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Plus: trans women in sport, women on pedestals, and award-winning second acts $$PLAIN_TEXT_PREVIEW$$
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Where do I see myself in five years? On a plinth. |
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Welcome to The Persistence, which rounds up female-focused reads to help you feel seen, save time and make sense of the world. Know a friend who would like it? Please pass it on!
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STATUES OF LIBERTYStatues are a tricky business these days aren’t they? Who is put on a pedestal has never faced more scrutiny. Then there’s the inevitable debate about the style of the sculpture. Too foreboding? Too abstract? Too naked, in the case of Mary Wollstonecraft last year (oh the irony of a bunch of feminists arguing about a woman’s body!). So I should state clearly that I’m 100% here for the statue of Emily Wilding Davison, the British Suffragette who died for the cause, which was unveiled in the UK this week. Davison was trampled to death in the Epsom Derby, when she tried to attach the Suffragette flag to the reigns of the King’s horse. On the anniversary of her death, after an eight year long campaign, two pupils from a local girls’ school unveiled the statue while Mandu Reid, leader of Britain’s Women’s Equality Party gave a powerful speech. Which is all great and as it should be. Until there are more statues of women, women and girls should absolutely get to own these moments. What made me pause though, was wondering what pupils from local boys’ schools were doing at that time. Were they also hearing about this extraordinary woman who helped change history? Would they later troop in to town to visit the statue, or use it to debate how much has - and hasn’t - changed in society since she died? I hope so. Because there’s a fine balance between recognising the unique challenges different people face, and ghettoising their causes. The root of the Suffragette’s cause - equality - is a universal concept. And their daring and sacrifice are inspirational whatever your gender. Right now, in the wake of the Everyone’s Invited movement and outcries about violence against women by men, we need more reminders of our commonality and equal value than ever. We need to normalise men having feminist heroes. And yes, we 100% need more women put on pedestals. Once those statues are in place though, we shouldn’t just expect women to look up to them.
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Revolutionary reading: This pacey profile of Emily Wilding Davison is like a mini time capsule. Alongside tales of her militant acts, setting post boxes alight and the force-feeding that broke her jaw, it’s packed with photos, front pages and cartoons featuring the Suffragettes from the time, as well as footage from that fatal race. All the big questions collide in The Naked Feminist. What is art for? What does feminism mean? And how much pubic hair is too much? Helen Lewis dissects the reaction to the statue celebrating the 18th century writer and 'mother of feminism' Mary Wollstonecraft that was unveiled in London last year. Clue: it was wild. Ever since police forcibly arrested women at a vigil for Londoner Sarah Everard, who was murdered whilst walking home, Reclaim These Streets has been fighting to protect the right to protest. Now they urgently need funds to keep their court case alive. If you can spare a bit of cash, you can support them here.
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LIFE LESSONS FROM THE GOLDEN GIRLS?
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“The idea began to feel exciting ― a way not only to mitigate loneliness and retain autonomy but also to remain vibrant and have fun well into our golden years. I could already picture which of my friends would fall into the role of hedonistic Blanche, filling our imagined home with a parade of younger men, and who would be Dorothy, with her pragmatism and dry wit. We would not only care for each other but feed off each other, keeping ourselves vital and young-hearted as long as possible.”
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Firstly, we are all way too young to be thinking about retirement plans. Like, really guys! (Please don’t @ me with previous stories I’ve shared of women’s paltry investment habits and paltry pension funds. The sun is shining and l’m indulging in some temporary blissful ignorance). That aside, if I HAD to confront the inevitable passage of time, the mind-boggling cost of home help for seniors, and the increased life expectancy of women (oh god…), then this riff on co-habiting with girlfriends à la the American sitcom The Golden Girls, feels like a pretty comforting option. A trial run would be essential of course. Probably once a year to check compatibility. A spa you say? Golden. PS: couldn’t help noticing the piece calls Blanche, Dorothy, Rose and Sophia ‘fiftysomethings’. Fiftysomethings? I know there’s a lot of Botox around these days but, seriously?
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TRANS WOMEN DREAMING OF TOKYO'Better to be a slow happy woman than a fast unhappy man' introduces Valentina Petrillo, the Italian Paralympic trans athlete who hopes to make history competing in Tokyo this year. It gave me a lot to think about. Maybe I’ve been looking in the wrong places, but amid all the noise about trans athletes in sport, very little of what I hear comes from the athletes themselves. Petrillo is front and centre in this piece, yet there’s no shortage of nuance as she reflects on how she might have viewed trans athletes in her former life. Honest and impactful.
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WAR THROUGH A WOMAN’S EYES
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“My mother left me two days after my birth and went on with her life. My biological father is a man convicted of wartime rape. I was adopted by a janitor who was working at the hospital where I was born…”
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This week, the UN quashed an appeal from former military chief Ratko Mladic, who had previously been convicted for genocide during Bosnia’s war in the early 90s. Mladic, otherwise known as the Butcher of Bosnia, will indeed spend the rest of his life behind bars. And in the words of my late mother-in-law on hearing a child murderer had killed himself, “frankly, that’s the least he can do, darling.” Nonetheless, it reminded me of Selma, a Bosnian woman who was raped during the war, whose profoundly moving story I read in ELLE a few months ago. So often it’s said that women pay the biggest price in war, but rarely do we confront what that really means. A Mother, A Son, A Wartime Secret unpicks just that, tracing the endless reverberations on Selma’s life as her white hot quest for justice threatens to consume her. And while there’s no Hollywood ending to this true story, there is great hope in the indomitable spirit of her son Alen who refuses to be defined by his conception. Unforgettable.
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OLDER, WISER, AWARD-WINNER?Forbes have heard the cries of a million midlife women and created their inaugural 50 over 50 list of “female entrepreneurs, leaders, scientists and creators”, showing that fame and glory isn’t just for the young, and that brains and brilliance don’t expire once you’re past 30. Hoo-rah! Even better, they’ve asked the award-winners to share their best advice on super-charging your career after 50, which frankly makes valuable reading, whatever stage you’re at. And even EVEN better? They were so inundated with brilliant nominations, that more specialism-specific 50 over 50 lists are in the pipeline. Stick one of those on your vision board, stat.
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Photo by Sam Chapman Logo design Sage Bronk
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