Sema Aslan- Translated by Özde Çakmak

There is an issue of “being a housewife”, and it goes on and on. While writing down a subject again (and as if it’s a new thing) every woman updates acting upon one’s own experience, how to build up a text? While there are lives somewhere being experienced with brand new practises and minds getting afresh with theory, the feeling of sitting here thinking about being a housewife is – with all its mishap, no need to lie, is haunting me. However, I’m facing up to colliding with this intimidation.

In the last years I have met several aspects of being a housewife. Or maybe I’d have wanted to think that there might be several aspects to being a housewife.

First of all, I saw politics in it.

In order for this article not be a personal one at all, that I don’t talk upon/through being a housewife and close this chapter forever and ever, saying for example “So you are also an artist?”, “No i am a housewife!” I’ll watch art community’s ego-centric behaviors smiling with my being a housewife just at that moment there is something not leaving me in peace. As I talk to other women, women, women I realise that thing which does not leave me in peace is “rejection”. At least I even comply with an acceptance whose scale is “I got it there, next sentence please” but it does not happen. I feel like a loony trying to build up a wall with a single stone at every turn. With a stone in hand going from here to there… As a matter of fact, I don’t know where to put down this stone. Sometimes I have an itch to throw and get rid of it. But anyhow I am doomed to mode of “now”, desperate, I say I might love it as well. Then you see I find politics acceptable for being a housewife. While people protecting the park in Gezi were remembered one by one, when the turn came to housewives – those were the days I still grinned and bore it, losing myself I screamed “it’s me!” People in my surroundings look back and smile. If “intoxication of Gezi” crossing from their minds, I don’t know. At various meetings leaving aside everything, first of all, I make a claim to being a housewife and secretly enjoy the amazement on people’s faces etc. But addressing being a housewife as a political issue, to produce a statement and attitude out of this policy is not possible single handedly – at least for me.

Just then, I saw art in it.

While others making references to history of art and culture and/or academy in their speeches, I argued that there can be no candid reference other than inside home. (This resembles the motif of “sage overwhelmed with life”, I know). Now if you ask me, what is inspiring about being a housewife, I don’t know at all. I mostly idle around with the strainer in the kitchen, it is my greatest metaphor. Attempting to think a little courageously I can ask myself whther I am a bildungsroman character or not, you eventually came across with life, what’s the big deal? However, it may not be the case. That, being a housewife which is defined briefly as “do the ironing of others, folding socks” is indicating as if to a more complicated responsibility area. “Just don’t do it, then!” For God’s sake, don’t make me talk like my mother.

Can “being a housewife” be analyzed in a socio-cultural view?

I reply to my German friend who asked “Are you really cooking hot meal every day?” with astonishment. There are people consoling me with saying “Germans skip their meal with a sandwich, don’t worry”. I wonder if I stop doing each and every housework that I don’t want by any means to count one by one, will that stone vanish? What brought that stone to my lap is not only my being married, but also having a child? Can’t I think being a housewife seperately than being a mom or am I strong consonant, can’t I resound?

What about the working housewives? Freelance doesn’t count, by the way. Or people having freelance counted are the ones I/we esteem exceptional. Acoording to this account, I haven’t been a working housewife. Therefore, I can’t know the details of the subject. Besides, “even if she is president of the republic, a woman is a woman” is ringing badly in my ear.

Also, there is an issue of single housewives agonising because of married housewives while the  childless agonise because of people with children. Of course there is no harm in discussing what we produce again and again by being married and bearing children but if the thing what we call solidarity eventually has become an ability or if we’ve acted solidarity thoughtfully and tactfully, then there is already an issue of first priority that we will problematize.

I’ve heard that somewhere in Europe women are sick and tired of speaking about hardships of producing art as being housewives with children. I think that’s exactly what I find annoying. If I find the day I woke up saying I’ll tour the exhibition with my friend and maybe we’ll have a cup of coffee turns into a documentary film themed as “a housewife’s meeting with art”, if women prefer not to talk about this subject with one or other reason or prefer not to talk, I’m taking the “We got it here, next sentence please” call into consideration.

Being a housewife is for granted, let’s see what’s next…