Appointment at the Fulton County Court House. I’m early, so I go to the cafeteria for a cup of coffee. I’m carrying a briefcase full of the articles Kay gave me so I pull them out and read them. I can see the effect of sexism on women everywhere! I think study is a crucial part of action. Oppressed people are often so hostile and angry and threatened that they/we leap to the action phase without study. Action without a base of study drains energy very quickly.
So I am sipping coffee and observing the women around me. I become fixated on their clothing. I see the torture of their high-heeled shoes as they shift from one foot to the other when they stand in line, trying to take the pressure off of first one foot and then the other, toes gripping the shoe, butt thrown out of its natural line. All of the internal organs obviously tilted weird.
Part of the article I’m reading was about clothes. One style is obviously aimed at pleasing men, but runs you the risk of being dubbed a “slut” if you “go too far.” The other, baggier style is not that way, but runs you the risk of being called a “slob,” or accused of “letting yourself go.” Whew! I know I worry about that stuff. I see that my almost forty-year-old stomach is not as flat as I might want it and I worry. About what? Not being attractive to men?