Yes Catriona, this all rings so true to me and I'm quite a bit older than you. I lived in London in my 20s the early to mid 70's. Men exposed themselves to me, groped me in the subway, jerked off and even the nice guys I knew, there, here in the US and even my brothers' friends seemed to think it was our fault for being a young, pretty, independent girl out in the world. Weren't we just asking for it? Keep your feminism strong, your heart open, and your bicep curls fresh. I've always ALSO had wonderful, wonderful boys, guys, men, as FRIENDS that I cherish. Don't let the bad ones win by affecting your one beautiful life xoxo
Absolutely empathise with your feelings on Brand, but I *did* want to reply to your question about clothes we hang on to, as it resonated with me. I have a salmon pink, cordurory Miss Sixty cheerleader skirt in my wardrobe I bought when I was in uni, in the early 00s. It was, for me, symbolic of a few things then - that I'd shed some puppy fat and could fit into something from Miss Sixty. That I'd spent a chunk of my loan on it (because Miss Sixty in the early to mid 00s) and that I felt glorious when I wore it. I did use it to be a cheerleader at a couple of fancy dress parties, and I also just wore it on nights out. I have no idea whether I'd ever wear it again (perhaps unlikely), but it reminds me of the joy of being out with my friends, when things felt a little simpler, a little less like there's a terrible news story each day and when the biggest bill to pay was the bar bill! It was glorious then, it is still glorious now. 💖
Yes Catriona, this all rings so true to me and I'm quite a bit older than you. I lived in London in my 20s the early to mid 70's. Men exposed themselves to me, groped me in the subway, jerked off and even the nice guys I knew, there, here in the US and even my brothers' friends seemed to think it was our fault for being a young, pretty, independent girl out in the world. Weren't we just asking for it? Keep your feminism strong, your heart open, and your bicep curls fresh. I've always ALSO had wonderful, wonderful boys, guys, men, as FRIENDS that I cherish. Don't let the bad ones win by affecting your one beautiful life xoxo
and I meant the message we were being given was weren't we just asking for it.
Absolutely empathise with your feelings on Brand, but I *did* want to reply to your question about clothes we hang on to, as it resonated with me. I have a salmon pink, cordurory Miss Sixty cheerleader skirt in my wardrobe I bought when I was in uni, in the early 00s. It was, for me, symbolic of a few things then - that I'd shed some puppy fat and could fit into something from Miss Sixty. That I'd spent a chunk of my loan on it (because Miss Sixty in the early to mid 00s) and that I felt glorious when I wore it. I did use it to be a cheerleader at a couple of fancy dress parties, and I also just wore it on nights out. I have no idea whether I'd ever wear it again (perhaps unlikely), but it reminds me of the joy of being out with my friends, when things felt a little simpler, a little less like there's a terrible news story each day and when the biggest bill to pay was the bar bill! It was glorious then, it is still glorious now. 💖