Shh
Be a good girl. Don’t tell anyone. Shrink yourself. Be pretty. When I’m shushed, it brings up years of being silenced. Let me translate this for you. Telling me to be quiet is equivalent to “Your voice and story don’t matter. You don’t matter.” The men in my early years told me to be a…
What is Representation?
Here’s the truth, I didn’t pay much attention to representation until it affected me. I was born a heterosexual, cisgender, white, middle-class woman. I have my health. I gave birth to three robust and wonderful children. I earned my bachelor’s and master’s degrees. I had a job as a director at a prestigious, world renowned…
Face Off: Part I*
Justine Bateman is embroiled in a scandal. Bateman is best known for her role as Mallory Keaton from the television sitcom Family Ties, a role she had from 1982 to 1989 (ages 16 to 25). For those of us in our 50s, we remember Bateman as the cute, fashion-conscious, airhead, who was the butt of…
Stop Calling Me That
Over almost six decades on this planet, I’ve allowed you to call me names. When I was born, you said, “Oh, she’s the oldest, too bad she’s not a boy.” You called me insignificant. When I was a between the ages of six and eleven, you said, “It’s the 60s, man, free love. Peace.” You…