Remember this: Life is a little drama.
Dubiously I refer to women as huntress but I have
difficulties with this verbiage because it does seem to lack a certain
lady-like quality. I use it anyway because people know the word and accept it
as a descriptive of a woman who hunts whether ladylike or not. I think men like
it because it carries the weight of being wild and untamed but being wild and
untamed in the male/female relationship goes towards cheap, easy, and
disposable. This being said if you’re in a long standing relationship where
both parties are comfortable with daring sexual acts by all means-have at it. Men and women both like romantic amours but
society frowns down on promiscuousness. It’s really better to be committed
because at least you’re secure to some degree on familiarity. It reminds me of
the concept of a trusty pair of well-worn holey shoes you can’t seem to part
with. Men like the idea of this
temporary condition but want to have some control over their woman maybe
because this makes their role clear even if it makes a woman’s murky. Once
again women need to give men a job or a purpose in life and not a hard time
(its alienating). Men want the job as protector and boss. That is just how it
is. Unless they give up that job and want to cook, clean and have babies (scary
thought but the marvels of modern science).
I have always had a general hope for opposite sex
relationships (or anyone wanting such a thing). If people want to be together-
go for it I say. As I was doing some research on the Southern Belle of Antiquity
I was immersed in the construction of a myth: the myth of the Southern Belle.
The more bizarre antidote about this is the creator: the Southern Gentleman.
How does this pertain to hunting? Let me elaborate.
Back in the golden days, men regarded Southern Women (with
breeding) as ladies. Their roles were to navigate the social circles without
damaging the family reputation, running the house while the man was away, and
being there for family, friends, and husband. We could say all things feminine.
Ladies were not in direct competition for the necessities of life but rather
sheltered by the Gentleman Hunter a.k.a. the husband or father. Nevertheless
the Gentleman Hunter was the all-encompassing provider unless the lady was
endowed with money at marriage. These women were stereotyped much like the
women of the 40s and 50s. Housewives with no longing for an adventurous life
outside the home other than what the significant other could provide. Southern
Belles were also placed on a pedestal where they were beyond sexual desire and
unblemished. This myth building of an ideal of what that particular woman was stringently
defined her lot in life and how she was perceived by society and her
significant other.
How does this myth building come into play with Hunting? I asked
myself that question after reading up on the antebellum ladies of society.
If the hunter and huntress are at odds because of conflict
based on competition for hunting based jobs, position in society and community,
and role as the patriarchal authority figure (or provider) over home and hearth
this could cause the Gentleman Hunter to react in a very defensive way.
The first thing an animal will do is try to drive off a
threat with a defense mechanism brought on by hidden or direct threats. I have
seen something akin to this in the Gentleman Hunter community. It is the myth
building of the hunter’s ideal woman.
Women that hunt are not perfect physically or mentally. Yet
the Gentleman Hunter community without knowing it is advertising their ideal
huntress in photos on social media. It literally works as a repellant to the
average huntress. This may be so reactive that the Gentleman Hunter does not
know consciously that he is literally pushing back against the perceived barrages
of female invasions into his hunting space, which is sacred to him. It defines
his manliness and he doesn’t want to compete with a woman over manliness. Women
are women-not men but they take on male roles to compensate for lack of a
partner to fill the void of what would be considered ‘your rock’. Poor Cassiopeia
is chained to a rock and the wolves are at the door therefore she acts like a
man without a choice. No man steps up to
do the job or save her from chain and rock. Also by pushing pictures of an
ideal unattainable woman in the guise of a huntress the Gentleman Hunter is
sending subtle signals to the female competition that they are not what he or
others desires. This is a complete lie but it’s a defense mechanism because
they are threatened when there is no need for it. Men have anxiety too. On the
other hand the huntress wants to be with the Gentleman Hunter but in the effort
to have something in common confuses the situation more. A sad explanation of
this tragedy is lack of home training when it comes to bonding with each other
by communication and compromise with a willingness to understand and hold each
other in equal regard.
Can the Gentleman Hunter and the Lady that hunts come to
terms with this invasion into manly space? I don’t know the answer to that.
Therefore you could say to save himself the Gentleman Hunter
has pushed the huntress away from him physically to save himself or his sense
of self. The huntress has taken on a role that is not so much hers and
relinquished the Gentleman Hunter of his responsibility to be the man. Both
have inadvertently separated each other from beyond the sensual reach of the
other.
Hunting has been about the eternal struggle of man against
beast but in this case its man against woman. I hope it’s a draw for all our
sakes.
Really can’t this be overcome or do men and women need one more
thing to pull them apart? Hunting should be about forming bonds. What is a
greater bond then sharing in something with someone you love? Let’s hope that
ship has not sailed yet.
Written by W Harley Bloodworth
~Courtesy of the AOFH~
