Thank you!!! I’m with you. I’m tired of watching my body be appropriated in yet another way by men. My vagina is not a “front hole”; I did not “chest feed” the babies I birthed. I have never been a “person who menstruates”; I have always been a woman, a word that appears to have seriously fallen out of favour. The fear of biological essentialism, acknowledging the female body, has been the albatross around feminism’s neck for some time. It has become overwhelmingly evident that the female body needs to be re-theorized as lived experience by and for women, and reclaimed from the misogynistic male gaze that stereotypes and limits. Dylan Mulvaney, I call B*ll Sh*t; you will never know what it is to be a girl!
Yes to all this. Thank you for saying what I edited out about language, including the reference to a "front hole". What I find really puzzling is that when I first discovered feminism (later than most, I was in my thirties and mother of four children!), reclaiming our bodies was a major project. How did we so quickly hand that project over to men?
Stuck in the Middle With You, 1973, the early 1970’s were crazy times but nothing compared to the craziness of today, especially in America. I too occupy a middle ground and know that the voices of women in the church and the world have been ignored, silenced, and now usurped by new ideologies. Your voice and perspectives resonate deeply with the living questions and quest for meaning that seek expression in my life but are often drowned out by more strident opinions. They bring a balm of hope and reassurance like a candle lit in the darkness. I am new to speaking on Substack because it would not recognize my email so I finally resorted to using my husband’s email address with my username.
Thank you!!! I’m with you. I’m tired of watching my body be appropriated in yet another way by men. My vagina is not a “front hole”; I did not “chest feed” the babies I birthed. I have never been a “person who menstruates”; I have always been a woman, a word that appears to have seriously fallen out of favour. The fear of biological essentialism, acknowledging the female body, has been the albatross around feminism’s neck for some time. It has become overwhelmingly evident that the female body needs to be re-theorized as lived experience by and for women, and reclaimed from the misogynistic male gaze that stereotypes and limits. Dylan Mulvaney, I call B*ll Sh*t; you will never know what it is to be a girl!
Yes to all this. Thank you for saying what I edited out about language, including the reference to a "front hole". What I find really puzzling is that when I first discovered feminism (later than most, I was in my thirties and mother of four children!), reclaiming our bodies was a major project. How did we so quickly hand that project over to men?
Stuck in the Middle With You, 1973, the early 1970’s were crazy times but nothing compared to the craziness of today, especially in America. I too occupy a middle ground and know that the voices of women in the church and the world have been ignored, silenced, and now usurped by new ideologies. Your voice and perspectives resonate deeply with the living questions and quest for meaning that seek expression in my life but are often drowned out by more strident opinions. They bring a balm of hope and reassurance like a candle lit in the darkness. I am new to speaking on Substack because it would not recognize my email so I finally resorted to using my husband’s email address with my username.