Baby Bounce Back: Strong Women, Strong Muses

Eventually this all passes. The public horrors of today eventually blow away. And, yes, you are changed by the awful wake of reckoning they leave behind. You trust less. You calculate your steps. You survive. Hopefully in the process you don’t lose your ability to throw your arms in the air again and spin in wild abandon. That is the ultimate F.U. and—finally—the most beautiful survival tool of all. Don’t let them take that away from you.

-Jodie Foster

One of the Hallmarks of being a Tomboy in the 90's is definitely the way I prize strength as a quality in women. From Madonna to Gwen, En Vogue to TLC, Aaliyah to Shania, (you already know how I feel about Whitney. you know twice.) the radio alone held more examples of Women proud of their ability to control the charts than an underground S&M dungeon. (exhale)

Politics yielded respectables like Janet Reno (1st Female Attorney General!) and Madeleine Albright (1st female Secretary of State!) and in her own right, Hilary Clinton redefined dignity as she held her head high while the world scrutinized her husband's philandering.  

Supermodels reigned, Oprah began her ascent and Martha Stewart began orchestrating her empire. Political Activist Aung San Suu Kyi patiently awaited her own release from house arrest by the Burmese military junta.

 While Feminism was decried  in most of the (playground) circles I ran in, it did in fact have a place in more than one of my classrooms. Several of the most influential teachers I had were women who stressed the importance of equality (if not Superiority!) of Women to Men, including my high school mentor. 

Does this make me a Feminazi Bra Burner? Not likely considering my 5 foot frame supports a DD rack. (Ya, I didn't pay for those. So no I can't return 'em). I think one of the strongest things a woman can do for herself is make the decision of how feminine she wants to be. whether you do it with frills or by paying the bills, or perhaps a sassy combination of both - kudos to ya', and all that estrogen makes you. 

PMS? Maybe. I'll concede my pride swells as that oh so timely surge in estrogen does. But that can never negate the fact that I AM WOMAN HEAR ME ROAR for better or for worse shaped the She I became. And while the traditionals might holler I've lost my girdle and my sanity, there are times when there's nothing like a Lady Like Roar to get the job done. 

This one is for you. And you and you and you. And your sisters, moms, aunts, friends. And their sisters, moms and aunts and friends. let's make it cool to have friends that are girls again.

On a related side note, that quotation up thurr at the top is from Jodie Foster directed to Kristen Stewart. But I think its accurate enough to translate to all our lives. So the next time you're havin' a real bad one, Take a Deep Breath. And then Imagine Jodie Foster putting  her arm around you and repeating said quote.

It will comfort you. Or it will freak you out and make you laugh. Either way, mission accomplished.

images sources:

Janet Reno, Wikicommons
Shania Twain, album cover

Oprah Winfrey, photographer Alan Light

"No Ma'am" Married with Children still shot, Fox News Corp