The specificity of this memory, those exact details about the cheese-baked olives and the Chablis, makes the violation hit so differently. What gets me is how you captured that collective silence that protected the adults in the room. It's unsettling to read how "just what happened to pretty girls" was presented as inevitable rather than wrong. Your willingness to reckon with that particular blindness feels important.
@Adia Bali Thank you. I very much appreciate you reading. I realize girls grow up differently and not everyone had this experience but in my mind, looking back on those years, girls did not stand up for themselves (some did, of course) and the males could do whatever they desired. We were definitely blinded by the culture.
Deeply related to the specificity of so much of that.
I’m so glad. Very much appreciate you reading this!
The specificity of this memory, those exact details about the cheese-baked olives and the Chablis, makes the violation hit so differently. What gets me is how you captured that collective silence that protected the adults in the room. It's unsettling to read how "just what happened to pretty girls" was presented as inevitable rather than wrong. Your willingness to reckon with that particular blindness feels important.
@Adia Bali Thank you. I very much appreciate you reading. I realize girls grow up differently and not everyone had this experience but in my mind, looking back on those years, girls did not stand up for themselves (some did, of course) and the males could do whatever they desired. We were definitely blinded by the culture.
Loved this! It really let me see into that time of life.
It was a different time! Thanks so much for reading and welcome to Substack!
Another resonant piece. I was there with the narrator all the way.
thank you, Betsy!!xoxoxo
Beautiful writing; the very meaning of angst!
Thank you so much for reading, Ron.
Absolutely loved this one
This means so much! Thank you, Katie. xo
Gorgeous.