Woman Other, Other Woman.

Historically it seems, the woman has been defined in contrast to man, rather than as a being in herself. This is something that Simone De Beauvoir addresses in The Second Sex. Women are “Other”, they are not the subject, they are the other to the subject. This has evolved since her time, but it doesn’t completely erase the cultural habit within us women. As a woman, I can sense and feel this propensity within myself, to be defined because of the shadows and not because of the light. In Grant’s podcast Figure Isms, he interviews model and creative Roarie Yum. She talks about women’s tendency to be accommodating and it really resonated with me. It’s true. I am very accommodating. In some ways that’s great, because I will make people feel at home, but on the flipside, other people are made at home more than I am. I will feel guilty if I stand out too much. I’d rather be the object than the subject in the room. Not all women are like that, but I think there are enough of us and we recognize it when it’s referenced.

We are the rib of Adam, but we don’t have to be.