Glosswitch defends Mumsnetters

[DuddlePluck]

Victoria Smith (Glosswitch) has tweeted a brilliant thread about mums & Mumsnet:

twitter.com/glosswitch/status/991076286645854209

for Glosswitch

Absolutely love it. I hate to say "I told you so" but some of the most vocally feminist women I know now now were "cool girls" in their 20s, having mostly male friends (who haven't stuck around longterm), insisting that other women were a bit dull and girly (not like them) and just generally trying to pretend all this stuff didn't apply to them.

This was me but I was also rampantly feminist always have been.

Perfectly put, as always.

wherein being mothers we are the least of society

Just read anything anyone says about mumsnet, and the cold shock they get when they visit and experience FWR or AIBU!

What I love about mumsnet is the absolute variety of subjects we talk about - I mean, I just discovered that some people keep their mugs in a drawer - but seriously, I've shared and learned on so many subjects - you can always find someone who can help you out with the voice of experience, whether that's DIY, travel, legal matters, or any other subject under the sun and that's fantastic.

Fabulous.

Excellent. I've never been cool in my life so can't claim that for myself but yes, what a wakeup call motherhood was. Suddenly I understood that some of the things my parents did which I had regarded as grossly unfair and unconscionable probably came from being constantly tired and worried about money. My relationship with them changed overnight. I suspect some of these self-absorbed youngsters are in for a similar rude awakening at some point. At least, I hope so. The idea that they would continue to whinge and patronise and drama llama away all the way to old age is too hideous to contemplate.

Cheers, Victoria. We know you've got our back.

And you are right - women talking sans male supervision is patriarchy's greatest fear. Too much consciousness raising happens and it ignites male rage like nothing else.

Great thread, glosswitch!

But seriously, in a drawer? Wtf?

So true, Gasp0de. My mum died when DS was only a few months old, and I often find myself wishing she was still alive just so I could say "I'm sorry! I didn't understand. I do now."

It's the little things as well as the big things - stuff like having a limited repetoire of foods I cook and DS complaining things are boring. "Well they're boring 'cos you won't sodding well eat anything else, and I've just given up trying because I'm exhausted. I used to be a good cook, I'll have you know! Then I had children. Argh..." (In fairness to DS, he did say after last night's meal that I was a really good cook!)

Actually, keeping mugs in a drawer sounds like bloody genius.

But where do I rehome the 'assorted crap' drawer to make room?

👏👏👏👏

Perfect. Thank you, Victoria.

That was beautiful. It took to my mid 30s and 3 children to make me a true feminist and not the namby pamby wishy washy liberal feminist I was in my teens and 20s.

I'm embracing my oncoming years becoming the wise crone instead of fearing my collapsing body and finding real liberation there.

Brilliant - brought a tear to my eye

It has taken me until my 50s, being a crap daughter, and realising I have done mothering all wrong to get anywhere near that. Until then I was in it up to my neck trying to get it right. I am a late developer.

I have learned stuff from the combined wisdom of Mumsnet in minutes; it would have taken me many years to work out a lot of it for myself. Wish it had been around earlier.

Absolutely bloody brilliant!

Came on to see if there was already a thread about this. Glosswitch is fucking awesome.

All so quotable but I loved this:

At this juncture it may be worth pointing out that if you think women communicating amongst themselves only have two settings - twee / evil - you are not "smashing the gender binary". You are in fact living in the Middle Ages)

I wonder if she ever posts on FWR?

Perfectly expresses something I’ve half-known for a long time, but don’t have the words/talent to put into writing. Thanks, Victoria 👌🏽

And as a PP said, this is the crux of it, of course:

It also explains why the very young women such as Emma thingy are TRAs, as what would we know eh? Only a bunch of mothers.

Emma, Hannah and all my woke young friends. They can't see what's in store for them 10-15 years down the line (and, fair enough, neither could we at their age).

I need to memorize this so I can explain what's wrong with gender without all the alienating ranting...

I wonder if she ever posts on FWR?

She certainly used to, I don't know if she's here any more though :(

When I read the TRA's tirades they always seem to be about mummy issues. Obviously why their greatest hatred is for middle aged women, who not only won't just die but also won't just SHUT UP.

The thing is I'm nobody's mother and i 'm certainly not their mother, but they literally can only see women as fuckable handmaidens or mothers. The fact we exist in our right and not in relation to them is what makes misogynists absolutely furious.

The fact we exist in our right and not in relation to them is what makes misogynists absolutely furious.

Nail on head.

I cried too. Beautiful.

Another excellent thread here following on from one of the responses she got. twitter.com/glosswitch/status/991404866374381573

I used to look at women like my mum and think "that'll never be me". And it isn't. Unlike my mum, I have flexible hours, childcare vouchers, a partner who takes on an equal role... I didn't personally identify out of this. Collective politics matters.

some of the most vocally feminist women I know now now were "cool girls" in their 20s, having mostly male friends (who haven't stuck around longterm),

At some point you realize that the "male friends" mostly want to get into your pants. There are exceptions of course, but yeah, amazing how willing men are to (pretend to) listen to a woman when they think it might get her into bed.

Loved that thread. I used to be the most liberal of liberal feminists- pro “feminist” sex work and porn, feminism is about choice, men are my buddies, transwomen are litterally women...

Then I had children.