The Trouble With Socks

I always get holes in my socks. I don’t think I have a single pair that doesn’t either have a hole in the toe or the heel.

I used think maybe there was just something wrong with my feet. Were they extra pokey or something? Were they sharp?

Why is it that I can never keep a pair of socks without getting holes in them?

Well recently I was wearing a pair of socks that seemed like they might be able to stand their own against my feet.

They were men’s.

So when I went to the store to update my collection of holey socks, I decided it was time for a change, I went to the men’s section. And what do I find but rows and rows of amazing, strong, soft socks. I had never seen so many socks! Bags of socks!

I bought myself a pack of six, and went home happy. But then I started thinking, why were these socks so superior to the ones I had been wearing my whole life? They’re socks, you would think socks would be socks regardless of whether they were men’s or women’s.

But they’re not. Men’s socks, on top of being cheaper, are much better made.

And I realized, it’s not just the socks. Men’s clothes are better made too. They’re made out of better materials, stronger materials.

Why you might ask? I don’t know, but could it really be what I suspect? That by having poorly made clothes it forces women to keep on buying? Keep on shopping? Keep up with the latest fashions? Keep perpetuating that idea that all we as women care about is what we look like?

I don’t think that it is necessarily intentional, I don’t imagine there are people out there plotting to keep women oppressed by making cheap clothes. What I do know is that I don’t want to be a part of it.

I want to be taken seriously, and I want my clothes to be taken seriously as well.

SlutWalk NYC

Going to SlutWalk on this past saturday was so inspiring. SlutWalk started in Toronto, Canada as a protest against the belief that the way someone dresses can be a cause of their rape, that it is somehow the victim’s fault for dressing “slutty”, that they are “asking for it”. Everyone should have the right to dress however they want, and SlutWalk is a protest/march which seeks to bring attention to the fact that many people still blame rape victims for not protecting themselves when we should really be teaching people to not be rapists.

The first SlutWalk happened in Toronto in April when a police officer suggested that “women should avoid dressing like sluts” in order to remain safe. Since then it has spread to 104 additional cities around the world in countries including Morocco, Australia, England, Germany, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Hong Kong, and many more.

SlutWalk NYC started with sign making in Union Square, and then a march, and concluded with a rally back in Union Square.

Some of the sign slogans and chants included:

“I Will Be Post-Feminist When There Is A Post-Patriarchy”

“Hey Rapist, Go Fuck Yourself!”

“My Dress Is Not A Yes”

“Whose Body? My Body! What Do We Want? Consent!”

“We Are Souls Not Holes”

“At Our Jobs Or In Our Home, Yes Means Yes And No Means No!”

“Sex Is Something You Do Together, Not Something You Do To Someone Else”

One of the most inspiring things to me where how many young women I saw, girls with their mothers, highschool friends, college students. To see all these women standing up for themselves, fighting against the double standard that exists which tells men that they should sleep around as much as they can, but tells women they are sluts if they do the same thing. It reminded me to keep fighting, to stand up for what I believe in, to stay passionate.

For more information about SlutWalk and to find out if there is going to be a march where you live, you can check out the website

Commercials for Women VS. Men

I know this video can’t be embedded, but click the youtube link to access it! It’s a really great (and humerous) look at commercials (and overall media) portray men and women.

 

Tuesday Tunes: “Human Nature” By Madonna

I never knew I would choose a Madonna song, but here it is!

The message here is pretty simple. As she repeats, “express yourself, don’t repress yourself,” a pretty universal message we unfortunately don’t always follow. I thought her body being manipulated by the other dancers was a great reflection on how our sexuality is shaped by society and its expectations.

But more importantly, Madonna later asks, “would it sound better if I were a man?

We Just Moved Back!

WordPress, I was unfaithful to you.

For a little bit, my friends and I decided to go to tumblr:

http://myfinglife.tumblr.com/

But we realized you are our one true love and we’re so glad you’re taking us back.

 

So get ready for a more active blog! Now that we’re out of college we’ll (hopefully) have more time to be serious about My F’ing Life, and we’re ready to take it to a whole new level.

The Things Which Wish To Be Ignored

“Are you a feminist?”

Gee, I don’t know. Is a fish wet?

“But you’re a maaaaaaaan!”

Biologically, yes – but, while some people have a “gender identity” that is important to them, gender for me is nothing but an outmoded construct. I’ve had the good fortune of being able to become what I want regardless of my biological sex. Not everyone gets that opportunity, which is one of the reasons that I’m a feminist.

But that’s not the primary reason that I’m a feminist. Oh, no, no, no, no.

Feminist of the Week!

This week’s Feminist of the Week is Gloria Steinem!  Regarded by many as an icon in the feminist world, Steinem rose to fame in the early 1960’s with her edgy investigative report on the sexism and lies surrounding the Playboy Bunnies entitled “I Was A Playboy Bunny.” Steinem’s work has since taken off, pushing boundaries and establishing her as one of the most important women in second-wave feminism.   In the early 1970’s, she helped to promote awareness around women’s rights and issues by creating the National Women’s Political Caucus and then went on to found Ms. Magazine, which became the decade’s most influential feminist publication.  Today, Steinem continues to break ground, speaking at various universities and institutions questioning the very foundations of society and encouraging women to change society INSTEAD of changing themselves by asking, “If the shoe doesn’t fit, must we change the foot?”
A prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America as well as a self-proclaimed “radical feminist,” Steinem believes that,

“A movement is only composed of people moving. To feel its warmth and motion around us is the end as well as the means.”

A true icon and inspiration, Steinem not only persists in mobilizing women and men alike with her words today, but will also continue to do so with the incredible legacy she will leave us with for many generations of feminists to come.

Tuesday Tunes: Beware the Awesomeness

So as usual, I was browsing YouTube for some feminist tunes and then I stumbled on probably the most precious little gold nugget I could ever find:

John Lennon and Yoko Ono performing an original song called “Woman is the Nigger of the World.” Before you get weary of the word “nigger” watch the interview that precedes their performance.

No need for any further comments from me. What Lennon says is just brilliant.

Enjoy!

Coline

Make Your Boobs Jealous!

Thanks Rebook! I know I have a great rack, but damn, I didn’t know my butt felt that way! Now I’ll definitely tone up that little tail feather so that people have more to look at (I mean, I just hate it when people look me in the eyes!) These shoes must solve all of my jealous boobs’ and forgotten butt’s problems!

And if you thought you had enough, it gets worse:

On the Good Boy/Bad Boy Talk and Other Sexist Discourse

The Opinions section in the past couple issues of the Echo (Colby Students’ Newspaper) have been extremely problematic. First off, many students (even females) seem to give off the impression that women’s favorite pastime are men: that women love sitting at their windows to fantasize about their prince charming, and that, as one student seemed to express, women’s favorite landscapes are not those of Maine or of the Rockies, but those of male bodies.

Let me get one thing straight. When I go back to my room after class, when I sit on the subway in NY, or heck, when I’m taking a shower every morning, I can assure you that the first thing I think/dream/fantasize of is not men. I too have mid-terms to worry about, I too enjoy doing extra-curriculars, and I too like to use my asset—no, not my sexual prowess, but my brain.