“The richer we have become materially, the poorer we have become morally and spiritually. We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”- Martin Luther King Jr.
The world has currently been in a state of chaos and fear. We are residing in a country lead by a dangerous man. And this one person is dividing the world when we want to unite in peace.
I wrote the following just as the orange-faced man became official. I was focused on his wife, Melania, and became fearful for her. And now, as some time has passed, more protesting has become the norm, I am even more concerned:
Oh to have a new president. I can’t even say his name, yet alone him and the word “president” in the same sentence. It’s been an intense time, and I am still feeling so much. Not just as a concerned citizen but as a woman.
A woman who believes in so much and fears what is going to happen in the next four years.
I am a human being first and a woman second. My choices are my choices. My rights are human rights. My vagina is no one else’s damn business but my own. And when I think about what it means to be a woman in the world we live in, I want to know what Melania Trump is thinking and not sharing with us.
As I see and hear so many amazing moments that took place during the Woman’s March, I think about what questions I would want to ask Melania if I were to be put face-to-face with her. I want to have a chat woman to woman, not citizen to First Lady. I want to dig deep into who she is.
So what would I ask?
Let’s pretend for a moment she is here.
Melania, Michelle Obama over the years inspired young girls everywhere to believe in themselves and fight for what they believe in. She showed compassion in her speeches, by really looking into the camera it was as if she was looking in the eyes of every little girl watching. What words would you want to tell little girls now, girls who are scared because their own mom is afraid of what your husband could do to?
Secondly, as a woman, how does it feel to hear how your husband talks about women?
Does it bother you that we are treated like a piece of meat and don’t deserve the same opportunities men are given?
And what did you think and feel when you learned how many women were marching for their rights, holding up signs that were held up decades ago, during other protests?
Melania, I fear for you. I worry you are hiding behind your truth and are afraid to expose who you are: a woman with a brain and her OWN opinions. I worry that you are standing by your husband, not out of love, but out of fear, fear if you disobeyed him perhaps.
You are a woman. You deserve to be treated as a human. Your vagina too is nobody else’s business. You too should be allowed to make your choices. You too shouldn’t have to fear for the future. You are silent.
Why? What do you feel? What do you hope happens for women? What kind of world do you expect future girls will grow up into? Your opinion matters. You are now the First Lady. You can speak up. You can speak out. You can tell women and girls what your fears are.
Every woman who marched cares deeply about what it means to be a woman and what it means to spread love. You can be a part of that. But you need to embrace it for yourself first. You need to confront yourself. Feel something that is your feelings and not your husband’s.
Please, Melania, look at yourself in the mirror.
Is this where you want to be, as a woman? Do you think a woman’s uterus is other people’s business?
It’s 2017, how do YOU want the next four years to go? I hope you think carefully about your role and what it will mean for women to watch you.
Open up to us, let us in, don’t be afraid to share your truth.
Photo Credit: Lorie Shaull Flickr via Compfight cc
