by 72 (January 26th, 2010)

Dear Kimberly,
I’ve been thinking a lot about empathy lately, and it ties in with something you referred to in your December 1 letter — the concept of “othering.” I guess I’ve been thinking about empathy (or the lack of it) for many  reasons. On the one hand, I think of the tremendous outpouring of compassion [...]

Continue reading about Empathy: An Antidote to “Othering”

Dear Letha,

I appreciated how in your last letter you nuanced the different patterns through which cultures control women. In this letter, I’d like to continue discussing the normative restrictions that come from internalized belief patterns specifically. And while we often discuss these kinds of limitations on women as being dictated by religious dogma, I [...]

Continue reading about Normative Restrictions: From 19th Century Victorian “Ideals” to Twilight

by 72 (October 22nd, 2009)

Dear Kimberly,
Last weekend, the film discussion group that I attend regularly viewed an advance screening of Amelia, the story of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, who was the first woman (and first person after Charles Lindbergh) to fly solo across the Atlantic.  Amelia Earhart helped form and was the first president of the Ninety-Nines, the international [...]

Continue reading about Dreams without Boundaries

by 27 (September 20th, 2009)

Dear Letha,
In your last letter, you discussed the sad reality that the oppression of women has been intimately interwoven with religious dogma. I would like to continue that discussion, because I have been recently trying to parse out what ought to be the role of religious feminists within this larger conversation of women’s/human rights.
Because religion and [...]

Continue reading about What is the Role of Religious Feminists?

by 72 (August 19th, 2009)

Dear Kimberly,
As you pointed out so well in your last letter, girls and women have had access to education for a relatively short time in the span of history.  And in some places, they’re still denied such access.  So I can see why you’re thinking about this a lot as you begin your studies at [...]

Continue reading about Religion, Women’s Status, and Self-image

by 27 (July 17th, 2009)

Hi Letha,
Thanks so much for your last letter about “great and not so great expectations” for women.” Right now, I am thinking about how much I expect of myself, wondering if I am trying to do too much!
The Value of Writing Retreats
As you know, I am now two weeks away from leaving Seattle and venturing [...]

Continue reading about Women, Education, and Expectations

by 72 (June 18th, 2009)

Dear Kimberly,
While listening to NPR’s Morning Edition earlier this week, I was struck by a phrase that reminded me of some of our discussions on this blog.  The phrase? “Expectations of how a woman judge should act.”
It occurred during a discussion about critics of U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor who claim her style is [...]

Continue reading about Great and Not-So-Great Expectations

Dear Letha,
I loved your last letter, especially how you juxtaposed the situation in Swat Valley, Pakistan with the situation of Susan Boyle in the western media. I always like seeing the world through the lens of “inter-text”—putting seemingly non related topics side-by-side and noticing how they illuminate one another. And as we know, feminist study [...]

Continue reading about From Images of Women in Western Pop Culture to the State of Girls in Swat Valley, Pakistan

by 72 (April 20th, 2009)

Dear Kimberly,
Your further thoughts about pride, lookism, racism, and anti-feminist religious teachings were right on the mark! I want to pick up on that discussion by sharing some thoughts I’ve had after viewing some seemingly unrelated television programs this past week. You may have seen them, too, Kim. If not, you can view these videos [...]

Continue reading about Dreaming a Dream, Lighting a Light

Dear Letha,
Now it is my turn to apologize for my slow reply to your last letter! As you know, this past month has been eventful for me. I moved to a new apartment in Seattle, and I also have been traveling a bit to look at different graduate school programs. The verdict is in: this [...]

Continue reading about More Thoughts on Women and Pride, also the Interplay of Lookism and Racism