The Agon

One sweaty evening at the gym, barely pushing 40 years old, a male acquaintance and I began discussing the local dating scene. To my frustrations at finding a compatible man, he offered that I might move to another country where I would have better luck. "Spain respects older women," he helpfully added to his preposterous advice. I attempted to rank this new gem against counsel from a former therapist - regarding the younger man I was dating - when she said, "You know, eventually he will leave you." The war against the feminine is so thorough that it provokes an autoimmune response in its target, ingeniously turning the self against the self.


The Strophe and the Antistrophe


The sculpture I propose will be a wall-mounted stuffed and beaded vintage swimsuit that proudly flaunts the patina of her age. She will be plump, lumpy, and fringed with a glistening halo of gray hair. She lifts all with the cultural space she commands. She signifies equality as a norm. She's not moving to Spain, lovely as it may be. She encourages others to announce their equality in the cultural arena and, most importantly, in the battleground of the mind.