Ok, here's something I don't understand. From time to time when there's absolutely nothing on tv, I've turned on that wretched show "Toddlers in Tiaras". Now don't get me wrong. I can see parents having pride in their children, dressing them up and showing them off. What I can't stand is dressing your 3 year old like a streetwalker and teaching her to shake her booty. Come on people, where's your sense of pride and modesty?
These parents are not doing any good for their children. Fake tans, fake eyelashes, fake teeth, $500 dresses, manicures, pedicures, etc., etc. Ugh, it's disgusting. These mothers are living precariously through their daughters. And some of the fathers can be just as bad. Of course I blame the judges as well. You see the interviews with some of them and they say things like, "Well it is better for the girls to wear fake teeth (yes, I know there is a technical term, but I can't think of it right now). After-all, it's not very attractive to see missing teeth when they smile." Give me a break, she's 6, she's supposed to be missing teeth!!
You see the interviews with the kids and it's all about the Barbie doll look, the crowns and the ribbons. The interviews with the mothers really reveal the ulterior motive - Cash! Of course the cash prizes only come with the top crown so the parents keep pushing and pushing. It costs a fortune for these kids to go to these pageants and the parents can't see that they've spent $8,000 over the years for little Betsy to finally win the $500 prize. Sheesh!
I thought we were doing well with showing girls that there is no such thing as the Barbie doll body, but alas, I guess I was wrong.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Monday, August 9, 2010
Body Maintenance: Primping & Tweezing
Back in the '80s, and all you ladies can relate to this (and some of you men as well), primping meant half a can of hairspray every morning and an hour of getting our "feathers" just right. Then there was the eyeshadow of every pastel colour known to man. One layer of eyeshadow didn't cut it. No, you had to layer it up to your eyebrow with at least three colours. Then of course were the clothes. Socks had to be rolled or slouched just right. The shirts needed to be long to make sure our spandex covered butts were covered. Then of course was the 20 minute chore of choosing the right belt to put over our hips to try to make us look like there actually was a person under those oversized shirts.
I knew girls who woke up at 5:30am every morning to go through this ritual before they would even venture to leave their house at 8am to go to school.
And why did we do that? How many hours could we have saved back then for something useful - like sleep! We didn't even have time to eat breakfast. Obviously primping and painting were more important.
Yes, there is a point to all this reminiscing. We didn't know how good we actually had it back then. We should have left well enough alone. The millions of zits could have easily been dealt with some Clearasil and life continued.
Now we are in our late 30s and 40s. Many of us have gained and lost dozens of pounds. Our bodies have stretch marks and there is sagging in some areas, rolls in others and nothing seems to be in the same places as before. Hair is growing out of places that we never thought imaginable. Untamed eyebrows begin to look like they belong to Michael Ignatieff or Sam Waterston. Suddenly we have grey or white hairs popping up left and right. The guys are becoming follicly challenged so they shave their heads so no one can see exactly where the bald spots are.
Even women who've just "followed the course of nature" and never went through the war paint era suddenly find themselves in unchartered waters. Tweezers start appearing in hand, cupboards stocked with hair dye, specialised make-up to try to hide those ghastly bags under the eyes and the wrinkles that seem to have taken up residence for some unexplained reason.
Yes, now we have a legitimate reason to spend hours in front of the mirror. Ahh, to get back all those wasted hours from our teenage years.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Gay Marriage - What's the big deal?
Ok People, here's the first post.
Gay Marriage - What the heck is the big deal about it?
Sure, I know. You've got the people who say it's against their religion to agree with two people of the same sex being married (or even together, for that matter). So? No one is telling you that you have to marry someone of your own sex. No one is telling you that you have to officiate over a gay marriage. No one is telling you that you can't marry the love of your life - so where do you have the right to tell others that they can't?
You have the people that say gay marriage is going to drag down society. Baloney. Violence, war, hatred - that's what's bringing down society.
Then they raise the issue of their children being exposed to immoral lifestyles. Give me a break. You've had gays and lesbians teaching your children in schools for years. Trust me, kids don't really care about their teachers' lifestyles any more than they care about their next door neighbours - or even their parents, for that matter.
Ah, but now their children are going to have to learn in school that being gay is normal. Oh really? Maybe what they'll learn is that no matter who you are, you are the same as the person beside you. And just maybe, maybe, learning in school that there are people who are gay, will help your gay child overcome the shameful feelings he/she has that are causing him/her to consider suicide as his/her only option.
Kids today are exposed to everything under the sun. The thing I would think is the least important is whether the two guys living over on Main Street are married or just living together to share their rent.
What ticks me off the most about all this, is how much money has been spent in fighting gay marriage. I look at all the brouhaha about Proposition 8 with heartache. How many thousands of people could have been fed with the money that was spent on all that crap? This was in the midst of a recession - people were literally walking away from homes, worrying about where their next meal would be coming from - and all this money being spent to stop people from getting married? Sheesh!
You know, gay marriage has been legal in Canada and other countries for a number of years. Same sex benefits have been a part of Canada's legal system a heck of a long time. You know what? If you were to ask the average person on the street how the legalisation of gay marriage has affected their life - you'd probably hear, "Oh yeah, gay marriage is legal, isn't it? I hadn't even thought about it." It's true. Unless you are gay or you have friends or relatives who are gay, chances are, it's not even going to cross your mind.
So, how about everyone stop worrying about what their neighbours are doing and actually worry about your own life. Raise your children the way you want, with your ideals and beliefs and let other people do the same.
Gay Marriage - What the heck is the big deal about it?
Sure, I know. You've got the people who say it's against their religion to agree with two people of the same sex being married (or even together, for that matter). So? No one is telling you that you have to marry someone of your own sex. No one is telling you that you have to officiate over a gay marriage. No one is telling you that you can't marry the love of your life - so where do you have the right to tell others that they can't?
You have the people that say gay marriage is going to drag down society. Baloney. Violence, war, hatred - that's what's bringing down society.
Then they raise the issue of their children being exposed to immoral lifestyles. Give me a break. You've had gays and lesbians teaching your children in schools for years. Trust me, kids don't really care about their teachers' lifestyles any more than they care about their next door neighbours - or even their parents, for that matter.
Ah, but now their children are going to have to learn in school that being gay is normal. Oh really? Maybe what they'll learn is that no matter who you are, you are the same as the person beside you. And just maybe, maybe, learning in school that there are people who are gay, will help your gay child overcome the shameful feelings he/she has that are causing him/her to consider suicide as his/her only option.
Kids today are exposed to everything under the sun. The thing I would think is the least important is whether the two guys living over on Main Street are married or just living together to share their rent.
What ticks me off the most about all this, is how much money has been spent in fighting gay marriage. I look at all the brouhaha about Proposition 8 with heartache. How many thousands of people could have been fed with the money that was spent on all that crap? This was in the midst of a recession - people were literally walking away from homes, worrying about where their next meal would be coming from - and all this money being spent to stop people from getting married? Sheesh!
You know, gay marriage has been legal in Canada and other countries for a number of years. Same sex benefits have been a part of Canada's legal system a heck of a long time. You know what? If you were to ask the average person on the street how the legalisation of gay marriage has affected their life - you'd probably hear, "Oh yeah, gay marriage is legal, isn't it? I hadn't even thought about it." It's true. Unless you are gay or you have friends or relatives who are gay, chances are, it's not even going to cross your mind.
So, how about everyone stop worrying about what their neighbours are doing and actually worry about your own life. Raise your children the way you want, with your ideals and beliefs and let other people do the same.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)