My Space

Living in a women's community means more than buying tampons in bulk. I've been living with women only for the past 4 years but only now do I understand the difference between living with women and living in a women's space.

My apartment gives off a vibe that is uniquely female. When you walk in you are likely to encounter either me or one of my roomates (or all three of us) in various stages of undress. We shower and use the bathroom with the door wide open so that we can better hear and sing along to the music that plays almost 24 hours a day.

My roomates and I spend hours a day lying on each other's bed's like clichéd 50's teenage girls but not gossiping, truly sharing. Sharing in the way that our society dismisses as "girly" and unimportant.

Our living room has no chairs in it, only beanbags because we spend a lot of time dancing. The beanbags are fun, I often judge people by how they sit in them. If guests are unable to get comfortable in them, then thay are probably not going to fit in to our loud, lively, eclectic, emotional, intense space.

As I write this I realise that the space that we have created extends beyond our apartment. When we go clubbing, we dance in a circle, and are constantly encouraging each other's expression. Strangers often join our circle and stay because it is a safe space in an arena that is often dangerous for single women.

Men are welcome in our space, as long as they are open minded and up for a good argument. Men and women who are unecessarily critical, judgemental or intolerant are not welcome in our space.

Yes, we do buy tampons in bulk and we do have our periods consecutively but that is not what our space is all about. Out of the three of us, I am the only one who would call herself an active feminist and yet, we still manage to create something warm and beautiful that I can proudly write about here.