Dear Reader, I am a writer, and a feminist, I have these beliefs about being a woman and some rigid stances on the objectification of the female body. I know, I know, you now have this furrow between your eyebrows....you are probably thinking "Now what is she going to rant about eh?"
Well this in not a rant, so you can now sigh with relief! The past week was awful! So, to feel better, I decided to alleviate my black mood by reading a trashy novel and chilling at home. It totally worked! I feel rested. I remembered this amazing quote by St Thomas Aquinas
Well this in not a rant, so you can now sigh with relief! The past week was awful! So, to feel better, I decided to alleviate my black mood by reading a trashy novel and chilling at home. It totally worked! I feel rested. I remembered this amazing quote by St Thomas Aquinas
“Sorrow can be alleviated by good sleep, a bath and a glass of wine”
It's soo true dear reader, I did not have the wine, but the rest was a definite help. I woke up today refreshed and thought that I could do with an outing. So, what did I do? Well I tarted up....yeah literally wore clothes that I generally won't be caught dead in and put on lipstick (siren red) and sold dogs for an animal shelter.
Men are soo predictable! They are easy to attract and manage if one projects the image of a ahem..'Hot Chick'! Seriously though, I kind of felt like an object, sometimes the male gaze can be so intrusive. For someone like me, who is generally happy being a wallflower, it was difficult being an object of attention. As a writer, I distanced myself from it all. The entire exercise was actually really amusing.
| I felt like Wonder Woman! |
On one hand, I felt really horrible, and also manipulative. The fact that I hoodwinked unwitting men into adopting pups (really adorable ones) didn't really sit well in my mind. But, I used my feminine charms for a good cause, and in the end the guys did something good too. After all, giving stray pups a home is a noble thing to do. On the other hand I felt weirdly powerful; I understood, for the first time the power of being a woman. I confess that I found the sense of power quite addictive.
But, it raised so many questions in my mind. Did I unwittingly betray my feminist beliefs? Did I in a way encourage the misogynistic, tendencies of the men I interacted with. Did I actually enjoy being a sexual object?
In many ways, I would like to think that it was just good fun, for a noble cause. And yet, there are always these doubts.......Until the next post.
Oh, the modern age quandry of what to do with the feminine wiles....because, as you said, men are so simple and predictable.
ReplyDeleteAs a dyed-in-the-wool feminist, I say do what works. After millennium of suffering because of our physical forms, it's only logical to realize that power and use it consciously (manipulatively, haha). But, that use certainly reinforces stereotypic male/female perspectives.
Beauty is powerful and opens doors because people want to listen. Ethical use of power uplifts the common good. All those puppies thank you for your red lipstick.
They were just too cute! How could I not help them get good homes! :)
DeleteI just joined your site. St. Thomas Aquinas WAS a very wise man, with such a quote. I also like the truth from Benjamin Franklin: "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."
ReplyDeleteSoo true!!:D
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