“De Marneffe writes: “We often resist thinking through [the] implications [of maternal desire] because we fear becoming mired in clichés about woman’s nature, which will then be used to restrict women’s rights and freedoms. But if we resist thinking about [it], or treat it as a marginal detail, we lose an opportunity to understand ourselves and the broader situation of women.””
Thank you for sharing this quote in your letter. I appreciated the anecdote following it, too. I find this sentiment true among my female friends, and in myself, and it articulates a strange loss I have been feeling recently while I am pregnant with my first child. In trying for so long to be unrestricted in my femininity (and therefore rejecting the cliche/“inevitibility” of “mother”), I now find myself frequently at a loss in understanding the fullness of this time. It has required a lot of catch-up thinking.
Your piece leaves so much room for thoughts to emerge in response and relation! Thank you!
Thank you, that was exactly the point of this more experimental structure, to leave morsels of thought for people to pick up and engage with as it resonates with bits of their experience! Congrats on the pregnancy, it sounds like a very complex experience to think through indeed. Wishing you all the best for it.
Such beautiful reflections, thank you. x
Thank you for reading ! :))
“De Marneffe writes: “We often resist thinking through [the] implications [of maternal desire] because we fear becoming mired in clichés about woman’s nature, which will then be used to restrict women’s rights and freedoms. But if we resist thinking about [it], or treat it as a marginal detail, we lose an opportunity to understand ourselves and the broader situation of women.””
Thank you for sharing this quote in your letter. I appreciated the anecdote following it, too. I find this sentiment true among my female friends, and in myself, and it articulates a strange loss I have been feeling recently while I am pregnant with my first child. In trying for so long to be unrestricted in my femininity (and therefore rejecting the cliche/“inevitibility” of “mother”), I now find myself frequently at a loss in understanding the fullness of this time. It has required a lot of catch-up thinking.
Your piece leaves so much room for thoughts to emerge in response and relation! Thank you!
Thank you, that was exactly the point of this more experimental structure, to leave morsels of thought for people to pick up and engage with as it resonates with bits of their experience! Congrats on the pregnancy, it sounds like a very complex experience to think through indeed. Wishing you all the best for it.