If there were ever a time in modern America when women needed a battle cry to unite us, it’s now. Under this presidency. In 2017.
We are angry as we we watch the clock on our reproductive rights roll backwards. We are angry as our country’s elected leader makes a joke out of us. We are angry because we are being told we have no right to be angry. And one writer named Sarah Hosseini of Atlanta is fed the fuck up. She recently channeled her frustration in a powerful Facebook post that’s got women everywhere standing alongside her in solidarity.
Hosseini starts off by articulating that she’s an “unapologetic angry woman, and THAT’S OK.” Because if there’s one thing we are tired of, it’s having to apologize for ourselves. Sarah is all set with that. She’s not apologizing for taking up room, having a voice, and having power. She’s not apologizing if she doesn’t stroke a man’s ego. Or if she’s not an agreeable, smiling “ray-of-fucking-perpetual-sunshine. FOR YOU.”
Yessssss. Preach, girl.
Sarah’s post lists all the many ways that others have tried to control her body.
Because before I got pregnant, everyone tried to put a baby in my womb.
Because when I actually got pregnant, everyone claimed ownership over my body. They touched my belly without permission and asked inappropriate questions.
Because when I had a C-section, I was told it was the ‘easy way out.’
Because when I didn’t want to breastfeed for reasons that are my own, I was shamed for it by doctors, nurses, and other mothers. Formula is a perfectly good option to feed a baby.
And she lists the ways men have made her (and her daughter) feel like they are property, expected to please.
Because when I was a teenager, boys and men didn’t stop when I said ‘No.’ And I thought I deserved that. I thought I was lucky to have them wanting me.
Because when I was healing postpartum my husband said, ‘If you were a good wife you’d have sex with me’ and ‘just do it anyway.’ Through the pain. Through my haywire hormones. Through my own depression and misery I was expected to perform sex for him.
Because a car salesman asked my six-year-old daughter why she wasn’t smiling. She hid behind my hip because he made her uncomfortable. I had to explain to the man that she doesn’t need to don a non-stop smile to make him feel good. She’s probably bored, focused, or daydreaming. SHE’S NOT HERE FOR YOU.
Sarah goes on to discuss that she fears for her kids, who have a Middle Eastern last name. She fears them being shot in school. She fears for her friends and their children who aren’t white. And she’s tired of being told she’s over-reacting, too emotional. Too angry.
Fuck. That. Noise.
Known for her strong voice, Sarah tells Sammiches and Psych Meds that she’s always channeled her emotions through writing, even as a young girl. “Then Charlottesville happened. And with that—it all poured out. When something like that happens, you immediately feel moved to do something, say something. I just happened to have the time to do it, and most of my grievances already written out ready to put out into the world.”
And she also tells SPM that she believes “women must write their truths. If we don’t, the story will always glorify powerful, white men. I can’t let it go down like that. I also will do anything I can to help amplify the voices of other women, LGBTQ, women of color, disabled, etc. as well.” Yes. Yes. Yes. Us too, Sarah.
As a mom to two girls, ages 7 and 6, Sarah is scared for their future. How the hell did we get here? This is the 21st century. Yet, as Sarah says in her powerful post:
My rights are being stripped away. Because my right to have an abortion could be taken away from my daughters. Because I remember what it was like to practice safe sex and end up pregnant anyway. And know that I’d be shamed for being a single mom. For being on food stamps. For not having a father for my kid. And my kid would be shamed. At least I spared the child. But either way, I GOT SHAMED.
Do you hear that? WE ARE SHAMED EITHER WAY. We are whores either way. We are wrong either way. We are sinful either way. Sarah says NO MORE. She’s angry. She’s going to be heard. And as a fellow woman and mother to a little girl in this country right now, I hear her. I stand with her.
WE ARE NOT HERE FOR YOU. OUR GIRLS ARE NOT HERE FOR YOU. You will not quiet us. You will not use us. You will not shame us anymore for making our own choices. For protecting ourselves from egomaniacs and misogynists and rapists and sexist assholes who hide behind the cloak of religion to justify their mistreatment of women.
“All of you who label me as ‘crazy’ and the ‘angry woman’ fear me,” Sarah says at the end of her post. “And you only fear me because I threaten to take back what is rightfully mine in the first damn place.” So we are sorry if you feel threatened. (Actually, no we aren’t.) But we are taking back our rights and fighting for our girls. And we are just going to get louder.