Femininity

I was talking to my boyfriend the other day and made a comment about how I'm not the most feminine worman in the world; his response was "but aren't you a feminist!?" I realize he was joking, but it did get me thinking about how feminism isn't associated with feminine attributes. Maybe our definition of what is feminine is wrong, we don't need makeup and pretty clothes to be feminine we just have to be comfortable in ourselves as women. All women are feminine, we are born as women. I guess I should have said I'm not the most "girly" or the most "concerned with my looks" or something. The truth is I *am* concerned with my looks, but not if it will require me to NOT do something I want to do, or will require me to wake up an extra half an hour early just to put makeup on.

I think it's time to take back the word feminine, I am feminine, I'm just not the most ..... I don't like the word girly here either.

Girls

I was going to write about how I watched the Sex and the City episode that Miranda is assumed to be a lesbian and gets an "in" with her boss at her firm because of it. Of course, the actual episode is about how single women are the enemies of attached women or that they need to be "figured out". Of course, sometimes that's the case, it just makes people uncomfortable to see something so different from what they see as normal.

But I'm not actually going to write about that (yet) I definitely want to eventually though because it is an interesting idea, that single women are enemies of attached women, or that they are inherently different.

Instead I'm going to write about this article I found in Good Magazine about the program Girls Who Code which helped lower income girls in the New York area learn some coding before college to get them prepared for the tech world. I love this idea because I think I would have loved to do computer science, I just didn't really know it was out there and hadn't learned any code before college, so I didn't want to be the stupid one in classes. So I just want to say go Girls Who Code! You're doing awesome things, not only for lower income people, but for women. The more women in computer science, the more women who will be able to make the computer technology and society less scary for more women to use!

Stomping around like she owns the place

Women are often portrayed as overbearing
when they are doing their job
(but I love both of these women's outfits!)

I was talking to a friend the other day and while we were discussing some of the aesthetic "improvements" going up around Chicago, he mentioned that the woman who works for the city on pedestrian experience and aesthetics always "stomps around the office like she owns the place". While I agree that it's strange to have someone stomp around like they are the top of the food chain when they aren't, it got me thinking that maybe we only notice when women do this. How often do you hear someone mentioning a man do that? (and yet, I'm sure men still do)

The few interactions I've had with her have been pleasant enough, though I agree that I also noticed that she acted as if her contributions were more important than the overall project (for part of the conversation anyway) but the more I think about it, we need someone like that fighting for pedestrian aesthetic experience or the program would never get anything done.

At what point are women actually overbearing, or just not acting feminine?

Hillary!

One of the most feminist loved women of today!

Interviewer: Okay. Which designers do you prefer? 

Hillary Clinton: What designers of clothes? 

Interviewer: Yes. 

Hillary Clinton: Would you ever ask a man that question? 

Interviewer: Probably not. Probably not.

[Via UniteWomen.org; State.gov]

Helen Gurley Brown

I loved Cosmo when I was subscribed to it, the gossip, the sex tips, the stupid makeup tips that I never used, the weight loss tips that most people should know, but mostly the fact that it was a magazine that encouraged women to be girly AND to be strong. Women can get whatever they want if they work hard enough for it, and I think that is one of the edicts behind Cosmo, even though the articles are usually titled "what he really wants" etc etc. Yesterday a past editor for Cosmo and author of Sex and the Single Girl died and I think that there is really something to be noted about that. Not many women go from normal to editor of Cosmo, and not many women, especially not in her time, were willing to stand up and say that single girls were even allowed to have sex!

She said it best when she said "Cosmo is feminist in that we believe women are just as smart and capable as men and can achieve anything they want. But it also acknowledges that while work is important, men are, too. The Cosmo girl absolutely loves men!" I think we need more women to continue her legacy and I know her presence will be missed but her work will continue on.

Good job being a feminist Helen Gurley Brown!

The Olympics

Beyond making me want to get into better shape, the Olympics are a great example of female strength. Just look at this woman, the first to represent Saudi Arabia in the Olympics. I can't even imagine the stigma that comes with being an Olympian in the US as a woman, but just try to think about the hoops this woman had to jump through to get where she is. Further, she's competing fully covered in clothes, I am sure that extra weight/wind resistance takes a couple microseconds off of her race speed.



Good job! I think countries are beginning to see that women around the world are able to do what they want to do if they work hard for it! It will take a few more leaps and bounds, but eventually we will get there. I know I'm not the only woman standing behind you, Sarah Attar, good job and good luck in everything else you do. Keep running!

Chick-Fil-A

I've noticed lately that while I love feminist blogs and love people who tout feminism, I often disagree with a lot of the things that people say under the guise of "feminism".  Yes, I believe that women should be able to do and say what they please, so keep tooting your own horn and announcing your feelings to the world, but reading some blogs today I realize that feminists are just like every other groups. One feminist blog posted about the Chick-Fil-A scandal and refused to admit she was not quite correct by saying that no government official had actually stopped/tried to stop Chick-Fil-A from establishing in their jurisdiction. Stating repeatedly that unbacked threats do not count. But, while I am fully against the Chick-Fil-A statements and monetary support to anti homosexual organizations, I would never think it is ok to establish rules that forbid Chick-Fil-A specifically from establishing in a jurisdiction just for that reason. Barring breaking the law, Chick-Fil-A should be able to establish where it is allowed. If a mayor or alderman were to ban all fast-food oriented restaurants citing health or cleanliness or "livability" findings, that's fine, but that's not just Chick-Fil-A and that defends a certain principle that the jurisdiction could support.

I know I shouldn't be allowed to think that feminists should all be educated on these things, nor should I expect that they are all willing to admit when there is a slight issue with what they say, but I want feminists to be willing to do all of those things, and do them without hesitation. Then again, I don't agree with everyone who supports anything I support 100%, therefore, I guess I can't expect feminism to be that way.

Side note: I moved last week, and it's incredible to live by yourself!

Feminist move of the day/week: biking through town in the rain in a pencil skirt.