Ruminations, Menstrations, and Celebrations
I really enjoyed reading about Alisa Valdes and her experiences in “Ruminations of a Feminist Fitness Instructor”. Alisa Valdes, a “musician/writer/social critic”, gives her tale of being conflicted over success within our patriarchal society and struggling to make a living out of the society. The chapter was well written and her genuineness really helped me understand what a woman in her situation was facing. Valdes was similar to many woman who had to choose whether to take the path of least or most resistance. In her case, while trying to make money to pay for her college, she started a whole other career. This happens to plenty of people who originally just need a means to a good end. I think her story shows how our society can manipulate and mold good people into lesser ones. Valdes consciously knew that even though she was fueling exactly what she was against, she says she betrayed herself. Similar to an addiction, Valdes even quit for a while, only to take it back up when she started struggling financially. Fortunately for Valdes, she started her business at a young age so by 23 she realized debt was worth being who she really wanted to be. I thought her story really just showed me how easy it is to get caught up in society and being “kept from the real business of our lives”. It is good to hear from a successful feminist who had to work from the bottom up. The only sad thing is most girls in her same situation probably won’t have the privilege to read this article.When I first saw the title of Anne Sexton’s “In Celebration of My Uterus”, I was actually pretty excited to read it. I was only largely disappointed when it was a poem bringing me back to American Literature and poem analysis. The short preface really was a lifesaver and I could understand the poem and its meaning much more. Sexton celebrates her uterus amongst other things about being a woman. The poem itself could be written by someone today and I think that what is so significant about it. As the preface says Sexton’s writing didn’t really get good reviews. Writing about these subjects during that time was pretty bold to say the least and I have to give her respect. Not only was she outraging the male critics, she was inspiring women.Reading Sterling’s article “Hormonal Hurricanes” was definitely a learning experience for me. Having a sister 21 months younger than me I remember her stressing out about the whole thing. I always tried to stay as far away as possible from the subject. The whole thing was always like an urban myth or something when I was younger. I remember my friends and I talking about girls who would be a little moody and instantly suggesting they were “PMSing”. Reading about how menstruation affected the lives of women in the past was really interesting. I feel like the ignorance of me as well as other young boys can almost be paralleled with the men from the past Sterling talks about. Reading this article really humbled me about my pubescent changes in comparison to those of females.