Do Power
Photography: Jillian Clark
Words by:
Charman Driver
I recently watched a lecture on You Tube about women and power by the famous classicist and author, Mary Beard. She wrote the critically acclaimed 2017 book called, “Women and Power: A Manifesto”.
In her lectures and the book, Beard uses ancient history (using Homer’s Odyssey as one example) to reflect on Western Civilizations ongoing misogynistic ways towards women—that still exists today.
She writes about how women have been silenced, then and now. She gives an example of what she calls “the first recorded example of a man telling a woman to ‘shut up’ ”, in Book 1 of the Odyssey. She contrasts that against Elizabeth Warren being silenced in the U.S. Senate, last February, during her speech opposing the appointment of Jeff Sessions as Attorney General.
One key point Beard makes is that power is coded as masculine and will never be adaptable to women. Power is a male-centric noun that needs to be turned on its head to become an act or a verb. In other words, you don’t “have” power (a trait or possession), you “do” power (an attribute or an act).
Beard believes that challenging and reframing our language will give women the opportunity to see power as something that isn’t static, defining, or decidedly male.
I’ve made a real effort to “do” powerful one-acts, recognize them, but not have them define me one way or the other. I hope you’ll join me and journal your acts of power.
Now, I understand that to empower is to give power to oneself.