Monstrous Women and the Art of Rage
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It’s funny how things converge. I’m taking this amazing online course from The Carterhaugh School called Monstrous Women. It’s taught by two very intelligent and eloquent folklorists and I’m loving all the material.
At the same time that I randomly learned about this course, I read opinion piece by Mona Eltahawy about women being called wh*res, be it for sexual desire or wanting attention.
Or should I say the sin of wanting attention?
That lead me to pick up her book The 7 Necessary Sins for Women and Girls.
Oh, ladies, how wonderfully monstrous we women can be. Especially if we tap into our rage, an emotion that the patriarchy has a vested interest in beating out of us. (Read Eltahawy’s book. Trust me.)
But it got me thinking about my own writing and the monstrous women that I create. It will shock no one to learn that behind all my humor is a great deal of rage. That said, I view this rage as a positive asset. It allows me to explore a wide range of gender politics in the guise of a fun magic adventure.
There is a lot of discussion these days (and rightly so) about the importance of, not just diversity in books, but #ownvoices, people within specific communities getting to tell their own stories.
I’d add, bring on more tales of modern monstrous women. These messy, flawed, complicated, wonderful, and yes, angry females (and non-binary characters) who cross all races, religions, sexual orientations, and borders.
This is not about bashing men. It’s about taking up space and speaking out about the million things we’ve been expected to keep quiet about.
Grover may have feared the monster at the end of his book, but I celebrate the ones at the start of all mine.