I apologize. I know that there are many kinds of strengths and did not mean it in the cliche. Let me use the strongest woman in my life as an example. That would be my Granny Sparks on the Native American side of my family. She was like Granny of the "Beverly Hillbillies" on steroids. She was blunt, determined, and impossible to dominate. As if it wasn't enough for her to grow up crippled from polio, she grew up in violence. Our state is in the top ten for domestic violence and seeing what my family had been through two generations back, I can see why. She survived (not by submission) but by scrapping back. When my Grandfather tried to do the same to her and her children, she physically threw him out. And let me tell you, he went dinged up too. When I speak of her strength, I don't just refer to her physical strength, (and she was as physically strong as any man I've known) but also the determined spirit within the woman. No man would ever be able to dominate her. She did the dominating. When a woman gets a toothache, doesn't have money for a dentist, and then goes into the bathroom with a pair of pliers, and pulls her tooth out of her own head (root and all), I'm awed at the mental fortitude. And yet, her heart was solid gold. She had a tenderness to her children and grandchildren which is the blueprint my mother and I have used for our children. Not everybody can be as strong as Granny Sparks, (I know I'm not) but if we can have just a fraction of that courage, we'll be doing well.
Hoping I expressed myself okay about the strength in women I've witnessed, perhaps I could suggest a few questions which might be helpful. Do you really feel you are doing a disservice to women by emphasizing what our culture considers to be 'feminine'? Do you feel that what you really consider to be feminine in women to be demeaning? And I think the most important question is "Is it your intention to be demeaning to women? I think the very fact that you are concerned about this is a good sign.
Personal opinions and observation: As I look at your work, I can see how someone who was looking for a problem could find a reason to be offended, but I suspect they would find those reasons in anyone's work they examined (simply because they were looking for it). On the other hand, if we rip all reference to gender out of our culture, how could we ever celebrate femininity. I don't see your work as being demeaning to women or men. I see it as a celebration of the things that the Jojo observes in the human creatures around her. You have an equal fascination for the tomboy, girly girl, dinged up rogue, and posh gentleman. I'm a great fan of yours, oh Radical One. You must do what you feel is right, but please don't squelch your creativity, because of someone else's opinion.
Hoping I expressed myself okay about the strength in women I've witnessed, perhaps I could suggest a few questions which might be helpful. Do you really feel you are doing a disservice to women by emphasizing what our culture considers to be 'feminine'? Do you feel that what you really consider to be feminine in women to be demeaning? And I think the most important question is "Is it your intention to be demeaning to women? I think the very fact that you are concerned about this is a good sign.
Personal opinions and observation: As I look at your work, I can see how someone who was looking for a problem could find a reason to be offended, but I suspect they would find those reasons in anyone's work they examined (simply because they were looking for it). On the other hand, if we rip all reference to gender out of our culture, how could we ever celebrate femininity. I don't see your work as being demeaning to women or men. I see it as a celebration of the things that the Jojo observes in the human creatures around her. You have an equal fascination for the tomboy, girly girl, dinged up rogue, and posh gentleman. I'm a great fan of yours, oh Radical One. You must do what you feel is right, but please don't squelch your creativity, because of someone else's opinion.
Just my humble 2 cents...
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