Girl Talkkkkk!
My time in Girl's Studies enhanced the relationship that I shared with my "little sister" this semester. Not only did I regain an understanding of my own upbringing as a girl, but I felt as though I could offer something unique to my little sister because of it.
Our class time talking about periods and prom may have just seemed like a series of short, personal stories, but amounted to a group of womyn rediscovering the intricacies of their bodies and minds as a girl. While I've never discussed sex, prom or periods with my little sister, the subtleties of these subjects and the insight I gained from every one in the course made for more intimate conversations that allowed a more natural form of sharing with my little sister, whether it was about eating an alternative diet or music about "serious stuff", it was cool.
One of the weirdest and most unexpected things that I got out of the course was my evaluation of my self as a "rebellious teen". I thought about the ways that I used to communicate with my parents and express my individuality. As for every girl (or at least it seems), those are desperate times. "I can't wear my dead milkmen shirt to school?! God mom, I hate you!" and then you sneak it in your backpack just so you can "truly express yourself". I'm not mocking these situations at all, but I see them happen with my little sister who is very conscious of her fashion sense and how she looks, but she is simultaneously so confident and patient with her growing self. So, I think I've taken with me a sense of pride in the awkward, horrible time which seemed to dominate my mindset for a long while. It seems, after reading and discussing, that if those times never occurred or were made so dramatic, that I wouldn't know who I was today. That's the moral of the class, I think, is to understand that aspect of you life as forever with you and forever changing, but never insignificant enough to not recognize as a social impression, a societal observance, a cultural tracking device...really beautiful.
So yeah, Girl's Studies is pretty cool.
P.S.- for those of you who are interested in the life of Randy of Acorn Falls in the story "Girl Talk: Rebel, Rebel", I was thinking we could all either carpool together next class or maybe just read the final chapter as a class. If not, I'll just inform you of all the juicy details of Shrek and the crew!
hearts and stars-
jill.
Our class time talking about periods and prom may have just seemed like a series of short, personal stories, but amounted to a group of womyn rediscovering the intricacies of their bodies and minds as a girl. While I've never discussed sex, prom or periods with my little sister, the subtleties of these subjects and the insight I gained from every one in the course made for more intimate conversations that allowed a more natural form of sharing with my little sister, whether it was about eating an alternative diet or music about "serious stuff", it was cool.
One of the weirdest and most unexpected things that I got out of the course was my evaluation of my self as a "rebellious teen". I thought about the ways that I used to communicate with my parents and express my individuality. As for every girl (or at least it seems), those are desperate times. "I can't wear my dead milkmen shirt to school?! God mom, I hate you!" and then you sneak it in your backpack just so you can "truly express yourself". I'm not mocking these situations at all, but I see them happen with my little sister who is very conscious of her fashion sense and how she looks, but she is simultaneously so confident and patient with her growing self. So, I think I've taken with me a sense of pride in the awkward, horrible time which seemed to dominate my mindset for a long while. It seems, after reading and discussing, that if those times never occurred or were made so dramatic, that I wouldn't know who I was today. That's the moral of the class, I think, is to understand that aspect of you life as forever with you and forever changing, but never insignificant enough to not recognize as a social impression, a societal observance, a cultural tracking device...really beautiful.
So yeah, Girl's Studies is pretty cool.
P.S.- for those of you who are interested in the life of Randy of Acorn Falls in the story "Girl Talk: Rebel, Rebel", I was thinking we could all either carpool together next class or maybe just read the final chapter as a class. If not, I'll just inform you of all the juicy details of Shrek and the crew!
hearts and stars-
jill.
Comments
And yes, girls studies is pretty cool!!!
<3