While promoting her new Sportsman Channel show “Amazing America” in California last week, Sarah Palin told reporters her show will inspire young women to discover the outdoors.
She said, “I think this world would be better off having more young women holding a fish in a picture and fewer of them holding their camera in front of a bathroom mirror doing a selfie."
The former Alaska governor is absolutely correct.
In a time where female empowerment is exuded by championing so-called “reproductive rights” and support for cradle-to-grave government, being self-reliant is the contrarian thing to do. Thanks to poor role models like Miley Cyrus, a hypersexualized culture, and radical feminism, young women are craving alternatives to the status quo. Many women are tired of subscribing to groupthink and seeing their femininity undermined in the name of “equality.”
What better way to break the mold than to escape to the outdoors?
Much to the dismay of the female establishment, more women are taking up fishing, hunting, and shooting.
In August 2013, the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and The Outdoor Foundation released a report that found a spike in fishing participation among women and children. 47 million people went fishing in 2012 compared to 46.2 million in 2011—a net gain of 870,000 new anglers. Of those new anglers, 41 percent were female.
With respect to hunting, the number of female hunters surged 25 percent between 2006 and 2011. Even left-leaning National Geographic admitted that more women enjoy hunting because it’s fun and allows them to bond with their families:
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Hunting is a way for women to be outdoors and enjoy nature while spending time with husbands and children who hunt.
Despite calls for more gun control, more women are learning how to operate and use firearms. A gun, after all, is a great equalizer. A February 2013 article from Girl’s Guide to Guns notes gun ownership fosters a positive self-image and encourages empowerment:
...Shooting gives us a sense of equality, a sense of safety, a sense of being in control of ourselves. That sense of control is empowering, and is something we should seek in other aspects of our life. This, along with the "tough woman" image of shooting guns, gives us a more positive self-image, which is a powerful thing.
Sorry feminists: No amount of birth control “rights” advocacy or zealous worship of abortion could ever give females great satisfaction like time spent in the outdoors.
It’s encouraging to see more outdoorsy young women speak out. Theresa Vail, who made headlines last year as Miss Kansas 2013, is an avid bow hunter and gun girl who often blogs about her excursions to the outdoors. Huntress Regis Giles writes about and discusses the importance of Second Amendment rights on her popular blog, Girls Just Wanna Have Guns. And Townhall.com’s own Katie Pavlich isn’t afraid to shoot at the range (or shoot back at leftist lies).
Spending time outdoors puts one’s mind at ease. As an avid angler and gun girl myself, I’ve spent countless hours fishing and shooting at the range, respectively. My father introduced me to outdoor activities at a young age to instill values like independence, patience, and self-reliance in me. When I caught my first fish at 12, I felt a sense of accomplishment. When I shot a gun for the first time at 19, I felt empowered. These precious moments in life teach us to learn from nature to become better individuals.
W.C. Fields once opined, “Marry an outdoors woman. Then if you throw her out into the yard on a cold night, she can still survive.”
The more unique qualities women boast, the better off we are as friends, future wives and mothers. Spending time outdoors bolsters femininity, has immense utility, and is enjoyable. More importantly, knowing how to fish, hunt, and shoot guns makes us formidable against attack and against big government policies.
Ladies, take fewer selfies and spend more time outdoors this year.
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