the triumph of tradition
by rantywoman
I agree with some of the commenters that this article problematic and bothersome. Basically, the author played the field in her twenties and still ended up “winning” by getting married and (probably) becoming a mother. I suppose it’s a good rebuke to all the men out there who would assert that she had “ruined her chances,” but it still promotes the idea that getting married and having kids is the ultimate sign of success. Is that the most relevant perspective to be writing from? It seems the bigger story today is all the people for whom that is not happening:
http://www.salon.com/2013/07/21/i_was_supposed_to_end_up_alone/#comments
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Completely agree with you there, in fact I have a blog post brewing on this idea that there is only one way for a woman to be and anyone who treads another path is some kind of loser. So not true. Its really starting to annoy me to the point where I admit I just can’t read the article linked 🙂
She’s a feminist writer, so it is even more of an eye-roll. Also, I’m a feminist, but the literature doesn’t have much to say about women who want a partner but, in fact, don’t find one.
Oh dear. So many of us buy into it all(incl.me)Have you read Singled Out by Virginia Nicholson?Its about the many many women who were left single in the UK by WW1. In truth when I read it a few years ago I found it depressing but I was quite hormonal and more hopeful of finding a partner and also less appreciative of the pleasures of being single and of the growth it has brought me. Might be worth a look?
I’ve heard of that one but haven’t read it. Perhaps I’ll get to it now…
I especially liked the comment noting that hook-up culture is really not as universal as columns like this suggest it is. It’s usually only readily available to white, middle/upper-middle class, able-bodied, and conventionally attractive people. I don’t have any issue with the hookup culture itself, but a lot of the writing about it comes off as vaguely elitist and makes the author seem kind of unlikeable because it reads as if they’re plumbing the fundamentals of the universe and it really only applies to a small group of people. Writing about rare experiences can be fine of course, but couching it more in that tone would be better. Anyway, good post.
I am curious to check back with this writer in 10 years and see how her marriage is going.
Exactly.
Also, these are just some musings from someone who is getting married under the age of thirty when life tends to still look rosy. Nothing special about that, although she obviously thinks so. Her views when she is over forty might be more interesting.
Many of the commenters on the article wrote things along those same lines.