Reflection of a bench is the result of imagining a world where a woman can sit everywhere, observe and live without being stereotyped as a woman, knowing that walking down the street she won’t be addressed for her appearance or what she is wearing.
Today I sat on a bench and saw all these people passing by. I couldn’t help but think about what my grandma told me yesterday afternoon, in front of a cup of tea. When she was young, she used to take the field every month, for years, to shape a different understanding of ‘gender’. And she was so surprised when I asked her what gender is. We didn’t talk about this in school, maybe because we take it for granted. Instead, people before us fought to have the world as it is. And then I see Kloude with short hair, a pink skirt and a leather t-shirt, while they go with the children to school. And then, there is Janny, with this blonde long hair. They run every day around the park, and nobody is watching the belly that no shirt is covering. My best friend Mark has two children: now one is 9 and the other is 10. Mark thinks it’s time to talk with them about freedom: what do they like? What do they prefer? How do they want to be called and addressed? How do they address others? What is offensive in addressing a person? I guess that starting to talk about it will prepare them for the future, to reflect on the importance of freedom; on the importance of respecting people for being people and value their choices… that today we give it for granted but just 20 years ago my grandma was still fighting for it.
