When I first became aware of the Women's Liberation movement, it was all the rage in high school. Militant young girls who had picked up the old writings of Gloria Steinhem and the likes, and embraced them. Now my home was pretty well balanced, with my dad helping around the house, and my mom and grannie had taught me by example that the impossible can be done, even by a woman. So many of the concepts were not new to me. What really got me excited was the bra burning.
Having been a late bloomer, who insisted on wearing a bra, it soon became not all I expected. The poor thing slid up under my armpits, everytime I raised my arms. But once wearing one, you are destined for life. So the possibility of ditching the damn thing was very attractive to me.
So I spouted the philosophies and wore tee shirts that said " Women need men like a fish needs a bicycle" and insisted everything that once held the word man, be replaced by the word person, hence fire person, mail person and police person.
I attended meetings after school and wrote blistering articles for the school newsletter.
And although I didn't really lie about my beliefs, I never told anybody it was all about not having to wear a bra.
Until now.
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2 comments:
Well, Hope, you got your wish. We are now served by Police "Officers" and Mail "Carriers" and Fire"fighters". That doesn't bother me. Women not wearing bras....yeah, I'm for that...knock yourself out. I've no trouble with a woman working in whatever field she so chooses.
My problem is that the womens lib movement seemed to demonize any woman who chose not to fill those rolls and chose instead to marry, stay home and raise children. It became trendy to bear children out of wedlock, because, after all, who needs a man, right?
The breakdown of the family nucleus is one of the single largest contributors to crime and poverty today. I think that movement, while not solely responsible was certainly a great antagonist of that trend.
You really shouldn't bait me like this. It's virtually irresistable. But I was unusually brief, right? Not too abrasive, eh?
bwah hah hah! People have made big decisions about how to live their lives for less - there is no shame.
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