I feel sorry for Alive and other women like her, I almost feel angry on her behalf.
we are taught from a young age to aspire to marriage. Even seemingly progressive shows like SATC were all about getting a man. Having a husband and a man beside you is the be all and end all. Women in all sorts of media have their successes framed in this way. And to achieve this we are taught that our looks are our biggest commodity. How many high profile “supermodels”do we have compared to say academics, or sportswomen? How many high profile male models are there in comparison?
Many of my female friends were subtlety obsessed with finding a boyfriend and getting married. Many of them have good jobs, hobbies etc but ultimately the focus of their life is their husband/boyfriend. I have a friend who is a hard working, intelligent, beautiful doctor. She married the first boyfriend she ever had, even though he’s not particularly successful, intelligent or good looking and he doesn’t treat her especially well. He’s faithful at least, but he brings so little to the table. She accepts him though, because having a man is better than being single.
Not a single one of my male friends, meanwhile, has ever obsessed or worried about marriage.
Alice is of the generation that still tore women apart for going against the grain in any way. For daring to be promiscuous, for daring to speak out against mistreatment, for daring to have a dress size even slightly too large. She was an actress in the horrendous Weinstein era. She stepped aside as an actress for Ioans career to take off while she was largely a mother.
now she’s older and her beauty is no longer the valued asset it once was (in an industry that excludes women past the age of 35). To add insult to industry her husband is now leaving her. I don’t think Alice has been single since her early 20s. She’s always had a man and now she doesn’t.
she was taught her beauty and her marriage were the most important things about her and now it’s being taken away by time and maybe even another woman. Of course she’s confused and angry and distraught.
she should be able to shrug it off and tell herself she’ll find someone else, but she can’t. Because women as they age are dispensable, sometching that Ioan won’t experience as a man. Her attractiveness lessens as she ages apparently, and so too does her value. But he will still get roles and be deemed attractive.
tattlers, maybe we should think hard about this and how this damaging view is framing our own opinions. We expect Alice to be “dignified” and “quiet” because as women, we are expected to be as little trouble as possible. To conveniently disappear when required by our male peers. But why should she?
Alice is reacting as a result of all of the above factors on top of the emotional turmoil of rejection. Society has the gall to value women in their looks and availability to men, then derides them when that is taken from them. Alice isn’t the problem, her reaction is a byproduct of a much bigger one.
My advice is to stop the self destruct for her own sake. If Ioan behaves badly then she should absolutely call him out for it, but the best way to stick a middle finger up to a sexist society is to thrive as a successful, happy, middle aged woman.
i agree but... she is unhinged. Why shouldn’t she show it? Why pretend this hasn’t been devastating for her? Playing devils advocate here, I’m not criticising tattlers because I find this forum extremely funny, astute and welcoming. But I think it’s healthy to sometimes question why we think certain things.
there’s a lot to be said for having a stiff upper lip... and putting in a brave front. But it’s all pretense.
we can look at Alice and see how society lets women down utterly, how a husband and pretty face doesn’t equate to happiness. it’s painful to look at but it’s the reality. Don’t we all need to be conscious of this to be able to actively question it? If Alice and others like her just out on a brave face then we never have to confront the ugly truth.
i see Alice and think, I’m glad I didn’t constantly have a boyfriend in my twenties. I’m glad I broke up with boyfriends who weren’t great, even if I was scared of being alone. I’m glad I’ve learned to enjoy my own company and cultivate independence/hoboes/interests. I’m glad I have an identity out of my relationship. I’m glad I’ve spent time focusing on my career and no intention of giving it up. I plan on making sure I don’t value myself based solely on looks so even if my other half decides to up and leave me in middle age - it hasn’t be the sole focus of my life.
In other words, I’m sorry Alice is going through what she is. I hope she learns to grieve and moves on. I’m glad I can see her as a life lesson. I don’t want to see her doing Starbucks pap walks pretending to be happy for the sake of appearances - I want to see her getting a Starbucks and being *genuinely* happy.
I
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per cent
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both of these posts. Wise compassionate and honest and I completely agree.
The damage that is done to woman being programmed to compete (against each other) for the male gaze and to live vicariously through others is immeasurable.
Even with some seemingly intelligent woman who still (being sometimes achievement orientated) want to be considered the most desirable and successful when it comes to having a love life!
It's just divide and rule in my opinion that some woman (sometimes unknowingly) pass down to their daughters.
Your no one unless seen to be someone (or with someone) and self worth becomes so hard to gauge? When based on the whims of pleasing a man! It's become obsessional undignified and very damaging to mental health.
All this talk about feminism and rights and activism and yet we are still judged (and judging) from medieval standards.
The promise of romance or seduction as if only someone else could provide what we are really looking for.
It's a lie and a damaging one at that everything we need or desire we already have but contentment is not promoted angst is?
We are drip fed dissatisfaction about our bodies about what we should aspire to and model ourselves on and always the urge to please others is framed as of paramount importance.
The social and economic conditioning of woman to always accept less but expect more (given by others at a later date they promise!)
Lures us into a trap and feeling of false comfort and security that ironically enough can be undermined at any minute!
When it is and it all comes crashing down then if we object we are labelled as unstable when in actual fact what has always been unstable is the conditions a lot of us are expected to live and love and work under!
Not fair heartbreaking unjustified and sometimes deliberately cruel but God help you if you have the audacity to reflect that situation and not go quietly or protest or kick up a fuss or just show your pain!
Pain seems to be the signal for some predators to come out of the woodwork with their tutting and judgement because (and this is the dispiriting bit) some see an expression of pain as weakness!
This is sadly still far too prevalent but to be or get hurt is really a measure of a human feeling and is testament to being alive and responding or reacting to life as is seen fit and is nothing to be ashamed of.
It's just a pity some people can't see that.
Those are the people who let you down though when you need it in my experience and having been through terrible pain myself (and been chastised for it by those closest) because it was messy and inconvenience and I was too loud!
Well that's as may be but now I know that its only their opinion and I'm grateful for being raw because it made everything clearer more compassionate (from a higher source) and gave me deeper insight into myself and others.
I really hope Alice pulls through all this hurt and finds some unexpected gifts of insight and empathy and love.
I wish her well and to anyone else who has ever been labelled unhinged or difficult or loud or angry or any other supposedly unfeminine trait.
Cheers to all of us
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and love and finally peace.