Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.
I want a future where women and girls get to be the subject of their own sexuality, not the object of somebody else’s. That we are the main characters in our own play, not props in somebody else’s—which is how women’s sexuality is treated now. Whatever the outside attitudes about sexuality it’s always about somebody’s agenda for us, and I want a world where we can have our own.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of women and girls defining their own sexuality rather than being objectified by societal expectations.
Jaclyn Friedman advocates for a future where women and girls are empowered to own and express their sexuality on their own terms. Currently, societal representations and narratives often reduce women to mere objects within others' agendas, which undermines their autonomy and agency. This quote calls for a transformation in perspectives so that women can be the protagonists of their own lives and sexuality, free from external controls and judgments.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about gender equality, one could use this quote to highlight the importance of women's empowerment.
Similar quotes
Our culture needs to find a robust image of female success that is first, not male, and second, not a white woman on the phone, holding a crying baby.
Investing in women and girls may once have been considered a radical notion or even a waste of resources, but in most places in the world today, women and girls are increasingly recognized as a critical link to greater prosperity, political stability, better health and public policy.
I was always longing to do, emotionally and physically, what my male counterparts always got to do. I just felt envious, every time I saw a movie that I was in awe of, and it was usually a male lead. And those kinds of roles weren't available. They just weren't being written.
We have to make sure that women's issues are an essential element on the agendas of all heads of state, all governments.
Those who are so eager for women and girls to go back to the kitchen might think again about just what it is we might be up to in there. You can plan a lot of damage from a kitchen. It’s also where the knives are kept.