Under Pressure

Photo Courtesy of BoingBoing.net
Photo Courtesy of BoingBoing.net

“Perhaps I’m being too tenacious but imagine 700 subtle messages a day. Alone they look harmless, but they build up pressure.”

I read that in a Livejournal community called “Kiss My Ass Vogue“, posted by a user named devi42. First, I’ll address the fact that yes, I use Livejournal. I rarely ever post anything on it anymore but I have stuck with it because I’ve been a member since I was in high school, and I love the communities. For example, some of the communities that I still love to check regularly are: vagina_pagina, sexual_health, menstrual_cups, good_eats, punk_knitters, and embarrassingly, ohnotheydidnt and topmodel.

For those who need help breaking it down, Livejournal is to blogs as Cro-Magnon man (person?) is to today’s human beings.

Anyway, I read the above quote in a post made in a community called kissmyassvogue. This community was inspired by a community called kissmyass_cosmo, which unfortunately I am no longer a member of.

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Cunt: A Book Review

 

Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com
Photo Courtesy of Amazon.com

 

I will never not be grateful for hormonal birth control and the fact that I can legally have my uterus sucked out with a man-made vacuuming device if I don’t want to be pregnant. Therefore, I am unlikely to start tracking my period with a lunar calendar (because I am currently on hormonal birth control, so my reproductive system follows whatever schedule I tell it to) or induce an abortion using herbs like parsley and pennyroyal, anytime soon. Never say never though, because I do think the whole menstrual and lunar cycles aligning thing sounds pretty cool.

Despite the above, I liked Cunt. 

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Back to Beatie

Photo Courtesy of People.com
Photo Courtesy of People.com

I have to talk about the man who had a baby.

This is why: I know it’s a little late in coming, but I’m really getting annoyed by all the “sick” and “weird” comments I hear when someone even dares to bring this topic up. A man had a baby. So what? This isn’t the ’80s. The concept of a transsexual is not shocking anymore. Yes, this man used to be a woman. YES, this man chose NOT to have sexual reassignment surgery, which can be risky and invasive. 

Actually, the reason I am bringing this up is because of my mom. My dear, sweet mother who has oft shared the enthusiasm over the plight of the misunderstood transgender people with me. “Why would anyone put themselves through this unless they really felt it was true?” “They can’t help that they were born in the wrong body!”

My mom doesn’t think the man should have had a baby. Or rather, she thinks, if he did want to have a baby, he should have waited to become a man until after he did so. 

Simply put, I think this is fucked up.

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Dreams

Photo Courtesy of BigThings.ca
Photo Courtesy of BigThings.ca

I used to always say that I hated talking and hearing about others’ or my own dreams. And I can honestly say now that I can’t figure out why I ever felt that way.

Dreams are a significant part of my life, considering that I dream every night (once upon a time, I was shocked to learn that not everyone does – it was inconceivable to a nightly dreamer like myself). This might be weird, but I can track my past through reoccurring dreams (and I’m talking dreams here, not aspirations… you know, the fucked up stuff that happens in your head when you sleep at night).

I have one reoccuring dream that I can date back to when my biological parents (I know this is a weird phrasing… I am not adopted, it’s just that I consider my stepparents my parents as well, and I’m not sure how to make the distinction) were still together… and I was four when they split up.

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Nemo Whisk

Photo Courtesy of Pylones-USA.com
Photo Courtesy of Pylones-USA.com

My friend Kat sent this to me. Ironically, I am reading 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea for the first time right now.
I would definitely like to get one of these in the future, despite the fact that I think $25 is an obscene amount of money for a whisk. I think I like #5 the best.
But I have to admit, it really bothers me that these squid whisks only have 8 arms. Squid have 10 (well, technically, 8 arms and 2 tentacles).

When I Became a Feminist

Recently at a job interview, I was asked how someone my age got into feminism. This wasn’t a weird question, based on the writing samples included in my portfolio that I brought to the interview, but still, I hesitated in answering.

There are plenty of non-personal answers to that question, one being, “Why wouldn’t someone my age be a feminist?”. Another, “Why wouldn’t any woman or smart man be ‘into feminism’?”

But the reason I hesitated is because I had to think about it. After pondering for a moment, I replied with a rambling answer about how my developing interest in women’s and sexual health issues naturally lead to an interest in feminism, concluding with a personal experience regarding my mother that I needn’t be coy about as it’s been published both in print and online for over a year now, but for discretion’s sake, I will.

I think this went over pretty well – it felt like a comfortable and accepted response to a rather unorthodox question for a job interview.

But, after the interview, I realized I was lying.

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