Women’s intimate moments discussed in new CNN series, writes
Alexandra E Petri
I spent my career in war zones. What I’ve discovered about that, when I finish interviewing the leaders, the military and the militants’ victims… and all of that tragedy and the violation of human rights, I have slowly come to realise that is only one side of what makes people tick. People also need to have their humanity intact. They need to be able to love and to have intimacy, whether it’s with their spouse, partner or children or other family members. How did this topic push you outside your comfort zone?
I am very used to covering war, and those are not the most difficult things to talk about. They are difficult and dangerous to cover. But the emotional and intellectual reach (to do this series) for me was more. I’ve never asked these questions before in public, on television. Not only that, but what if people didn’t want to talk to me about it? I had dreaded the idea of having to get pushy about it. I was absolutely stunned and gratified to find how many people just wanted to talk about it. You focus a lot on the women’s perspective. What can men learn from watching your series?
I hope men can learn what women have on their minds, what they are saying and what they are feeling, and knowing that (women) want to have these experiences with their chosen partner. Maybe learning… what it means to be in a relationship. Why did you choose these locations − Berlin; Accra, Ghana; Beirut; Tokyo; Shanghai; and Delhi − and were there any places that were off-limits?
There were some places that I would have liked to have gone, but maybe they were too dangerous or too expensive… but nothing was off-limits in terms of subject matter. We decided not to do more of the West. We did Germany partly because of the refugee influx there, so we did a contrast between Germans and new visitors. There are many cultures that I would like to investigate, and I would also like to explore these topics through the eyes of men.
We are in a moment where boys are free to express their emotions − and not to live up to an old, antiquated macho ideal. I think it is a very important social factor right now, and it’s really worth exploring. What is the biggest thing you learnt in working on this series?
There are so many feisty, powerful and empowered and want-to-be-empowered women around the world who are on the cusp of understanding that now is the historic time to seek out their own sexual and emotional fulfilment, and to dig deeper into what it means to be intimate and to love and to be loved.
What does all of that mean to them, and how can they get it?
That is what I learnt: there is a lot of joy out there − and a lot of excitement and exploration. − The Washington Post