Take 2

I was going to write a sad and angry post today. I've been pretty raw and discouraged lately. But who actually wants another feminist rant? It would be appropriate, but no one would read it except my best friends, and only because they had to. Given all the media attention to how the female athletes of the Olympics look, how politicians are producing policies that limit women's choices, and Pussy Riot facing a trial in Russia that hearkens back to the Inquisition, I've been up to my ears in cynicism about being a woman on this planet. It's a man's world, and it seems that what is most authentic about me as a woman is considered obscene in our culture. It seems like there isn't really a place for me- just some ideal that I'm supposed to live up to. Most of the time, I'm fine. I keep my head up and I honor my heart and forgive those who don't. But sometimes it gets to me. 

It breaks my heart that women buy into the ideals and they judge, compare, and compete with each other by unrealistic and unforgiving standards. It pisses me off that I have to define misogyny to my 19 year old sister as an explanation for comments she's received and doesn't understand why. It pains me that some mothers can't celebrate the beauty of their own daughters. It pains me deeply that rape and sexual abuse are extremely common. It pains me that we continue to argue with ignorant people about our own reproductive rights. The truth is that I am a lover not a fighter, and I require these rights, not because I am a slut or a murderer, but because I am autonomous. I would like to be supported in having and making those choices, not because I fought and won, but because I am loved and respected. I want to make love, not war, and I want it to be an act of honor, not compromise. 

Feminist issues are not just women's issues. These issues impact the quality of life of every citizen. I believe that something else is possible and I believe that it begins with women. I believe that women can learn to love and accept our own selves and each other. I believe that we can heal our nature and our sexuality, and I believe that we need each other to do this. I believe that when women stop feeling unworthy because they don't fit through the narrow window of acceptable femininity, and begin celebrating our own expansive and sensual nature, we can heal the rift between the sexes and be a voice of balance and reason. I believe when we stop allowing misogynistic attitudes and beliefs to be divisive and invalidating, we can heal the world in partnership with men. I believe there are men who are wanting and waiting for this partnership.

I notice as I get ready to share this, I feel afraid. I'm afraid of backlash and cruelty. Mostly, though, I'm afraid of being dismissed.  But I'm sharing it because the only power I have against my own cynicism is my own voice- my own vulnerability and love: for myself, for you, and for the beauty of this world.