Our eyes look out"
One of the larger themes in Mina Loy's work is the idea of redefining and often rejecting traditional modes of thinking about gender norms. In many of her poems in this volume, she confronts a society largely hostile to woman, and challenges pre-conceived ideas surrounding woman's sexuality and basic identity. In the poem "Virgins Plus Curtains Minus Dots," Loy creates a physically gendered space to parallel such spaces in the abstract, and in doing so criticizes the oppression and the inherent "cost" of being a woman. In this passage, she turns to the "male gaze," which often negates the value of woman in feminist writing. The difference between looking in and looking out is subtle but significant; what does "looking out" imply for the virgins of the poem as well as women as a whole? How does looking in represent a violation or a sense of power, or imply a cognizance and intellectual capacity that is lacking in the act of simply looking out? There are many instances throughout The Lost Lunar Baedeker in which Loy satirizes the idea of woman as inherently without understanding or deeper intellect. The women of this poem are hollow, empty, and unfulfilled. How is Loy combatting the accepted notions of marriage, relationships, and gender identity in this work, and specifically in this distinction between looking in and looking out?
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