Published: February 13th 2021, 4:52:35 pm
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Thanks so much to everyone who's stuck with me through the last few months. I'm way behind on my e-mails and DMs and stuff, if you're waiting for a reply to something please just be patient with me. The next Art update will be arriving early next week.
Six weeks before, New York was just beginning to shake off the last of a particularly cold and brutal winter, and Staci was in a hurry to get in out of the fat, wet flakes of snow that pelted her all the way from the subway to the front of her building. Once in her apartment, she checked her e-mail, finding the usual spam, alumni association newsletters, inter office e-mails... and a note from something called ‘The San Bambina Council of Film, Telivision, and Entertainment’ marked ‘First Annual San Bambina Film Festival.’
Staci frowned-- like most people, she was definitely familiar with the small island nation of San Bambina... and like most proper liberals, she was utterly appalled by what she knew about their society. To a modern, empowered woman, the entire concept was an absolute affront to what she stood for. She was about to delete the message when the idea first bubbled up in the back of her brain, appearing in the form of a headline:
Crusading Journalist Exposes Cruel Subjugation Of Women In San Bambina!
To her knowledge, it had never been done. The country guarded it’s secrets carefully, and in fact had only recently opened up and allowed visitors from other places, and information was still scarce. A little basic online sleuthing gave her a simple overview of the nation’s history and culture:
Located in the northern Caribbean, not too far off the southern coast of the United States, San Bambina is rich in natural resources and precious metals. It is comprised of the island of San Bambina as well as several minor archipelagos. It was first settled by Spain in 1603, but fell under British rule 50 years later, finally gaining it’s independence during the rebellion of 1871. They maintained strict isolationist policies from that moment on, keeping minimal trade relations with their neighbours while resolutely allowing little contact with the outside world and absolutely no immigration or emigration of any kind. Those few who did manage to sneak out arrived with strange tales of bizarre social and cultural customs and rituals that were generally dismissed as some sort of propaganda or the stuff of cranks.
In the 1950s, following WWII, the country finally opted to join the international community, and the first visitors returned with amazing tales-- although the country appeared almost entirely modern with all the conveniences enjoyed in the rest of the world, their culture and social structures were as absolutely bizarre as the rumours had suggested... and possibly even more so.
In San Bambina, a woman may have only one of two status’: Mother or daughter. In other words, a woman does not achieve the legal or social status of an adult until after she’s married and has a child. Female children are not potty trained, remaining diapered until after they’re married (and even then, some opt not to potty-train, and remain in diapers for their entire life.) Until she’s married and had her first child, a women is not allowed to progress past the social status of a two year old: she must stay dressed and diapered like a toddler, is forbidden to use the toilet or potty, and is only allowed to interact with others in a childish, infantile manner. Citizens are inundated with images in the culture that re-enforce this as normal. SB has a thriving entertainment industries, producing TV and film, much of it generally praising and normalizing the prevailing societal norms of their home country... the Film Festival was apparently an attempt to bring these efforts to the world.
Staci typed out a brief proposal and sent it off to her editor. Part of her assumed nothing would come of it-- San Bambina had been an international curiosity when they’d first opened themselves up to the world, but that had been a long time ago. Was this a story modern audiences would care about? Staci wasn’t so sure.
But as it turned out, her editor had actually done some work for a charity dedicated to bringing to light the plight of San Bambinian women, and she still had some contacts with them. She promised to put Staci in contact with someone she knew.
A week later, Staci was meeting with her long time editor and friend, Shelly, and Chelsea Cameron, a resident of San Bambina who helped fill in the gaps in Staci’s knowledge:
There existed a small elite class of women: the Matriarchs, women afforded full rights under the law before marriage and children, and treated virtually the same as men. Selected at birth, nobody knew exactly what criteria wasemployed in pickingthem (though bribery and nepotism are widely believed to be major factors.) These women (generally from the wealthiest and most powerful families) werepotty trained like normal, attend their own rigorous schools and universities, and are the equals of men in most respects, able to attain any position in government except president, and are even allowed to adopt grown women (though obviously, she couldnever attain the status of “Mother” until she has children of her own.)
Chelsea was a Matriarch, nearly equal to a man in the legal sense, bound by tradition to aid and assist the system in every way possible. Instead, she devoted her free time to an activist group dedicated to abolishing the Mother/Daughter system forever... and to do that, she was relying on the international community to put pressure on the ruling government. “We could use your help,” she told Staci flatly between sips of coffee. The Film Festival would provide the perfect cover. For one day, Staci would attend a San Bambinian University for Daughters-- a literal adult daycare, according to Chelsea.
“I’ve got some connections with the board of directors,” Chelsea confided, her accent light and charming.. Staci felt like she was in a spy novel. “We can get you in undercover, probably somewhere in the faculty. You can observe, make notes, maybe even snap a few pictures for your feature.
“But I must warn you,” she cautioned seriously, “that if you’re caught, the consequences could be severe for all of us. My country treats spying very seriously. However, it’s a great opportunity for the women of San Bambina to finally enjoy the same liberties as you or I.”
“And it would be great for your career,” Shelly added, nodding sagely.
Staci asked for a night to sleep on it... but it wasn’t really necessary. It was a chance to put her high minded ideals into action-- to show the world an injustice that had been going on for God only knew how long-- and maybe make a name for herself in the bargain. She fell asleep with visions of book contracts, movie deals, talk-show appearances, and high-paying speaking engagements dancing in her head.
When she got to the office the next morning, she told Shelly about her decision. Immediately a call was placed to Chelsea and arrangements were made... Staci would be receiving her tickets to San Bambina within the week, and her passes to the festival would be waiting for her at the hotel. Chelsea’s contacts were already working on Staci’s cover story-- when the time came, she could easily slip into the school and blend in seamlessly. By the time she arrived in San Bamnina, the whole operation would be ready to proceed smoothly.