lot of fan followings are practically cults. There are religious cults, too. Are those a sign that The Patriarchy exists? No. They’re a sign that people will follow someone like sheep, and do anything they say/anything they think will make their leader happy. You cannot say that cult-like behaviors are a result of Patriarchy. That’s just stupid, and it’s simplifying unhealthy obsession.
The wage gap is a myth that has been debunked by feminists, you ignorant ham sandwich. Don’t even bother using that one. If your mother is making less than a male coworker with the same credentials, same experience, and same job, she can fucking sue the company and make bank.
As for God being viewed as male, that’s entirely to do with religious faith. God is referred to as male in the Bible. What people two thousand years ago wrote (in a place where Patriarchy does still exist to a degree in modern times) has no standing on American society. If the Bible you grew up with refers to God as male, you’re going to roll with it, because that’s what you were raised reading and believing. Got a problem with it, take it up with the Christian faith.
I never said that there aren’t problems in America. On the contrary, I believe that sexism against both males and females is alive and well in this country, just as racism, homophobia, transphobia, biphobia, and any number of other issues are alive and well.
But America is not a Patriarchy. Women have the right to vote, to own property, to pursue whatever careers they choose, to speak freely, to bear arms, to run for office; they have every single right men have. They have more rights than men have. They have the right to terminate a pregnancy, for example, and they have the right to refuse military service in the event of a draft. There is no abortion for men, and men are required to sign themselves up for selective service, or they will be fined and will not be granted certain rights. They can even face jail time for not signing away their bodily autonomy.
Sexism is not an indicator of the existence of The Patriarchy. You’re comparing America to places where women are denied rights, stoned to death, have acid thrown in their faces, and are forced into marriage at disgustingly young ages and saying, “Yes! White, cis, straight American women are so oppressed by The Patriarchy!”
Also, you just said that women are the same everywhere. You are lumping women of different classes, races, sexualities, and religions into one enormous mass. How fucking dehumanizing is that? I’ll tell you, as someone who has spent twenty one years as a female-bodied individual: very. It’s super gross, and you’re super ignorant if you think that women are treated the exact same way in every single country.
Cultures vary, and American culture is not the only culture. Stop being so American-centric.