What a week.
That’s all you have to say right now to nearly any woman in your life, and she will know exactly what you’re talking about.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s credible, difficult testimony in the Kavanaugh hearing (i.e. not a trial) this past Thursday was painful enough in itself for so many of us, without everything awful that’s happened its aftermath — from Kavanaugh’s own response, to the nonsensical “I believe her but I don’t want to believe her” comments from Senators, right down to the outrageously hateful memes of Pizzagate-level insanity circulating around certain social media circles right now.
Even the positive aspects of the week — like seeing Dr. Blasey’s face over and over in my Instagram feed — have been difficult. Because even while “bravery is contagious,” as Senator Lahey perfectly put it during the hearings, we all know the impact it has on patient zero, and what she’s given up, that we might find our own voices to share our own stories.
Oof.
Dr. Christine Blasey Ford illustration by Tyler Feder
Find the print or digital download at her Etsy, Shop Roaring Softly, with 100% of profits supporting RAINN.
As a mom, like so many of you, I have the added burden of trying to discuss these events with my daughters in the most helpful, healthy, possible way. So for me at least, it’s felt like an important parental obligation to read as many writers as I can, to help me find the words to express my own feelings.
I have been so grateful this week to have found so much writing that has guided me. Wonderful, angry, painful, thoughtful, insightful, cutting, infuriating, healing and heart-wrenching writing.
Yet every time I went to share one of these pieces on social media…well, there was always one more right behind it. So I figured I’d put together a (decidedly incomplete) list of some favorites as a place to start.
Some of these articles are more journalistic, some are righteously indignant op-ed pieces or memoir. Some are partisan, some are not. But they’ve all opened my eyes in various ways, helping me to process the week and remind me that a lot of what I’m feeling is a lot of what other women are feeling too.
Related: How I’m getting blunt with my daughters, because #metoo.
As for the I Believe Women / I Believe Survivors shirts shown here: I can’t recommend them more. It’s US-made, and you can find it at https://www.ibelievewomen.com/, with 100% of proceeds going to the #MeToo movement, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, RAINN, End Rape on Campus, and Be a Hero — each of which are on the front lines, protecting and fighting for survivors of sexual violence.
It should come in the next week or two, which will give you plenty of time to read some of the articles here.
Pace yourself.
Outstanding Articles from Women about the Ford-Kavanaugh Hearings That Are Really Worth Your Time
Start here —> It Is Very Difficult to Get the Train to Stop – Alexandra Petri, Washington Post
You Don’t Have to Be Fine – Amanda Deibert, Medium
On “It Was Fine” – Megan Reynolds, Jezebel
I Made Bad Decisions Today. That’s Because I’m Tired and Sad – Estelle Tang, Elle
Fury is a Political Weapon and Women Need to Wield It – Rebecca Traister, NY Times
What It’s Like to Watch Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony with Anita Hill – Gabriella Paiella + Jessica Prois, NY Magazine’s The Cut
We Can’t Just Let Boys Be Boys – Peggy Orenstein, NY Times
No One Will Speak for Us But Ourselves, Still – Yesha Callahan, Essence
The Ford-Kavanaugh Hearing Will Be Remembered as a Grotesque Display of Patriarchal Resentment – Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker
I Believe Her. And Him. – Katie Herzog, The Stranger
The Cruelty of a Woman’s Civil Duty – Clover Hope, Jezebel
We Still Haven’t Learned from Anita Hill’s Testimony – KImberlé Crenshaw, NY Times
The Myth of the Perfect Victim – Caitlin Moscatello, NY Magazine’s The Cut
Damaging a Man’s Good Name vs Damaging a Woman’s Life – Maya Salam, NY Times
12 of the Most Striking Photos from the Kavanaugh Hearing and Protest – Madison Feller, Elle
Why One Loud Man Won’t Distract Us from Listening to Thousands of Women – Hannah Smothers, Cosmopolitan
How to Concentrate on Work During an Intense News Cycle – Amy Collier, New Yorker
I know there are so many more must-read pieces from many, many talented writers. Male and female. If you have any favorites, by all means share them in the comments. Then sit down with your favorite comforting beverage of choice, click a few links, and know you’re not alone either.
