---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures…"
description: "\"Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for wome..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg"
---

#  Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women…

![“Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.” quote by Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg)

> “Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.”

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Patriarchal societies value physical weakness in women; gaining strength challenges deep cultural norms.

**In simple terms:** Strong women disrupt patriarchal ideals.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate physical and personal strength.

Themes

feminism body image power dynamics culture

Mood

determined critical

Type

social analytical

When to use this quote

- activism
- personal fitness
- media representation

Key Concepts

patriarchal critique empowerment social norms

Questions to Reflect On

- What other forms of strength can women develop?
- How can societies shift value systems?

A Different Perspective

Strength alone doesn’t change systemic oppression.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cultures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cultures/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) [Profound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/profound/) [Value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/value/) [Weak women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-women/) [Women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/women/)

## Related quotes

> [The androcentric, patriarchal cultures, whatever you want to call it, are quite new. So, every economic statement should start with reproduction, not production. Every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-androcentric-patriarchal-cultures-whatever-you-want-to-call-it/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Men realize that they have work to do, to pull up women and take ownership on where we are as a society, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-smolyansky/men-realize-that-they-have-work-to-do-to-pull-up-women-and-take/)

[Julie Smolyansky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-smolyansky/)

> [“Domination of women has provided a key link, both socially and symbolically, to the domination of earth, hence the tendency in patriarchal cultures to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-radford-ruether/domination-of-women-has-provided-a-key-link-both-socially-and/)

[Rosemary Radford Ruether](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-radford-ruether/)

> [“Medusa reminds us that we must not take the female “monster” at face value; that we must not only weigh her beneficent against her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-robbins-dexter/medusa-reminds-us-that-we-must-not-take-the-female-monster-at-face/)

[Miriam Robbins Dexter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-robbins-dexter/)

> [“The idea of honour is rooted in the medieval notion that men own women, and that men are therefore responsible for the conduct of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/farzana-hassan/the-idea-of-honour-is-rooted-in-the-medieval-notion-that-men-own/)

[Farzana Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/farzana-hassan/)

> [“Woman-identified women, whether straight, bisexual, or lesbian rarely make garnering male approval a priority in our lives. This is why we threaten the patriarchy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/woman-identified-women-whether-straight-bisexual-or-lesbian-rarely/)

[bell hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/)

> [Bathsheba loved Troy in the way that only self-reliant women love when they abandon their self-reliance. When a strong woman recklessly throws away her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/bathsheba-loved-troy-in-the-way-that-only-self-reliant-women-love/)

[Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/)

> [“I just want to say one thing. If I ever write a novel again, it's going to be in defense of weak women, inept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-just-want-to-say-one-thing-if-i-ever-write-a-novel-again-it-s-going/)

[Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/)

> [“Do not fear death, for it does not fear you. We are not weak because we are women. Instead, we are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristy-mccaffrey/do-not-fear-death-for-it-does-not-fear-you-we-are-not-weak-because-we/)

Kristy McCaffrey

> [Revenge, we find, the abject pleasure of an abject mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/revenge-we-find-the-abject-pleasure-of-an-abject-mind/)

[Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/)

> [It is not possible to be truly balanced in one's views of an abuser and an abused woman. As Dr. Judith Herman explains eloquently…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lundy-bancroft/it-is-not-possible-to-be-truly-balanced-in-one-s-views-of-an-abuser/)

[Lundy Bancroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lundy-bancroft/)

> [“But then I realized, they didn't mean their own mothers. Not those weak women, those victims. Drug addicts, shopaholics, cookie bakers. They didn't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/but-then-i-realized-they-didn-t-mean-their-own-mothers-not-those-weak/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [Mothers who are strong people, who can pursue a life of their own when it is time to let their children go, empower their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-pittman/mothers-who-are-strong-people-who-can-pursue-a-life-of-their-own-when/)

[Frank Pittman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-pittman/)

> [“Surely there can be but one rule of right, if morality has an eternal foundation, and whoever sacrifices virtue, strictly so called, to present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/surely-there-can-be-but-one-rule-of-right-if-morality-has-an-eternal/)

[Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/)

> [River Song? Amy Pond? Hardly weak women. It's the exact opposite. You could accuse me of having a fetish for powerful, sexy women who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-moffat/river-song-amy-pond-hardly-weak-women-it-s-the-exact-opposite-you/)

[Steven Moffat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-moffat/)

## More by Gloria Steinem

> [People waste more time waiting for someone to take charge of their lives than they do in any other pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/people-waste-more-time-waiting-for-someone-to-take-charge-of-their/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Nothing will happen automatically. Change depends on what you and I do every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/nothing-will-happen-automatically-change-depends-on-what-you-and-i-do/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Women are never again going to be mindless coffee-makers or mindless policy-makers in politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/women-are-never-again-going-to-be-mindless-coffee-makers-or-mindless/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [The state of female artists is very good. But the very definition of art has been biased in that 'art' was what men did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/the-state-of-female-artists-is-very-good-but-the-very-definition-of/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [We will live to see the day that St. Patrick's Cathedral is a child-care center and the pope is no longer a disgrace to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/we-will-live-to-see-the-day-that-st-patrick-s-cathedral-is-a-child/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Just when you thought multi-nationals and crazed consumerism were too big to fight, along comes Naomi Klein with facts, spirit, and news of successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/just-when-you-thought-multi-nationals-and-crazed-consumerism-were-too/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I don't know Beyoncé, but I have the impression that she's sincere, that she really is a feminist and wanted to put the word…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-don-t-know-beyonc-but-i-have-the-impression-that-she-s-sincere-that/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I started out life as a writer, and writers write in part because they don't want to talk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-started-out-life-as-a-writer-and-writers-write-in-part-because-they/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Proust's tea cake has nothing on one hour in a college dorm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/proust-s-tea-cake-has-nothing-on-one-hour-in-a-college-dorm/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Sadomasochiasm - which we know very well doesn't exist in societies that don't have child abuse - is regarded some sort of natural sexual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/sadomasochiasm-which-we-know-very-well-doesn-t-exist-in-societies/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Behave like everything you do matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/behave-like-everything-you-do-matters/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [“Part of traveling over years means coming back to the same place and knowing it for the first time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/part-of-traveling-over-years-means-coming-back-to-the-same-place-and/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [If you say, I'm for equal pay, that's a reform. But if you say. I'm a feminist, that's a transformation of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/if-you-say-i-m-for-equal-pay-that-s-a-reform-but-if-you-say-i-m-a/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [I think that part of everybody's success is due to their looks, but it just works in different ways. If you're whatever society calls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-think-that-part-of-everybody-s-success-is-due-to-their-looks-but-it/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

> [Of course, we can change. We're very adaptable. But it takes a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/of-course-we-can-change-we-re-very-adaptable-but-it-takes-a-while/)

[Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

[Explore all 766 Gloria Steinem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/)

## More Become quotes

> [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/)

[Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/)

> [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/)

[Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/)

> [A strong, responsible Israel can become a stabilizer in such a turbulent region.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehud-barak/a-strong-responsible-israel-can-become-a-stabilizer-in-such-a/)

[Ehud Barak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehud-barak/)

> [If someone has the opportunity to become a model, I would say, 'Do it.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-russell/if-someone-has-the-opportunity-to-become-a-model-i-would-say-do-it/)

[Cameron Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-russell/)

> [I had a talent for copying the signatures of dignitaries like Indira Gandhi, Amitabh Bachchan and so on. So, I wanted to become someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-mishra/i-had-a-talent-for-copying-the-signatures-of-dignitaries-like-indira/)

[Sanjay Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-mishra/)

> [In the Tea Party era, it is the restless conservative Republican who has become passion's plaything, the toy of impetuous romance, an erotomania only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/in-the-tea-party-era-it-is-the-restless-conservative-republican-who/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [You can never tell when a commercial space venture will suddenly become viable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/you-can-never-tell-when-a-commercial-space-venture-will-suddenly/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [Food as a hobby used to be an elite pastime, and it has become something that is totally ordinary for people of every background.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-goodyear/food-as-a-hobby-used-to-be-an-elite-pastime-and-it-has-become/)

[Dana Goodyear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-goodyear/)

> ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/)

[Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/)

> [My first bill to become law repeals regulations to make everyday life easier and more affordable for Americans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/my-first-bill-to-become-law-repeals-regulations-to-make-everyday-life/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

> [At one point when I was very young, when I was first starting out, I thought, 'Well, one day I'll be able to put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-burnham/at-one-point-when-i-was-very-young-when-i-was-first-starting-out-i/)

[Bo Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-burnham/)

> [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/)

[Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/)

> [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/)

[Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/)

> [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/)

[Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/)

> [Sometimes when you're in different countries, everything has become so homogenised and there's a Starbucks and McDonald's everywhere, and you could feel like you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-yun-lee/sometimes-when-you-re-in-different-countries-everything-has-become-so/)

[Will Yun Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-yun-lee/)

Browse all 4,184 Become quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all patriarchal cultures value weak women. So for women to become physically strong is very profound.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Gloria Steinem"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value-thin-women-like-ours-poor/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Become"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value-thin-women-like-ours-poor/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27f/gloria-steinem-277_become_rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value_1251284.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin women, like ours; poor ones value fat women. But all…” — Gloria Steinem",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Gloria Steinem",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Rich cultures, patriarchal cultures, value thin...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value-thin-women-like-ours-poor/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/rich-cultures-patriarchal-cultures-value-thin-women-like-ours-poor/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```