Jan 27, 2012

On being an object

Alice Bradley, an author of multiple things, on gender harassment and age: 

“To be a young woman in our culture means that you exist, from an alarmingly young age, for the appreciation of others. Therefore, your every feature is fair game for public appraisal.”

Also:

“There were other incidents, too; so many incidents. Every one underscored the message that I wasn’t safe, that I deserved whatever was coming to me, because I was young and a woman and that was how it was and also I should appreciate it. I tried to look unapproachable, but I don’t think my face works that way; I just looked sad and then men barked at me to cheer up, to give them a smile. I wanted to look hard and angry. Lord knows I wanted to be intimidating. It just didn’t work. 

These days I feel like I’m off the hook. Like I’m free. I still do want to be intimidating, though. There are days when I want to be terrifying.”

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    And my poor mother wonders why I walk around in public with a scowl on my face….
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    “There are days when I want to be terrifying.”...Abso-fucking-lutely.
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