Earlier this year, I started posting photographs of myself on social media with the caption “#ThisIs53. It is not my birthday. I want you to see a 53 year old woman.”

feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime…
I wanted to be seen. Not to be told, as I often have, that I don’t “look my age.” That is not the compliment some people think it is. But to say “Here is a middle aged woman. Look,” at a time when it seems that every time I look away, my body has changed.
This is an ode to my 53-year-old body: breasts, belly, first period in 10 months and all. 

Read, share and subscribe: thank you! feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime…
My newsletter is free.

If you can pay, it helps keep it free.

feministgiant.com
In my 30s and 40s, people would tell me I didn’t look my age, as if it were a compliment.

What does it mean to hear “you don’t look your age” when you rarely see women your age?

Now in my 50s, the best compliment would be to look my age and so I post #ThisIs53 📷 @rerutled Mona in a magenta long sleeved tshirt with neon yellow hair.
Now millennia after Nefertiti, I understand that my power comes from saying “I am a middle aged woman. Look at me, breasts and belly and all.” feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime…
Read and subscribe!

Pay only if you can. It helps keep it free.

feministgiant.com/p/coming-soon?…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Mona Eltahawy

Mona Eltahawy Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @monaeltahawy

19 Jul
#ThisIs53: it is not my birthday. I want you to see a 53yo woman. I’m saying “Here is a middle aged woman. Look,”at a time when it seems that every time I look away, my body has changed. 

Read & share my new essay👉🏽: feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime… #Perimenopause
📷 @rerutled Mona in a white sleeveless top and neon yellow hair and wear
As I navigate #Perimenopause, l’ve been thinking about Nefertiti and Bruce Lee.

When people think of the #Egyptian Queen, they think know that gorgeous bust of hers 👇🏽 feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime…
But I think of Standing Nefertiti.

My belly nods at her belly, knowingly; in the way that when you’re the only person of colour in a white space you nod knowingly when you see another person of colour. I see a middle aged, cisgender Egyptian woman, like me. And I nod, knowingly A statuettes of Nefertiti standing and showing a prominent b
Read 6 tweets
18 Jul
This is an ode to my 53yo body.

Every week, I post my photo on social media w/ caption “#ThisIs53.

I want to be seen, to say “Here is a middle aged woman. Look,” at a time when it seems that every time I look away, my body has changed. feministgiant.com/p/essay-perime…
#perimenopause
A statuette of Nefertiti and a quote by Bruce Lee have become central to my endeavour.

Read my essay and sign up! feministgiant.com
Read 6 tweets
18 Jul
Fuck Marjorie Taylor Greene and fuck America First
If Marjorie Taylor Greene was a Muslim, she would be in Guantanamo Bay and in shackles.  feministgiant.com/p/if-marjorie-…
But because she is white, evangelical, and a woman--a rich one at that--Marjorie Taylor Greene is not in an orange jumpsuit locked but is instead a member of the House of Representatives in the most powerful country in the world. A picture of Marjorie Taylor Greene going through a security
Read 5 tweets
17 Jul
The predictably-craven Republican leadership initially backed MTG and #LaurenBoebert’s male GOP opponents because party leaders thought the two women were extremists who did not stand a chance in primaries. feministgiant.com/p/a-white-supr…
If Trump could give birth, it would have been to Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert, both of whom are clearly created in his image.

They walk like Trump; they talk like Trump. And they hate like Trump. #LaurenBoebert
The GOP has long been a party of white supremacy, misogyny, Islamophobia, and other oppressions. And GOP women understand the very specific role they play to maintain it. They are also learning that to succeed vs the boys, they must outdo the boys in hate-- enter MT and #Boebert.
Read 6 tweets
17 Jul
I block anti-vaxxers.

In case it’s not clear.
I’m repeating because a few seem determined to talk to me because if my thread here, which I’m expanding on for my next FEMINIST GIANT essay
Anti-vaxxer? Fuck off

Anti-abortion? Fuck off

I have NOTHING to say to those Orwellian fucks who are suddenly “My body, my choice” to excuse being anti-vaxxers & anti-mask but who never said that about abortion as I say here from May 2020 🎥 @rerutled
Read 6 tweets
17 Jul
Have you seen We Are Lady Parts yet? I wrote about it here.
And you can hear me read the essay here soundcloud.com/mona-eltahawy-…
And here's the trailer for the curious
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(