It’s complicated. This is an extremely simple phrase. Three words – one of which gets swallowed into a conjunctive shortening – and a handful of syllables that just slide off the tongue. Easy as pie; smooth as silk. It ain’t no thing. But the implications behind this innocent little idiom are boundless, roiling, avalanches of nuance, gray area and heaps of frothy, steaming, oh-so-devilishly-delicious confusion.
Thus is the dynamic between the sexes. We confuse each other.
This is nothing new to science. Or social science. Or facebook. Cultures are built – hell, whole empires are forged – on the backs of sexual relationships and the ever-shifting face of what it means to be “male” or “female”. Such is the heart of Hanna Rosin’s new literary venture as the author revisits Mars and Venus respectively with her new book, The End of Men. Join her at the Louisville Free Public Library tomorrow, October 4th, at 7pm for a peek at the latest landscape of the sexes.
The senior editor for The Atlantic, Hanna Rosin’s career as a journalist has given her provocative fodder for life also lived as an author. Following the ever-shifting grounds of societal relations between the sexes, Rosin’s new book, The End of Men, argues that today’s woman is no longer simply gaining ground in the shadow of a male-dominated society – but has pulled ahead, far ahead. Rosin discusses how a modern female operates within these new boundaries and how the radically changing roles placed on men and women have profound implications on all cultural foundations – marriage, sex, children, work and everything in between.
So how many tangled webs do have you woven with the opposite sex? It’s ok, go ahead and shrug that sheepish grin; I know the drill better than anybody: it’s complicated. Hit up the Library’s Main branch tomorrow night with Rosin, embrace the differences and give the closest power female in your life a hearty handshake. We all wear the pants now (except me; I prefer dresses).
The Louisville Free Public Library’s Main branch is located at 301 York Street. This event is free, but tickets are required [4]. For more information, visit the event page [5] or call (502) 574-1644.
Image: Courtesy of Louisville Free Public Library website www.lfpl.org [6].