I found this letter today. A few years ago, a dear friend and me wrote to each other regularly talking about issues and mostly, reading material from books/magazines/internet. I was still in Architecture school and at that time, I was reading a lot on Gender Studies & Feminism, so my views were full of anger and rebellious in nature. I am putting down an excerpt. After re-reading it today, I feel so assured that I am still the same person who's affected easily and fiercely argues on Feminism. It made for an interesting read to myself after all these years.
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Something about our love now- I am reading a book titled 'Journalistas'- 100 years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists edited by Eleanor Mills and Kira Cochrane! So whats new with this one is, its so refreshing and something to be proud of while reading about what women in 1900's reported till almost now! A century of different views, ideologies and the way women writers(journalists) perceived the society!! I want to tell you frankly, i have NEVER EVER felt so proud of being a woman than now while reading this collection!
I am becoming such a feminist!! Besides, reading mostly on feminism and feminist issues these days, i am also i dunno why increasingly talking about the same to friends, family, even strangers(on the train!) Can you believe it? I feel i am getting very influenced by the cause! Is that bad? Getting too much involved!
I want you to read it. In fact, i am also gonna write a few lines here from an article in the book! It shook me and in the truest sense, i think drove something deeper into my psyche and heart too!
Before i am putting that paragraph, i would really like you to go through this link!!
http://www.menweb.org/paglsomm.htm
So, the article is titled 'The Post-feminist woman- is she Perhaps more oppressed than ever?' written by Erica Jong. It appeared on 30 December 1984 in Seattle Times. Im writing down an entire paragraph that did something to me! Here it goes-
My story is the story of the post-feminist woman. We have won the right to be externally exhausted.We go from reading Miss Loos in 'Town & Country' to articles on female stress in 'Working Woman', and suddenly our contempt for those diamond-laden debutantes falters. What hath feminism wrought? We have taken on all the male burdens (breadwinning, mortgage paying, commuting) and all the female ones (baby-cuddling, mancoddling, self-beautification).
.....Women who work outside the home have been forced into the mode of male society rather than helping to feminize our culture (and thus humanize it). Many of us are frantic because we are trying to deny our femaleness, our maternity, in the name of corporate efficiency, rather than remaking the corporation in the image of female flexibility, resourcefulness, caring and caretaking. The corporation has become our social model, as the feudal estate was the social model in the middle ages.
Except for a few avant-garde electronics firms that boast of their flextime policies, American corporations tend to be bastions of the worst rigidities of the male power structure. Magazines that cater to female executives are full of tips about how not to let your femaleness 'interfere' with your corporate rise. The sick kid, the school meetings are not part of the corporate image. They are to be kept out of sight in the name of 'efficiency' and 'corporate success'.
And, the fact is that the basic structures of our society are hostile to women and children. Since, we are not going to go back to 'Kinder, Kirche, kuche,' we are going to have to find ways to remake the workplace so that both men and women can work and also rear happy kids. A lot more of this depends on architecture, transportation, proximity work and home, flex-time and a recasting of attitudes about what is 'male' and what is 'female' than we like to admit.
I guess, i'll conclude with my blabber here! I feel so good after writing to you! Its like whatever is boiling in me to share and discuss with friends, somehow they are not available or they cannot provide those impulsive reactions and conversation which i long for!! Sometimes, i feel guilty that i am overbearing them, so i quit whatever it is that i want to tell them!! How mysterious and weird is this self-conscience thing which questions our act and thoughts!! I feel people or my friends wont necessarily always understand my quest and restlessness about things! Things that bother me, provoke and seek answers, or simply eat my heart at times!! And, its so hard to contain and just bury all these feelings and thoughts within myself!
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Something about our love now- I am reading a book titled 'Journalistas'- 100 years of the Best Writing and Reporting by Women Journalists edited by Eleanor Mills and Kira Cochrane! So whats new with this one is, its so refreshing and something to be proud of while reading about what women in 1900's reported till almost now! A century of different views, ideologies and the way women writers(journalists) perceived the society!! I want to tell you frankly, i have NEVER EVER felt so proud of being a woman than now while reading this collection!
I am becoming such a feminist!! Besides, reading mostly on feminism and feminist issues these days, i am also i dunno why increasingly talking about the same to friends, family, even strangers(on the train!) Can you believe it? I feel i am getting very influenced by the cause! Is that bad? Getting too much involved!
I want you to read it. In fact, i am also gonna write a few lines here from an article in the book! It shook me and in the truest sense, i think drove something deeper into my psyche and heart too!
Before i am putting that paragraph, i would really like you to go through this link!!
http://www.menweb.org/paglsomm.htm
So, the article is titled 'The Post-feminist woman- is she Perhaps more oppressed than ever?' written by Erica Jong. It appeared on 30 December 1984 in Seattle Times. Im writing down an entire paragraph that did something to me! Here it goes-
My story is the story of the post-feminist woman. We have won the right to be externally exhausted.We go from reading Miss Loos in 'Town & Country' to articles on female stress in 'Working Woman', and suddenly our contempt for those diamond-laden debutantes falters. What hath feminism wrought? We have taken on all the male burdens (breadwinning, mortgage paying, commuting) and all the female ones (baby-cuddling, mancoddling, self-beautification).
.....Women who work outside the home have been forced into the mode of male society rather than helping to feminize our culture (and thus humanize it). Many of us are frantic because we are trying to deny our femaleness, our maternity, in the name of corporate efficiency, rather than remaking the corporation in the image of female flexibility, resourcefulness, caring and caretaking. The corporation has become our social model, as the feudal estate was the social model in the middle ages.
Except for a few avant-garde electronics firms that boast of their flextime policies, American corporations tend to be bastions of the worst rigidities of the male power structure. Magazines that cater to female executives are full of tips about how not to let your femaleness 'interfere' with your corporate rise. The sick kid, the school meetings are not part of the corporate image. They are to be kept out of sight in the name of 'efficiency' and 'corporate success'.
And, the fact is that the basic structures of our society are hostile to women and children. Since, we are not going to go back to 'Kinder, Kirche, kuche,' we are going to have to find ways to remake the workplace so that both men and women can work and also rear happy kids. A lot more of this depends on architecture, transportation, proximity work and home, flex-time and a recasting of attitudes about what is 'male' and what is 'female' than we like to admit.
I guess, i'll conclude with my blabber here! I feel so good after writing to you! Its like whatever is boiling in me to share and discuss with friends, somehow they are not available or they cannot provide those impulsive reactions and conversation which i long for!! Sometimes, i feel guilty that i am overbearing them, so i quit whatever it is that i want to tell them!! How mysterious and weird is this self-conscience thing which questions our act and thoughts!! I feel people or my friends wont necessarily always understand my quest and restlessness about things! Things that bother me, provoke and seek answers, or simply eat my heart at times!! And, its so hard to contain and just bury all these feelings and thoughts within myself!
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