This is a parent thing, also a woman thing, but I’m continually struck by how thoroughly having (a) kid(s) changes the way you look at everything. Like, every! Single! Thing! is now filtered through the lens of what does this mean for the next generation. And this week, my what does it mean is rotating like a tetherball around Simone Biles - nobody needs me to echo this sentiment, but jesus christ, how in awe I am that she prioritized herself so publicly. Naomi Osaka, Simone Biles - heroes. What bliss to let our little girls grow up knowing you do not owe anyone anything. You are free to do what you like with your body! You are your own!
What beauty there is in refusing to go beyond your limits for someone else’s sake. The path to that decision must be (because I could never know what it’s like to be Simone or Naomi) excruciating. Multiply however hard I imagine a decision like that would be times a billion for Black women. But what a revolution to see someone so powerful say no so lou…
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