These are highlights from my notes.
First thought: PANIC! Who is this nerd interviewing her? why is a man interviewing her?! I want ferocious female energy and grandstanding. OMG this man is annoying. He is trying to get her to tap dance! Next!
-We need to sit down with people who disagree with our beliefs. Build that bridge.
-If you don't want to be a feminist, you can be a masochist. Click!
-She keeps working (she's 77) because she's seduced by the idea that continuing to work and travel may be helpful.
-She identified with Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's & loved New York immediately.
-Women need to tell the truth (speak out) about their usage of reproductive/birth control and abortion services. (because if we're all vocal, everyone will see how they're utilized- how many of us are involved. I just turned 32 and realize that I have been on hormonal birth control for half my life. Half my life!)
-Those who bash "chick flicks" probably enjoy prick flicks. ie: The Hangover.
-It's not reproductive rights, it's reproductive freedom. Many women aren't free to have a baby when they want to because of monetary/other constraints.
-It's Ok for sexy/vampy girls to identify as feminists. If they feel empowered by their sexuality, that's fine.
-She's not worried about any one woman carrying the torch after she is gone because the mission is now shared by so many.
-Mad Men vs. Playboy Club: The Playboy Club tv show tried to make it look like the club was good for women. Mad Men tells the truth. It's ok to watch and enjoy Mad Men as long as people don't get nostalgia for those times and slide back into that behavior.
My absolute favorite statement that sums up my life: We're living the un-lived lives of our mothers.
Amen.
POWERFUL!!!! Thanks for this post.
ReplyDeleteBeverly
You are so welcome. Thanks!
DeleteThe whole un-lived lives of our mothers thing is more than a little staggering. My mother is way too mouthy and autonomous to have been born in 1954. If she had been as lucky as I to be born later in the century, oh what a different life she'd likely have lead.
ReplyDeletebecause of feminism, our lives are so comprehensively different from those lives of just one generation before us. it's really shocking when you think about it.
great notes, thank you for sharing them.
You are welcome. I had to share. I contemplating scanning my actual notes in, but they were too wild/messy.
DeleteFunny you should say that Shilo. I know that I am living my mother's unlived life but I still think I get a little bit punished for being mouth and autonomous in the 21st century. Sometimes I think, well, maybe it really is just me and then all this crap comes up about contraception and judgment over the women's sexual (not just reproductive) freedom and I realize that, no, we all an election or two away from going backward by 100 years. It really makes me sad and angry.
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ReplyDeleteAnd regarding this comment:
ReplyDelete"It's not reproductive rights, it's reproductive freedom. Many women aren't free to have a baby when they want to because of monetary/other constraints."
Women DO have reproductive freedom. We can get birth control (free I hear at PP) and we can chose to have sex or to not have sex. Women are free NOT to have a baby if they can't because of monetary/other constraints by using birth control or by practicing abstinence. We have the freedom to chose our sex partners and require them to use birth control. When we mess up and forget to use birth control or forget, we see abortion as a quick fix.
And by saying this....I don't agree that abortion should be utilized in this manner.
DeleteIt doesn't necessarily mean abortion. It might mean someone is postponing having a child until they earn a living wage which may never come.
DeleteAgreed. But I don't think that is what Ms. Steinem is talking about. Of course we have the freedom to postpone having a child until we can "afford" it. But what if you conceive by accident, I don't agree this is a good reason to abort a baby. I would contend that Ms. Steinem would say that by not having the "right" to an abortion, our freedom is being impeded. I'm a strong female and don't need the title of "feminist", but if that defines a strong woman, then I am one. I'm all for women's rights, but I don't agree we have any rights to taking another life.
Deletehi Shelley,
DeleteThis is "the Julie Blog" and not the "pro-life commentary" blog so stop reading/posting comments. Please and thank you.
The lives of my friends have changed over the recent years, well some have, some are "stuck".
ReplyDeleteI didn't appreciate something mother told me at the time, but now it makes sense.
"Motherhood is the best remedy for narcissism".
My mom referenced "getting stuck" a lot, starting from when I was a very small child. I always knew not to let myself get "stuck" and that is why I've been on BC 50%, and thousands of dollars of my life. :)
DeleteThe idea that "motherhood is the best remedy for narcissism" is deeply flawed. Technically, the desire to reproduce one's genes is the most primal form of narcissism.
DeleteSpent 10 years as a child and family therapist. Trust me, motherhood is in no way a remedy for narcissism.
DeleteMy mom wanted all her daughters to have plenty of options outside of having kids. As we got older she was pretty straight forward with us about the constraints that children place upon a woman, especially one that is young with limited education and work experience. My mom tried to be the good Catholic wife and had three kids in diapers before she had been married 5 years. It was tough on my parents financially and they almost didn't survive it a couple of times as a couple. She and my dad never pressured any of us to have kids. I think she was relieved that my youngest sister and her husband waited 7 years to have kids. When my sister decided to become a stay-at-home mom and did it because they could afford it and it was what was best for her and her first born.
When the anonymous person first posted "motherhood is the best cure for narcissism" I suspected it was a yucky thing to say and now I'm certain that it was.
DeleteThis is a great post. The statement about living the unlived life of my mother is very true for me. I am the last of 6 kids (6 in 9 years!) and while I'm glad my poor mom soldiered on (or I wouldn't be here), I do wish she had the opportunities I had (she died 2 years ago at 86). I can only speculate at the kind of woman she might have become if she had fewer kids and more opportunities.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love the TV show Mad Men, but it took me a long time to get used to the way that women were treated on that show. I am so grateful I wasn't born then! (Although I do love the fashion...)
Love your blog Jules. I read it every day!
My mum was born in the '30s & had me LATE in life; I love her stories and my opportunities.
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting this, Julie and thank you for being unapologetically feminist. I turn 50 this year and it seems like too many women my age and younger reject the label and have no regard for the sacrifices made by those who came before us. Women are just over half the American population and from where I sit in Arizona the silence over the very real threats to our reproductive freedom and health is deafening. Please keep up the good work. You are inspiring me to do more.
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