Epilogue/Prologue:
Here’s the thing – this only tangible linkage between this
post and International Women’s Day is that the NPR piece that got me thinking
MAY have been on air yesterday in some may marking this day.
What I would note is the commemorative aspects of the day in
and of themselves were unremarkable to me, other than the Google doodle. What is interesting in the post analysis of
this, and recognizing this in some way may contribute to discussions around the
theme of International Women’s Day (this prologue being added to the original
post a few hours later), is that some of the material I’m recommending you
listen to in this blog now hits home harder on the subject of my and male
generally blindness in some ways, or simply inability to see in others, how different
certain things are for women than they are for me.
My mind went off on an odd tangent (as it is slightly prone to) the other day discussing a critique of another of the “Modest is Hottest” campaigns with a friend.
My concern shifted from worrying whether or not males could control themselves or harming girls outlook by leading them to believe they are sexual object that must be covered. Because at the root of it all, the message is still about “being hot” – just doing it one way versus another. In other words, what is still important here is wanting to be sought after by boys/men.
“We raise girls to see each other as competitors, not for
jobs, or for accomplishments — which I think can be a good thing — but for the
attention of men.” - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
So I guess what prompted me to write this morning and more than
anything I could say was to draw your attention to a recent TED speech by this
incredible lady.
I was drawn to find out more about this woman and her
amazing story listening to an NPR interview yesterday. You might want to check that out too – it
explores quite different themes, but also well worth the half hour of your
life.
As an interesting aside, one of the starts from the acclaimed movie “12 Years a Slave” will also star in the movie production of another book by Adichie, “Half of a Yellow Sun”.
To wrap up what will be a short post – for me anyway,
another thought provoked by this speech.
“Now, marriage can be a good thing. It can be a source of
joy and love and mutual support, but why do we teach girls to aspire to
marriage and we don’t teach boys the same?”
One wonders whether if this were not the case, and it very
much is, whether the failure rate of marriage would be much lower? No deep answers – just a question. Enjoy your day…
