My 7th interview is with Christine. She is 34 years old and lives in Arizona. She is in a committed relationship. She has a blog called Flutter.
What does the word feminist mean to you? Has the meaning changed over time? Feminist to me, in a lot of ways means angry. The iconic visual of a feminist is a braless, hairy arm pitted woman yelling about the superiority of women. I know that people who consider themselves feminist don’t see themselves this way.
Do you consider yourself a feminist? No, I am humanist. I don’t care if you have a vagina or a penis, I want you to have the freedom and the support to live up to your potential.
Would others consider you a feminist? I don’t think so.
What are some images that come to mind when you think of the women’s movement? Sufferage was so crucial. I think, for me, I get irritated with the notion that there are women’s issues and men’s issues. I think of things in broader terms. We are all part of this experience.
What was the greatest gift of the women’s movement? The voice of women, as people and not as things.
What was the greatest failure of the women’s movement? The anger. Militant movements have never appealed to me.
Did your mother work outside the home? Yes.
How did that affect you growing up? I never had it any other way, I am not sure.
What impression did that leave with you about women working outside the home? I have always assumed that parents work. Mom or Dad.
Was your mother a homemaker? She worked, but she most assuredly made our home.
Did your father respect your mother? My father didn’t and doesn’t respect anyone.
Did your mother respect your father? Yes.
Who were your earliest female role models other than your mother? My sister and my grandmother.
Was getting married/partnered a conscious goal or focus early on in your adulthood? Yes, absolutely.
Is there an event(s) that affected you in childhood/adolescence that impacted your identity in a positive or negative way? I was brutally raped when I was 17. It changed everything about me.
Have you ever dieted? More times than I can count.
Are you happy and/or comfortable with your weight? No.
Would you describe yourself as someone with “body issues?” If so, when do you remember this starting? What do you attribute it to? I have always struggled with my body, but more so after I was raped. I have been striving to hide in my body ever since.
What do you wish your mother had told you about marriage, life, anything…that you didn’t hear from her? I wish she would have instilled the importance of love in marriage. To marry for love, not for any other reason.
What role did your father play in your childhood? Does asshole count? :P He was to be feared and respected.
What was your relationship like with your father? He was abusive and we as his family, were annoyances.
How do you feel about aging? It’s natural.
How do you feel about plastic surgery? If I had cash, I would have some procedures done. I am not adverse to people changing what they are not happy with.
How do you feel about the sexualizing of young women in our society? I believe we do the same thing to men. I don’t find prostitution, or stripping, or porn to be degrading to women. There are more insidious things in our daily lives that degrade women and people pay zero attention.
What do you do for a living? I am a massage therapist.
How do you combat stress? I write and eat wayyyyy too much.
Do you get out regularly with friends? No.
Did your mother or another caretaker talk to you about sex and what to expect? No, I learned about sex in school. Sex was a very taboo subject.
How was your first sexual experience? I was raped at 17. After that, I waited to have sex until I was 21. He was kind to me, but we didn’t last long.
Is marriage liberating or inhibiting sexually? Liberating, I think. The nervousness is long abated.
What makes you feel sexy? When he wakes me in the middle of the night, tells me I am beautiful.
Do you have the energy/desire for sex at the end of the day? Most of the time, no. But I do even if I don’t because I think sex is important to a relationship.
What turns you on? Kissing. Passion filled, slow, sexy kissing is beyond hot.
What would make your sex life better? Less predictability.
Do you enjoy being single? I am only single in the respect that I am not married. I am in a relationship.
Would you like to get married at some point? Absolutely.
What are you looking for in a mate? Emotional support, humor, kindness, intelligence. Someone who understands that I am a nut.
Do you feel that if you were married your life would be complete? No, completion comes from within.
Would you like children? Why? Yes. I would love to care for and to nurture a little life.
Are you afraid of having children and that changing you/your life? I am not at all afraid of children, I would love to have some.
What did you dream of being when you were a child? A writer and a singer.
Are you happy and/or fulfilled with your life? Why? No, I don’t feel like I have made enough progress to be happy just yet and I am not entirely sure I am living up to my potential enough to feel fulfilled.
What do you yearn for? The confidence to be bold and to chase my potential.
Thank you, Christine.
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Comments are closed for The Motherscribe Interviews. For more about Christine, please visit her on her blog Flutter.
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