Humor, truth and well done, Deda! If not for the birth control pill, Gloria Steinem, and ALL the women of the Feminist Movement, would we still be reflected in these photos of the 1950's?
My take on the last picture is that women were invisible--Barbara Odom's comment is perfect!
Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" came out when I was in college. I read it, but it didn't really penetrate my mind fully. Now I understand that the enculturation of young women of my age was so thorough that we couldn't imagine the world to be any different--although I did realize upon reading the book, that nothing would change for women unless it also changed dramatically for men--which is a revelation that undergirds the tremendous resistance we are now seeing to the new roles that women have been taking on. My heartfelt gratitude to Gloria Steinem and so many others who did see the issue clearly and who spent their lives getting the transformative message out. We still have a long way to go, but I am encouraged by the actions and results of having many more women in governance and leadership around the world. Thanks Deda--this was a great column!
Helen, you point out that what we're seeing (for example the threat to Roe v. Wade) is resistance to recent women's gains. The long arc of feminism continues. Thank you.
I think that last photo says something like, "you don't see much of the woman herself, you see the house she cleans, cooks in, decorates, raises kids in, etc., but you do not see much of who she really is." Great column, Deda.
Too funny! Thanks for brightening my day.
Excellent! Thanks so much!
Humor, truth and well done, Deda! If not for the birth control pill, Gloria Steinem, and ALL the women of the Feminist Movement, would we still be reflected in these photos of the 1950's?
Linda, what a thought-provoking question! It gives me a sense that we're still in danger of going backward without protection of the things you named.
My take on the last picture is that women were invisible--Barbara Odom's comment is perfect!
Betty Friedan's "Feminine Mystique" came out when I was in college. I read it, but it didn't really penetrate my mind fully. Now I understand that the enculturation of young women of my age was so thorough that we couldn't imagine the world to be any different--although I did realize upon reading the book, that nothing would change for women unless it also changed dramatically for men--which is a revelation that undergirds the tremendous resistance we are now seeing to the new roles that women have been taking on. My heartfelt gratitude to Gloria Steinem and so many others who did see the issue clearly and who spent their lives getting the transformative message out. We still have a long way to go, but I am encouraged by the actions and results of having many more women in governance and leadership around the world. Thanks Deda--this was a great column!
Helen, you point out that what we're seeing (for example the threat to Roe v. Wade) is resistance to recent women's gains. The long arc of feminism continues. Thank you.
I think that last photo says something like, "you don't see much of the woman herself, you see the house she cleans, cooks in, decorates, raises kids in, etc., but you do not see much of who she really is." Great column, Deda.
Barbara, your comment makes me realize the fight the woman has to wage if she is to gain space for who she really is. Thank you for this insight.
Women were a picture in a frame (box) with all the "dirty parts" erased.
Alice, thanks for this idea that a frame is indeed a box; also that parts of women were erased.
This seems to say “this [is a] woman whose role is to complete structure of a house, i.e. just another fixture to acquire and display.”
Kathy, your comment really does suggest the role of House Wife, and that a display is implied. Thank you.