The One About Feminism

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I am not what most people would describe as a feminist. I enjoy being girly, I like to flaunt my magnificent boobs and I am constantly appalled that chivalry is dead. However, I do actually identify myself as a feminist. Oh don’t look at me like that, feminist is not a dirty word!

I am not a traditional sort of feminist by any means. I don’t go on rallies and I am not overly vocal about my beliefs, unless it involves a significant injustice against women, and I do not hate men. I do however believe very strongly in equal rights for females, something I do not believe we have yet achieved. That’s probably one of the reasons why I am a bit quiet about it, people take such offense to the idea of feminism, like women are lucky to be allowed the rights they have. The worst part is, a lot of women seem to agree with this way of thinking. I like to think they just don’t want to be labeled a feminist (like I said, people consider it to be a dirty word) but then again maybe a lot of women have the idea that they’re not quite as good as men deeply ingrained in them.

I only recently decided to start calling myself a feminist, in particular after reading a few blogs that were aimed at teenagers mostly, but I actually found a lot of the information on there really relevant to my feelings on the subject. I’ve always been the kind of person to get mad at anyone who claims (or even implies) women aren’t equal to men, and have had many heated arguments with people over sexist statements they’ve dared utter in my presence. But it wasn’t until reading some really good articles by these girls who identify as feminists who didn’t fall under the dreaded “feminazi” title that I actually decided to identify myself as a feminist. It’s a shame that I could never identify as one previously because I has this skewed idea of what feminism meant, and I’m sure it’s the same for most women. I think all women should be able to call themselves a  feminist, because there are different levels of belief in the cause (kind of like religion, some people are super devout while others believe without feeling the need to go to church).  All women should want to be equal to males in regards to human rights, work opportunities, sexuality etc.

One of the things that gets to me most is the difference in perception between males and females for doing the exact same thing. While I am naturally outraged by the idea of a male getting paid more for doing the same job as a female, just because of gender, it’s the smaller things that I feel don’t get voiced enough. An obvious example is the idea that a male can sleep with as many women as he wants and gets positive attention from other males while a female who does the same thing is no more than a “slut” (which is one of my most hated words, by the way). I hear guys often talk about how a promiscuous girl is a slut because she has one-night stands and has casual sex. When I interject and ask them how much casual sex they have, the fact they have a lot more than this poor girl doesn’t even matter. She sleeps around and that is disgusting and that is that. I’ve often asked how it differs between women and men, why can a man sleep with a hundred women and a woman sleep with say 20, and it be applauded for the male and found repulsive for the girl. There’s never a proper answer and usually comes down to the whole “women are not as superior as men” idea or the ridiculous belief that it’s dirtier for a woman to have had lots of penises in her than for a man to have stuck his dick in hundreds of vagina’s. And yet these guys will go buy a copy of FHM and ogle the featured girls (and possibly even fantasise about them)  and not even care that thousands of other men are doing the exact same thing. It’s bizarre.

And then there are things like how people think the worst of a girl who’s overweight and barely bat and eyelid over a guy who’s just as heavy. I’m sure the guy also gets his fare share of criticism for being large, but I find women get it much, much worse. The comments differ so much. “Wow that’s guy’s huge” vs “Check out that fat bitch”. It’s a weird one, but I do feel that fat girls are perceived far worse than fat guys. Then there’s the whole representation in the media, where almost everything can be sold with an attractive lady in the picture, regardless of the targeted demographic, bang a hot girl  in the ad and it’s gonna sell. Male-orientated advertising is going to be more sexual and in-your-face than advertising that’s aimed at women, but for the most part, it’s all about using a woman’s good looks and body to sell products and I think it’s sad. And my biggest gripe right now? The depiction of women who not only enjoy but actually get turned on by domestic violence. I have been noticing it in TV, film and even music videos lately and am shocked that it’s still tolerated. I also get riled by the women who suffer domestic violence, particularly against their famous boyfriends/husbands, and yet go back to them because it was “out of character”. I hope I do not have to explain how wrong, wrong, wrong this is.

I am not a man-hating lesbian as most feminists are perceived to be. I do not wear asexual clothing and hide my femininity because I feel I am exploiting myself for the benefit of men. I am a normal woman who loves makeup, dresses and the colour pink. I don’t demand or even want anything more than for women to have the same rights and respect as men get. I understand women have so much more available to them now than they ever did in the past, but I still feel women have a long way to go before a good level of equality is reached (I don’t excpect there will ever be such thing as total equality, not in my lifetime anyway). I just want people to accept the actions, desires and worthiness of women the same as they currently do for men.

There is so much more I could say on the subject, but I’d actually rather hear from other people about their ideas about feminism and whether you think there’s still gender inequality these days (namely in 1st world countries, as we all know gender inequality is rampant in many 3rd word nations). Tell me your thoughts, examples of gender inequality or whatever you’d like to contribute to the discussion.

Some interesting links:
Madonna syndrome: I should have ditched feminism for love, children and baking
Against the name Change: A Polemic
The F Bomb: Feminist Blog about Women’s Rights for Teenage Girls
The Sexual Behaviours of Women vs Men
Why modern feminism is illogical, unnecessary, and evil
What’s a Modern Girl to Do?
NOW VP To Sarah Palin and Conservative Women: Stop Being So Empowered, Darn It!

EDIT: Just wanted to clarify a few things. I am not attempting to justify myself by saying I am a girly girl who likes guys and wears makeup, as though trying to distance myself from the feminist stereotype. I am attempting to make a point that even though I do not conform to how people think a feminist ought to look or act, I am one and not ashamed to say so. I am aware the feminist stereotype exists for a reason, and so if you are offended by the fact I made a point of distancing myself from it, I apologise because that wasn’t my intention at all. I think all women of all walks of life should be able to call themself a feminist without thinking they’re going to be labled as something they’re not.
Also, I do not necessarily agree with the sentiments in some of those links, I just wanted to share a few that raised interesting points that helped prove what I was attempting to say. At least one of these is exactly the oppisite of how I feel but I wanted to show the “other side” of the debate.

Take MY Advice!!!

Today I thought I’d try the format of one of my most favourite blogs Obnoxious Owl. She tells you the advice you need to hear and is quick about it! I usually tend to elaborate upon my advice and turn them into massive rants, so Imma try and see what it’s like to dish the advice quick and without any fuss.

PUT THE PHONE DOWN
I know we live in an age where we can do just about anything on our mobile phones, but man people take it too far. Ya know, some of us old-fashioned types still find it quite rude when you’re too busy texting or twittering or using some useless app to hold a proper conversation.

EAT HEALTHY FOOD
Eating nothing but junk all the time and making a big fuss about hating vegetables is lame. You’re an adult now so eat like one. Do you really want to die of a heart attack or colon cancer?! Those old people who eat Macca’s three time a week for all their lives  and are totally healthy are absolute freaks and you will never be like them.

AND FOR THE LOVE OF GOD EXERCISE
Like the above, being naturally slim doesn’t mean you should be lazy. It isn’t just about losing weight, it’s about appreciating the one body you have and making it last as long as possible. If you wake up feeling like shit all the time, you need to eat a salad and go for a long walk. For real.

BUY A DECENT BRA
I know I’ve gone on about this before, but no one likes the look of double decker boobs. You’re not doing yourself any justice by cramming your melons into those teacups. Get fitted and see how great your assets really are!

SORT YOUR SHIT OUT, FINANCIALLY
So your job doesn’t pay you very well, how about you get a new one or demand a pay rise and stop boring everyone with your tales of woe. And do not expect any sympathy if you’re constantly broke and yet have enough cash to go get wasted every weekend. It makes people angry. Unless you’re a student, then that’s alright.

DO YOUR HAIR
Nothing says “I don’t care about how I look” more than going out of the house with shitty hair. If you can’t find the time to give it a blow dry or straighten it in the morning, at least tie it up nicely. I think someone’s hairstyle speaks volumes about the person. And for the love of god, if you’re going out and have a nice outfit and have put on makeup, do your fucking hair. It’s the whole package or nothing at all.

STOP SWEARING
Yeah that’s right motherfucker, I’m looking at you! I swear way too much, though I know far too many people who out-swear me constantly. Look, the F word is great at punctuating statements, but only when used sparingly. Dropping the F or C bomb more than a few times in a conversation just makes you look inarticulate and stupid. Keep swear words for when you really need ‘em and not in place of saying “um” or “like”.

STOP SAYING LIKE
Just like swearing too much, saying “like” all the time makes you look retarded. I’m shocked girls still do this, it’s not as though Clueless wasn’t released in 1995 or anything. I used to do it too much but my mum got me out of the habit by stopping me every time I said it inappropriately. If you known you use the dreaded L word too much, stop yourself every time you go to say it and think of what you’re trying to say and just say it already.

READ MORE
The film versions usually suck compared to the books anyway. And just FYI, trashy magazines and blogs do not count. Buy/borrow a book and maybe you’ll even learn something.

STOP WORRYING WHAT PEOPLE THINK OF YOU
I know this is kind of ironic given the advice I have just dished out, but you really need to stop worrying about embarrassing yourself or making people mad by what you do, because it’s highly likely no one cares. Wear that outfit that’s way too bright, who’s going to judge you? Some arsehole stranger you’ll never meet again? Screw them! And if you like wearing ill-fitting bra’s, swearing too much and having messy hair then do it! It’s your life and I don’t care enough to judge ya anyway!

Reebok Easytone

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As we already know I’m a bit of a fitness junkie. As such I finally decided it was time to buy some new sneakers as my Puma’s were kind of cheap and I was starting to get sore shins and calves because they weren’t supporting me properly anymore. I’ve been eyeing off those Sketchers Shape-Up‘s that people are always talking about but I was a bit skeptical about them because Sketchers have always seemed like a casual shoe as opposed to an actual proper exercise shoe. Theta and they they cost $200!

So today I was browsing through Rebel Sport and found Reebok have their own version called Easytone. As they were only $180, and as Reebok are definitely known for being good sport shoes, plus they didn’t look quite as dicky as the Sketchers, I got ‘em! I also like their website and how they give you workouts that work best with the shoes (for free). You can even design your won Easytone’s! That is so neat!

They’re designed to cause micro-instability which basically means your leg and butt muscles work harder as you walk and move, because there’s these raised lumps on the soles that make balance just a little harder than with normal shoes. So I am going to test them out at gym and when walking and doing weights and see if I notice anything in the butt/leg region. Even if they don’t work (though I’m sure they will) they’re cool-looking shoes and weren’t too expensive so at least now my damn shins won’t hurt so much after hardcore workouts! Win’s all round!

I will keep ya’ll updated on the results!

Nailin’ It- Blue Glitter & Diamonds

Before I talk about my nails, let me just say, I never knew I had such odd looking hands til I saw this photo! Maybe it’s because I’m not wearing my trademark bling rings or the fact my knuckles are all messed up from going nuts at boxing last week (you can still see the scabs because I punched til I bled!!!) or because I have small, skinny hands. Whatever it is, this photo kid of freaked me out!

Anyway, here are my new nails! I am pretty excited about these because they’re BLUE which is not usually a colour I deal with often, and yet the colour is amazing! I got them done last week in a dark, shiny royal blue which looked divine til they got a bit knocked around and so needed a lift. I bought some el-cheapo blue glitter polish from the chemist and BAM it brought them to life.

I had planned to use some of my favourite nail stickers but I knew I needed to do something bigger and more intense so I finally used my nail diamantes in varying patterns. This was my first attempt at bejeweling my own nails and I am so proud of myself I have been showing them off to anyone who’ll look at them! It was surprisingly easy too, I just gave them a thick coat of polish, used a scalpel to pick up each diamante (dip the tip of the scalpel into the polish first so that they stick) and pop them in place. One my nails were just about dry I gave them four layers of top coat to keep the jewels in place. I just discovered Revitanail Top Coat and OMG it is great. Much thinner than I’ve used before but holy cow is it super quick drying!

Meanwhile, in other news: MEET OUR NEW POODLE! Technically he’s my mum’s BUT he’s still a part of our family! We got him from the RSPCA on Saturday on a bit of a whim, though we have been talking about mum getting a  dog for a little while now. It’s been just over a year since our beautiful Belle passed away and it was a massive thing to get over. I feel a bit bad that the new poodle looks exactly like Belle but he stole our hearts as soon as we met him. He’s a toy poodle and apparently was rescued from a puppy farm that was raided about two months ago. He has a malaligned jaw which means the top and bottom jaws don’t quite meet which means one of his lower canines juts out (it’s hilariously cute) but it doesn’t cause any discomfort so nothing to worry about. He’s very quiet but seems really relaxed, he’s shown a few signs of nervousness but nothing to match the massive changes he’s gone through so suddenly. He’s two and a half so over his puppy phase but still young and active.

We’ve not yet named him. He was called Smudge but we want to give him a suave French name though nothing is striking us as appropriate so far. After all our last two poodles were called Pepe and Belle which were so perfect and cute and as it turns out, impossible to beat! Hopefully we’ll think of something soon, and once we do you will get many updates about how he’s going!

Music on my Mind – Part Four

So this morning I woke up with both “Jesus Walks” by Kanye West and “The Power of Love” Huey Lewis. Yes that’s right, two of the most different songs ever produced. Am I the only person who gets two songs in their head at a time? Particularly of two very different styles/eras? I admit I know how they both got in my head, because I heard them at work. Yep that’s right, we listen to music at work! This probably seems like no big deal to most people but it’s a HUGE deal to me. Music makes my day go so much faster and I’ve not had the ability to listen to music at work since that last job I had up until late last year. Being able to listen to music while I worked was just about the best thing at that job and as glad as I was to get out of there, I missed music in the workplace terribly.

So at my new job we listen to the radio. I am not a huge fan of the radio, what with all that repetition, the morons who have “shows” and waste my time by talking absolute crap and then those damn obnoxious adverts that cut through me like razor blades. I thought that after a few years of rarely listening to the radio that maybe I’d be over it, but I’m not and commercial radio, particularly in Brisbane, bites balls. Luckily for me though, we discovered internet radio which has (foolishly) been put into my control! I know I am always about 5 years late on technological advances as a general rule, but I cannot believe I did not know about this!

So anyway, I have made some observations about pop music since I’ve been listening to the radio so much. Most notably is how badly they overplay certain songs. Sure we all know they do that, but it came as a bit of a shock to me when I realised how overplayed some songs really are. No one anywhere ever needs to hear “California Gurls” three times in one work day on the one station. No one needs to hear that song at all, but that’s really just my own personal opinion. And speaking of that song, I am amazed at how some stations don’t play the Snoop Dogg rap bit. What, are black people too scary for the listeners of anytime radio? Or is it just Snoop in particular that freaks out all the old cows in offices who tend to tune into stations like 97.3 and B105?

Another gripe is how often they plays the songs of Train. I didn’t even know who this band was until I got sick of this one song and found out who they were through the power of Google. Then I Googled the lyrics of another song I liked an discovered it was by Train as well! I cannot understand how two songs from the same band can range between being quite good to totally crap. Nor why they both get played so friggen much. This also applies to songs like “I Wanna be a Billionaire” and “Nothin’ On You” which I used to like until they ruined them with multiple plays every fucking day.

And last but most shockingly of all, I have heard Nickelback played a LOT. I honestly had this idea in my head that no one listened to them and they just released albums and kept touring anyway. Well, I figured they’d have a fanbase of redneck Yanks scattered around the States, but c’mon, Aussies can’t be that dumb. Turns out I was wrong, if how much they get played is any indication. My god that band fucking sucks. I’d choose to listen to all of Katy Perry’s music on repeat and possibly even out up with her for a day than hear any Nickelback song ever again.

So that’s my thought on music for the week. I’ve been out of the loop for a good nine months and as expected, not much has changed. Thank god for internet radio, even if I have to put up with the shittiness that is iTunes to use it!

Over and out!