since i took an indefinite leave of absence from grad school (i'm telling myself it is just ONE semester but we'll see), i have a lot to say and no where to really put it. that was the only good thing about being in school: if you had an opinion about something, you could write ten pages just bitching and whining, toss in a few footnotes, and viola! masterpiece! since i am not doing school at the moment, i have all this stuff flying around my brain and no one to share it with. that's where the blog comes in to play!
i don't have anything meaningful to say tonight so i will keep it simple. i get a magazine in the mail that i neither signed up for nor care to receive, but since it is free and it appears to be "female empowering," i do read it when it comes in (and by "female empowering," i am not referring to cosmo magazine and its endless articles on dumb shit, like "omg once i went #2 in a public bathroom and it was smelly, i was soooo embarrassed!" seriously? using a public restroom is the MOST embarassing thing you've ever done? wow. can we trade lives? NEXT. or the b.s. about the "greatest" new sex position....oooooh awesome! but cosmo, you claim to be the authority on this stuff so you should know the human race has been procreating for hundreds of thousands of years and i am pretty sure when it comes to sex, nothing is new. thanks for wasting my time and my $5, or however much your magazine costs....oooooh i went off on a tangent....)
anyway.
this magazine appears to be female-friendly. i was really enjoying the articles about female bloggers in egypt who were reporting all sorts of sexual harassment by police officers and just about any other man on the street a few months ago when egypt decided to go berserk. i really appreciated reading about these women, who, in their own country were treated as criminals for reporting sexual harassment, took to the internet to draw attention to their plight. i really enjoyed the article about women who are diagnosed with "stage 0" breast cancer (basically, you might get it one day, but you might not) who are being duped into paying thousands of dollars for pills and radiation they don't need and the damage such treatment is actually causing (side note: i know they can cure cancer. i know it. they make more money off of us dying). another article i found interesting interviewed women who left corporate america to pursue jobs in non-profits and their advice on "following your dreams." very cool. yaaaay, i like this magazine.
but, this IS a magazine for women, and yeah, we may be powerful, hold high-power corporate jobs or built a non-profit organization that provides free dental exams for children in developing countries, but we are women, we love shiny things, fancy dresses, overpriced nail polish, and fur coats! plastered between these amazing articles were some irritating fashion ads. trust me, i went, "oooooh i love these shoes!" and then i noticed the $945 price tag. no thanks! or the marc jacobs fox fur coat (please call for price!), it looks SO soft, but i feel the placement of that ad next to an article about a woman who runs an anti-fur/hunting for fashion non-profit is sooooo faux pas. and not very empowering to women. "i simply CANNOT run this meeting today unless i am wearing my please-call-for-price marc jacobs fur coat!"
seriously? i just read about some woman who is forking over $26,000 (after insurance pays its share) to cover medical expenses to treat a cancer she really doesn't have and you want me to drop a grand on some ugly frilly blouse? ugggggggggggggggggggggh.
we are our own worst enemy.
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