This age-old dualism—the worship of the divine feminine and yet the mistrust of flesh-and-blood women—confuses and silences women. It confuses and provokes men. And it leads us right up to today. Our culture still—either overtly or subtly—presents women with a choice: you can be a good girl (gentle, submissive, pure), or you can be a bad girl (empowered, embodied, sexual).
