Page 119 - Demo

207Despite what people think based on my opinion writing, I very much like men. They%u2019re interesting to me, and I mostly wish they would be better about how they treat women so I wouldn%u2019t have to call them out 10so often. And still, I put up with nonsense from unsuitable men even though I know better and can do better. I love diamonds and the excess of weddings. I consider certain domestic tasks as gendered, mostly all in my favor as I don%u2019t care for chores %u2014 lawn care, bug killing, and trash removal, for example, are men%u2019s work.Sometimes, a lot of the time honestly, I totally fake %u201cit%u201d because it%u2019s easier. . . . I feel guilty because the sisterhood would not approve. I%u2019m not even sure what the sisterhood is, but the idea of a sisterhood menaces me, quietly, reminding me of how bad a feminist I am. Good feminists don%u2019t fear the sisterhood because they know they are comporting themselves in sisterhood approved ways.I love babies, and I want to have one. I am willing to make certain compromises (not sacrifices) in order to do so%u2014namely maternity leave and slowing down at work to spend more time with my child, writing less so I can be more present in my life. I worry about dying alone, unmarried and childless, because I spent so much time pursuing my career and accumulating degrees. This kind of thinking keeps me up at night, but I pretend it doesn%u2019t because I am supposed to be evolved. My success, such as it is, is supposed to be enough if I%u2019m a good feminist. It is not enough. It is not even close.Because I have so many deeply held opinions about gender equality, I feel a lot of pressure to live up to certain ideals. I am supposed to be a good feminist who is having it all, doing it all. Really, though, I%u2019m a woman in her thirties struggling to accept herself On this 2023 cover of Vogue magazine, actress Margot Robbie promotes Greta Gerwig%u2019s movie Barbie. Among the film%u2019s many Barbies of varying professions and appearances, Robbie%u2019s character stands out as the self-proclaimed %u201cStereotypical Barbie%u201d who finds her inner strength and goes on to save her community.How do Gay, this cover of Voguemagazine, and the movie it advertises explore assumptions that fashion and feminism don%u2019t mix? In what ways do %u201cthe unrealistic standards of beauty women are held to%u201d (par. 8) further this assumption? Does celebrating Barbie dolls pander to stereotypes or expand the definition of %u201cfeminism%u201d?Consider the benefits we typically associate with membership in a sisterhood or brotherhood. What %u201cmenaces%u201d (par. 11) Gay about the idea of sisterhood?335 Roxane GayCopyright %u00a9 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. For review purposes only. Not for redistribution.