Thoughts on "Real Women Have Bodies"

[Pam]

Her Body and Other Parties is a collection of short stories. Let's use this thread to discuss the short story: Real Women have Bodies?

What did you think of this story?
How would you categorize this one?

[Lavender]

so far most of this book reminds me of the original the twilight zone but with more women love pain raw and of course gay in this chapter it gave a good end of the world story where a mass epidemic was happening no one could do anything but wait die love or live etc i enjoyed it sadly she never told her i will be joining you soon but she was angry confused and blinded that this was the way they were meant to be but i guess on a feminist note how could they be women if they could not be touched they are nothing without their bodies is what i got a little of a lot to unpack in each sentence loaded with lots of feeling very thought provoking

[Annie]

Just beautiful and sad. Perfectly buttoned up.

[Frances]

After some time to think about this one, I wondered if this referred to the sense that many women have of slowly becoming invisible over time, particularly as, with age or with less than perfect appearance, we start to feel that no one sees us anymore-getting talked over in meetings, ignored while waiting for service, our ideas not being listened to and then repeated by someone else who gets credit. (Elizabeth Warren's reception in the Democratic primaries was a great example of this-despite detailed plans and vigorous performances at debates it was quickly decided in the media that she wasn't really in the race and she was given much less media attention than the men).

Did the women wanting to be stitched into beautiful dresses represent a belief that if only we can find the right coverings-hair, make-up, clothes-perhaps we'll be less invisible?

[Pam]

ooh, I like that interpretation.

[Kristina]

I found this story to be very interesting and I like Frances interpretation.

[Lana]

This story really moved me. I love Frances's ideas. For me, the story represented what we see when we look at women. Sometimes we judge women more on what they are wearing than who they are really. So the women herself might as well be invisible. When Alexandra Cortez became a U.S Representative, she was initially judged more on her clothing than what she had to say.
In the story, a girl trying on some clothes is referred to by how she appears "the girl with the seal hair", then like"Jane Russell from Gentlemen Prefer Blonds", and then finally "just a girl". She comments that she likes the dress, but doesn't wish to get a reputation, because that is how she would be judged, by her clothing, not who she is.
This doesn't just go for clothing either. We judge women on their choice of makeup, profession, sexuality, on what they eat and their religions. Perhaps the woman in the stained glass was seen just as her religion, despite it only being one part of who she really was.
The sad thing is, it isn't just men who were judging women in the story, it was the women judging each other, refusing them their own full identities and making them disappear.

[Pam]

Lana wrote: "The sad thing is, it isn't just men who were judging women in the story, it was the women judging each other, refusing them their own full identities and making them disappear..."

Sø true

[Violet]

So true

[Tracy]

I just finished this book and have mixed feeling although the story discussed here in the thread, is both tragic, sad and has moments of beauty. I felt as if the women were very harsh to judge each other yet there was also a compassion there. The imagery was both fascinating and grotesque as I could vividly imagine the bodies being pierced with the thread as they became the dresses. CM is a really different writer. I’m not sure I have ever read another writer like her.