"Where do you find yourself cheering for women, but worried about the system that’s selecting and shaping them?"
In all honesty, the answer to that question is "basically everywhere."
But on a much less depressing note, Simone Biles gives me hope that at least one system is changing. It was incredibly inspiring to see her competing as a confident adult who knows her limits after all the horrific abuse that was exposed in USA gymnastics. To see a gymnast calling the shots and taking charge after decades of the shots being called by abusive doctors and coaches felt truly redemptive. It was honestly like watching that moment of poetic redemption you sometimes get in movies, except this was real life and it was women my age who had orchestrated it. I aspire to be like Simone Biles.
The military, for sure. There is an NYT Magazine article this week about the military and sexual assault. Of course, I have respect for servicemembers and their families—my brother is serving in the Navy right now, and I am proud of him. It's hard and valorous work. But I think the U.S. military problems with deep systemic misogyny (and other forms of bigotry, extremism, and inequality) are concerning to me.
This has always been my dilemma as a fan of classic Hollywood. Knowing about the toxicity there made me realize how Lina Lamont from Singing in the Rain is actually an empowering character. She's the one forcing the men into a corner. She's not exactly likable but it's nice to see a woman who isn't abused. A fantasy.
In 1996, my four-year-old self was so engrossed with the gymnastics events (and emboldened by recent tumbling classes) that I did a cartwheel off the coffee table and broke my arm. I wonder if that was before, during, or after Kerri Strug's event...
I don’t watch the Olympics at the moment. I watch segments of it on YouTube or during their interview. Maybe this will help due to the sponsorship having low viewership the day of the Olympics. I also think the committee has to do a better job on the health of these vulnerable women.
"Where do you find yourself cheering for women, but worried about the system that’s selecting and shaping them?"
In all honesty, the answer to that question is "basically everywhere."
But on a much less depressing note, Simone Biles gives me hope that at least one system is changing. It was incredibly inspiring to see her competing as a confident adult who knows her limits after all the horrific abuse that was exposed in USA gymnastics. To see a gymnast calling the shots and taking charge after decades of the shots being called by abusive doctors and coaches felt truly redemptive. It was honestly like watching that moment of poetic redemption you sometimes get in movies, except this was real life and it was women my age who had orchestrated it. I aspire to be like Simone Biles.
The military, for sure. There is an NYT Magazine article this week about the military and sexual assault. Of course, I have respect for servicemembers and their families—my brother is serving in the Navy right now, and I am proud of him. It's hard and valorous work. But I think the U.S. military problems with deep systemic misogyny (and other forms of bigotry, extremism, and inequality) are concerning to me.
(TW: rape, sexual assualt, PTSD).
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/03/magazine/military-sexual-assault.html
This has always been my dilemma as a fan of classic Hollywood. Knowing about the toxicity there made me realize how Lina Lamont from Singing in the Rain is actually an empowering character. She's the one forcing the men into a corner. She's not exactly likable but it's nice to see a woman who isn't abused. A fantasy.
In 1996, my four-year-old self was so engrossed with the gymnastics events (and emboldened by recent tumbling classes) that I did a cartwheel off the coffee table and broke my arm. I wonder if that was before, during, or after Kerri Strug's event...
I don’t watch the Olympics at the moment. I watch segments of it on YouTube or during their interview. Maybe this will help due to the sponsorship having low viewership the day of the Olympics. I also think the committee has to do a better job on the health of these vulnerable women.