Headspace

[terfiguess]

I love Headspace! I go through stages of meditating regularly and then leaving it aside for, erm, months.

I was exploring the site again this morning and I see that in the 'Women's Collection' (can't see any men's collection) there's a 'Being an Ally' meditation and also 'Expanding Femininity'.

A search of the site doesn't seem to come up with any sort of allyship or 'Expanding Masculinity' meditations anywhere.

I probably don't need to say any more.

Because they know that no man is likely to be remotely interested In an equivalent

I have to say i on headspace and female and not.a.chance would I listen to this kind of thing 🤷‍♀️

It is very disappointing. I am thinking of cancelling my family membership. I used to love the app before it started trying to indoctrinate me and my children.

Nothing wrong with being feminine, or not being feminine.
It's when people conflate it with being female that the confusion sets in.

That's a good point. But when you put it in the 'Women's Collection' I suppose we get into a whole new discussion about 'woman' vs female?

Femina is Latin for woman so feminine means womanly ie of or pertaining to women in Latin.

Aside from that when I hear about expanding femininity that sounds to me like move over women, be kind, let the men in. Also it makes me think of the wonderful Magdalen Berns video about that beardy guy who says he wants to expand womanhood.

Maybe that is not at all what the expanding femininity on headspace is about, I have no intention in giving it clicks to find out but putting the be an ally in the women’s section clearly sends a rather strange message.

I am just sticking to cat marina for now.

Pushing social justice stuff on the app defeats the purpose and just makes me feel more stressed, I find that I have been using it a lot less as a result.

'Social justice' is one thing but when it's completely one-sided it feels like some sort of indoctrination. I do meditations to, for example, help me to relax more, to be less self-critical, etc etc. Now here's a meditation to help me to be more like certain other people want me to be?

I agree with you @PomegranateOfPersephone about 'femina', I was more referencing the idea that apparently I (as a so-called terf) can't even define what a woman is. I'm exhausted by all of this, it's completely bewildering.

(I was talking to my FIL about 'women don't have penises' being considered hate speech by some people. Bless him, he thought it must mean that women were offended by being told that they don't have penises, because some people consider penises to be superior...)

I used to do headspace as my doctor recommended it when I was very stressed and my blood pressure was too high. It did help then, but those look like they'd have the opposite effect.

Also it makes me think of the wonderful Magdalen Berns video about that beardy guy who says he wants to expand womanhood.

Thanks for the reminder, Pomegranate:
m.youtube.com/watch?v=JkK7zisjoDk

Being an ally sounds like a good thing to me and can see how it can make you aware of your privilege like it says, or sitting with your feelings may sound hippy woo but it's the kind of thing headspace is made for and mindfulness.
Or being white , straight and non trans should I only give a shit about myself and others who are like me too?

I think women on here give a shit about so many things CremeEggQueen. But what we're suspicious of is the gaslighting that goes with demanding that women centre men's rights at the expense of our own and our children's safety and wellbeing.

My point, if you missed it, was that the meditations for being an ally were specifically and exclusively directed at women.

So should those who are men only give a shit about themselves and others who are like them too? And supporting others and being compassionate, ensuring that you are aware of your own privilege and can show up fully ready to support others is something that only women need to do?

I would even go so far as to say that it is MEN as a class who desperately need these sorts of meditations, for the good of themselves and for society. Being aware that there's more out there than the narrow range of limiting ideas about what constitutes masculinity, and practising compassion and processing their feelings. So many lives, male and female, could be saved and bettered if more men were able to get in touch with 'expanding masculinity' and practising allyship.

So why on earth is it only aimed at women?

Yes. Demands of inclusiveness and kindness should be aimed at men, not at women, as women are already more inclusive and kinder.

That this site isn't even suggesting allyship etc. for men shows the presence of unconscious sexism in how they view men and women, which groups are prioritised and so on. In a way they are participating in the social construction of femininity and masculinity.

How much of a shit should Allison Bailey, a black lesbian, have been given when trans allies were considering their options? Allyship and considerations of privilege only seem to go one way...

Checked out those screenshots in the OP...

Blghhhh.

On a side note - During lockdown my DD and I found this site really helpful, for meditation and mindfulness and still go back to it.

I liked that Goldie Hawn could be spending her time pushing useless face cream on women without her genetics, but she instead got interested in helping that’s focused on kids.

mindup.org