I Hold My Breath When I Receive Online Comments from Middle-Aged Men
This is an instinctual, defensive habit I didn’t realize I’d adopted until recently.
As a full-time writer in my business, I receive a lot of feedback and notes on my published work.
Half the time, these notes are understandably from men.
I have to say, I have some really amazing readers who are middle-aged men and they are so supportive and so kind in the notes they leave. I especially appreciate the ones who challenge me in very high-quality and healthy ways, because that can be a really tricky landscape sometimes. But it truly does offer opportunities for us to share powerful, open dialogue and grow together.
The point and purpose of feminism, after all, is for men and women to be equal. I’m not looking to be superior or better than any man simply because of his gender.
I’ve been writing personal essays about feminism in womanhood for close to a year now. It’s basically part of the job description that I receive pretty sexist misogynistic comments on my work sometimes.
