Edith Stein says that “woman naturally seeks to embrace that which is living, personal, and whole. To cherish, guard, protect, nourish and advance growth is her natural, maternal yearning” (Stein, 45). This “maternal yearning” seeks to pour itself into something or someone; to invest wholly into that cause or relationship. Every woman you will come across desires to be a part of something big and adventurous. We are the first to comfort and aid our loved one’s physical or emotional wounds with band-aids or a hug. Femininity also seeks to zealously guard and protect those who are in her care. This reminds me of the new hit Netflix series called Stranger Things that I binge watched last Fall. The premise of the story goes like this: a boy named Will is abducted by alien-like creatures (Demogorgon) from another dimension called the Upside-Down. In all ten episodes, Will’s Mother searches tirelessly and relentlessly for her son until he is safe in her arms. She did not sleep or rest until he was found. Even when everyone else gave up on finding Will, she never did. She even travelled into this alternate dimension full of dangerous creatures and toxic air to rescue him.
Even if Hollywood denies the beautiful complementarity between men and women through radical feminism in the name of gender equality, they still seem to call attention to the innate maternity embedded in every woman. The mother’s desire for Will’s safety became a part of her very own being because he belonged to her. She took on his fears and hurts because her motherhood took on the joys and sufferings of those who belong to her. The Moms in this show are BADASS. What would we do without them?
Everybody Loves Bry 