Brooding

I sent out the following story to my girlfriends. A friendly gesture sort of implying that everyone should have the same reaction to it that I did - a hearty laugh, a 'I-am-so-glad-feminists-are-still-out-there' moment, and then forwarding on the story to more girlfriends.

"Once upon a time in a land far away, a beautiful, independent self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess' lap and said: "Elegant lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am and then my sweet, we can marry and set up housekeeping in your castle with my aging mother, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

...That night, as the princess dined sumptuously on a meal of lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and onion cream sauce, she chuckled and thought to herself:
"I don't f*cking think so." "

I got three responses back almost immediately saying that (a) the princess was cruel to the frog (b) they would have said 'yes'. I nearly choked on my Pret A Manger sandwich (and yes, I know, but I was feeling homesick for London, so).

Initially I thought, perhaps these girls are more in tune with their feminine side and therefore are saying what all un-screwed-up girls should be saying: that they want to marry someone, have children and be a housewife. In other words, they are being honest. In the twentieth century all little girls grow up to be, in their late twenties/early thirties, a career woman who wants the fairytale ending.

And then, I felt slightly bitter. Maybe this is the only truth, no matter how much feminists rant - in truth, in a marriage, in parenthood, the lion's share of work is the woman's and we should just accept it.

But then I thought again. We are truly the beneficiaries of the feminist movement - how many women before our generation had the choice to like the idea of going back to the hearth? And it is a valid choice - millions get married, have children and so on and manage to be happy. So I decided to accept it.