Binary Slam

I too found Myer’s piece powerful. She says at one point “woman shrink to make space for the men around them.” I found this particurly interesting, the idea of gender in relation to the consumption of space. I think in both the corporeal and socially constructed sense men treat the consumption of space as a physical assertion of power and unconstrained privelage--the claiming of something that is theirs by right and without limit.  On the other hand, Myer’s mother—and by extension (inheritance) Myer’s herself-- questions “how much space she deserves to occupy?” I wonder is this not a more universal experience? The commodification of women’s bodies? Space is something that is allocated for utilitarian purposes. It would seem a woman is constantly self-regulating how much is absolutely necessary or how much she has earned? This constant self-regulation is, as Myer’s suggests, inherited. Shrinking is systematically learned behavior: cross your legs, fold your hands, speak only when spoken to and never shout, be modest, self-sacrificing, and most importantly thin. Myer’s makes this connection as well, a woman’s occupation of space and her obsession with size. What an inheritance, huh? In a capitalist society obsessed with the idea that bigger is better a woman’s corporal manifestation--her body-- is told to be as small as possible. This fits rather well with the discourse of woman as a marginalized identity, quite literally there just doesn’t seem to be enough room. 

(think I accidently submited this as a visitor)