Have you heard of the clever and funny website The Art of Manliness? My guy friends love reading it and they're always passing around its articles.
Why doesn't a complementary site exist for women? I've wondered for a long time. I suspect it's because women themselves disagree about the essence of femininity. You have only to think about the spectrum of ways people define womanhood, from "nurturing and maternal" to "identical with masculinity," to see that it would be hard to write a blog about womanliness without offending somebody. I also think that most women don't feel qualified to speak on behalf of all women, knowing the range of opinions that are out there.
Despite these obstacles, a friend-of-a-friend has begun a blog with precisely this goal in mind. She aims to outline her path towards "learning how to be a woman and a wife" who is "savvy, sensitive, sharp, skilled and smart." I've been checking out her website and so far I like what I see. I think Catholic Young Woman readers would especially enjoy her list of 100 Books Every Woman Should Read.
I hope you enjoy this new blog and find it a helpful resource!
I have always thought it a shame that a women's website as a counter part to the Art of Manliness doesn't exist. I say we create one and ignore any of those who do not agree with our "definitions" of womanhood (in a polite way, of course). Otherwise, how can we ever make a difference without feeling intimidated! From the comments I've read on the Art of Manliness, I know they often have people who don't agree as well.
ReplyDelete..Just something to think about. :)
Thanks for sharing this blog! It's full of useful information. There is actually an unofficial counterpart to the Art of Manliness, called "Elegant Woman: How to Be A Lady" and can be found here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.elegantwoman.org/how-to-be-a-lady.html
It's also full of great articled and very useful advice.
Just thought I'd share!
God bless
I've often wished there was a female counterpart to the "Art of Manliness" website! Thanks for letting us know about this. It does seem geared more toward married women, but it's still quite useful. I'm excited!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback, Victoria.
DeleteAs Tess identifies, there isn't a clear, written tradition of "womanliness" to reclaim. That's what "The Art of Manliness" works but "The Art of Womanliness" wouldn't--at least in the same way. One of the ideas behind Experimental Wifery is to reekindle the kinds of intergenerational friendships that historically helped women learn more about who they are and how to take care of themselves and their families. Single and married, childless and mother, teenager and senior all learn from each other in a respectful environment what it is to be a woman.
With those thoughts in mind "wifery," is supposed to be a reference to "housewifery," or home management rather than to marriage. And, while the blog is written for women with vocations to marriage, it's supposed to be a blog for women in all stages of that journey. I'll have to figure out how to convey that idea better in the future. I'd love to talk to you about it if you'd like to get in touch: Experimentalwifery@gmail.com.
I'm glad you found so much you enjoyed at Experimental Wifery! If you enjoyed 100 Books Every Woman Should Read, I hope you'll come back next week for the first post in the series 100 Films Every Woman Should See.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I also spent a lot of time wondering why there is no Art of Womanliness blog. Like you, we decided the problem is that there is no clear, written tradition of femininity we can recover. (Thus the spectrum of "femininities" you describe.) The knowledge of what it is to be a woman didn’t go down in history books or tomes of philosophy, but was passed from woman to woman in families and communities. And that's what we started Experimental Wifery to be--a community of women learning to be better women and wives. I don't claim to speak for all women or claim my ideas about femininity are the right ones, but I want to start a dialogue about the gifts we share as women.
There are two new magazines launching that have content along the same lines. You might enjoy Darling Magazine or Verily Magazine, both currently available on-line.
Thanks! My fiance likes the Art of Manliness and I've been wishing for a blog like the one you referenced.
ReplyDeletefemininity and true feminine identity is one in need of desperate healing and understanding! Our late Pope also has so much to offer us for better understanding this. Thank you so much! As a young Catholic woman myself it is often difficult to find those who share in this truth. May God continue to bless you and your online sharings :)
ReplyDeleteC.C.
I've wished the same as well! My best friend gave her younger brother "The Art of Manliness" and we read it aloud. Very hilarious...glad to see there's blogs offering the feminine point of view!
ReplyDelete