Also known as my frequently asked questions.
On a previous short lived blog I was writing I wrote some FAQ before I was even asked any questions. It was entirely an exercise in guessing and therefore is highly likely that it won't answer your questions at all. Therefore please leave a comment if there is indeed a question you would like me to answer. Also technically speaking some of these are not questions but just statements of fact. I don't like to let content get in the way of a good acronym.
Are you a fashion model?
No. Goodness no. I'm as far from being a model as it is possible to be as I'm both short and somewhat rotund.
Are you suggesting that you are a model, or perfect housewife?
No. A short peruse of this blog will assure that I'm far from perfect. Nor am I suggesting that you should model your life on my life because that will surely lead to ruin.
So why do you describe yourself as a 'model' then?
I use the word model in the car model sense. I think I'm a little bit different to the model of housewife we associate with the 1950s. I think I'm a bit like 1950's 2.0. Or something along those lines anyway. Not necessarily better either, just different in the way different versions of Windows haven't necessarily represented any real improvement. Also I love history and I'm hoping that I will be as professional and organised as the New Model Army eventually became. I'm not a puritan however and have no plans to take over the country and ban Christmas.
You call yourself a housewife, but refer on your blog to 'housebods'. What is a 'housebod'?
I don't think that the occupation of 'housewife' just belongs to women. I don't believe a woman's place is in the home, that woman shouldn't work or that only women have the skills and talent to look after the home. I believe this can role can be fulfilled by someone of any gender. I also don't think that it has to be done by someone who is a wife. This job can belong to anyone whether they are married, cohabiting, polyamorous, living alone, a single parent, childless, living with friends or in any other circumstances. I use the term 'housebod' to remove the gender/marital status part from the word. Bod in the sense stands for body, which stands for person. A bit naff but I couldn't think of anything else.
So why refer to yourself as a 'housewife' if you dislike the term so?
I don't dislike the term housewife when it's applied to me because that is what I am. I just don't use it more widely because it excludes a lot of people in the Housebod role. Calling everyone who runs a home a housewife would be like substituting the word human for short-n-fats. It applies to me but it would exclude a lot of the population. I use the word housewife to refer to myself because I want to help the fight to reclaim it from it's traditionally negative connotations. I want to say it proudly and bravely and wear it as a badge of honour. To put it more simply I think of myself as being part of the Housebod Movement, Housewife division.
Do you think all women should abandon work for the home instead
Absolutely not. I believe that women should be free to choose how they shape their lives and what they choose to do with them. I don't believe there is anything inherently more moral or superior to being a housebod then there is to having a career or any of the other options out there. I do believe however that because staying at home has been traditionally associated with women, it has been devalued and seen as inferior when it shouldn't be.
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