Christie, I just wanted to say I'm so glad you're writing this. Your profile in Elle -- and the reaction to it -- fascinated me. Honestly, like a lot of people, I shared in the outrage against Shkreli a few years ago. He made for an easy scapegoat. By the time I read your story, though, I knew what it was like to care deeply for an incarcerated human being.
Experiencing incarceration (or vicarious incarceration) has a way of humanizing even your worst "enemy," doesn't it? I could 100% relate to the feeling of "there's more to this story, to this person." To wanting the weight of secrecy lifted from your shoulders, consequences be damned.
I both envy you the freedom that profile brought and admire you for weathering a storm so publicly.
Last but not least, I LOVE what you write here about the narrative arc we assign women ("But which is reality and which is the conceit?") For the love of God, can we please get more of this perspective out in the world.
There's a strong, and very real, resistance to the idea that women can willingly choose messy and imperfect storylines, maybe even just for the sake of story. And resistance to the idea that women can, indeed, make it out of messy situations relatively unscathed and/or without years of intensive therapy. We don't know what to do with women who don't seem quite as "broken" or "damaged" as they "should" be. So many armchair observers will hold that if a woman is not yet broken by a situation, it's because she's mentally unwell and just can't see it yet. There's no winning in that mindset. No true healing. (And it's a perspective that makes for some pretty heavy-handed, boring prose at that.)
Have never heard of your story, but I do know that true passion/obsession can overtake your life and your previous sensibilities. Glad you came out ok. I did too.
Christie, I just wanted to say I'm so glad you're writing this. Your profile in Elle -- and the reaction to it -- fascinated me. Honestly, like a lot of people, I shared in the outrage against Shkreli a few years ago. He made for an easy scapegoat. By the time I read your story, though, I knew what it was like to care deeply for an incarcerated human being.
Experiencing incarceration (or vicarious incarceration) has a way of humanizing even your worst "enemy," doesn't it? I could 100% relate to the feeling of "there's more to this story, to this person." To wanting the weight of secrecy lifted from your shoulders, consequences be damned.
I both envy you the freedom that profile brought and admire you for weathering a storm so publicly.
Last but not least, I LOVE what you write here about the narrative arc we assign women ("But which is reality and which is the conceit?") For the love of God, can we please get more of this perspective out in the world.
There's a strong, and very real, resistance to the idea that women can willingly choose messy and imperfect storylines, maybe even just for the sake of story. And resistance to the idea that women can, indeed, make it out of messy situations relatively unscathed and/or without years of intensive therapy. We don't know what to do with women who don't seem quite as "broken" or "damaged" as they "should" be. So many armchair observers will hold that if a woman is not yet broken by a situation, it's because she's mentally unwell and just can't see it yet. There's no winning in that mindset. No true healing. (And it's a perspective that makes for some pretty heavy-handed, boring prose at that.)
Can't wait to read the rest of your story.
Have never heard of your story, but I do know that true passion/obsession can overtake your life and your previous sensibilities. Glad you came out ok. I did too.