Iāve been seeing discussions on my dash about the use of the wordsĀ āpussyā and even the color of the pink hats used in the womenās march, and Iād like to submit a couple of ideas to you for consideration.
Let me preface by saying: I am not in favor of signage/words that prioritize one set of sexual organs over another because that gets into weird places of associating genitalia with gender, etc.
However, signs that say things likeĀ āPussy Grabs Backā - please consider that this is in context and direct opposition to a man who bragged about assaulting women with vaginas by sayingĀ āI grabĀ āem by the pussy.ā This is reflecting his language back in the form of protest, and in this case, I think is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
Also please consider that vaginas are very, very often targets and sites of violence, even when they belong to men. Vaginas are so derided, as a concept and as a body part, that most of the anti-trans-woman rhetoric Iāve heard from cis men in my life has centered around the fact that they would rather die before theyād give up their penis for a vagina. (Nevermind their complete lack of comprehension about the actual experience of being trans and how body parts do or donāt contribute to that.) Iām saying that this is their actual viewpoint: vaginas are terrible and anyone who would want to have one is weak and less-than. So signs that laud, praise, and glorify vaginas are still an act of rebellion. (Of course I am also saying please do not make the mistake of vagina=woman. Having a vagina is a completely separate issue from your actual gender.) But in this context, pro-vagina is still an act of rebellion against a patriarchy that views them as dirty and worthy of scorn and violence.
Also, as far as pink hats go: I would like you to consider that, completely separate from the reference toĀ āpink bitsā ā even taking into account cat ears and the nameĀ āpussy hatā ā pink is considered a feminine color and as such is subject to the same derision that a patriarchy places on women.
idk if youāve ever been to the American South, especially, but say youāre standing outside a Target or a Wal-Mart in Virginia or the Carolinas or Georgia or Alabama. Say itās pouring rain. Say itās hailing. And thereās a dude standing a couple of feet away from you without an umbrella, squinting under the brim of his sportsball team cap. Say you have an extra umbrella and you are a generous person and you go to offer it to this man. But say the umbrella is pink.
Let me tell you a thing: There is a roughly 80% chance that the man is going to look at the pink umbrella, snort, take a step sideways away from you, and say,Ā āNot that thing.ā He wonāt touch it. He probably wonāt even be polite about refusing it. In his mind, youāve just offended him by offering him something that is pink ā the color of femininity. Youāve just implied that heās not masculine. Youāve just implied that heās weak, orĀ āgayā, or whatever.
Iām not exaggerating. I have lived in the American South all my life. Iāve seen men stand in hailstorms rather than touch something pink. Iāve seen men go naked rather than wear something pink. Iāve heard them complain about having to TOUCH something pink.
So yeah, thereās a context to the color beyond justĀ āpink parts.ā The context is that anything the patriarchy PERCEIVES as feminine ā whether it actually is or not ā is a fair target for violence in their minds. And that is worth protesting.
But even with this context in mind, I want to put out there one more thought: Protect trans women. Protect intersex women. Protect women of color. Protect disabled women. And if any of these people feel uncomfortable or excluded because of the way that these items are often associated with cis white women, respect that, and donāt force them to interface with it.
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