Shameful

A reflection on the complexities of female pain. Shame has been used as a tool to regulate the behaviour of women and is often seen as a ‘painful individuality.’ Writing about painful memories - such as sexual assault - is an exercise in the management of shame and the complex societal expectations surrounding women’s suffering. Author Katherine Angel explores how women who write about their pain suffer a double shaming: once for getting injured, twice for their act of self-exposure.