I'm back for another edition of filter the fluff! Every now and then, I come across really well-written pieces on the interwebs and get the urge to share. My only criteria is that each article is thought-provoking in some way.
I was thumbing through my bookmarks today and realized I have a few favorites that all center around the theme of womanhood in relation to career, food, and faith. Let's get to it.
The Personal Business of Being Laid Off
"Like in all creative jobs, there’s no formula or clear path to finding success as a writer. While talent is a factor, much of it is dependent on being in the right place, knowing the right people, and luck.
I soon learned that when you’re in the world of freelance writing, regardless of how sought after you become, how many Twitter followers you have or impressive American bylines you accumulate, you begin grasping for the validation and security of either a book deal or a staff position... This reality is well known the moment you begin writing with the intention of being on a staff anywhere. Because of this, obtaining a salaried job with benefits feels more like winning a prize than a natural career step."
Sarah Hagi explains how the lines between what's business and what's personal can often bleed into one another in this Hazlitt article. The creative field can be tough in terms of "job security" (whatever that means). Fun fact: I was laid off from a company I had been with for six years, 10 days after my dad passed away. Also? The information was conveyed via email, on a day I was working from home. Sure, it was a business decision, but sometimes it's hard not to take it personally.
Being a woman means being bad-greedy or good-greedy
“Good” greedy is luxurious and sensual. Pretty, performative greediness. Greediness that looks great on Instagram...“Bad” greedy, meanwhile, is secret, squalid, thick with butter and laced with shame. Bad greedy is when I find a bit of cake in my bra and eat it. Bad greedy is wanting the dessert menu when everyone else is groaningly full.
Lauren Bravo had me scrolling and nodding every paragraph of the way in this writeup for The Pool. The way she articulates food culture as it relates to women is brilliant. Absolutely brilliant. This is not of piece of self-discovery or an effort to start a movement. Instead, it calls out the gendered double standards around eating and pokes fun in the process.
Eating as a woman is always a statement – whether that statement is “I’m perfect!!” or “I’m not!”
The Daughters' Great Escape
“Stay-at-home daughter” is a term used in some evangelical fundamentalist Christian homes to describe a woman who lives at home until marriage and is raised to submit to male authority. She’s homeschooled to protect her from worldly ideas and made to mimic her mother’s “helpmeet” role (a Scripture-inspired term defining women as their husbands’ helpers) until her mid- to late teens or early 20s, when her father approves a husband.
Sarah Stankorb wrote this eye-opening piece for Marie Claire. It immediately sent me down a rabbit hole of anonymous posts written by women who've come through the other side of this experience. (These stories are not for the faint of heart)
These pieces really interesting, specially the last one :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Nice images too!!
http://www.desiringsme.com/summery-winter/
Thank you, Yara! Checking out your blog now.
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