Here is a response to train of women following the world's most powerful men around at the G-20. It's from Penelope Trunk's Brazen Careerist blog. I've really enjoyed her unique perspective on the world, so I've recently added it to my blogroll. Here is what I thought most interesting:
I adore Michelle Obama, and I adore Carla Bruni – First Lady and First Model, and First Homewrecker, of France. But I don't want to see them grouped together for something other than who they are. They are special and fun and innovative and strong. They do not deserve to be grouped almost randomly with other women based on who they married. I want to see Michelle and Carla hanging out together so I can have a vicarious girls-night-out in London.
While I write this post, Adam Toren has the unfortunate timing of sending me an email to tell me I have been named one of the top 100 women bloggers. I email him back immediately to ask him if he has a similar award for the top 100 men.
And here's my point: women do not need to be called out just because they are women. It's bullshit. Women are doing fine competing with men. Women are earning more than men in corporate America, women are keeping their jobs at a higher rate than men in the recession, and, Adam, when it comes to making money from blogging, the mommy bloggers knock the ball out of the park. So what's up with segregating women? What is the point?
It's similar to how teaching "Women's History" or "African American History" or what have you ends up marginalizing the aforesaid group(s) instead of emphasizing its importance -- if it were significant enough in and of itself to be important, it would be studied in "regular" history. That's why someone like Elizabeth I is in all European history classes but someone like Rebecca Latimer Felton ("Who?" you say) will be relegated to Women's History because the fact that she was a woman is the only thing people remember about her. Waaaaaaaay ahead of you Penelope, but good point.
ReplyDeleteThere's a famous historical theorist who wrote a paper about this, but my notes are at home and Madeline might have tossed them out anyway.