I’m boggled. How could a person read this lambent and beautiful essay, and respond like this?
You’re not afraid to say it–despite many years in which women have preached feminism to each other, many if not most girls on the brink of womanhood are not primarily looking to be great career successes or to change the world or to be powerful and independent. They’re looking to connect with some special person.
Pardon me while I hurl.
Don’t you know, darlin’, that it takes a MAN to complete us?
NOT.
(gag! yuck! That left me with a really bad taste in my mouth. patooie!)
rev mommy
November 4th, 2008
Thanks, revmom. RLP was much kinder than I would have been — I couldn’t have let that slag on feminism go unchallenged, let alone the rest of it.
Satchel
November 4th, 2008
Yeah, I probably should have been a little harsher. But I’ve had some harsh comment exchanges lately, and I’m out of confrontation energy. I was worried when I read it though, because I realized that it could be taken many ways. For example, my words on hiding and showing could be seen as sexual. It was NOT. It has to do with girls hiding their brains and their desires to fit into some view of femininity that their parents, peers, whoever hands them.
On the other hand, it’s not so bad if you manage to write something that fits more than one person, he told himself.
real live preacher
November 4th, 2008
No, I didn’t mean to suggest that you should have taken him on, RLP, only that the comment got far enough up my nose that I would have had to push back if it were on my blog. (You’ll notice I *did* restrain myself from starting a fight with him on yours!
)
Satchel
November 4th, 2008