Re: One Woman's View On The Topless Issue

[Daniel Kronemann <kron4155@uidaho.edu>]

Well, I'm glad John Harrell decided to allow his wife to write us.  How
gracious of him.  Is she not allowed to have her own address?

Anyways,

What is the about having the right to swear, smoke and get drunk?  Is that
what you truly feel feminism is trying to do to women?  Feminism is not
concerned with those rights, those are for individuals to choose what to
do.  Feminism is concerned with social positions.  With women's rights to
do what men have the priveledge to do and be treated as equals.  A woman
can be a doctor, a lawyer, president, anything.  And with just as much
capability as any man.  Feminism also concerns itself with the affect the
rigid gender roles has on men.  The "act like a man" myth is highly
destructive.

And this pedestal that you speak of.  What happens if you can't attain the
ideals this pedestal demands of you?  And what ensures that this pedestal
will always be there?  What if your man decides to remove that pedestal?
Where do you stand then?  You need to feel good about yourself and love
yourself first, and forget these "romantic feelings" from men.  No man can
replace self-esteem.

Your breasts are not there to make you feel ashamed of your body.  Why do
we accept the exposure of men's breasts but not women's?  If it weren't to
say there was something wrong with how women's breasts are?  If not to
control women through their self image?  Dignity doesn't come from
covering up your breasts, but from loving what you are, and is independent
of what any man may think of you.

Well, Ms. Melissa Harrell (and be proud of your name, you are more than
Mrs. John Harrell), I am pleased to have heard from you.

Smashing pedestals so we can all fly on our own

Love

Daniel

On Sun, 30 Jun 2002, John Harrell wrote:

> My wife, Melissa Harrell, wanted to make a comment regarding the issue
> currently before us: the baring of womens breasts in public.
>
> In the movie, "A Man Called Peter", Catherine Marshall addresses a
> group of young women on the topic of being a woman.
>
> She says how the emancipation of woman came about with Chrisitianity.
> We, as women, were given a dignity we had never had before. We were
> revered, protected and loved. In essence, put on a pedestal. This all
> changed when we wanted to be equal with men. In order to be equal we
> had to step down from our pedestal. Now we have the "right" to swear,
> smoke, get drunk... Our dignity was lost when we gained these
> "rights".  Men no longer feel as romantic about us as they did our
> grandmothers.
>
> The "right" to expose our breasts brings us completely off the
> pedestal.
>
> Lets try to get back on that pedestal.
>
> Sincerely,
> Mrs. John Harrell