Madam Lipa

As I collect in my memory all the times I felt happy, joyful and at peace… what comes up are all the times I accepted my ignorance. Times where I allowed myself to lean into all I didn’t know. Where I accepted I wasn’t in charge and didn’t need to feel in charge.

When living was a natural, pleasurable overflow of sentiments instead of being a task I must perform to show something to someone… to prove I can… to prove I exist. To prove I know or am on the way to knowing.

Let me prove it to you. Let me show you how valuable I am. Despite being a woman. Despite being attractive. May I be seen for my logic only and intelligence instead of any or all other attributes.

May I be accepted in your world of Logos, and reject all other talents.

It was a man’s world, you see.

Numbers, formulas, structures, reason and logic reigned supreme. The god they forced us all to believe in was a punishing god, a numbers god, who seemingly hated women with passion for all the things men couldn’t perform.

We were forced into marriages and early childbearing, thrown in convents, burned alive… A clock was ticking everywhere we went. Forcing us to swallow our voices, cry in silence, and be grateful we were given the privilege of male protection… protection. Protection from their own threats. Appease the executioner in order to get a lighter sentence.

I say, convict me at once. To live on my knees, prostrated in front of men, is offensive enough and a horror to the God I pray to.

In the realm of fantasy, dreams, spirituality and connection, women reign supreme. That’s where their talents shine. That's where my talents shine.

A whole life, a whole generation… A whole history of women being forced to translate their language to men. 

Erased from science, history, religion, education…

Fear: Men fear Women most of all.