Rayna and Liam rocking the stage

Photo Credit: (http://justthewayitwas.tumblr.com /)

If there’s one scene in Nashville that demonstrates just how attractive and appealing a grown woman is, it’s this one.

In this scene, Juliette Barnes is circling around the stage trying to get everyone to notice her. She is using every trick in the book but it’s just not enough and she is upstaged by Rayna Jaymes. Rayna owns the stage and in this specific moment, is just not in the mood of sharing so Juliette doesn’t stand a chance.

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Rayna’s presence on stage is charismatic and sexy as hell, and to do it, all she does is simply show up.

Rayna doesn’t try to impress anyone. Instead, she relax, lay back and enjoy herself. The more she does so the more charismatic she become and that alone is enough to get all eyes to focus on her. OK, yes, it also doesn’t hurt that she looks amazing, but so does Juliette (although Connie Britton is a godess).

The main difference between Rayna and Juliette (beside the hair and the height) that allows Rayna act so freely and for Juliette to try too hard, is that Rayna is a full realized women who is comfortable in her own skin and Juliette isn’t. Juliette is still a girl.

Women are not Girls.

Women are beautiful. Their beauty derive from a strong sense of self, inner peace and freedom that only time and experience can provide. They belong center staged. They’ve earned it (and most likely will be able to cope with it better).

Girls are also beautiful but in a very different way. Their beauty is the beauty of a fresh start and a promise. What they need most of all is the freedom to explore and decide what kind women they want to become.
One of the best ways to do so, is perhaps by having all sorts of women as role models to get inspired on the way. Juliette has Rayna, and by the second season we see that as she takes another step towards adulthood, she tries to mimic some of Rayna’s traits. Although she finds out Rayna’s `nice` just ain’t HER color it’s still a step in the right direction because she’s more aware of the possibilities and as a result become even more determine to find out what color DOES suit her and brings out “the best version of herself”.

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Oh, how the world loves girls! Women? Not so much!

While Juliette, slowly and painfully grows into herself (whatever that means), Rayna simply keeps showing up, just as she is. Her challenges and conflicts in life and with herself have nothing to do with her identity as a woman. She already figured out the crucial parts and she’s leaving these things to Juliette and Scarlett.

When Rayna finds out, one time too many, how her label prefers Girls to Women, she decides to take matters into her own hands. She already made the long jouney and she lost patience for those who treats her as if she was a girl.

She’s already a woman, and a successful one who has a say, so she will not let anyone dismiss it and settle for her back catalogue from the times she was a girl or a woman in the making. No, she’s worth much more than this.

What Jeff Fordham doesn’t understand is that for Rayna what’s on the line is her authenticity, and as much as it’s hard to compromise it at any age (as Juliette recently discovered) it’s even harder to do so when you already know who you are. That’s because that feeling of a strong sense of self as a person, and clear voice as a woman is simply priceless. It’s true for every artist who doesn’t want to compromise himself, but for women it’s even harder, because there are even less open spots for them at the top.

Now it’s time for Rayna to take a risk. The risk is not simply leaving her label. It’s not JUST business as thick Luke Wheeler joked. The risk is exposing herself completely and dare asking, without anyone backing her up, the exact question that haunts so many women around the world: Do you acknowledge the journey and dare to love a woman just for what she is?

I’m looking at this scene and know my answer.

What’s yours?