Womanifesto: What Being Female Means
Emily Blythe-Scott
It means I am genetically a whole person with my XX chromosomes.
But in the eyes of our society both Western and global it means I am not a whole person, an individual, but a body with a void that causes me dubious physical pain and copious mental anguish. Much of being female is negativity. It means seeing my humanity negated daily. It means being powerless & passive & looked at daily. & dealing with the socialisation that takes my own self out of my hands into your hands, that is into the hands of men & males.
It's menstrual blood that I can't talk about; a body that is weaker than I'd like; & wires to hold my breasts into even suspension, pretty things for boys to look at. I deal with the men who negate me sometimes vociferously, sometimes silently murderous.
The women, women who will not or cannot acknowledge that woman is abject, I do not know how to deal with. Maybe my anger towards women is stronger. The information is there; I found it, why didn't you? I feel unwilling to resign myself to women's collective stupidity but it is right there I encounter it daily. We could stop this. Women can be powerful, stop being abject for a short time because I want to live.
I will not resign myself to being screwed over. Much as I loathe men I loathe women more. If you are so selfless then do this for me.
These other womanifestos are not about being female at all they are about being Daddy's Girl waiting for the anger to subside long to get married, get a job, get in to university, get laid, have a kid. My anger towards women is huge. We outnumber men in a democracy that had ought to count for a great deal- we are supposed to be the communicative, co-operative, caring gender. Where does all that go when it comes to each other, to women?
I believe that women can overthrow patriarchal power. It will take aggression and ruthlessness and it will take no prisoners. But I also know that women will not do this. Something about not stooping to their level. I'm not trying to take the moral high ground I'm trying to take back my life, my freedom. I'm angry at you.
I will not feel guilty for the anger I hold against women and I will not be nice to Daddy's Girls.
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