KQED's Forum What Does It Take to Be a ‘Good Woman’?
Mar 3, 2026
Savala Nolan, author and director at Berkeley Law’s Henderson Center for Social Justice, examines race, gender, and the body in her new book. She discusses reclaiming marginalized stories through memoir and law. She reflects on leaving prescribed womanhood, dating and emotional labor, parenting choices that build autonomy, and confronting racism and masculinity.
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Good Woman Defined By Compliance Not Fulfillment
- Being a "good woman" is defined by cultural expectations of malleability, sacrifice, and male-centered behavior.
- Savala Nolan realized that excelling at those traits yielded compliance and acceptance but not authentic fulfillment, prompting a midlife reckoning.
Porch Monkey Joke In Wyoming Booth
- In rural Wyoming a man at a booth told a racial joke and looked directly at Savala Nolan, creating a charged, threatening moment.
- Her then-fiancé quietly escorted her out, which removed immediate danger but left Nolan feeling unseen and resentful for lack of witnessing or confrontation.
Racism And Pornography Both Make You Hyper Visible
- Nolan links racism and pornography as systems that make subjects hyper-visible while denying full humanity.
- Both treat bodies as objects to be seen or consumed without offering care, explaining part of her reaction in Wyoming.
