Stranger Things made the 1980s look very cool. What's not to love about The Neverending Story, big-hair, and colorful clothes? As a kid who grew up riding my bike all over town with a pack of friends, listening to my Walkman, and geeking out over D&D, The Dark Crystal, and Poltergeist, I have to say that it was a good time to be alive.
However, it was also a time of tremendous change for women, and while I didn't notice any of this as a self-absorbed kid, the early 80s were a time when women were entering the work force in large numbers (often in fields previously relegated to men).
In my small microcosm, there was a shift. Some of the moms decided to "go back to work" (as if they'd been sitting around twiddling their fingers before receiving an official paycheck from a 9-5 position). Other moms opted to "stay at home." This created a new set of challenges for women. Who would take care of their kids after school if they went to work? How would they manage the nutritious home cooked meals they'd previously made with so little time for meal planning? How would they attend sports events or dance recitals? How could they still lead scout troop meetings or bake for PTA events?
They couldn't. And for some women, this created a huge sense of guilt. Meanwhile, other moms who weren't reentering the work force felt guilty for not doing so.
I remember being proud of my mom for taking up a whole new vocation while also wishing she had more time to pick me up from school or watch my field hockey games. I was a self-absorbed kid, but I now realize how much she was juggling. I also realize how many women were trying to find their place in a shifting culture, and how much judgment was placed on them from every imaginable direction.
This period of change, of the redefining of women's roles (yet again) seemed like the perfect time to set a book about women who stop acting polite and let their inner monsters come out. Because when we bite off more than we can chew, there can be consequences.
However, it was also a time of tremendous change for women, and while I didn't notice any of this as a self-absorbed kid, the early 80s were a time when women were entering the work force in large numbers (often in fields previously relegated to men).
In my small microcosm, there was a shift. Some of the moms decided to "go back to work" (as if they'd been sitting around twiddling their fingers before receiving an official paycheck from a 9-5 position). Other moms opted to "stay at home." This created a new set of challenges for women. Who would take care of their kids after school if they went to work? How would they manage the nutritious home cooked meals they'd previously made with so little time for meal planning? How would they attend sports events or dance recitals? How could they still lead scout troop meetings or bake for PTA events?
They couldn't. And for some women, this created a huge sense of guilt. Meanwhile, other moms who weren't reentering the work force felt guilty for not doing so.
I remember being proud of my mom for taking up a whole new vocation while also wishing she had more time to pick me up from school or watch my field hockey games. I was a self-absorbed kid, but I now realize how much she was juggling. I also realize how many women were trying to find their place in a shifting culture, and how much judgment was placed on them from every imaginable direction.
This period of change, of the redefining of women's roles (yet again) seemed like the perfect time to set a book about women who stop acting polite and let their inner monsters come out. Because when we bite off more than we can chew, there can be consequences.
I hope you enjoy Invasive Species!
--Ellery