Bleux Stockings Vol. 2: Abby Shomaker
We are delighted to reprint Abby Shomaker's piece from our February show.
Revenge of the Snuggie
My True Nature
As I stand here cloaked in my true nature, my hair stands on end. I’m enraged by
the injustice of an educational system that claims to honor the individual, so long as
it fits a homogenized point of view I suppose.
So long as it’s convenient
So that I better fit into your idea of
What a teacher “should look like”
I guess I should wear a button up blouse, with a skirt down to my ankles,
Or maybe a polo shirt with khaki pants with pleats down the front that’ll make me
look like I have a penis.
Or I could just forget about clothes in general and wear a potato sack.
I’m a working professional woman, a kola-ty lady.
I need to dress in a professional manner.
I can’t wear things that are so attention-getting .
Whatever that means.
But what does this have to do with my job?
Isn’t my job to inspire the cubs, and support my fellow bears?
Why does it matter,
So long as I do my job, and do it well?
Ugh… politics and power plays of the animal kingdom are a bore.
I guess that’s why I’m a problem. Because I don’t play into these things.
I voice my opinions. I say what I mean. I’m hard to ignore.
There’s a reason I never decided to be director of this bear of an institution.
I’ve never understood why some women decide to compete instead of support. Why so many are afraid of a mammal who dares to be different. To be their true self. My true nature’s a koala. To give bear hugs and eat eucalyptus. What’s yours?. Why does my choice threaten you? I like that your choices aren’t the same as mine. Isn’t that what makes this world interesting? That we can have opposing views, and still respect one another? Maybe even learn from each other? We are educators, after all. Is it so far-reaching to think we could educate each other? I guess so. I guess with every decision you make, you need the approval of the other bears. Perhaps you are confused about your identity. I think you’re a sheep. Well, fuck it, I’m not a sheep. I’m a bear, and while I’m not as fierce as a grizzly or as emotionally volatile as the bi-polar bear, I’m still a force to be reckoned with. But I must say, if you hadn’t let me go in such a distasteful and cowardly way,
I wouldn’t be so determined to forge my
own path.
So I thank you.
Thank you bearrry much.
