February 15, 2013: Feminist Fridays: Christine Jorgensen
February 15, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Christine Jorgensen was the first widely known transwoman in America, she was called “the most famous woman in America”. She was an ex GI in the Army and in 1952 she went to Denmark and had sex-reassignment surgery and began taking hormones. She transitioned from male to female and returned to the United States in 1953 and became a celebrity who educated the public about transgender and transsexual people.
This 2.45 min interview with her is fabulous, she answers the talk show hosts questions with such grace, poise and education. This is an excellent 30 second excerpt of a play to her actual recorded voice, where she is answering the question of “Are you a woman” with an answer that we can all learn from.
February 6, 2013
February 6, 2013 by 2 Comments
There is interesting evidence that how women feel about their body has little to do with how their body looks and far more to do with what they tell themselves repeatedly. If you pay attention to how you talk to yourself, you may be shocked. Will you begin paying attention to what you say to yourself and take notice? Do you say something like “you are disgusting, fat, ugly, your thighs are hideous etc.” each day to yourself? Most women do, many times a day.
When we become aware of what we say to ourselves we may realize that we would never let a friend or lover speak to us with such little love, respect or honor. We can be buoyed by the evidence that we can change these thoughts, slowly but surely, if we decide we want to. And that this change can makes a real difference in our lived experience of our body and how we interact with others. We can essentially choose to notice these negative thoughts and re-train the brain to take a different route.
Current neuroscience research is showing that the brain makes circuits that it gets used to running and that these neural pathways get strengthened as the thoughts become habitual. So if you have made cruel body-hating thoughts a habit for yourself, you will probably continue to unless you choose to interrupt those thoughts and re-direct them. If you choose to re-direct your thoughts, slowly but surely, the brain circuits can begin to adjust.
What we think about ourselves matter, it effects how we treat ourselves, what we deem ourselves worthy of, what we go for in life or don’t. How women feel about their body determines a lot of other intersecting factors in life. It is important that we begin to choose to adjust our thoughts to be more kind to ourselves, thought by thought, day by day. Because how we choose to speak to ourselves and our body matters, because we matter.
February 5, 2013
February 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
“It has become the habit of our times to mistake glamour for beauty. This concern is expressed trenchantly by Robert C.Morgan: “Beauty is not glamour. Most of what the media…the fashion world…Hollywood…the art world has to offer is glamour. Glamour, like the art world itself, is a highly fickle and commercially driven enterprise that contributes to..the “humdrum.” It appears and disappears…No one ever catches up to glamour.” …Glamour too has but a single flicker. In contrast, the Beautiful offers us an invitation to order, coherence and unity. When these needs are met, the soul feels at home in the world.” – John O’Donohue, P. 5, Beauty, The Invisible Embrace.
“ The human soul is hungry for beauty; we seek it everywhere – in landscape, music, art, clothes, furniture, gardening, companionship, love, religion and in ourselves. No one would desire not to be beautiful. When we experience the Beautiful, there is a sense of homecoming. Some of our most wonderful memories are of beautiful places where we felt immediately at home. We feel most alive in the presence of the Beautiful for it meets the needs of our soul. “ – John O’Donohue, P. 2, Beauty, The Invisible Embrace.
“Beauty is the illumination of your soul.” -John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
John O’Donohue talks a lot about how beauty brightens what is around us, connects us to all and wakes up the soul to make us feel at home in the world. What an elevating perspective on beauty, and a profound case for why it matters.
February 4, 2013
February 4, 2013 by Leave a Comment
I am so in love with this music video of Ciara singing her song Ride. I will admit to having watched it many times.
I absolutely worship the way this woman inhabits her body. Her embodiment is so incredibly strong, sexy and empowered.
There is vast strength in her body and how she moves. Her thighs must be made of steel to hold those moves for so long, and add in all that hip thrusting!
I find her movements to be so feminine while also exuding pure strength and power.
I also appreciate the words and sentiment of a woman unapologetically owning her own sexual desirability and skill.
It is unusual to talk about safe sex in a song, but admirably she talks about safe sex at 1.40, how she “handles her business, like a big girl should”.
She has four different looks and ways of inhabiting her body in this video, all with slightly different personas. I like to be reminded that we can all inhabit different aspects of ourselves physically if we give ourselves permission.
Ciara seems to me like she is owning her body fully. To witness her dancing is an absolute inspiration and a total joy.