One of my friends is doing a project on class, race, and
body image, and asked me to share my thoughts. I figured that this is as good a
place as any to do so. For the
most part, these are personal opinions and experiences. I do also mention
societal and cultural norms, stereotypes, and tropes, but this is still very
much told from my point of view.
Obviously there are a variety of truths and stories related to this
subject. I can only speak from the
view-point of a person at a certain socio-economic level, or as a member of a
certain race, or as a person with my particular body. I don’t claim to speak
for any groups.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
The Woman Question
After Where is Smith?
The question I get asked most frequently (and normally slightly derisively) is Why
are you going to an all women school?
For the most part, this question just irks me, because there
is nothing wrong with going to an all women’s college. In fact, I have a small
list of complaints about this question:
- It implies that there is something wrong with all-female company/companionship
- It comes across sounding ridiculously heteronormative
- Smith is part of a consortium with co-ed schools. There will be guys on campus. Just not very many. This question assumes there aren’t any.
- It implies I want/need to hang out with men, which I don’t. I’m not saying this because I’m a misandrist, in fact, the same works in reverse. I like hanging out with people. Women are people.
At the same time “Why a women’ college?” is a good question that many people considering a
women’s college may ask at some time. Obviously, not all women would enjoy
going to an all-women school. At first, I didn’t want to, either. I get it.
Some people prefer hanging out with guys, or believe women are too dramatic, or
they want to have wider, more accessible dating choices. There is nothing
inherently wrong with this question, just the tone that it’s generally asked
in.
And so, here is my list of reasons for choosing an
all-women’s school (most of these are Smith specific):
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