Presidentress

March is Women's History Month. Honestly, I never noticed that before. I guess it gets overshadowed by February which is Black History Month AND Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Also because I don't pay attention to anything in March besides my birthday!! Haha.

Anyway, the last two days have been full of learning about women, leadership, and history for me! It has been very cool. Today, Tiffany and I went to an exhibit at the library on campus dedicated primarily to the Suffragette Movement. It was really quite fascinating. It's not really something I've ever paused to think about: the fact that women have only been allowed to vote in this country for about 85 years. The fact that less than 100 yrs ago, the country was just crawling with men who thought women were too stupid to vote. And, after seeing this display, I know just how vigorously men opposed this movement. These men, who were married to women, clearly wanted them around, but still thought they were some lower form of life. It constantly amazes me how women continue to live with, sleep with, and love men who don't give a damn about their rights. It's not enough for a man to say that they think women should have rights and equality. If you aren't fighting for me, then you aren't on my time. Silence is acceptance. Get off your asses.

The coolest thing at the library today was a selection of old post cards from the early 1900s and late 1800s. Half the postcards were pro-women and half were anti-women. Half were from the US and half were from England. The 1st thing I noticed was how hard it was to tell which postcards were pro and which were con! To me, they were all offensive! I thought that was kind of funny, because it shows how much language has changed over the years. The same sentence that meant women rule in 1900, now implies that women are stupid. Quite bizarre. It was also strange to see how women were depicted in the illustrations. In England, the anti-women postcards portrayed suffragettes as large, masculine, and uptight. One postcard noted the the suffragettes were women who had never been kissed! In the US however, the postcards depicted sexier women, but portrayed them as sluts. They were said to be buying votes with kisses! It was also interesting to see that the postcard manufacturers printed both sides of the issue, to make the most money possible! So there were both pro-women and anti-women postcards that used the same illustrations, characters, and general themes; but with conflicting messages.

Reading about these women, who stood up in the face of so much hatred, was just unbelievable. I generally think of myself as pretty brave and outspoken, but I wonder if I could have done what they did. I'm just not sure. I mean, today they are seen as heroes. But they generally didn't live to see themselves honored. Even the women who lived to see the 19th amendment passed were still only minimally respected since there were still many, many Americans who opposed the movement. I'm sure that they were all still subject to an incredible amount of ridicule and criticism. I'm just not sure that I could have stood up to such things, the way these women did. But the last two days have certainly inspired me to do my best. The memories of these women, and the bravery of one woman I met on Thursday, have made me want to be loud and unrelenting and fuck anyone who doesn't like it. Who cares if I get a whole boatload of hatemail? Let them come. This is war and I am fighting for my life, my soul, my very existence. In my next incarnation, I don't even want to hear the implication that women are incubators. A million appropriate quotes come to mind, but I will sign off with just one.

I don't care if they eat me alive, I've got better things to do than survive. ~Ani Difranco