(man)kind

1.
You want him to want you, don't you?
-You want him to love you?
Keep your skin smooth for him.
Keep your hair curled for him.
Keep your body lean for him.
Keep your voice quiet for him.
And most importantly, keep your mind empty for him.



2.
Look at those hips. What are they for if not to bear children?
Or at that mouth. What is it for if not to please a man?
That laugh - that's to boost his ego, right?
That voice is to sing his praises?
Those eyes to admire his silhouette?
Look at those hands - made to care for a man in sickness and in health.
And that magnificent soul. What is that for?



3.
As girls we sit in front of the television and we flip through the magazines and we learn our place.
After all, you must start early or else she'll start developing thoughts, won't she?

As teenagers we go to parties with drunk boys and we learn our place.
After all, if she wears that skirt and she bats her eyes she's asking for it, isn't she?

As women we stand at the alter and we read our vows and we learn our place.
After all, isn't this what she's been preparing for her whole life?


4.
We are fashioned so early to understand that once a man decides he wants us, our bodies are not our own. That if a woman rejects a man's advances it must be because she's crazy. She's crazy not to want to be with this man - the one that's been giving her attention all night.

He chose you, girl. He chose you and if anything, you should be flattered.