For The Last Time…Nancy Pelosi Doesn’t Have Balls!
Yesterday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refused to allow Donald Trump to give his State of the Union address from inside the House chamber, stating that she would not allow it while the government was still shut down. While the response from Republicans and those on the Right was predictably negative, Democrats took to social media to express pride and approval.
A few tweets:
Why are so many people publicly stating that Nancy Pelosi has balls?
I know, I know. No one who posted those remarks literally believes that Nancy Pelosi has testicles. However, this commonly used colloquialism is proof positive that — intersectional feminism, the #metoo movement, the interrogation of toxic masculinity, and the Year of the Woman 2.0 notwithstanding — we still tend to view toughness as an inherently masculine trait. It also demonstrates our collective inability to conceptualize strength in decidedly feminine terms. When was the last time you heard anyone praising a brave woman for having “brass ovaries?”
While proclaiming that powerful women have “testicular fortitude” isn’t necessarily misogynistic, words are powerful and words do indeed shape our view of ourselves, other people, and the world. Words also undergird the patriarchal power structures that keep women down.
Yesterday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi refused to allow Donald Trump to give his State of the Union address from inside the House chamber, stating that she would not allow it while the government was still shut down. While the response from Republicans and those on the Right was predictably negative, Democrats took to social media to express pride and approval.
A few tweets:
Why are so many people publicly stating that Nancy Pelosi has balls?
I know, I know. No one who posted those remarks literally believes that Nancy Pelosi has testicles. However, this commonly used colloquialism is proof positive that — intersectional feminism, the #metoo movement, the interrogation of toxic masculinity, and the Year of the Woman 2.0 notwithstanding — we still tend to view toughness as an inherently masculine trait. It also demonstrates our collective inability to conceptualize strength in decidedly feminine terms. When was the last time you heard anyone praising a brave woman for having “brass ovaries?”
While proclaiming that powerful women have “testicular fortitude” isn’t necessarily misogynistic, words are powerful and words do indeed shape our view of ourselves, other people, and the world. Words also undergird the patriarchal power structures that keep women down.
