B E B E R E

Ann Althouse has a great post on Laura Kipnis's assertion of an "irreconcilable contradiction between feminism and femininity."

I wonder if this is a question of definitions. Myself, I’ve always thought of feminism as being about increased choices for women – about going out and developing yourself mentally, physically, etc. About being able to enjoy both your mind and your body in more and different ways – and having an open mind as to how others enjoy themselves. Last spring, I was ruminating a bit on how I defined women in this society and how I define myself as a woman here. If I remember correctly, this post came in response to the lack of outcry from Feminists on the treatment of women in other parts of the world.

Now, I've never really considered myself to be terrifically pretty, so as a result had never gotten much into fashion, makeup, 'netting a guy.' I figured that my wits more than made up for my lack of looks, and that that's what I'd rely on. In recent years, however, I've started to enjoy things like going to salons, hennaing my hair, painting my toenails. I guess you could say that I'm learning to accept my femininity and nurture it. I guess you could also say that I'm learning to be the happy coexistence of smart and pretty that Virginia Postrel talks about and that so many in some current (puritanic?) leftist circles tend to vehemently deny.

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Ooh! More on the subject. Andrew Sullivan's been invoked. Myself, I'm all for both men and women having pride in their appearances and taking care of themselves. I draw the line at metrosexuality. I can't handle the thought of a guy I'm with being more into beauty products than I am.