“Tertullian, an early Christian theologian, summed up what he regarded as the putrid nature of women’s bodies when he described women as a “temple built over a sewer.” Tertullian was thoroughly familiar with Greek philosophy, though he mostly rejected their views on metaphysics. But in regard to women, the Aristotelian strain of misogyny seeps through.

In Aquinas, Aristotle comes back full bore, as women are “defective and misbegotten” and thus unfit to rule. They must be ruled.

All of this revulsion is rooted in contempt for the body and its functions; women’s bodies are, well, so bodily obvious. Their bodies make milk and blood, as well as urine and stool. All this evacuation comes to symbolize the deep contempt for the body, sexuality and materiality that, at the end of the day, is a fear of death, the ultimate outcome of materiality.

Actually, women’s bodily fluids are not disgusting and a harbinger of death, they are life. Powerful life…”

Wise words above by Rev. Dr. Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite. She is discussing a theology of disgust of bodily fluids (specifically women’s bodily fluids) in a recent article (read the rest of it!) which was motivated by Donald Trump’s despicable and frequent misogynist remarks about women’s bodies.

And speaking of disgust and theology, psychologist Richard Beck has written quite a lot of helpful stuff about this; I highly recommend his book Unclean. I also wrote a short story a while back with the themes of disgust and fear of death in mind.

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Painting above: Stanisław Wyspiański, Maternity, 1905

Tags:deathdisgustdivine femininematerialitypsychologyRichard BeckSusan Brooks Thistlethwaitewomen