From the hype about American nuns to a recent article about the work-family balance (more on both of those later), my inner feminist has been getting a lot of exercise lately. I stumbled across this gem at Busted Halo this morning. The author, Vanessa Gonzalez Kraft, contributes thoughtful, well-written pieces to Busted Halo, so while I sometimes disagree with her, I respect her (and actually read her pieces).
This time, I think Kraft hits something very true and not often discussed. She writes about a shy smile and sweet look she used to avoid criticism in art class and generalizes this strategy to strong women who appear "precious" -- sweet and crushable -- as a method of downplaying their own strength. I recognized myself in the description.
When I moved up to Steubenville l last August, I tried to moderate my intense personality. I smiled sweetly, sat quietly, and commiserated with confused students. At that point, I was trying to figure out if I could change to become that quieter girl. By second semester, I knew I was not happy with that change, so I re-embraced my bolder self.
However, my "precious" avatar did not die. She still makes appearances to disguise to bold Beth. Like Kraft's soft-spoken self, she hides my true gifts when I am reluctant to show them. I can get on the "Stop being precious" bandwagon.
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