The Sequel to Ladies First
Added 2023-09-18 20:12:06 +0000 UTCAre you guys excited to return to the world of Maga Hat Romance? Me either but we're doing it anyway.
Comments
Is it dedication or masochism, I wonder? I must admit that I, too, wondered about the identity of Liberty and entertained the thought of this pen name hiding a man writing what he thought female should read and find romantic. And yet, I can also believe that this was written by a woman. Internalized misogyny is very real, and very sad. I don't want to blame Liberty for this possibility because I know how it is very hard to break away from values that were instilled in you by your family, your community, your education, your religion and so forth. When you feel like it is normal that women must be subservient to men, when you've been told that your role is to be first and foremost a mother and a wife, it must be hard to accept that other women do not feel comfortable in such a role, and to not view them as troublemakers. When you are not encouraged to take your place and to develop your self-confidence in order to take decisions for yourself, it can be quite reassuring to have someone take charge of your life, especially if you've been taught that that's the way it should be. Thinking outside the box can be really difficult if it means you need to reevaluate your worldviews and your values. I remember at the start of the #metoo movement a group of elder French actresses had written a letter to the media saying that men needed to be allowed to importunate women because that was how courtiship worked, and young women didn't have any right to revolt against being harassed. Men were just showing their interest in them and they ought to be flattered of the attention. It really saddened me to see that these women still believed that men were allowed to do what they pleased with women, and that that was normal, even desirable behavior. I am really glad that mentality are slowly changing, that consent is becoming important, that no means no and that women have a right to denounce badly behaving men. But yeah, some women are not ready to change, and maybe never will. The idea of romance in the media is often far from evolved or enlightened (I'm looking at you Twilight, 50 shades and Liberty), and many women still cling to those clichés of men needed to be strong and taking charge and domineering. Talking about how those ideas are wrong is one good way to try and make people think about what it implies, and how what can be "romantic" in a fantasy can be less than desirable in real life. Sorry about the major rant, this is just something that troubles me personally. I'm a volunteer in a Women's Centre and I often see the consequences of misogyny up front. And I see how some women tend to excuse the men in their life of their behaviors because "it's their rights", and "being jealous and manipulative just means he really cares about me" and so on. I try, as delicately as possible, always without culpabilizing the women because it won't do any good, to challenge their ideas, but it's not easy.
Yamp44
2023-10-02 19:30:17 +0000 UTCI'm marveling!
Micaela Sparrow
2023-09-19 23:54:31 +0000 UTC
