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fying what, exactly, she’ s requesting more of. Probably better to leave that up to the listener’ s hopefully vivid imagination. What the fuck, indeed.
Lo is phoning from Stockholm tour rehearsals on an ominous, truly fearful day – January 20, a couple of hours after Donald Trump is sworn in as President of America, ending eight arts and healthfriendly years of the Obama administration and signaling – from the man’ s campaign promises alone about future Supreme Court appointees – the beginning of a New War on Women. The next day, of course, females across the world fought back with a universal Women’ s March, which totaled over 700,000 in Los Angeles, 500,000 protesters in Washington, D. C, and 250,000 in Chicago. Protest marches spread like wildfire to over 600 separate cities across 65 countries, around the potentiallyoppressed globe. Incorporated into the march was the Pussyhat Movement of
Why Rich White Men think they should have a say in what women do with their bodies is also baffling to this forwardthinking European.“ I’ m definitely prochoice,” she says.“ But whenever you talk about abortion, people take up these views like,‘ Okay, what if you were in this horrible situation where you were raped?’ And I’ m like,‘ You know what? Yes. But that doesn’ t even matter. It’ s her body, and she chooses what she wants to do with her body.’ So no matter if the reason for the pregnancy is horrible, or it’ s an accident, it’ s still her choice. That’ s the way it is over here – when it comes to that, we have free clinics where you can go to and get help. You get the care that you need, without having to be rich or having to do it in secret somewhere. From an early age, there’ s an open discussion in Sweden about the fact that women should be as sexually free as men – there’ s no making it something shameful or ignoring it. Sex shouldn’ t be
26 illinoisentertainer. com february 2017 knitted, pink-eared caps, often accented by giant foam cat’ s paws emblazoned with the term that most perfectly summarized the event: Pussy Power. Who better to talk to at such a potentially-devastating moment than this outspoken feminist, who understands that much of Europe is leaning similarly toward the increasinglyxenophobic far right, in France, Austria, Germany, and even Britain, post-Brexit.
Lo says she’ s still stunned by the unexpected upset of sane, logical, steadfast Hillary Clinton by the openly racist, sexist, climate-change denying demagogue Trump – who proclaimed Pussy Power to be something else entirely, basically the sole province of Rich White Men, the same One-Percenters with whom he’ s been infesting his cabinet.“ And in a way, you almost feel stupid for letting it happen,” she sighs, dejectedly, feeling America’ s pain.“ I don’ t understand how so many people can think that this is what society should be like, that they’ re so unsatisfied with their situation. I can’ t relate to everything, though, because as a woman growing up in Sweden, I was raised in a way that you were able to say and do whatever you want, the same as men. And knowing that the most basic things – like being in charge of my own body, and being in charge of my own sexuality – are all of a sudden not going to be okay anymore?” She shudders.“ I can’ t understand that is going to happen, how that could possibly take place. I … I … I’ m just at a loss for words.” seen as something sinful, just because you’ re a girl or a woman.”
Lo had never heard the old adage‘ A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle,’( tough to handle guys, yes, but all too true) and she doesn’ t understand its deeper societal implications at first. Once she gets it, she can’ t stop laughing about it. She’ s got no big problem with the male gender, she says. But she also finds it convenient that in her neighborhood alone, there are three – count‘ em, three – vibrator stores, there for just such bicycling purposes. She wonders why more women don’ t openly discuss their lady wood desires in public. Take Madonna, for instance, she offers.“ It was quite a while ago that she masturbated onstage, and she’ s done all these things that for me – as a woman in pop – were really important. Like essentially saying,‘ Hey – I’ m a sexual being, and that’ s fucking awesome!’ So it feels very strange to me that so many people perceive( what’ s happening now) as progress, because that’ s not what it is. We’ ve come so far, but apparently not, you know?”
So if you’ ve got lady wood? Hey, feel free to use it, girls, Lo adds with a chortle.“ It feels a lot better to just be in tune with your own body, to know what you like and be comfortable with yourself that way, instead of seeing it as something dirty and shameful,” she proclaims.“ It relieves the stress, it makes you sleep better, and it makes you happy – all the good things.
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