‘Untamed’ (01/07/20)
I am currently reading the NY Times Bestseller Untamed by Glennon Doyle. In this book, Glennon talks about how women are tamed from birth into a set of social rules and regulations that ‘cage’ them from becoming their true selves. She uses a powerful metaphor of a cheetah at the zoo who has been born in captivity, raised with dogs and behaves like a dog to perform a ‘cheetah run’ for zoo visitors. In this sense, she explains, we too as humans are taught to perform certain roles to meet the expectations of society and these can become our own personal cages.
From a sociological perspective, role socialisation is necessary for society to function. We need boundaries, rules and regulations to keep society ordered and economically productive. Untamed has really made me think about how as individuals, it can be helpful to examine the roles and expectations society holds for us and that we place on ourselves which aren’t always helpful. These might relate to gender, race, wealth, education, parenthood, caring roles, sexuality, religion and many more more. When we are caged, our mental health can suffer as we strive to meet external expectations that have become internally ingrained within us. Sometimes, we need to dig deep and find ways to let that cheetah run free.
I’ll leave you with that food for thought – I would love to hear yours if this resonates with you.
Next week I am going to talk about the benefits of yoga. Here is a 25 minute yin yoga video that I have been finding really helpful recently. It is a great way to release stress and tension at the end of a long day, and suitable for complete beginners.
Comments
Post a Comment