& Moira Bianchi: feminism
Mostrando postagens com marcador feminism. Mostrar todas as postagens
Mostrando postagens com marcador feminism. Mostrar todas as postagens

segunda-feira, 16 de novembro de 2020

Mary Wollstonecraft merecia mais

 Olá,

Eu confesso que tentei entender, mas não gostei da estátua em homenagem à 'mãe' do feminismo, Mary Wollstonecraft.

the independent

Engraçado que ela hoje é mais conhecida pela maternidade, por ser mãe de Mary Shelley, esta autora de Frankenstein; justo ela que faleceu logo depois do parto aos 38 anos e foi pioneríssima na reinvindicação de direitos femininos. Mas também, maternidade é fundamentalmente uma característica  da mulher.

trecho de uma carta dela para o companheiro, pai do bebê que ela esperava: 'Começo a amar esta criaturinha e a antecipar seu nascimento como um novo nó que não desejo desatar.'  -  pic de feminist for life


Os retratos de Wollstonecraft (1759 - 1797) a mostram como uma mulher austera, mas até acho que era a norma da época . Wiki diz que 'durante sua breve carreira, ela escreveu romances, tratados, uma narrativa de viagem, uma história da Revolução Francesa, um livro de conduta e um livro infantil; mas é mais conhecida por A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792), no qual ela argumenta que as mulheres não são naturalmente inferiores aos homens, mas apenas parecem ser porque não recebem a mesma educação, que homens e mulheres devem ser tratados como seres racionais e imagina uma ordem social fundada na razão.

Após a morte de Wollstonecraft, William Goodwin, seu viúvo, publicou Memoir (1798) ou seja, memórias de sua vida, revelando seu estilo de vida não ortodoxo, que inadvertidamente destruiu sua reputação por quase um século. No entanto, com o surgimento do movimento feminista na virada do século XX, a defesa de Wollstonecraft da igualdade das mulheres e as críticas da feminilidade convencional tornaram-se cada vez mais importantes.'

Bem, nem tanto.

Li bastante sobre a campanha para levantar fundos para fazer a homenagem, sobre como na Inglaterra existem poucos monumentos para mulheres, sobre as críticas que a artista recebeu em suas outras obras. Ainda assim, não gostei mesmo.

youtube

Em sua famosa obra revolucionária de 1792, formadora de opinião, influenciadora, vanguardista, ela diz no capítulo 5 que 'a mulher é ensinada desde a infância que a beleza é seu poder, por isso a mente dela se molda ao corpo e, vagando em sua gaiola dourada apenas busca adornar sua prisão.' (Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.) A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Lá se vão 2 séculos e tal, e ainda pensamos o mesmo, agimos da mesma forma.

Estaria Mary W equivocada ou nós é que não aprendemos ainda?

A julgar por este monumento, acredito que ainda temos muito a evoluir...

Conto o que aprendi sobre. Depois da campanha 'Mary on the Green' que levou 10 anos para levantar fundos, vários artistas foram convidados a apresentar ideias para a estátua. Um comitê de curadores de arte e pessoas da comunidade votou unanimemente na proposta de Maggi Hambling. A autora explica a estátua - caso você, como eu, não tenha entendido nada depois de admirar boquiaberta essas fotos. 'A escultura mostra uma figura prateada nua de todas as mulheres sustentada por um turbilhão de formas femininas. Não é uma imagem heróica ou fantasiosa convencional de Mary Wollstonecraft. É uma escultura sobre agora, em seu espírito.' 

Então, eu só vejo peitos e pelos pubianos.

tes


Juro que tentei achar as formas femininas sustentando a bonequinha mínima no topo. Li que essa massa prateada reflete o parque e a Igreja Não-Conformista que Mary W. frequentava. Mas me distraio sempre na bonequinhazinha. Peitos, mamilos, cabelo... curto? Afro? Mas as feições são europeias. Magra, mais magra do que as mulheres eram no século 18, mas se é para ser do século 21, também me parece magra-modelo-e-manequim, não todas as mulheres, ou a mulher comum traduzindo melhor. Nem mudei esse termo 'everywoman' porque é muito repetido na defesa da escolha artística e ele me parece... trivial.

Uma das defensoras da campanha de fundos e do monumento pronto diz: 'Maggie Hambling é uma artista pioneira e queríamos fazer algo diferente de colocar pessoas em pedestais. Poderíamos ter feito algo realmente chato e comum, e muito vitoriano e antiquado.' Essa artista, Hambling, é bem controversa. Já li até críticas dizendo que a rejeição a este monumento é machismo contra ela, a artista. tsk, tsk. E continuei pesquisando para aprender a ver... 

“Não é convidativa (a nudez da peça) . É um desafio. 

É uma obra de arte desafiadora e é para ser assim.”

Ah, tá. 

Ainda assim, não gostei. Por que ela está nua com atributos tão perfeitinhos? Precisava?

essa foi a opção rejeitada, ficou em 2º lugar. pic de financial times


As primeiras ROUPAS que se tem notícia vêm dos neandertais (40.000 anos atrás) que em algum momento aprenderam a usar as peles dos animais para se manter aquecidos e secos. Também se fala da possibilidade dessas primeiras roupas terem tido funções sociais antes de práticas, algo como rituais de magia, decoração, culto ou prestígio. A semiótica (estudo de símbolos) aplicada ao vestuário leva a imagens que sustentam a estrutura da interação social como o sistema de status e papéis. A maneira como alguém se veste pode ser analisada como um mecanismo simbólico para comunicar ideias e valores a outros membros de uma sociedade.

A roupa é um significante visual que pode ser interpretado de forma diferente com base especialmente no contexto e na cultura.

E a mulher que defendeu a igualdade é representada nua.

Como disse uma outra mulher muito eloquente (tsk,tsk) em um reality show: 'Não gosto de você. Não sinto verdade em você. Acho que você, sim, incoerente, você está onde te convém. em todos os seus jeitos, falas, posicionamento e etc '

outro monumento recente de Londres, da sufragista Millicent G Fawcet. A crítica aqui foi para o pano de prato que ela segura. tsk, tsk. Mas está vestida. pic de secret London


Acho que é indiferente falar da fonte escolhida para gravar o nome de Mary na base, disso ou daquilo. O blob de bronze prateado elevando a mocinha frágil, desnuda, sem o apoio da sociedade e mesmo assim, olhando corajosamente para o futuro, me causa frustração. 

Chocante? É. 

Impactante? Também. 

Atende ao que se propõe, que é mostrar o quão fora dos padrões Wollstonecraft era? Sim. 

Mas conta a alguém que nunca ouviu falar nela quem foi essa mulher? Não.

outra obra controversa da mesma artista, esta em homenagem a Oscar Wilde que sai de um caixão fumando um cigarrinho. Tô doida ou ele tem até gravata? pic de timeout


No meu ponto de vista, Mary W. merecia mais que uma controvérsia por sua nudez (mesmo que não seja uma representação do corpo físico dela). Uma gaiola vazia faria o mesmo sentido, né?

Até.



serviço: 

Mary Wollstonecraft está em Newington Green.

Oscar Wilde está em Spreading gossip, na Adelaide Street com Charing Cross. Você pode sentar no peito dele para descansar do footing, se quiser.


pesquisei aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui, aqui e em outros sites que já nem me lembro porque li bastante sobre isso desde a inauguração.

sexta-feira, 18 de maio de 2018

Bride walking (mostly alone) down the aisle is a fairytalish twist of life

hello,
Let's talk about the royal wedding. Yeah. Like the rest of the world.
(this post has been updated here)

I've done it before writing short stories on the births of Prince George and Princess Charlotte, even here in Brasil British royal family is quite famous. Why wouldn't they be? Rich, beautiful (most of them), food for gossip, and I'm writing historical fiction so I'm all about Royal Brits.

But what I do want to talk about is Ms Meghan Markle's walk down the aisle... Mostly alone... Wow. 
It's said Prince Charles will escort her from where the royals sit, but until she reaches this part of St George's chapel she'll walk alone. There'll be the children and the chapelain, holding her arm? No one. Wow!
flickr - and me

Researching for proper historical romance writing, I've found terms such as 'water someone else's garden' - a man would say about a daughter. Oh, crap. Really? It meant he'd be spending money and time on a dead weight until she turned at least 15 or 18 and could be passed on to another. Then, he'd pay for it, the famous dowry. The other man would accept the girl/woman to 'use' her for reproduction, work around the house, whatever. This isn't news, and sadly it's not outdated. YET.

What striked me as something cool is Meghan walking mostly alone with the whole world watching - here in Brasil all TV channels will air the wedding from 6AM on. On Twitter people say that she wants the spotlight, that this marriage won't last, this and that. 

Actually, for whatever her reasons, the decision of doing it mostly alone, even if not completely new (it has been done in European royals before), nevertheless, it's a huge step for girl power. Wow to her! Bold woman.

All eyes on her, she'll outsmart Harry like Diana did Charles, I say.

Tomorrow, I'll watch the wedding and hope it'll be a feminist and yet pretty feminine move. 

Wish a happy life for Meghan and Harry (and everyone who marries this week!)

Here they are... Gorgeous!


arriving 

climbing the Chapel's steps
walking by herself. Gorgeous, brave. Wow!
Hope it's all there is to it.











The Duke and Duchess of Sussex


Wedding pics from Tom and Lorenzo Twitter

march, 2023: update
Sadly, this fairytale is proving to be a horror show.
this post has been updated here


domingo, 28 de janeiro de 2018

It’s feminism, what else?

Hello,
since yesterday I've been swimming in feminist connundrums. Or maybe just feminine doubts. I don't know, for me this seems to be a thin line that not only me but everyone seem to cross every now and then.

It started with this post \/ from an Instagram account I love.


Then, on Twitter, I found an article about how slave women and children were trained to please men on Ancient Greek. And today I read about the 'daddy stitch'.

Of course there are moments when every one - not only women - want something different. If you only get gentle love, you might want a good fuck and vice-versa. And this Insta account does have inspiring firing posts but yesterday this photo seemed wrong to me. Did I trip thinking it could be a girl being taught to ask for what a guy wanted and not what she liked?

Maybe because of this devilish logarithms that controls our lives - I do think Google already has a 'minority report' chip inside me - there came the Twitter link to the Ancient Greek's prostitutes... 

If you've been here in my blog before you know how I hate the romance novels law attesting that every woman must be conquered by a manly man who rapes her into love. It kills me. Men love and lust is not charity towards any woman, it cannot be.

But I do know real women who put up with small evil in their husbands for the sake of a comfortable life. Outdated urban legend? I wish...

That brings me to the astonishing 'daddy stitch'. Oh. My. God. I had no idea such a thing existed! What a monstrosity! The article I read said something like 'the post-partum body cannot be the end of a sexist joke'. Yes! When a woman is on her most vulnerable moment, exhausted and full of hormones, a child in her arms, tears and all, someone heartless devilishily prepares her to please her partner... It makes me want to cry.

Doesn't this sounds like something out of 'Mad men'? And no one - incuding me- wants me to begin venting on that TV show again. Right?

I had a c-section when my boy was born because of a surgery I hd had a few years before. My gynos (2 female doctors, my friends, both also pregnant at the time) didn't even consider natural birth afraid my uterus wouldn't endure the stress of labour. But I doubt they'd consider such a thing... Would they? 

I'm so shocked I considered asking them if such a thing exists here in Brazil. Instead, I talked to hubs and... Guess? He says it's a common thing, men talk about this. 'To be a girl again.' He said it's refered as that. Urgh! Such pigs!

I'm disgusted. Appalled. 

Time should be up to all these things, shouldn't it?

And this is not only done to please men, it's done to please the partner in spite of the woman because, obviously, she is an object. Fuck. Damn. Shit.

After spending time revising my first novel Friendship of a Special kind with care worrying if what those Darcy and Lizzy do could be done these days, and dreaming about loving balanced relationships, I wasn't ready to face this objectifying.

It hurts.
Right?



terça-feira, 8 de março de 2016

Powerful business



Hey, it's today!
Happy women's day! 
Yay!

It's not different from any other day, really. It's just a time when we speak up and, these days binge-watching Madmen I've been all about 'girl power'. 

Season 3 is a lot more sedated (or I am the one sedated) but still it's hard to see women so abused by society and womanizers in general. 

There are a few great moments like this one, season 2, ep 5 when an older woman gives a great advice, I mean, GREAT STUFF! 

It's a side character healing from a car accident hidden in Peggy's flat (she has to hide from her husband hired by Draper with whom she was having an affair) and before leaving, Bobbi and Peggy have this conversation:  

I like this particular scene because it's like seeing inside her soul.
She does have power over men, doesn't she? doesn't her jerk of a husband
and Draper super jerk end up doing what she wants?

Peggy's Brooklin flat, morning.
Peggy: 'You can use the mirror in the bedroom.'
Bobbi: 'No. Part of the process of learning to live without your hospitality.'
'It's nothing.'
'Not true. I was curious if you're aware of the value of your service.' (She's referring to the fact that being Peggy Draper's employee, she's doing him a huge favor hiding his mistress.)
'It's what you're supposed to do, isn't it? 

'Wouldn't say that. People will take advantage of you.'
'I know what I'm doing.'
'What do you want? Are you just some busy little bee building a hive out in Brooklyn? 

'Are you still trying to say thank you?' 

Subtitles in Portugues... Netflix is here, everybody.
(Pay attention, this is where it gets bad ass good:)
'You have to start living the life of the person you want to be.'
'Is that what you did?' 

'You're never going to get that corner office until you start treating Don as an equal. And no one will tell you this, but you can't be a man. Don't even try.'


'Be a woman.
It's powerful business when done correctly.
Do you understand what I'm saying, dear?' 


'I think so.' (First time Peggy lowers her walls against the woman.)
'So, how do I get to Grand Central from here, steam ship?' 

'I can walk you to the train. It's two blocks over'
'I'll call a car.'

Season 2 - Episode 5, 35:44

a POWERFUL BUSINESS WHEN DONE CORRECTLY.
Being a strong self-assured woman is bad ass difficult shit!

Thanks Springfieldspringfrield for the script.


And thank you Bobbi Barrett for giving me hope this tv show will live up to all that is about it.

Let's celebrate being women!

Tonight I'll start posting my second Regency lovestory, a tale of a strong woman facing the difficult situation of falling in love with a great man when her life is past the need for him. (kind of a Regency fairy tale if you wish.'

See ya!

segunda-feira, 29 de fevereiro de 2016

Mad men, House of cards and all binge-watch feelings

hello,

We've been binge-watching a lot here, thanks Netflix for this new escape from our shitty Brazilian TV.

So, we've done Breaking bad, Better call Saul, House of Cards, The bridge, Orange is the new black, The fall, Homeland, etc, etc. Last week we surrendered to Mad men.

If you're thinking it's crazy I hadn't watched these shows before, it kinda is. I gave up series a while ago tired of waiting week-to-week episodes, and from watching four together it soon went to no watching at all. Binge-watching is actually a lot of fun, immersing in an specific atmosphere is much better than taking it by tiny drops.


giphy

Anyway, I absolutely adored House of Cards. I was seduced by the fight for power and mostly by Claire Underwood - wow, what a female character! If you've read any of my stories posted here or available for sale you've noticed I like strong women, maybe not feminists but strong, fighters, independent, survivors. That's who I try hard to be as well. Claire is not merely that, she deals the hands. I loved her.

A few series after, we arrived at Mad men. Well, here my head is knotting in a pretzel. Let me try to explain: Don Draper is a douchebag, jackass, prick but Jon Hamm is so handsome... You know how much I like tall, dark, handsome, deep-voiced Darcys. But he's scum! Am I allowed to like him and the show?

The sexism is almost unbearable to me.

And the other men in the show are just as shitty! Oh dear, the way they treat women is degrading, revolting, nauseating... Still I want to watch the episodes and find myself rooting for the beatnik lover who by now (we're wrapping Season 1 tonight) is my favorite character because she has power. In my POV, she's the only one who does whatever the heck she wants and breaks the big man time and time again. I loved to see him arrive in his perfect home broken, like the world was weighing in his shoulders because she didn't want to run away to Paris with him for the weekend. He had built a perfect home with a perfect little Stepford wife and still lets the beatnik lover carry him in a leash. 
Good for her! 
Douchebag Draper!

I've just released a book about second chances and leaps of faith where the characters are big cheaters, I can understand the dwelling one might find him/herself in, but come on! 

My hubs says it's what men did back then. 
'Really?' I ask in an ironic sneer.
'Yeah.' He nodded. 'My father, yours, that was how people thought.'
'But that couldn't be every man, I mean, this must be a saturated version of how a few people thought!' I cringe watching Draper arrive home expecting to find his dinner at the table, children in bed and wife coiffed and dressed for him to acknowledge (which he doesn't). 'I mean, in Bewitched, Samantha's husband was an ad man...' I'm a bit desperate.
'Ah.' My hubs raises his shoulders. 'Maybe religious men, a very few.'
I watch a couple more minutes teetering between nauseated and fascinated by the show. 'I think I'd have liked to be a man, you know?'
'Excuse me?' He frowns averting his eyes from the TV to me.
'Men have freedom and power. We're still fighting for a slice...'
He keeps silent because he understands. 

We both work a lot but when we arrive home at night it's me who has to cook dinner, deal with our housekeeper and our son's homework. Rain or shine, child's fever or PTA meetings, whatever happens, he gets to keep his work schedule - I have to take care of stuff.

I digress, sorry.


ebaumsworld
OMG, how much she was undermined and abused in this episode... >.<

So, I've been searching education on Mad men trying to excuse my liking. Yes, I need it. It feels wrong to like Draper and his filthy workplace and life, his ways and reasons. He's such a good lead character-antihero-villain, I hope against hope he won't be excused - I believe a jackass can be a jackass just because he has the right to be a jackass. (that's one of the major reasons '50 shades' is so lame to me).

I've talked to friends, googled and after reading an interesting spot on 'nonviolent communication' I found Mathew Gilbert for Boston Globe. Thank you, Mr. Gilbert (even though there were 110 spoilers for me). It turns out that sexism is one of the major plots and one that isn't sugared throughout the seasons.

It kind of helps me understand the show and almost made my guilt for being drawn to it palatable. Kind of a masochistic way of studying of history. Urgh.

A few months back it seemed that wherever I went I stumbled upon a discussion on Austen's proto-feminism, a very touchy subject. I got myself in a few even for saying that for me 'it's hard to like Historical romance because people try to copy Lizzy Bennet and end up with a swooning sex kitten'. People understood I said Austen wrote (bad) historical romance, I said I unfortunately read bad copycats. 

Anyway, I do hope that by the end of Mad men's final season I'll be more comfortable with the show, maybe even liking it freely as so many people have all over.

I also hope I can shake their abuses and don't let them inadvertently inspire me in any way.


timeout