26 Comments
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Dan Buffa's avatar

First off, that picture could launch a thousand ships.

Second, you belong wherever you feel most powerful. Behind or in front of a camera or in that kitchen making delicious treats. In my house, my wife leads the way and I am her biggest supporter.

Third, keep writing.

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

This is awesome. Thank you!

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WELL-BAKED THOUGHTS's avatar

XXX

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Freema Jade's avatar

Your writing is incredible and informative and expresses so many things for me also. Thank you so much for your generosity in sharing it. So much love and gratitude.

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

Thank you so much !!!!!!

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Shawna Kaszer's avatar

Wow 🔥

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

Crazy right.

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Michelle Bergamo's avatar

This is so good. Wow, wow... Your writing is so natural, authentic and relatable.

So much here. Could the fantasy, for women, stem from the fact that freedom feels more out of reach than anything sex-related? Could knowing most men want to dominate us push us to yearn for freedom even more? Almost like an insatiable urge. It's not enough to have dominance in everyday life? You're #1 fantasy is wanting even more power?

This is so incredibly sad but accurate: "...maybe they would look at my film as a piece of work instead of judging my outfit or what my figure looked like in it."

I hate that we are judged on our appearances. HATE it. It makes me avoid things as well. My producers would like me to be in a promo video for the film I wrote and I am fighting to make it a voiceover. It's sad. But I want to focus on the film not worry about my neck or my age or my face or some stupid shit.

PS - There is nothing wrong with spending time in the kitchen if YOU WANT to be there.

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

All of this. I seriously had to pull over when I heard that. What’s even sadder this has infiltrated our fantasies as well which blows my mind. The first fantasy is OUT

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Michelle Bergamo's avatar

Yeah, that is shocking...and telling. Great piece!

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sasha nelson's avatar

Amen amen. Freedom and scones! <3

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Hollywood Greg's avatar

Being a guy from the Midwest I witnessed this daily. Freedom isn’t Free. Especially for Women. Great Read Jennifer. The name of my first girlfriend. Who was a lesbian trapped in a straight women’s world.

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Howard Beye's avatar

Well said. I worry for my grand daughters.

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

😞

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Ben Woestenburg's avatar

I really found that enlightening. Freedom is such a powerful word, with everything it lets you envision rather than do. The "Freedom of Choice" and the "Freedom of Desire," may be worlds apart, and yet, somehow, they are binary twins. It's the last thing I would've thought, which I suppose makes it such an amazing choice. Would you choose lying on a beach, undisturbed, with a book on your lap, or maybe with an easel and a pencil? I don't think any of us -- male or female -- actually understands how imprisoned we are, only to find out later in life we're bound by chains of our own making. It takes a total reversal of your ideals to understand what Freedom might mean to you. I don't think it's a case of "what I may have been." I say that because everyone is in a different boat, rowing to a different point on shore. Wherever you end up going, or whatever you end up doing in life, it's where you were meant to go, and what you were meant to do in the first place, or else you'd be going somewhere else, as well as doing something else. Which is why FREEDOM is as much an amazing idea, as it is an ideal we all reach for.

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

The “chains of our own making “ is so very true. AND chains on gender sadly exist. For both female and male

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Rose Marie Szulc's avatar

Thankyou for the honesty. It's rare and goes mostly unacknowledged.

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Shannon Drenik's avatar

Truth! Love this!!!

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

Xxxx

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Yolanda D.'s avatar

We have the power if we take it! Jen, we’re all in this together. I think it's fantastic you even have the time to bake…love it! You’re showing them you can do it all. Please keep up the great work in front AND behind the camera where you belong. They can't take that away from you! 💖✨

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻✊🏻

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Linzy Taylor's avatar

Like minds here. I may not enjoy baking or cooking, but I desire freedom. Most of my writing is about escaping shit. I’m actually not surprised at all that most women wanna break the fuck out!!

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Jennifer Esposito's avatar

yup yup. Freedom!

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Laura Ann Tull Artistic Hope's avatar

I can't afford to pay. It's OK. I have a yeast allergy. I probably can't eat the scones. But I love this. You've written what I've been thinking. I worked on sets for years & I loved being on sets. I liked being pretty or even being scary (horror) but men acting like I was there for them or who were mad I worked alot made me pull in. I am not violent or mean. I just pulled in. I wouldn't smile or I'd be honest about how the person made Me feel. Men gas lite me as crazy projecting their anger at my skills to destroy my freedom. Middle ages where women were institutionalized for being independent and opinionated, well that's pretty much what industry did to Me In 2012.

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Mark Nicholson's avatar

Great article, as always! Excellent use of photography.

If this current government administration keeps taking away our rights, then I think more (intelligent) men will have a fantasy of FREEDOM!

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Richard Gillies's avatar

What is the name of the book and the author that you are quoting?

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