- Published on
baby me
I love newborn babies
I love their smell and
Soft skin, the
Crown of their head,
Little arms and legs,
And tiny hands that clasp
It is wonderful for short bursts
But a lifetime?
No thank you!
I have known since I was sixteen
That I do not want children.
The birth of my
My half-sister
A few months after my 18th birthday
Was a momentous day
I became “big big sister”
And regular babysitter
Phoebe-Lulu days were the highlight of my week
Days filled with picnics and painting
Library visits
Ferry rides to the city
Museums
A fantastic excuse to the see
The Wiggles live in concert
(We saw Sam Moran – the new yellow wiggle – in his debut appearance
And laughed when he drove onto the stage in the big red car
With L plates)
And with a succession of new cousins
(10 new babies between 1999 and 2008)
I became babysitter extraordinaire
With nappy-changing, bottle feeding, and
Happy occupying of small children
All added to my already impressive CV
My little little sister’s birth
Along with the birth days of all my new family members
Were happy, joyous days
And also the best contraception ever invented
I realized what a full-time job
Looking after a baby, and growing family, were.
Lovely yes, but
Exhausting
Draining
And trying
People say
“But you’re so maternal! It’s such a waste!”
I’m also an actor
Musician
Office administrator
Educator
Writer
Is it a waste to not pursue avenues
Other than motherhood?
“But we live in the modern age!
You can have it all!”
When we have affordable childcare
Equal wages
Paid parental leave
And a system and society that supports parents
Instead of bleeding them dry
Perhaps then we can have a conversation
About the genuine possibility of universal
Career + parenthood = satisfaction
“What about your parents?
You’re denying them grandchildren!”
I thought we lived in the modern age where independent young people didn’t have to live out their lives for their parents?
“It’s so selfish!”
So is having more and more children to consume the limited resources of the planet.
“You’re young.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
“Your clock will start ticking.”
“You’re in denial.”
“You’ll regret it.”
Inspired by Tamar Anitai, I will now respond to these statements with
“Are you a fortune teller, how much do you charge?!”
I’m not asking people to stop having babies.
Like Elizabeth Gilbert in championing auntyhood
I have faith that the human race
Will continue to do as it has always done
And make babies
Ad infinitum, and
I will be there to
Cheer and coo the newest members of humanity
And whole-heartedly support my
Sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends
In becoming parents
If being a mother/father/parent
Is what you desire
All the power to you!
Go right ahead!
I’ll be available for babysitting
And playing aunt
I will petition for
Paid parental leave
And advocate affordable accessible childcare
I will be curious about birth
And developments in childhood psychology
I will keep an eye on the education sector and
Fight against the destruction of the arts in schools
I will even 'like' your ultrasounds, baby pictures, and hilarious
They did WHAT?! stories on facebook.
Not because I have a desire to one day be a mother
But because I am a person
Interested in the society in which I live
And hopeful of a world where every human being
Mother, father, child
Can flourish
But I will join Tamar Anitai in
Defending our right
To choose not to procreate
Twenty-nine year old me
Remains as clear in my choice
As sixteen year old me
Of not desiring a child of my own
It does not make me barren
Or a spinster
Or an angry adult shunning the joyful world of parenthood
It's just makes me another piece
In the complex puzzle
That is humanity
All I ask is that you
Please respect my choice
To follow a different path
That doesn’t include bearing babies
Thank you, and
The end.
I love their smell and
Soft skin, the
Crown of their head,
Little arms and legs,
And tiny hands that clasp
It is wonderful for short bursts
But a lifetime?
No thank you!
I have known since I was sixteen
That I do not want children.
The birth of my
My half-sister
A few months after my 18th birthday
Was a momentous day
I became “big big sister”
And regular babysitter
Phoebe-Lulu days were the highlight of my week
Days filled with picnics and painting
Library visits
Ferry rides to the city
Museums
A fantastic excuse to the see
The Wiggles live in concert
(We saw Sam Moran – the new yellow wiggle – in his debut appearance
And laughed when he drove onto the stage in the big red car
With L plates)
And with a succession of new cousins
(10 new babies between 1999 and 2008)
I became babysitter extraordinaire
With nappy-changing, bottle feeding, and
Happy occupying of small children
All added to my already impressive CV
My little little sister’s birth
Along with the birth days of all my new family members
Were happy, joyous days
And also the best contraception ever invented
I realized what a full-time job
Looking after a baby, and growing family, were.
Lovely yes, but
Exhausting
Draining
And trying
People say
“But you’re so maternal! It’s such a waste!”
I’m also an actor
Musician
Office administrator
Educator
Writer
Is it a waste to not pursue avenues
Other than motherhood?
“But we live in the modern age!
You can have it all!”
When we have affordable childcare
Equal wages
Paid parental leave
And a system and society that supports parents
Instead of bleeding them dry
Perhaps then we can have a conversation
About the genuine possibility of universal
Career + parenthood = satisfaction
“What about your parents?
You’re denying them grandchildren!”
I thought we lived in the modern age where independent young people didn’t have to live out their lives for their parents?
“It’s so selfish!”
So is having more and more children to consume the limited resources of the planet.
“You’re young.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
“Your clock will start ticking.”
“You’re in denial.”
“You’ll regret it.”
Inspired by Tamar Anitai, I will now respond to these statements with
“Are you a fortune teller, how much do you charge?!”
I’m not asking people to stop having babies.
Like Elizabeth Gilbert in championing auntyhood
I have faith that the human race
Will continue to do as it has always done
And make babies
Ad infinitum, and
I will be there to
Cheer and coo the newest members of humanity
And whole-heartedly support my
Sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends
In becoming parents
If being a mother/father/parent
Is what you desire
All the power to you!
Go right ahead!
I’ll be available for babysitting
And playing aunt
I will petition for
Paid parental leave
And advocate affordable accessible childcare
I will be curious about birth
And developments in childhood psychology
I will keep an eye on the education sector and
Fight against the destruction of the arts in schools
I will even 'like' your ultrasounds, baby pictures, and hilarious
They did WHAT?! stories on facebook.
Not because I have a desire to one day be a mother
But because I am a person
Interested in the society in which I live
And hopeful of a world where every human being
Mother, father, child
Can flourish
But I will join Tamar Anitai in
Defending our right
To choose not to procreate
Twenty-nine year old me
Remains as clear in my choice
As sixteen year old me
Of not desiring a child of my own
It does not make me barren
Or a spinster
Or an angry adult shunning the joyful world of parenthood
It's just makes me another piece
In the complex puzzle
That is humanity
All I ask is that you
Please respect my choice
To follow a different path
That doesn’t include bearing babies
Thank you, and
The end.
- Published on
The world abounds in
Misogyny
The systematic hatred of women
That permeates our society
And displays itself in
Rape
Abuse
And all manner of violence against women
We are a rock revolting
Around a burning sun
It is frightening and ugly and demeaning and soul destroying
Women are under-represented in every institution and industry we can name
In some places we are not allowed out the front door
In many spheres we are presented only as objects of sex
Denied our bodies in others
And always put down
All the fact of an x v. y
And it’s not that men and women
“Hate women” as such
We have sisters! And mothers! And aunts! And daughters!
And friends who are girls and women
I am not one of them
One of those people who
Hates women
But the hatred
Is a habit
Entrenched after two thousand years
Of power struggle, of
Systematic suppression, repression,
Denial
Of the rights of women
To live
And yet
We must keep going
Because it doesn’t have to be this way
It is possible for men and women
To work together
As equals
By speaking out
And naming it
And calling it out
When it happens
In the press, in our speech, in everyday conversation
We can chip away at this
Belittling of one half of the population of the planet
Until misogyny and sexism
Are relics
People are working
Everyday every moment every second
To make it better
The Eve Ensler's and Caroline Criado-Perez's and NMP3's and #everydaysexism's and AnneSummers’ of the world
The campaigners and dreamers and artists and writers and regular everyday people who are making an honest effort
Out there in the world
Really trying
To create a world where
Women have equal rights
To life and dignity
Where is your voice?
And what is it saying?
The end.
Misogyny
The systematic hatred of women
That permeates our society
And displays itself in
Rape
Abuse
And all manner of violence against women
We are a rock revolting
Around a burning sun
It is frightening and ugly and demeaning and soul destroying
Women are under-represented in every institution and industry we can name
In some places we are not allowed out the front door
In many spheres we are presented only as objects of sex
Denied our bodies in others
And always put down
All the fact of an x v. y
And it’s not that men and women
“Hate women” as such
We have sisters! And mothers! And aunts! And daughters!
And friends who are girls and women
I am not one of them
One of those people who
Hates women
But the hatred
Is a habit
Entrenched after two thousand years
Of power struggle, of
Systematic suppression, repression,
Denial
Of the rights of women
To live
And yet
We must keep going
Because it doesn’t have to be this way
It is possible for men and women
To work together
As equals
By speaking out
And naming it
And calling it out
When it happens
In the press, in our speech, in everyday conversation
We can chip away at this
Belittling of one half of the population of the planet
Until misogyny and sexism
Are relics
People are working
Everyday every moment every second
To make it better
The Eve Ensler's and Caroline Criado-Perez's and NMP3's and #everydaysexism's and AnneSummers’ of the world
The campaigners and dreamers and artists and writers and regular everyday people who are making an honest effort
Out there in the world
Really trying
To create a world where
Women have equal rights
To life and dignity
Where is your voice?
And what is it saying?
The end.
- Published on
Men are remembered
As scientists, soldiers
Arists and architects
As political leaders
And heroes
Women are remembered
For the care they give men
As mothers and nurses
And bodies
In Embankment Park
Every monument is to a man
The one woman
Leans
Bare-breasted, weeping, delicate, sensual, against Sullivan's bust
As scientists, soldiers
Arists and architects
As political leaders
And heroes
Women are remembered
For the care they give men
As mothers and nurses
And bodies
In Embankment Park
Every monument is to a man
The one woman
Leans
Bare-breasted, weeping, delicate, sensual, against Sullivan's bust
- Published on
Suddenly you find yourself
Inside The Globe!
The detailed recreation
Of what once was
Shakespeare's playground
There is a feeling of exhilaration
The theatre has been beautifully re-created
The whole thing is utterly stunning
The grand columns
The box seats
The wide open space on the floor for
The "Groundlings"
The long and narrow thrust stage
Cutting through the middle
The floor is concrete
You try to imagine layers of straw and dust and dirt and grime
At the apex of the stage
A balcony,
Its windows closed for now
It seems Juliet could fling them open and lean over the railing and "ah me" at any moment
The boxes right above the stage with their richly coloured frescoes
You can imagine royalty sitting there
Sitting to be seen
Even from the position of the pleb
You really can see everybody
The audience watching each other
Playing a game of being
The audience
The way you see sky when you look directly up
There's something dramatic about Shakespeare and sky together
The sky is pale blue
Translucent thin whispy clouds
It's the end of the day
Mild, not too hot, not too cold
Tonight's play is called Blue Stockings
Rear centre stage a small drum kit and a music stand
A small balcony above, more music stands, a trumpet, lights for the musicians
(You forgive the modern intrusion)
The columns have been made to look like book shelves
The play is about the fight for women's access to college education
And the fight
At the end of the 19thC
For the right for women attending college to graduate
There is something tongue-in-cheek
About a feminist play being produced
At the Globe
It is beautifully produced
It is refreshing to see a genuine issue discussed, dissected
The relevance of women's education
The prejudice we faced
Still face
Through the play we see their struggle
And sacrifice
And we are heart broken
It is easy for a modern day, predominantly white, presumably educated audience to laugh at history
“I can’t believe he just said that!!”
Chortle.
But in this year, the year 2013
University fees are so prohibitively expensive
Many will not be able to attend university at all
Last year a teenage girl was shot in the head
For daring to speak out and fight for her right
To an education
And even still, today, right now
Men continue to try and ultimately control women
Deny access to basic human rights
Blue Stockings offers no solutions
Only that we must go on
Must continue learning
For the sake of learning
To inspire great minds
To allow people to go out into the world and achieve their fullest potential
To understand and to dream
I am incredibly aware of the privilege
That has bought me to be standing in the middle of The Globe
One night at the end of summer
The fact that I am a university graduate
With two degrees to my name
The fact I got to go to school at all
Is a fight
That was won
Before I was born
But is still being fought
In a treacherous warzone
History and story-telling
The stories that have resonated throughout
The Globe
To demand an understanding of history
So that we may imagine
The meticulous re-construction
Of a better place
The end.
Inside The Globe!
The detailed recreation
Of what once was
Shakespeare's playground
There is a feeling of exhilaration
The theatre has been beautifully re-created
The whole thing is utterly stunning
The grand columns
The box seats
The wide open space on the floor for
The "Groundlings"
The long and narrow thrust stage
Cutting through the middle
The floor is concrete
You try to imagine layers of straw and dust and dirt and grime
At the apex of the stage
A balcony,
Its windows closed for now
It seems Juliet could fling them open and lean over the railing and "ah me" at any moment
The boxes right above the stage with their richly coloured frescoes
You can imagine royalty sitting there
Sitting to be seen
Even from the position of the pleb
You really can see everybody
The audience watching each other
Playing a game of being
The audience
The way you see sky when you look directly up
There's something dramatic about Shakespeare and sky together
The sky is pale blue
Translucent thin whispy clouds
It's the end of the day
Mild, not too hot, not too cold
Tonight's play is called Blue Stockings
Rear centre stage a small drum kit and a music stand
A small balcony above, more music stands, a trumpet, lights for the musicians
(You forgive the modern intrusion)
The columns have been made to look like book shelves
The play is about the fight for women's access to college education
And the fight
At the end of the 19thC
For the right for women attending college to graduate
There is something tongue-in-cheek
About a feminist play being produced
At the Globe
It is beautifully produced
It is refreshing to see a genuine issue discussed, dissected
The relevance of women's education
The prejudice we faced
Still face
Through the play we see their struggle
And sacrifice
And we are heart broken
It is easy for a modern day, predominantly white, presumably educated audience to laugh at history
“I can’t believe he just said that!!”
Chortle.
But in this year, the year 2013
University fees are so prohibitively expensive
Many will not be able to attend university at all
Last year a teenage girl was shot in the head
For daring to speak out and fight for her right
To an education
And even still, today, right now
Men continue to try and ultimately control women
Deny access to basic human rights
Blue Stockings offers no solutions
Only that we must go on
Must continue learning
For the sake of learning
To inspire great minds
To allow people to go out into the world and achieve their fullest potential
To understand and to dream
I am incredibly aware of the privilege
That has bought me to be standing in the middle of The Globe
One night at the end of summer
The fact that I am a university graduate
With two degrees to my name
The fact I got to go to school at all
Is a fight
That was won
Before I was born
But is still being fought
In a treacherous warzone
History and story-telling
The stories that have resonated throughout
The Globe
To demand an understanding of history
So that we may imagine
The meticulous re-construction
Of a better place
The end.
- Published on
Mary Wollstonecraft by John Opie
Mary Wollstonecraft
Wrote 'A Vindication on the Rights of Woman'
In 1792
And stated that
That the low status of women
And the way in which
Society, and women themselves,
Perceived women
As individuals, and as a sex,
As weak and inferior
Would be done away with
If women received a decent
Education
But today we find
In 2013
That even educated women
Are still relegated secondary status
Are still perceived as weak and inferior
Because the society in which we live
Says that women
Are mere sex objects
And things for looking upon
We live in a time where educated women
Choose
To be viewed and judged
By their looks and sexiness
Appear spread eagled and naked in magazines and videos and online
Use sex
As a way to pay for their education
We live in a time
Where even if you have a college degree
You have to stand up and say
No.
My body is my own
And not yours to oggle and coddle
Please listen to what I have to say
Not how I look as I say it
Where does this leave
A Vindication on the Rights of Woman?
Yes, we must educate girls and women
We must learn maths and science
And drama and music
And history and English
And languages and sport
We must be equipped with knowledge and skills
We must go out into the world
But we also must educate boys and men
To treat women with respect
To not fear women with power
To learn how to speak with women
(And about women)
With terminology that doesn't involve sex or beauty or derogatory statements
Women are still weak and inferior
Because the misogynistic system
That has been in place
For millenia
Has not yet been replaced
With a system
Of education
That teaches compassion, and respect, and humanity
Above looks and impressions and sex
So yes
Teach girls and women to be strong
But teach boys and men
To be okay with the shift
That says women are no longer inferior
But equal
That is the vindication I seek.
The end.
Wrote 'A Vindication on the Rights of Woman'
In 1792
And stated that
That the low status of women
And the way in which
Society, and women themselves,
Perceived women
As individuals, and as a sex,
As weak and inferior
Would be done away with
If women received a decent
Education
But today we find
In 2013
That even educated women
Are still relegated secondary status
Are still perceived as weak and inferior
Because the society in which we live
Says that women
Are mere sex objects
And things for looking upon
We live in a time where educated women
Choose
To be viewed and judged
By their looks and sexiness
Appear spread eagled and naked in magazines and videos and online
Use sex
As a way to pay for their education
We live in a time
Where even if you have a college degree
You have to stand up and say
No.
My body is my own
And not yours to oggle and coddle
Please listen to what I have to say
Not how I look as I say it
Where does this leave
A Vindication on the Rights of Woman?
Yes, we must educate girls and women
We must learn maths and science
And drama and music
And history and English
And languages and sport
We must be equipped with knowledge and skills
We must go out into the world
But we also must educate boys and men
To treat women with respect
To not fear women with power
To learn how to speak with women
(And about women)
With terminology that doesn't involve sex or beauty or derogatory statements
Women are still weak and inferior
Because the misogynistic system
That has been in place
For millenia
Has not yet been replaced
With a system
Of education
That teaches compassion, and respect, and humanity
Above looks and impressions and sex
So yes
Teach girls and women to be strong
But teach boys and men
To be okay with the shift
That says women are no longer inferior
But equal
That is the vindication I seek.
The end.
- Published on
An ad came out recently. It talks about "real beauty". I hate it. The cheesy music. The soft lighting. The way we are so judgemental of ourselves. The way our society venerates looks. The way the video is re-posted all over the place. Right now, our society says BEAUTY is:
Boobs (they must be big and round and on display. They are not appropriate when feeding babies)
Eyes (blue is preferable)
Ass (must be swished and jiggled and worn with shorts)
Unattainable (a "beautiful" person must be aloof, not part of the real world, on a pedastal, photoshopped)
Thin (because "plus" size models start at a size12)
Young (old = wrinkles, saggy, skin spots = ugly)
I'm sick of the beautiful/ugly dichotomy. I'm sick of "beauty" being only about snap-judgements and labels of "hot or not". I'm sick of discussions that ask if feminism is being feminist if it asks women to love how they look no matter what and not buy into consumerist culture notions of beauty. What if "beauty" meant something else entirely?
Brains (use them. Learn an instrument, learn a language, study astronomy, do math problems, read widely, learn about history and science... I'm into humanities. I love reading. I love writing. But I'm not so fussed what you do, just use your brain to LEARN! There is so much in this world! Infinitesimal things to learn and explore! GO TO IT!)
Ethics (is what you do harmful to others, or to the planet?)
Attitude (anything is possible. People who are naysayers are awful to be around. I don't advocate positivity 100% of the time. It's not human. BUT! Oh, what we could change if people had a nicer attitude toward the world around them.)
Understanding (having empathy for the people around you. Walking in someone else's shoes. Investigating a situation in order to have more knowledge about it.)
Tenacity (having an inner strength)
Y? (as in "why?" I realize I am cheating a little here. But it's my poem and I'll bend the rules if I want to. Question everything around you. Why is beauty about image? Why are women controlled through the media? Why are women subjucated and treated as mere physical objects? Why does the porn industry have such a stronghold over what "beauty" is, encouraging us to wax and preen and value ourselves purely on looks?)
To me, a "beautiful" person is someone with intelligence, integrity, and vivacity. That is the beauty I seek. That is the beauty I crave. And as for THAT ad. Their "beauty" is only skin deep. And no amount of face cream, soap, or shiny advertising, will scrub away the hypocrisy of a global conglomerate selling "beauty" products in the name of empowerment.
Boobs (they must be big and round and on display. They are not appropriate when feeding babies)
Eyes (blue is preferable)
Ass (must be swished and jiggled and worn with shorts)
Unattainable (a "beautiful" person must be aloof, not part of the real world, on a pedastal, photoshopped)
Thin (because "plus" size models start at a size12)
Young (old = wrinkles, saggy, skin spots = ugly)
I'm sick of the beautiful/ugly dichotomy. I'm sick of "beauty" being only about snap-judgements and labels of "hot or not". I'm sick of discussions that ask if feminism is being feminist if it asks women to love how they look no matter what and not buy into consumerist culture notions of beauty. What if "beauty" meant something else entirely?
Brains (use them. Learn an instrument, learn a language, study astronomy, do math problems, read widely, learn about history and science... I'm into humanities. I love reading. I love writing. But I'm not so fussed what you do, just use your brain to LEARN! There is so much in this world! Infinitesimal things to learn and explore! GO TO IT!)
Ethics (is what you do harmful to others, or to the planet?)
Attitude (anything is possible. People who are naysayers are awful to be around. I don't advocate positivity 100% of the time. It's not human. BUT! Oh, what we could change if people had a nicer attitude toward the world around them.)
Understanding (having empathy for the people around you. Walking in someone else's shoes. Investigating a situation in order to have more knowledge about it.)
Tenacity (having an inner strength)
Y? (as in "why?" I realize I am cheating a little here. But it's my poem and I'll bend the rules if I want to. Question everything around you. Why is beauty about image? Why are women controlled through the media? Why are women subjucated and treated as mere physical objects? Why does the porn industry have such a stronghold over what "beauty" is, encouraging us to wax and preen and value ourselves purely on looks?)
To me, a "beautiful" person is someone with intelligence, integrity, and vivacity. That is the beauty I seek. That is the beauty I crave. And as for THAT ad. Their "beauty" is only skin deep. And no amount of face cream, soap, or shiny advertising, will scrub away the hypocrisy of a global conglomerate selling "beauty" products in the name of empowerment.
- Published on
A stick of incense
Some beautiful music
And quiet meditation
The end.
Some beautiful music
And quiet meditation
The end.
- Published on
I didn't allow myself to get excited
Her reputation
Precedes her
Canceling, forgetting lyrics, swallowing words
But tonight
In her signature sparkling black top
That shimmered and reflected light
And almost seemed to be electricfied
Liza Minnelli
Was radiant
Her speaking voice
Is not just breathy
It's breathless
She seems barely able to string a sentence together
And then she sings
Sure the top notes aren't quite there anymore
But the richness in her voice
The undeniable "Liza" tone
The timbre so full
So present
It's phenomenal
They talk of
Living legends
And truly
She is one
In just under two weeks
This living legend will be 67
She's frailer than she used to be
Apologized for sitting for much of the concert
But the audience didn't mind
When she sang, honestly
Magic happened
She seemed somehow younger
The way she can tell a story through song
Transport you worlds away
With her voice
The simplest gesture
The audience erupted after
Every single number
And the applause wasn't gratuitous
In the same way that her mother
Never escaped the rainbow
Liza will never escape the cabaret
But you get the sense
She's happiest there
It's where she grew up
It's where her family,
Literal and accumulated,
Come from
And her gratitude to the audience
Felt genuine and real
The final encore
Every single person was already on their feet
And it was just
Liza in a spotlight
Singing acapella
The hush that fell over the crowd
Oh, that voice!
And right before the final note
A whispered
Thank you
And the audience melted
Audibly gasped
And we cheered in response
And Liza bowed
And walked into the wings
The end.
Her reputation
Precedes her
Canceling, forgetting lyrics, swallowing words
But tonight
In her signature sparkling black top
That shimmered and reflected light
And almost seemed to be electricfied
Liza Minnelli
Was radiant
Her speaking voice
Is not just breathy
It's breathless
She seems barely able to string a sentence together
And then she sings
Sure the top notes aren't quite there anymore
But the richness in her voice
The undeniable "Liza" tone
The timbre so full
So present
It's phenomenal
They talk of
Living legends
And truly
She is one
In just under two weeks
This living legend will be 67
She's frailer than she used to be
Apologized for sitting for much of the concert
But the audience didn't mind
When she sang, honestly
Magic happened
She seemed somehow younger
The way she can tell a story through song
Transport you worlds away
With her voice
The simplest gesture
The audience erupted after
Every single number
And the applause wasn't gratuitous
In the same way that her mother
Never escaped the rainbow
Liza will never escape the cabaret
But you get the sense
She's happiest there
It's where she grew up
It's where her family,
Literal and accumulated,
Come from
And her gratitude to the audience
Felt genuine and real
The final encore
Every single person was already on their feet
And it was just
Liza in a spotlight
Singing acapella
The hush that fell over the crowd
Oh, that voice!
And right before the final note
A whispered
Thank you
And the audience melted
Audibly gasped
And we cheered in response
And Liza bowed
And walked into the wings
The end.
- Published on
This is a true story
It happened to me
In real life
My friend
A university educated person
Whose parents are both doctors
Told me
Women cannot be astronauts
Because they get their period
This. Is. Simply. Not. True.
In June 1963
Valentina Tereshkova
Became the first female
To launch into space
A little earlier
In 1961
Thirteen women
Known as the Mercury 13
Underwent
The same training and tests
As the men who would later become
The first American astronauts
And they passed
And then
Not because they were physically unable
Or intellectually inferior
But because of
Institutional bias against women
For being women
The Mercury 13
Were dismissed
In all
Fifty-six
Women have fought
And trained
And gone into space
Two of them have
Commanded the spaceships
And what about their periods?
One astronaut is quoted as saying
"Period in space, just like period on the ground
Don't worry about it."
Women do go into space
And while they make up just 10% of the people
To hurtle past the atmosphere
The point is
Women can be, and are, astronauts
The only thing keeping on the ground
Is prejudice and ignorance
The end.
It happened to me
In real life
My friend
A university educated person
Whose parents are both doctors
Told me
Women cannot be astronauts
Because they get their period
This. Is. Simply. Not. True.
In June 1963
Valentina Tereshkova
Became the first female
To launch into space
A little earlier
In 1961
Thirteen women
Known as the Mercury 13
Underwent
The same training and tests
As the men who would later become
The first American astronauts
And they passed
And then
Not because they were physically unable
Or intellectually inferior
But because of
Institutional bias against women
For being women
The Mercury 13
Were dismissed
In all
Fifty-six
Women have fought
And trained
And gone into space
Two of them have
Commanded the spaceships
And what about their periods?
One astronaut is quoted as saying
"Period in space, just like period on the ground
Don't worry about it."
Women do go into space
And while they make up just 10% of the people
To hurtle past the atmosphere
The point is
Women can be, and are, astronauts
The only thing keeping on the ground
Is prejudice and ignorance
The end.
- Published on
When I watched
The Disney movie
Brave
Over the summer
There was a moment
When I thought
Wouldn't be cool
If the princess
Merida
Was allowed to be single
Was allowed to be
A woman
With skills
And a thirst for knowledge
Going out into the world
And living her life
And achieving her goals
And dreaming her dreams
Without having to
Be a dainty princess
Or one day marry a prince?
Because
Despite what Disney
And Hollywood portray
There are many
Women in the world
Who don't marry
Who don't have children
Who are bright
And worldly
Who are not crazy crones
Or wicked witches
There are many women
Who do marry
But stay
Independent
And remain powerful in their own right
I want role
models
In life
Like Elizabeth Gilbert
Who
Ate and prayed and loved
And consciously decided
She didn't want to be a mother
Wanted to be a writer
And globe trotter
And embracer of life
Or like
Rita Golden Gelman
Who sold her possessions
And went traveling
And met people
And ate beautiful food
And said
You CAN travel the world
As a single woman
And you can have a marvelous time doing it
I wish Disney
Would tell stories where
It is okay to be a spirited single woman
It is okay to not want to get married
To not to have children
And that being You
Makes you beautiful
And powerful
And feminine
And not at all crony
That would be the
Bravest story
Of all.
The end.
The Disney movie
Brave
Over the summer
There was a moment
When I thought
Wouldn't be cool
If the princess
Merida
Was allowed to be single
Was allowed to be
A woman
With skills
And a thirst for knowledge
Going out into the world
And living her life
And achieving her goals
And dreaming her dreams
Without having to
Be a dainty princess
Or one day marry a prince?
Because
Despite what Disney
And Hollywood portray
There are many
Women in the world
Who don't marry
Who don't have children
Who are bright
And worldly
Who are not crazy crones
Or wicked witches
There are many women
Who do marry
But stay
Independent
And remain powerful in their own right
I want role
models
In life
Like Elizabeth Gilbert
Who
Ate and prayed and loved
And consciously decided
She didn't want to be a mother
Wanted to be a writer
And globe trotter
And embracer of life
Or like
Rita Golden Gelman
Who sold her possessions
And went traveling
And met people
And ate beautiful food
And said
You CAN travel the world
As a single woman
And you can have a marvelous time doing it
I wish Disney
Would tell stories where
It is okay to be a spirited single woman
It is okay to not want to get married
To not to have children
And that being You
Makes you beautiful
And powerful
And feminine
And not at all crony
That would be the
Bravest story
Of all.
The end.