by: Veronica Silveyra
Reading "Girls Find Safety Posing as Boys on Tehran's Mean Streats" by Elaine Sciolino reminded me a lot of myself. When I was younger, about 8-13 years old, I was such a tomboy. I loved wearing loose shirts or baggy sweatshirts, hair always pulled back in a pony tail, wearing boys skating shoes. And I felt comfortable. I felt safe. Even though I still wasn't fully developed, I knew that just because of the simple fact that I was a girl, my body was going to be looked at. So I covered up. Did anything possible NOT to look like a girl. And most of the time it worked. I hung out with the guys and they treated me like I was one of them. And I was hardly ever looked at as a piece of meat.
The lines "posing as boys on the streets makes it easier to avoid rape and falling victim to prostitution rings..." (Sciolino, 2003:1) and "no one bothered me. I wouldn't have been able to survive in women's dress. I would have been finished by now..." (Sciolino, 2003:2) is a reminder of how much pressure women go through everyday of their lives. Not being able to dress a certain way or wear certain clothes because of fear. Its insane that women have to dress in clothes of the opposite sex to gain respect. "What is a Drag King?" by Susie Bright was a nice way to lighten up the mood a little after reading Sciolino's article... I think. I thought it was a fun and healthy way to express oneself in a setting or space where no one is judging. Here was a short youtube video I found to show an example of a Drag King performance...
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