Feminism

I was, in the early 1970’s the Public Relations Director of the National Organization of Women. Like many young women at that moment, I struggled with the idea of redirecting my interest in design, fashion and all things “girl” toward more a acceptable medium. Marketing was a natural fit for me because it allowed me to examine these feminine things on behalf of my clients, like an outsider or a scientist, rather than a user or a consumer. It kept me safe from being seen, if only by myself, as a “girl”.

In The Season of Second Chances, an important theme is found in the element of redefining feminist ideals to embrace the gifts of home, family, sensitivity, trust and most of all, the expressive, textural and creative options we have for defining or reflecting our sense of ourselves. Joy is caught in the bind of a 1970’s idea of Feminism (Second Wave Feminism). She discounts and undervalues what is female in herself and in her life. Yet we see that she values them in Teddy. And there are others who are more ‘evolved’ – Bernadette, for instance, Joy’s superior, certainly has thought about this part of women’s lives and has grown beyond rejecting the things that were culturally relegated to women, to valuing them as part of a larger compendium of human (not simply female) gifts.

This is not intended to suggest a book that turns away from professional achievement, or the struggle for equality, opportunity or fairness, but one that moves us toward a culture that appreciates emotionally connected and personally expressive individuals of both (all) genders as a mark of mature civilization.

Still, I hesitate to write what I suspect we’ll see in reviews: “A middle aged woman gets a second chance” --- But I hope it’s taken as a jumping off point for far more serious discussion about our culture and our lives.