Thursday, March 28, 2013

Love/Hate Update for 3/28/13

Love:  
-A weekend of great performances!  All Things New, the Easter show, is in full swing!  It's been a joy to work with such talented, wonderful people!

-Easter is this Sunday.  Next to Christmas, it's my favorite holiday.  I don't just celebrate the resurrection because I'm a "good Christian."  I celebrate it because I've lived it!

-it's finally warm enough to open the living room window.  I think Esther would live next to it if she could.

Hate:
-Food poisoning.  And stomach flu.  I got hit with one or the other this week.  I don't think I've ever been this sick.  I will turn into a food safety maniac after this, I can assure you!

I will be back next week with more entries in response to questions and comments I've been getting.  Have a great Easter, everyone!

Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Ask Kati: How can you be a headcovering feminist?


Ask Kati: How can you call yourself a feminist if you cover your head and wear modest clothes?

This is one of the questions I get asked the most, and I think it comes from a lack of understanding of what feminism really is. One of the not-so-good things that came out of the women's rights movement was the idea that you couldn't be feminine and feminist.  But true feminism, or more accurately, healthy feminism is more about choice than about femininity or gender roles.  I refer to this kind of feminism as "common sense feminism."  It is common sense that men and women should receive equal pay for equal work.  It is common sense that both men and women should be free to choose whether they want to enter the workforce or be a homemaker.  This idea of everyone having choices is a separate issue from the concept of gender roles.
The movie "Persepolis" gives an account of what life was like in Iran after the Islamic Revolution in the 1970s.  Women were required to wear veils whenever they went out in public.  Anyone looking at the situation would say that this was oppressive because it robbed women of their right to choose their own clothes and interact freely with males. 

I have been told numerous times that I "shouldn't" cover my hair or dress modestly because I have the freedom to do otherwise.  It's true that I am free to dress how I please and interact with the opposite sex in any manner I choose.  This is how I am choosing to exercise that freedom.  If I am in a situation where I "have" to leave my hair uncovered, I feel very exposed and uncomfortable because I feel as if my choice is being taken away from me.  If I want to share my body with one man in the context of a marital relationship, I should be as free to do that as other women are to have multiple partners.  If I decide that my hair is something I want to save for my husband's eyes only, then I should be free to do so.  To tell me I "can't" or "shouldn't" live my life that way is as ridiculous as making all women wear veils and penalizing them for talking with opposite-sex friends in public. 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Love/Hate Update for 3/17/13

It's been a rough couple of weeks, to be honest.  Between my grandmother's death, rehearsals for the passion play at church, and the other things I've mentioned, I'm pretty worn out.  But I'm also really feeling the need to stay connected with all of you.  So I'll give a quick love/hate update for now.  I'll write a longer entry as soon as time and energy allow.

Love:  the honor of participating in "All Things New", the full-length Easter musical that my church is doing this year.

Hate: how stressed everyone in the cast and crew has been as we tried to put all the puzzle pieces together during the full-cast rehearsals this past week.  I also hate having to do the crucifixion scene, with every fiber of my being.  There are no words to describe how much I hate having to yell "Crucify him!" or having to watch it.  Imagine having to watch your best friend being brutally murdered.  That analogy just barely scratches the surface of what I feel during that scene. 

Love: Dad's latest scan showed no signs of the cancer returning!

Hate: My grandmother passed away early in the morning, around 2am, on March 2nd.  Funeral was this past Friday.  I was very exhausted at the funeral. I hate that I came off as uncaring and insensitive.  Really hate that.