Misty Tones it Down

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I am Misty, I love singing, and I hope to heal from pelvic pain. I have a rare illness that affects women and men and finally just recently received its five minutes of fame on 20/20 (not me personally). Most gynecologists are men and told me I probably just had something psychiatric going on but now with research (and more women coming forward), it is discovered that I have nerve damage and a problem that may affect up to 200 million people. Women and healthcare and how they are treated as patients by male doctors are fascinating, really. Male doctors (and females) know our anatomy but not the nerves. It’s new to consider such a thing seriously; neurology of the pelvis.
I am taking this class because first, this teacher is awesome and offers engaging readings and Anja and Tara weren’t included, for reasons I still don’t know” (Oldroyd 179). Secondly, I have a 10-year old daughter and am going back in time now (“Mommy, when will I have boobies and Mommy when do I get tampons?”) are questions I am getting and I must say, Sittenfeld’s article brought me back to those days. Honestly, I don’t have my book yet and only got glimpses of the other articles. Still, the purpose of me taking this is that we do not have many courses on gender studies that are available online and I am limited to online with my condition.
I think that Sittenfeld certainly illustrate how some girls go from being praised for being good at something in younger years, and then having to “tone it down” in older years. “You play on the soccer team, but if the boys ever watch, you make only halfhearted attempts to kick the ball” (Sittenfeld, 5). The stories or parts of, that I read in “Red,” show girls’ memorable moments that they recall that define them (or redefine them) as girls going through a similar process. “Surprising, I cannot elaborate on this as I wish to and support it with quotes so I apologize for this…! Sittenfeld seems to find praise in not being so outspoken (something I can relate with personally) and through these societal cues adapts to fit in. However, the boys are encouraged to be rough but she is chastised a bit when she asks if she is being a bit rough with the other girls in four-square.
Oldroyd is fortunate to have her first love be a rock as opposed to a boy because it is far less complicated. I say this general statement but I had trouble determining if she had a crush on her teacher or if I am way off base? I could not read much of Otterness’ work online but certainly girls have a reputation (I’m thinking in a clean way, here) of having a love for horses. Sadly, she learns of giving mercy to an animal by its end (very sad). She connects with the horse and faces it instead of turning away from pain. However, I feel this is entirely off the questioning base yet I still wanted to contribute!

Comments

mhendrix said…
Sorry to hear about your illness. We definitely need more female OBGYN’s…men simply just don’t understand what it feels like to be a woman! I like how you said” Oldroyd is fortunate to have her first love be a rock as opposed to a boy because it is far less complicated.” I totally agree! : ) I feel as though the readings all related well in the sense that girls are put into a box and society tells them who to be. We are not to play sports well, or rough for that matter, much less be better than the boys. Instead our society portrays girls as rail thin, playing with barbies, we do not give girls enough room to truly discover who THEY want to be. I also felt as though she might have a slight crush on her teacher, I do not think this is too far fetched as a lot of younger women are fascinated by older men, especially when there is a common interest.
August 30, 2009 at 7:09 PM
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