Myths of Women's Liberation

Because I grew up in the Fifties and Sixties, I was socialized with the myths of both decades. I learned about sex from reading Peyton Place, A Married Couple's Guide to Sex, and Playboy--all hidden by my father, but easy to find if I looked in their twin-bedded room. Looking back, I realize I learned about sex through a man's eyes, looking only at my own role and body. Now I read about young girls giving oral sex like goodnight kisses, and see their intentional displays of tits, ass and big lips. What have we gained here?
Even in the Seventies, we realized that Motherhood posed a unique opportunity and challenge for women who wanted equality. Motherhood used to be a passage in a woman's life, not a revolving door. No one expected women to shrink back into teenagers after giving birth. We had many sizes of women. Today we have Size 4 fits all. Even as Oprah encourages us to be ourselves, her show bombards us with diet plan ads. I've seen pictures of her in her skinny jeans--she looked awful.
It took Grandmotherhood to allow me to accept my aging body and its unique beauty. Babies require soft curves and padding, not hard edges. As a teenager, I was slim as a young boy. My body was a clotheshanger for the latest styles. Grandmothers can be pleasantly plump. I still remember the comfort of curling into my own Oma.
To paraphrase Spike Lee, any woman with a uterus can give birth--but that doesn't make her a mother.