Things said to me....

things said to me at various points in my life:

"You shouldn't go for more schooling, you'll have too much debt and then no one will ever want to marry you." - my grandmother, two years ago, her living room.

"She's got nice legs, it's a sign of the times. Spring is coming." - construction worker, February 11th 2009, on my way home from the gym while passing the new Yale health building

"You know, with a little bit of makeup, you could really look like something." - Mark Becker, high school cafeteria

"You throw like a girl." - too many people to count

"It's just a joke!" - too many people to count

"I was on the first women's cross-country team at my high school after Title IX." - my mother, 2002, our house

"Hillary Clinton is a bitch." - my father, 2007, the dining room table

"This may sound sexist, but Sarah Palin should have known better than to get pregnant at her age. She should have known of the increased risk for having a retarded baby." - YDS student, October 2008, Common Room

"OH, thank god." - my grandmother after finding out I was not a lesbian, 2004, her kitchen

"Your mother should be ashamed of you." - anonymous commenter, 2008, in response to an article I posted online about the potential healing power of menstrual blood

"When I was in high school, someone asked me if I wanted to fly planes in the air force." - my mother, December 2008, her kitchen

"What's your boyfriend majoring in? Will he make enough money to support you?" - my grandma, May 2007, my college graduation

"I honestly don't think that many women have been raped, at least, not enough to make it a major problem." - student in a college class, 2005

"You're probably too ugly to be raped and would be lucky to get fucked." - anonymous commenter, 2008, the internet

"He raped me." - my college roommate, 2005, our apartment

"Did you know having an abortion greatly increases the risk of breast cancer?" - pro-life booth attendant, high school, Christian music festival (not true, by the way)

"I don't care about it, only skanks kill their own babies." - Matt Christensen, high school

"I'm not sure how it happened... but I took care of it." - my college roommate, 2008

"You know, before I met your dad, I had an abortion." - my mother, 2004

Lindsay Bacher
MAR, '09
Spring 2009