GRAY IN L.A. - #MeToo, #YouToo #WeAllToo - Time to really get to work! And make it snappy!
GRAY IN L.A. - NASTY BY NATURE! THE PROUD POLITICAL WOMAN
Political Woman!
The Trump Roadshow revved me up more than I already am
at any time and pushed me into the arms of my all-time favorite topics:
spirited rebellion, disobedience, provocation, defiance. And if you do it right - one of the rewards
will be an unintentional compliment by the likes of Donald Trump which is:
"Nasty woman". Right on! Thank you! Delightful!
Actually, Hillary is in good company, and the list of "Nasty
Women" with fire in their veins and revolution in their hearts is neither
new nor that short, be it in fiction
or real life. Artists like Frida Kahlo and Cindy Sherman? "Nasty". All the female singers from Joni and Beyonce
to Pink and Annie to the fabulous jazz stars Aretha, Billie and Simone? "Nasty
Women". So, this is a fact: Speaking Up IS political.
How important being "political" can be was very powerfully
demonstrated by the Russian punk band and fierce and fearless provocateurs
"Pussy Riot" (what are they up to these days?). They demanded
attention to a political system that suppresses people by doing political satire. And
they were willing to be incarcerated. Not a good thing?? Just the opposite. It was a
beauty of courage and daring.
To be political, the chance
to be political which means basically to consider yourself important enough to
have a position and an opinion that has the power to change society, is a gift.
Although I see it more as a simple human right.
I grew up in the late Sixties, and those were heady years of
upheaval, rebellion and protest. We, the women, wanted something, with all our
hearts. Change! And, looking back and looking at the present, it seems as if we
actually have achieved some change in the end. Mostly, because we were
"political" and many were willing to risk quite a lot for being heard
and seen.
(not me but I like the photo of Anna and Julika)
We had a saying: "the personal is political", meaning that whatever you do, whoever you are and everything that happens in your own four walls - child abuse, neglect, fights, Dad's chauvinism, Mom's drinking problem, but also inspirational teachers, good role models - has an effect, makes a ripple in the world - good or bad - and is therefore political.
Without courageous - make that political - women who secured
the right to the women's vote, we wouldn't have the powerful political woman of
the moment: Hillary Clinton. What if she hadn't decided as a young, serious and
awkward woman with thick glasses that she wanted to be "political" -
which meant nothing more than using her brain, not her tits in the name of
progress? We wouldn't have had the "almost" first female president.
Fictitious Nasty Women are a favorite of mine. From
"noir" Bad Girls to the "Troublesome Twos" Thelma &
Louise. I have such strong revenge fantasies when I see the entire Chauvinist-Club
of the world that I wish that the two legendary angry road
warriors would pay Groper-in-Chief Trump (and the rest of
his ilk) a visit and do their gutsy thing.
I can only dream of what they would
do to a guy who thinks
nothing of "grabbing them by the pussy". A swift kick in the groin
and mussing up his yellow hair is probably the kindest of their options I
think.
Why is it that this 20-year-old feminist road caper was one
of the biggest blockbusters in 1991? Because it put the finger right in the old
wound: women in their (partly accepted) roles as Nobodies and targets for abuse
and sexual advances. What was so satisfying about the movie was
that it tried to reverse the passive and pliant woman (Trump's favorite
targets) who offers no resistance to the crudest and even violent hassling.
Finally enraged, the two spirited Besties - or shall we call them
"Nasties" - introduced a new and rather effective way to put men in
their place (one of them actually five feet under). It felt mighty good to
shirk for once the shameful role of the whining poor victim.
I remember women applauding and jeering in the cinema when
the two intrepid vagabonds shot the tires of that disgusting trucker jerk (come
to think of it, he was like the Trump of the Asphalt). It was a triumphant day
at the movies all right. Don't mess with "Nasty Women"
who operate on pent up rage.
More than ever, it's the fearless spirit women should be
looking for - sometimes asking where it all went. Let's bring it back and
transport it into offices, colleges, and well, all the places where men and
women converge.
Be loud,
be clear, be strong, be explicit. Give
'em hell!! Don't be a doormat, be the one who slams the door! Right in
the face of the Trumps of the world. It will be a welcome and beautiful noise! TIME
FOR NASTY WOMEN! And for being "nastily political".
Sabine, The Riveter
"FUCK BEAUTY DUTY"
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sabine-reichel/
Politics and fashion -my most favorite things....!!!
ReplyDeleteReally? That's rare. I found that I seem to be so freakishly "political" that it turns people off. But I don't care! Obviously!! Thanks for letting me know!! Sabine
ReplyDeleteI am proud and political too...and I loooove fashion <3 I have been told on many occasions that I am too outspoken and too political. I refuse to live my life in a state of apathy particularly when women are still so marginalised that a potential American president is still referring to vagina's as 'pussy' that he feels the right to 'grab'. Love your work Sabina x
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