Feeling Used
September 7, 2006 by kate baggott
Filed under Mental Health
Today, my thoughts are with Princess Kiko of Japan. Yesterday, the 39 year-old princess gave birth to a baby boy. A boy whose birth put an end to speculation that the Japanese consititution might be changed to allow for a female to succeed to the throne in that country. See one report of the birth here.
Reading about the birth, I remembered how used I felt after the baby was born and everyone else in my life, went back to their usual lives. Sure, they were happy to have another baby, but they certainly acted like I didn’t count any more.
While I am sure that Princess Kiko will be on the recieving end of great care and status for having produced a male heir, I am sure it is bittersweet.
For thousands of years monarchies around the world have used women for exactly this purpose: producing boys. I, at least, want to tell her (and her daughters, and her sister-in-law, and her nieces and you) that all of us are worth so much more than our services as brood mares for our husbands’ lines. What is most shocking is that it needs to be said in this day and age.
Totally with you here. As if the stress (good or bad) of having a baby isn’t enough, let’s pile the weight of a country’s future on her shoulders. I felt bad for her, and just prayed for moments of joy for her in the midst of everything else.
Giving birth is joyful. I just hope her son gets to be HER son rather than the future emperor before he cuts his firth tooth.
I just wrote on this yesterday. The wording in the New York Times was ridiculous.
Feminista- The NYT wording is the most ridiculous of all the articles I have read on this topic. Should we give them an award for it? The bloggers’ equivalent of the Razzie?