Women’s Herstory!

{ Wind Worshipers by Jonathan Clark }

I am a terrible feminist.  I went through an entire week of March without realizing it was Women’s History Month!  And how did I find out about it?  Through a disappointing SNL sketch.

Once I overcame my initial shame, I was excited by the thought of celebrating this joyous commemoration with you.  There began, in my mind, a little party attended by women of all kinds — artists and dancers, politicians and activists, my mom and gramma, the friends so dear to me they sometimes have the honor of being called “mama” (you know who you are), and of course, all the friends of Westervin.  We were singing and dancing, laughing and shouting, and there may or may not have been a few tequila shots.  The first guest to arrive was someone I hadn’t really thought about since gradeschool — Isadora Duncan came floating into my imagination in a gossamer robe with nipples and self-confidence beaming.  Isadora was the topic of one of my first “research reports”.  (The first was actually on bumble bees, but gimme a break… I was seven.)  At the time, I didn’t really know what modern dance was, let alone what it meant to be a pioneer. I simply fell in love with her name and the elegant photo of her in my treasured book, 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century (an excellent gift for any pre-teen girl — thanks Mom!).  It certainly wasn’t until I was much older that I could appreciate a rebellious, bisexual woman who became famous while bearing her breasts onstage at a time when it was unseemly for a woman to bear even an ankle in public.  Now that’s a spirit that inspires!  So tell me, friends, what women have inspired you?

Edit: Oh!  And Happy International Women’s Day!!!