WOMEN!!!

Hola,

I struggled with what to write today. Then I read the news.

Yes, what a downer - with deaths, the pandemic and the fight for American democracy. I could write about every one of these topics, though it occurred to me as I am writing, that my opinion on any of these would be from the POV of a 58yr old Italian American woman who voluntarily lives in another country.

I'd rather talk about a universal problem that is more important to me and to so many other women. The oppression of the female gender has been going on for thousands of years. Yes, some strides have been made, but in the States, we are again fighting for the right to have control over our own bodies. I am not trying to push my Pro-Choice agenda here. It's my belief and I am going to leave it at that.

We could look at the the unfair payment gap or lack of women in leadership positions. Not going there either.

What I cannot understand is how passive women are about the violence that is forced upon us daily. A woman is raped every 5 minutes in the world. Children are sex trafficked everywhere. Religious doctrines force women to be uneducated and even killed if they violate the man-made rules of their religion. 

I also consider the objectifying of women to be an act of violence. I do so because of what it does to an individual woman and to the collective world women live in. 

Because we look to the media for role models, we perceive that this objectification is the norm that we all should live up, even though  it causes such pain for those of us who don't fit the mold.  In my own experience growing up in the 70's when long thin bodies with straight hair were the norm or trend,  it was really tough for a fat Italian girl with big curly hair! The self loathing I had succumbed to lead to years of compulsive overeating and binging while using laxatives. I never felt worthy, because I wasn't going to look like one of Charlie's Angels.  It's pathetic...but it's what we do.

It took me years of therapy and personal development to see my inner and outer beauty. I was fortunate in even my darkest days to have the hope that lead me to find help to heal. Not many women have this or even the support they need to find it.

Beauty contests and keeping us vying for the limited choices of jobs available to women is what the patriarchy uses to keep us down. We compete with each other instead of lifting each other up and standing in unity with all women! You can't say men aren't smart, but let's face it, we are smarter and more resilient.

Our society is facing a lot now, and for me as a woman and the mother of a young daughter, I am more adamant about empowering the women around me and everywhere. We are the untapped resource in this world. Our contributions over the centuries have been huge but easily overlooked because of our gender. 

Embrace the woman you are today and the future woman you will be! Our world needs you!

Love & Peace

Gina