[Day 3] Women and Health
One hundred and sixty one years ago, a group of women and men drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, stating that "The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman..." Their immediate goal of equal voting rights for women in the United States has long since been met, but this statement still rings with a tragic amount of truth.
Three years ago, when rageprufrock first began the project that would grow into 14 valentines, she spoke about how women are praised and worshiped, torn down and degraded. We live in a world where our bodies are revered for the ability to give life and derided for leaving behind the appearance of adolescence, where we can rise to the highest offices of power in some countries and are deprived of basic rights in others.
We are told to be strong, to stand up for ourselves, told that we can do anything, be anything - but only to a point, always to a point.
Around the world, women die from lack of basic medical attention, from infanticide, from starvation beyond their control, from starvation inflicted upon themselves in a twisted attempt to be beautiful. We are beaten, raped, murdered, told in so many horrifying ways that we are lesser that we don't matter.
Forty years ago we declared that Sisterhood is Powerful, and it still is. We must remember that, must continue moving forward.
It's 2009 and we've come so far, but there is still more work to be done. We deserve better, and we can do more. We're strong. The next fourteen days is meant to remind us of that. It's our time to take back our bodies.
V can stand for vagina, like Eve Ensler's groundbreaking monologues. V can stand for violence, under whose auspices all women continue to make a home.
V can also stand for victory.
Women and Health
One of the best things a woman can do for her health is to be informed of her choices. Whether it's the long-term consequences of smoking, proper nutrition, the affects of stress, what to expect during menopause, or questions about body variations, information allows women to make choices about their lives and their bodies knowing the information available. The first step to women making healthy choices for their body is knowing what those choices are.
In this vein, The Boston Women's Health Book Collective put out the book Our Bodies, Ourselves, which attempts to make women aware of their mental, physical, and spiritual health. The writing is clear, and the book covers a wide range of issues regarding women's health, making it an important step toward educating women about their bodies. While it is not a perfect book, it is an important one.
Several other books have been published by Our Bodies, Ourselves, and the organization works to advocate for women to have a stronger voice in medical practices and medical policy.
[Today's essay courtesy of vylit]