Yasmine's post

 Diary of a Void

I really enjoyed this reading. Notably, it’s interesting when the male co-workers find out she’s “pregnant,” their respect only seems to be shown out of ignorance. They only value her well being/respect her when she’s pregnant. Yagi wrote, “Every time I’d take a break, they’d ask if I was okay. But they said nothing else. No ‘Congrats!,’ no “‘Is it a boy or a girl?’ I could only assume that was because I wasn’t married.” I think this is an interesting thing to weave into the story, as I have noticed this theme in my everyday life — women tend to be more respected by men when they fulfill “mother-ly” or “wife-ly” duties.

The Lonesome Bodybuilder
I think this reading touched on the interesting theme of being seen in a relationship. The main character admittedly started bodybuilding, in-part to feel like she could accomplish something. Her husband’s insecurities and dedication for his own work detach him so much from their relationship, that he doesn’t even notice the large physical changes she’s going through until he sees a discarded flyer. It amazed me how detached he could be, though, even though the public would comment and judge on the main character’s body so much. I wonder if anyone in class may have an explanation for the point the author brings up, about the main character’s hatred that she assumes things about herself before she even tries.

The Woman in the Purple Skirt
This reading made me uncomfortable. The author describes the woman in the yellow cardigan as having a simple interest in the woman in the purple skirt, and that most people in town thought of her as much as she did. However, throughout the story, it becomes more and more apparent that the woman in the yellow cardigan has an obsession with the woman in the purple skirt, so much so as to follow her around town and to countless job interviews. I wonder why though, if she is so obsessed with the woman in the purple skirt, does she criticize her so much when she is applying to numerous jobs?

Aoko Matsuda, The Most Boring Red on Earth (Monkey 2)
From my understanding, Rika thought her period blood was boring, until she started hallucinating and orange juice/fish/other figments of nature started coming out of her. Then she thought it was “sort of beautiful.” The sharp turn to her realizing she just had a normal period again, frames this piece as a sort of commentary on women' s bodies — it can be interpreted that other, genderless aspects of nature are widely seen as “beautiful.” However, when that is associated with a woman, it can be seen as “boring.” I wonder what was the point of the description of Rika’s pain?

Breast and Eggs
This reading made me angry. I don’t believe Naruse truly loved Natsuo. Cheating is an inherently selfish act, and although differing opinions on sex is a valid reason to split, not communicating your intentions feels wrong. I believe Naruse felt bitter, prominent when he said “‘...Well, you can’t make yourself like something if you don’t. That’s why you’re single, right? Honestly, I think you’re better off alone.’” His scrutiny of her writing and activism feels disrespectful, but I feel like there may be something deeper there. Would love to discuss with the class. I also wonder why Natsu was interested in having a child at the end. Was it only because she saw Naruse’s child?

Naked
Izumi is a hermit, who enjoys distracting herself with meaningless crafts. People worry about her, especially Asuka, who tries to get her out of her slump. However, despite people’s numerous attempts to connect with her, she still succumbs to distracting herself with crafts. Asuka almost gets through to her, and she starts to make a change, however stares at her plush animals and she decides to get engrossed in making a website for them to “waste [her] time on.” I would love to ask the class what they think about why the passage is called Naked — is it to do with her intimate relationship with Little Ken, or is it to do with her self-perspective of herself?