I’m starting to read The Female Persuasion (and when I say start, I really mean it because my kids woke up as I start page 13).
One sentence describing the protagonist really got me thinking – “She could give answers easily, but rarely opinions.” I haven’t exactly heard it said quite so straightforwardly, and because of the way the author states it, I felt it down to my bones.
Little girls are taught to know the “right” answers and expected to share them but never given the space or attention to voice their opinions. Answers have facts to back them up, facts probably “founded” and “confirmed” by men. Answers are black and white, right or wrong vs. opinions which have nuance, consider emotions and values and qualitative, intangible properties that cannot always be backed by facts. As those girls grow to be women, it is not within our patterning to share our opinions. We expect them to be discounted or ignored.
I have seen this patterning within myself and have seen the opinion part of me grow in strength and breadth. This change is essential to reclaiming our power. I’m excited to learn more about how this character evolves from an answer person to an opinion person.
