Dream Count

Omelogor’s For Men Only blog is a symbol of self-empowerment. Omelogor starts writing the blog when she’s living in the United States and pursuing her master’s degree—a program which explores pornography as a “sexual teacher.” Convinced that porn is “a terrible teacher,” Omelogor sets out to “learn how its influence could be undone” (63). However, she finds little validation in her graduate program; her adviser disdains her thesis proposal, and her classmates disparage all of Omelogor’s contributions. Feeling discouraged, Omelogor starts writing the For Men Only blog as a way to answer real men’s questions about women, sex, and relationships in an open, non-threatening way. In doing so, Omelogor is claiming her own voice and point of view. Her writing is “heartfelt and fluid,” because she is speaking her mind without hesitation and addressing issues that are important to her (265). The blog is thus Omelogor’s way of claiming her identity and viewpoint without fear or shame.

Omelogor’s Robyn Hood fund is symbolic of guilt. When Omelogor begins to realize that the work she’s doing with her financial company is actively disenfranchising the very women she has hoped to help, she begins siphoning company money into a private account; she then uses this self-proclaimed Robyn Hood fund to offer grants to economically disadvantaged women who want to open small businesses.