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March 19, 2006
Blood and Guts in Mutual*
I know, I know: I said I was going to quit hanging out at blogs written by devout Mormon feminists, because they annoy me so. And I haven't gone back on my word, because I haven't been hanging out, exactly: I've just visited a time or two. You see, Jana posted something really interesting about Mormons and menarche, and she began this interesting post with a quote from me. When she emailed me about it, I couldn't resist checking it out; and when I saw that it was, like many things Jana posts, insightful and provocative, I couldn't resist commenting. And then I couldn't resist going back later and seeing what other women had to say, and those comments were interesting too; so I commented again.
And then I thought, "Wow, maybe I over-reacted; maybe these devout Mormon feminist bloggers aren't so bad." So I followed some links and looked at some blogs and I can admit that I sort of over-reacted, but I can also see that I sort of didn't. I found sites that really upset me, but instead of freaking out, I took a deep breath, clicked on something else, and simply resolved never to go back to the sites that bother me.
But I encourage you to check out Jana's post and leave a comment on what you think we can and should do to make menarche a positive (if private and personal) milestone for young women.
*Mutual is one of the old names for the Mormon youth organization. I'm not sure what it's called now.
Posted by holly at March 19, 2006 9:57 PM
Holly:
Thank you for the virtual High-Five :)
I'm glad to have you as a friend. Like the quotation that I used in my post, I have many other things that I've learned from you over the years that have informed my way of viewing women, the church, and myself.
I have been both surprised and delighted by the responses to my post. More than anything, I thought I would hear more women who celebrated menarche in unique ways. Instead, the tales have been about secrecy, shame, and even cruelty. Our society has such a long way to go in recognizing the beauty of women, and in removing the stigma that comes along with the monthly bleeding.
And thanks again for your contributions to the conversation at X2! :)