Simone De Beauvoire 1975 interview "One is not born, but rather one becomes a woman"
Today, I am finding it hard to find my thoughts. This whole blog is called "Authentic Lent". I would hope that I still feel free to be authentic here.
Simone De Beauvoir lived in my lifetime. We breathed air on this planet at the same time in history. She is not just a relic of the past... she is someone who was very much part of my world.
She died in 1985. I remember 1985. I was in boarding school at the time taking my Grade 11 year. I remember studying Macbeth in English class. I remember choir tour down to Minnesota. I remember my grandfather's funeral.
A voice like Simone's was not welcome in most circles in the world I grew up in. Women knew their place and I was being trained and guided to "know my place" too. I saw a big divide between the sexes at a young age. There were things I didn't have because my Dad didn't see fit to give them to me... even though my mother had them.
1. I didn't get a middle name. My Mom had one, my dad didn't. It was his decision. No need for further discussion
2. I didn't attend Kindergarten. My Mom was a kindergarten teacher when she was single. My dad didn't think it was necessary for his daughters, so we didn't go. I still feel a twinge of bitterness at that decision. The kindergarten teacher I would have had to start out my schooling was a sweetheart and loved children. Her name was Mrs. Schuster. My grade one teacher was an abusive alcoholic by the name of Mrs. Dixon. I wonder today if I had started out school with Mrs. Schuster if I would have had a better chance at feeling better about myself as a child.
3. It was Dad's decision to go back to town for church instead of staying in our farming community. I don't think Mom would have argued the point... because she preferred her Lutheran church. I just remember it being Dad's decision. It definitely wasn't with his daughter's input.
I don't remember my mother having much of a contradictory relationship with my Dad. He had his way and that was that. It was how he was raised and the culture he was raised in. Woman had their place and he never questioned that. He didn't have to. He was a man.
I am in my fifties now wondering if much has changed in my life. Do I believe that I, as a woman, have the same ground as my husband or any other male for that matter? There are moments when my past creeps up on me and reminds me... "Remember your place."
I admire the tenacity of Simone De Beauvoir. It is women like her that keep me inspired to believe that women's voices matter. I just wish they mattered more.
