Until The Pill freed women from pregnancy in the early 6Os, pleasing men was our whole life. I went to a small Catholic women's college, which I had the good sense to transfer out of. The saying was a girl went there to get her MRS degree. They used to sing "I wanna get married/I wanna be a wife/I'm sick and tired/Of this damn college life" to "Pomp and Circumstance" AKA the graduation song.
Before then, women could be either a wife, or a nun, or a prostitute. I hope you recognize that women's freedom is a very recent thing in all of human history.
My social media has been full this last week especially of older women retelling how unfamiliar men have come out of the woodwork trying to bully them over every little thing. Criticizing the contents of their shopping baskets, their weight, their hair styles, their clothing, and of course their political opinions. Wherever did they get the idea this was appropriate behavior?
Tomorrow I am going to wear my “I’m the liberal pro-choice outspoken obstinate headstrong woman you were warned about” T-shirt. I’m thinking of wearing these T-shirts on rotation until election day. Who needs other clothing? Did I tell you all that I live in a deep red county in Upstate NY?
I wore my “I am woman, watch me vote” and “mother, by choice, for choice” T-shirt’s in the last two days, and most of the men I saw wouldn’t even look at me, let alone talk to me, which is just the way I like it. 😃
I think these men are insecure. Most of the men I know have adapted to the changes in women's roles, but these men need to regard women as less than so they can feel superior.
"You know, you'd be a lot prettier if you smiled more." "Hey babe, wanna fu*k me," and when ignored , "You're a flat-assed bitch." A couple of the comments made by complete strangers while I was walking down the sidewalk. The trauma of being a female in public has never quite left me, even though I acquired a drop-dead stare down.
It is traumatic to be female and out in public without someone walking with you. In 1991, I had a short haircut. My hairdresser suggested that I let him have his way with my hair, and I liked it, so I kept it for a while. I didn’t have a car back then, and I had a dentist appointment that was close enough to walk to, so I was walking. I was wearing jeans and a jean jacket like a lot of people my age did back then. So I’m walking along, and this car full of young men, probably a couple years younger than I was, slowed down to jeer at me because they thought I was a lesbian. One of them offered to rape me so I would know what it was like to be with a man. I was pretty grateful to be on a busy street in broad daylight, let me tell you.
What women want is for people to stop telling them what to do.
Just to be clear, that also means people not telling you what to think or what to prioritize?
Pretty much eliminates all of social media and crumbles the economy, but I was initially talking about F2F interactions.
Or how to dress or what is “beautiful”, what shape to be, or what to do to please men
Until The Pill freed women from pregnancy in the early 6Os, pleasing men was our whole life. I went to a small Catholic women's college, which I had the good sense to transfer out of. The saying was a girl went there to get her MRS degree. They used to sing "I wanna get married/I wanna be a wife/I'm sick and tired/Of this damn college life" to "Pomp and Circumstance" AKA the graduation song.
Before then, women could be either a wife, or a nun, or a prostitute. I hope you recognize that women's freedom is a very recent thing in all of human history.
People, yes (looking at you, ghost of my mother), but most especially men. Bless their hearts.
“Ghost of my mother” 😂
My mom will have been dead 27 years 9/29 but I still have arguments with her. Mostly in the car. And I win these.
Love this, Tracey.
I don't argue any more. I just smile at her, wave, and do what I want.
My social media has been full this last week especially of older women retelling how unfamiliar men have come out of the woodwork trying to bully them over every little thing. Criticizing the contents of their shopping baskets, their weight, their hair styles, their clothing, and of course their political opinions. Wherever did they get the idea this was appropriate behavior?
Tomorrow I am going to wear my “I’m the liberal pro-choice outspoken obstinate headstrong woman you were warned about” T-shirt. I’m thinking of wearing these T-shirts on rotation until election day. Who needs other clothing? Did I tell you all that I live in a deep red county in Upstate NY?
I wore my “I am woman, watch me vote” and “mother, by choice, for choice” T-shirt’s in the last two days, and most of the men I saw wouldn’t even look at me, let alone talk to me, which is just the way I like it. 😃
I think these men are insecure. Most of the men I know have adapted to the changes in women's roles, but these men need to regard women as less than so they can feel superior.
Oh, I’m sure. But the sheer fucking audacity! The entitlement!
That's part of the faux bravado.
They need to “mind their own damn business.”
Yes! Thank you Tim Walz.
"You know, you'd be a lot prettier if you smiled more." "Hey babe, wanna fu*k me," and when ignored , "You're a flat-assed bitch." A couple of the comments made by complete strangers while I was walking down the sidewalk. The trauma of being a female in public has never quite left me, even though I acquired a drop-dead stare down.
It is traumatic to be female and out in public without someone walking with you. In 1991, I had a short haircut. My hairdresser suggested that I let him have his way with my hair, and I liked it, so I kept it for a while. I didn’t have a car back then, and I had a dentist appointment that was close enough to walk to, so I was walking. I was wearing jeans and a jean jacket like a lot of people my age did back then. So I’m walking along, and this car full of young men, probably a couple years younger than I was, slowed down to jeer at me because they thought I was a lesbian. One of them offered to rape me so I would know what it was like to be with a man. I was pretty grateful to be on a busy street in broad daylight, let me tell you.
Yep. You're a lesbian or you're frigid - commonplace responses from strange men whose ugly invitations to fu*ck them were rejected.
They hassled me because of the way I looked. Short hair, jeans and jean jacket…I looked too “butch” for them to ignore me.
That's crazy talk! :)
The sheer nerve, right?!