Naomi Weisman is a Canadian-Australian and mother of three who loves to ramble with her dog, cook for family and friends, and laugh whenever possible.
I was raised by a woman who followed her passions. As many women did in her generation, mom took her husband’s last name and chose to stay home and raise us kids when she became a mother, but she never lost her identity in the process.
After giving up nursing, a profession she loved, Mom dove headfirst into parenting the four of us with love, intelligence, and creativity. She had always wanted a large family and took the job of raising us very seriously. But she was a writer at heart; she wrote us short stories and plays and even created fancy menus and character names for us at dinner time, where we would have to speak with funny accents.
So, when my parents divorced, and mom had to find work to support herself, she became a writer full-time. In fact, she was freelance writing long before they split up and was able to easily find work at different newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses, clearing the way for her to fly.
Gloria Steinem was interviewed in this season of the Wiser Than Me podcast with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. My mom revered Gloria, and feminism was fed to me with my baby food. So, when I saw that this trailblazer of 20th-century feminism was on, I clapped my hands together and said, “Let’s go!”
There are so many delicious parts to this podcast, but I want to talk about one part in particular because it is something that we’ve often discussed between us in the Sole Sister Ramblers Facebook group. Gloria paints a picture of girls at age ten who “are climbing trees and saying, ‘I know what I want, I know what I think,’ and the feminine role hasn't descended upon us yet.”
This resonates with me because when I close my eyes and see my 10-year-old self, I see a girl who only knows how to be one way—me, without pretext or artifice, just my authentic self. What a glorious state of being, and how sad it is that, for most of us, the feminine ideal descends upon us, and our authenticity becomes complicated.
Steinem goes on to say, “We may also be more ourselves at the other end of the feminine role. I always think it would be great if an army of gray-haired women could take over the Earth. I feel freer of certain cultural burdens that felt heavier when I was younger. I don't know, stuff gets clearer.” What a revolutionary idea for most women who have been corralled into what the patriarchy has traditionally deemed the feminine ideal.
I’ve been asked, on several occasions, what my favorite age is. Without any hesitation, I say it’s now. At 57, with my kids all grown and forging their own paths, I feel a great sense of freedom to be honest, to express my thoughts and feelings with confidence, to dress for comfort instead of an image, and to feel unapologetic about my desires. It’s almost like being my 10-year-old self again, who can hang upside down in a tree and sing at the top of her lungs or laugh with friends about the absurdities of life while out on a ramble, but with the agency and power that comes with midlife and beyond.
Dreyfus asks: “Would you have any specific advice to women for aging without shame?
Steinem: “Well, I think one thing is to be together with women who are your age and older so that you have an example and a counterweight to the media image of women who were always younger, more beautiful, usually more white, and just not realistic.”
This reminds me so much of the Sole Sister Ramblers community. These words rang loud and clear in my mind and heart, indicating that we are on the right track by seeking out each other's company, advice, and influence. Aging is a time of freedom and reward—a revolutionary idea!
Gloria Steinem is now 90 years old, and she is as articulate and sharp as I ever imagined her to be. This podcast was an immersive experience and a joy from beginning to end. Not only do I recommend it, I also urge you to listen to it. You will not be sorry.
Other fun quotes:
“Dear Goddess, I pray for the courage to walk naked at any age, to wear red and purple, to be unladylike, inappropriate, scandalous, and incorrect to the very end.”
Manufacturing a T-shirt that says, “I'm at an age when remembering something right away is as good as an orgasm.”
“Laughter is the only emotion that cannot be compelled; it's the essence of humanity. A free will and orgasm of the mind.” You can make someone cry or be angry or whatever, but laughter is free. You can't force somebody to laugh who doesn't want to."
READ MORE > Nomi's Pic's Rambler Cafe Blog
Leave a comment