Tuesday, June 30, 2009

MY BODY IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS

Let me set the scene: It's 10 pm, I have just purchased my favorite cherry lollipop from 7/11, and I'm taking a moment to pause and enjoy the artificial flavors on the sidewalk.

Then a middle-aged man exits his car, takes one look at me, and with a tone of bewilderment and arrogance asks (with an obnoxious look on his face to top it off), "Are you pregnant?"

"No," I reply, matching his ugly glare with an are-you-on-drugs sort of squint.

"Oh, sorry. I was going to say that you are too young."

At this point, the man enters 7/11 and I get into my car. Dumbfounded, I need a moment to get my thoughts together, when I decide it is only appropriate to chase this man down. I re-enter 7/11, find the man at the cash register, and point my artificially-flavored cherry lollipop at him.

"So what if I am pregnant? What business is it of yours? I don't care what you think my body looks like, MY BODY IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS."

Not much of a talker now, the man awkwardly mustered up an, "I agree."

As a woman, it seems like my body is automatically subjected to some heightened degree of commentary and observation. Whether it's sexual harassment, or the housekeeper telling my mom that I am "mas gorda," far too many people feel entitled to giving me an unwarranted and unwanted opinions.

Let me introduce a small concept called "boundaries." My body is mine. It's not yours. It's none of your business. Keep it to yourself.

4 comments:

Abigail said...

AMEN SISTA

liminalD said...

Women should start saying the same sorts of things to men as men say to women... why is it these fat ugly balding guys think it's their prerogative to comment on women's bodies, but that they themselves are under no obligation to conform to equivalent societal standards of beauty?

Men suck. So say I, and I am one :)

Vanessa said...

I have to disagree and say that men are under a lot of pressure regarding their bodies. I have recently started learning about the world of male muscle dysmorphia, etc, and posted a great read "Rethinking the beef cake: weightlifting and the regulation of male bodies."

http://thecolonic.blogspot.com/2009/01/rethinking-beef-cake-weight-lifting-and.html

That being said, I agree that men are not under such intense vocalized scrutiny for their entire lives, whether in a public or private space.

JR Sterling said...

why are you so awesome?