The Ranting Teenager is sorry for having been away so long

Ok, I had no better idea for a title. However, I am sorry. I've known about my inconstance since first grade, but unfortunately I am still ignoring it with all my might, thus starting things like blogs even though I should know that it is absolutely not what I should do.
Well, at least I'm trying.

And from today I will be constant. For real. I've used my sister's book of fairy spells and she says it works, so I am now absolutely super-constant!

And I have written a book! Ok, so it sucks. It doesn't have a plot, the characters are under-developed, and it contains nothing but a bunch of teen angst, but hey, it's a first novel, it isn't supposed to be good! (Or is it?)

So, posting is resumed!

Quote of the day

"Yes I am. I am a feminist. I reject wholeheartedly the way we are taught to perceive women. The beauty of women, how a woman should act or behave. Women are strong and fragile. Women are beautiful and ugly. We are soft spoken and loud, all at once. There is something min-controlling about the way we're taught to view women. My work, both visually and musically, is a rejection of all those things. And most importantly a quest. It's exciting because all of the avant-garde clothing, and musical style and lyrics that at one time was considered shocking or unacceptable are now trendy. Perhaps we can make women's rights trendy. Strength, feminism, security, the wisdom of the woman. Let' make that trendy."       -Lady Gaga.

From the Showstudio interview. Go Gaga!

Such beautiful eyes!

I have no idea why everyone on facebook is filling my wall with images of black kids with blue eyes, commenting on the children's beauty.

Anyway, while of couse I think the babies are beautiful, I can't help wondering why almost everyone's comments where centered on the beauty of the blue eyes. Not one comment on the skin or the hair; what makes this kid beautiful is the white characteristic, the light blue eyes.

These photos are usually posted in places saying how racism is bad- but really, the way they are viewed just perpetuates the idealization of ther white beauty model. Just paired with brown skin.

We see this in the fashion industry too, where almost all black models have white characteristics.

.

On Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga has recently declared in the Times interview that she is, in fact, a feminist.

I was surprised to see no buzz about this in the blogosphere, as there was a lot of it when she said that she wasn't. But bad is always noticed before good...or maybe not. No, most likely not, I would think.

Anyway, the textual quote is this:

“Do you know what that girl at the bar said to me?” she says, sipping her Scotch, and taking a single drag off a fag before handing it back. “She said, ‘You’re a feminist. People think it means man-hating, but it doesn’t.’ Isn’t that funny?”



Earlier in the day, conversation had turned to whether Gaga would describe herself as feminist or not. As the very best conversations about feminism often will, it had segued from robust declarations of emancipation and sisterhood (“I am a feminist because I believe in women’s rights, and protecting who we are, down to the core”) to musing on who she fancied. (“In the video to Telephone, the girl I kiss, Heather, lives as a man. And as someone who does like women, something about a more masculine woman makes me feel more… feminine. When we kissed, I got that fuzzy butterfly feeling.”)



We had concluded that it was odd most women “shy away” from declaring themselves feminists, because “it really doesn’t mean ‘man-hating’ ”.

I was really about to give a party after hearing this. I mean, I have always believed that Gaga is a feminist just by existing as Gaga, but hearing her say it gives me a warm sensation. After all, it's to her that half the conversations with my friends turn (all obsessed little monsters...) , so it's nice to see her taking strong stands. Just like when she spoke for gay rights and other such episodes. Most of her fans will follow.

Some would argue that Gaga's feminism is actually inexistent. She is a thin, hairless, blonde, white woman after all- and she acts sexy most of the time. She doesn't do much to defy traditional beauty standards.
Yet, the sexiness has to be there. It has been an essential part of pop music for far too much time to be completely eliminated. But it's not the only thing that's present.

This is just sexy for the sake of it.

This is something weird and subversive.

And, still in the Times interview, she said:

“ It’s not what straight men masturbate over when they’re at home watching pornography, it’s not for them. It’s for… us.”

And her music, her videos- even her twitter, all have pretty liberating meanings. Liberating for anyone who feels freaky, outcast or inadequate. Thus, pretty much for everyone.

Gaga is not really a person. Stefani was a person. Gaga is an image, and as such, she can be interpreted in countless ways.

But it's really hard to see her as just another pop star who will disappear in a couple of years. Probably it's just her genius marketing tecniques (giving fans a name can't hurt), or maybe something else that you can't really identify, an aura that she has created around herself  through everything she does. So intensely human yet strangely mithologic.

Or maybe it's just me, I don't know.

She inspires me, she gives me strength, so whatever I say about her can't be objective- not even a little bit.

Thus I will just shut up for the moment, since I guess that if I continue liking her so obsessively she will turn up casually in many other posts. xD

P.S. I don't know what to think about her comment on feeling more feminine with a masculine woman...?

The Ranting Teenager Randomly Muses.

Ok. The Ranting Teenager is going through an identity crisis and can't think clearly about anything.
Thus, she will talk in third person about herself because it feels very Gaga, and she will link you to a rant she read through a link on Feministing that reflects some of her thoughts:

Dear Eighth Grade Boys

So. Ranting Teenager doesn't quiet know what to think about casual touching. That is, when a guy goes up to a girl and grabs her ass/boobs, and laughs if she dares get offended about it. And says she's a slut when she doesn't.
That is obviously really unrespectful of the girl, of her body and her personal space. It is also normalized behavior that happens continuosly, every day, everywhere, and which everyone seems to think is nice & cute.

A classmate of  the Ranting Teenager's got mad at a guy who grabbed her butt. So she told the teacher about it, and he just said that she and the guy should keep quiet and listen.
Which is not the appropriate response to sexual harassing. A light form of sexual harassing, yes, but still.

On the other side, the Ranting Teenager funnily finds herself wanting a certain guy to touch her this way. This guy, let's call him B, has in fact bothered her very much with his previous touching around. So she had a couple of "talks" with him and he eventually stopped.
At which point Ranting Teenager regretted him stopping, but not really wanted him to start again.
So she got mad at herself for thinking in such weird ways, then found that being angry at oneself doesn't help at all. So she tried to explain her feelings.

But she couldn't.
She wondered if it could be love, then concluded it couldn't, because B didn't have one redeeming trait that could make her appreciate him. And besides, he was already classified as jerk because of his previous behavior.
She wondered if it could be simple physical attraction, but concluded it couldn't be that either, since B really really didn't fit her image of beauty.

Seeing as there was neither inner nor outer attraction, yet there was still desire to be touched, Ranting Teenager was left feeling very very confused.
Then she decided to dedicate herself to studying history, which was something she needed to do.
But since history was boring, and besides everyone has the same names in ancient Rome, she decided to go back to her blog, which she hadn't updated for a long time due to drought of ideas and inability to write, not to mention slow internet connection.

Thus she wrote this post which she is now contemplating cancelling, but which she will probably not cancel.
Also, she has discovered the greatness of Lady Gaga, who has stolen her soul. So The Ranting Teenager doesn't really exist now, she is just a Gagafied walking zombie who doen't know what to do.

Brava Giovanna!

So, this is supposed to be an ad for some paint. Evidently there's no way you can convince someone to buy some paint except by telling him "Hey, look, pretty girls! Painting! Buy the paint and you will get pretty girls painting! Wondering how? Never mind, just remember: paint = pretty girls, paint = pretty girls, paint = pretty girls...

Pressured to be pretty.

Yesterday I was eating an ice-cream at a bar, when I saw two stick-thin girls standing in front of me.
They were discussing about how many calories they had eaten today, and in the end they decided to to take a sugar-free diet ice-cream. They were wearing skinny jeans, tons of make-up and lots of jewellery.
What's so strange about that? You may ask. Well, nothing, if you exclude the fact that these girls must have been about 10 years old, if not less.

And the problem is, they are not the only children who spend their days trying to be as sexy as possible.
When I was in 5th grade I used to spend all my break time reading or playing tag or fairies. I didn't wear make-up, didn't read celebrity mags, didn't follow fashion. And that didn't make me very popular.
Once, a popular girl was excluded from the group because she liked too many boys. Evidently, that wasn't acceptable. I offered myself to be her friend, and she immediatly got on my case. I think she was trying to help, but I didn't appreciate it much. She wanted to make me fashionable, she said that with her help I'd no longer be an outcast. I hadn't even realized I was an outcast, actually, since I didn't care to be part of the popular group. Anyway, in her opinion changing me was easy. She had elaborated the 5-step plan below.

1. Straighten your hair. Curls are no longer fashionable.
2. Stop eating apples. They aren't fashonable at all. Chips are much better.
3. Every girl should have a bracelet.
4. Wear make-up. No-one wants to be a friend of a make up-less girl.
5. Act fashionable. Say hi with a sweet voice and look while leaning slighty back and twisting just a bit. That's very sexy. Speak sexily in a girly way. Don't read. Don't play with barbies.Wear cooler clothes and shoes.

She tried to "better" me in every way. I thought about it for a day then decided that I didn't want to become like one of the mean girls in the movies. So I stopped hanging out with her.

That was when I was ten. However, my decision to not spend my life being sexy couldn't last long. By the time I was twelve, I was desperate to earn the approval of the popular gals. I wanted to be pretty. But it was useless. Sexy girliness simply isn't in my DNA. I can't act sexy all the time. I can't style my hair each morning.

So I got kind of depressed and gave up, while all my friends- who previously liked playing with me in the woods- all started hanging out at the mall talking about boys, make-up, clothes and their wish to wear high heels. I didn't like it. I desperately tried to find a way out of it. I still wanted to be a kid.

Then I realized that the boys still played as much as they wanted. They always had. So I started playing with them instead, together with another girl who felt alienated from the rest. We played football. As girls, we had never played football before, while the boys had spent their entire lives doing so. Thus, we lost every time at first, but after a couple of months we learned. That made us feel very proud.

But it was hard, resisting the "you have to be pretty" expectation. I always had relapses, months in which I decided I would become "cool". I still do, even now, even after understanding all that was going on.

But the fact is, not everyone is as lucky as me.  I have always had the deep conviction since childhood that appearences don't matter. It has faltered at times, but it was always there.
Other girls don't. My sister is in 4th grade and has two girls in her class who refuse to eat because they are afraid of becoming fat. I saw her once staring sadly at the mirror and when I asked her what was making her sad she said she thought she was ugly.
I have tried to convince her that she is very beautiful, and that anyway wasn't what really mattered. I hope the point got across.

umm, no, not appropriate.

 It is sad enough when adult women spend all their time trying to be pretty and feel insecure about their appereance. But it just isn't fair to force it on little girls too.

How can the world understand that women are not just pretty sexual objects if women themselves don't understand it?
And how can they understand it, when the world is forcing them to believe that they are?
It's a sad circle. =(

My computer works again!!!

After days of almost total cutoff from technology, I feel pure joy when using a computer. MY computer, which now work again!! It works!! And does more than displaying porn!!

Hell, my computer has a virus. Now it appears I can do little with it other than watching porn, which is not an activity that I appreciate. =(

The 6th of April

Well, I should have blogged about this yesterday actually, but blame my stupid internet connection.

Last year, today was very different than today now. Today last year was the day after L'aquila's Earthquake.
For some strange coincidence, the day before it I was studying earthquakes , so when at three a.m. everything started to shake I was thinking: "Oh god, that's what comes out of studying too much...now I even dream of these things! Duh!"
But then I saw my mother shouting to get to the main columns, and hurry, come on! Oddly, the fact that there was a real earthquake going on stuck me as funny. It was strong. I could feel the walls and the ground trembling strongly with a huge roar all around and stuff falling down.
I told my mother and sister that we should not go down until it ended because the stairs would be the first things to crumble down. Not that my sister was listening much. 

As soon as it ended everyone rushed down the stairs, with the old lady downstairs saying:  "What? What's this? Ee-eeeh, I'm old, d'I have to do all these stairs! Four floors? Eh! Eh! I'm so lonely!"
Then we arrived on the streets, where lots of people sat in the little piazza near our house. There was a kid seriously worried about having left his goldfish in his house. He kept saying that he wanted it to his disgrunteled mother who was venting about her house having fallen down on her as she and her son run away.

By now I was beginning to think I was seriously sick, since I still found the whole situation kind of funny. And if not funny, kind of...normal. Not scary though. Evidently people around me didn't feel the same way.

We then went to a friend's house because my sister plainly refused to go back to our house. She didn't go back for about two weeks, in fact, except for one time-and that one time there was another earthquake, the left-over from the first one.

I stopped finding everything funny when they started elencating the deaths. A mother and her baby. 2. A student. 3. An old couple. 6.
The death toll quickly got longer. By morning we were at 227. Every now and then they announced someone else. We turned off the tv at some point, because listening to all the dead people isn't particularly pleasant and there was nothing else on.

At the end they got to 309. 309 deaths. Not many, if you consider how many die everyday from hunger, illness, and whatever other reasons, but still...

We lost about one month of school for that Earthquake, because it turned out most schools weren't safe. And you know, they only notice that after the earthquake. And there were teachers in mourning or in search of a new home and stuff.

It is very, very strange to think now about the way things were today last year. Everyone has forgotten and got on with their lives, which is good and all...but there are still people in L'aquila and around living in tents. Because the money meant to build the houses disappeared in thin air. And do you think the ones that have been built are actually safe? I have my doubts.

Dear old fascists...

That is what I have wish to say to the many budding fascists invading my life and facebook page. With their links such as "Benito Mussolini: a real man, the best one Italy has ever had." and groups like "For those who are tired of dirty immigrants-fascism forever!". Oh, and the scribbles I have to see on every wall every time I get out of the door? Not pleasant.

Recently a homeless man had his skull broken by a group of teenage boys. You'd think they'd be the ones to get in trouble. Well, you're wrong. He is now in prison, because he's an illegal immigrant. The guys are free to roam the streets happily getting rid of anyone whose race is not acceptable.

The Italian costitution has an article banning the reconstruction of groups supporting fascist ideology. Funny how right leaning parties can go about saying that non-Italian people ruin Italy, that sometimes violence is the only way to go and that women are the enemy. (And Bossi, a leader of a very right leaning group, really said these things.)

Women, trouble without solution. (The title of this nice, friendly article.)

TO BE CONTINUED

A case of "bullying"

Yes, I have been away for a long time. My computer is near death, and my internet time diminishes every day, so I don't usually have much time left for blogging.

*trigger alert*

Anyway, I read on the newspaper lately about a horrifying episode.
A twelve year old immigrant girl was forced to have oral sex with three of her classmates. The teacher was too busy listening to other students repeating the lesson near his desk to notice. He has been justified because he says that he practices a "friendly" method of teaching. He is so friendly he doesn't want to bother some kids raping their classmate. The other kids were standing around them to prevent the teacher from seeing.
Two girls did try to stop everything, but one of the guys told them to "go away, this is grown-up stuff." So they did.

The episode came out after one day, so the principal decided to suspend all the guilty for ten days. Including the raped girl. Because evidently being a victim or an abuser is the same thing.
The teacher was suspended too.
Reportedly, the girl's mother was disgusted and the father ashamed. The girl wrote a message to her parents saying that she was sorry for the horrible thing she had done and wanted to die.

All I can say now is: this is a really fucked up world we live in. Really. Because this is not an isolated case- 7th grade classrooms can indeed easily be used as places of tortures of any kind.

And you know what? These bully rapist kids will never understand the gravity of their actions. They may do it again...after all, it's her fault too, since she was punished with them.
The other kids will consider rape as something that "just happens", it happens at school just like someone stealing your lunch, it's okay, after all.

On Daisy

My cat, Daisy, has thrown herself from our balcony. From the fifth floor. Seriously. That cat is completely crazy. I guess she was following a bird or something, but maybe she just wanted to jump.

And she is not dead. Not even grossly deformed or anything. She has just broken her mouth. I struggle to find a sense in this, however, now everyone can know that falling from the fifth floor does not kill cats, it does't even break their legs, it only hurts their mouths.

I'm so glad she's ok now. My mom, who has always claimed to hate Daisy, was the one about to have a panic attack last night.

Suicidal cats will take over the world, IMO.

Snow and election posters

It has finally stopped snowing here. Snow storms are not likeable in March- especially not when I have to stay outside for two hours. This morning I was about to throw a party for the sun's return, when I saw the weather previsions saying that it's starting again tomorrow. Please let them be wrong!

Also, can someone please explain what do pretty (-18) girls have to do with elections?

(write mambo mambo YOU are)

And mambo. What has mambo got to do with elections? I know we're talking about the far right, but this is still wrong on so many levels.

It assumes the voter is a male who is attracted to the girls and thus votes the (male) candidate...because that way he thinks he will be able to dance mambo with pretty young girls?

I don't get it. There is no political message in this poster, just rampant sexism. Or maybe that's the message?

On a positive note, at least they're dressed. That's rare. Or maybe dressed girls are sexier?

Whoever invented it must think guys are really stupid.

Also, the writing makes no sense. I'm not sure "write mambo mambo YOU are" is even grammatically correct.

O.O

P.S. Oh god (or goddess, or nonexistent being, or something), please take that snow to the poles where it's much needed and don't let the ice melt there...we in our little town will give all our cold up for them.

Fornarina: Fabulous Legs.

In case you can't see it, it features a thin model getting on a bus, and everyone-boys and girls-staring at her beauty. In the end she sexily offers a guy an apple.
When I first saw it, I did notice it kind of bothered me. When I saw it for the second time, I understood why. Here is a list of reasons why this ad is weird and un-nice:

1. The idea of the woman as a temptress has always been present in mysoginistic societies. The woman temps, thus it is all her fault if men rape her...she has offered them the "apple" with her sexyyy legs.

2.Bitchez, aspire to have your body objecified and stared at by complete strangers. That is great flattery.

3.Notice that at some points in the video, a (thin, conventionally pretty) woman takes a photo of the model's butt and smiles...maybe so she can dream about having one like it.

4. A guy with a conventionally pretty woman stares at the model and the woman gets mad. Lesson: You are never pretty enough, because there will always be other women wanting to steal your place.

5.Usually when I go on buses there are sweaty "ugly" people speaking too loudly on the phone, shoving you around, grumbling...old people that make you stand up and give up your place, noisy little kids singing stupid songs, pimply teenage boys trying to me macho...which results in squeezing everyone and making everyone madder. I've never been on a bus with wind blowing in your hair, "beautiful" people all dressed the same, flowers, music and so much space. But maybe that's just me.

6. And what kind of masochist would want to get on a bus wearing high heels?

Hooray tv!

P.S. And besides, those jeans are being marketed TO girls. Not to men. Since when a good way to sell stuff to women is to objectify them?

Women's Day.

I don't like women's day.

No really, I don't.
It is mostly a completely useless thing, where people (and the media) ignore the fact that they were mysoginist all year long, tell woman that they are the most precious thing on this Earth, and then go back to being mysoginists until the next 8th of March.

It could be taken as an opportunity to raise awarness on the current situation of women. Even then, it wouldn't have helped much...it doesn't take one single day to change the thoughts of a population fed sexism every single day of their lives.
The fact is, though, at least in Italy, today is just another day full of hypocrisy and flowers and macho male strippers.

Yesterday another woman was killed by her husband.  Nothing but a small, unseen section on the last pages of a newspaper were given to her. Thousands of women have suffered violence today, and nobody has spoken about it.
All tv could say was: mimosas are beautiful flowers. Don't forget to say "I love you" to the women in your life by buying them some...even though they may bother you with their silly chatting and romantic movies, they are the most precious things we have.

Nice.

Happy women's day.

It seems that, no matter how much I'd want to, I just cannot manage to blog regularly.

These days my life is quiet a mess...so whatever post I could write would be totally self-centered and useless. However, I fully intend to get a decent idea between today and tomorrow- for now, I am going to sit on the sofa listening to sad music while half-mindedly analyzing my 103 phrases (which are far too many, IMO, but teachers don't realize this.) and feeling sorry for myself and for the fact that my period has a knack for arriving in the worst possible of times.
Bye.

Penis Emergency!!!!

Honestly, this is no joke. Il Corriere della Sera, a  famous right-wing newspaper, has written a Very Serious Article on a big problem of male youth these days.
And what fo you think this problem is? Health risks? Job security?
Why, what is this is just silly stuff, compared to the real, great problem of Shortening Penises!

Because, you see, all this pollution is making Italian men's penises shorter and their legs longer, making them: "increasingly similiar to women." The horror!
According to the article, penises are now 1 cm shorter than they were 60 years ago.
This is of course tragical. Because every Italian man should follow the example of our great premier:

Look at me! My legs are short but my penis is big! It's super active,  even with minor girls! I AM SO COOL! 

Should that fail to happen, the world as we know it is doomed.

Can't think of title, but something concerning gays and me arguing with an anti-gay guy.

It seems to be impossible for me to go for too long without having an argument.
Today I had a very irritating one with a friend, on gay rights and stuff. It took 30 whole minutes to achieve it, but in the end the guy aknowledged that, okay, he was wrong and I was right.
The conversation went something like this:

(C=the guy M=me)

C: That teacher's a gay bastard.
M: Don't use the word gay as an insult.
C: (rolls eyes) Again? Do you have to tell me that every single time I use gay as an insult?
M: Umm...YES.
C: But...why?
M:  (my turn to roll eyes) Because you using gay as an insult means that gayness is wrong and to be despised...and considering that gay people are actually despised-and despised is to say little-by many people, that's not very sensitive of you.
C: But being gay is wrong.
M: That's your close-minded hetero opinion.
C. I am not close minded!
M: (raise ayebrows) no?
C: God is against gays.
M: That's your close-mided, hetero, christian, right-winged opinion.
C: You make me seem like a monster. You know I'm not!
M: No?
C: (rolls eyes) Seriously, rantingteenager, imagine two men having sex. Imagine two women having sex. Now imagine a man and a woman having sex.
M: These images do not raise in me different reactions.
C:That't because you're weird!
M: That's because I'm not a bigot!
C: Are you gay?
M: I think not.
C: If gays weren't somehow wrong they wouldn't be discriminated, would they?
M: If blacks weren't somehow stupider they wouldn't have been enslaved, would they?
C: But gays can't have kids! Having sex is essentially for having kids...what's the point of having sex if you're gay?
M: So sterile people can't exist, can they? And what about people who just don't want to have children...you are saying that the only purpose of a person on Earth is to procreate.
C:Sterile women have been destined for other things.
M: There are sterile men too.
C: Whatever.
M: And besides, if god created gays himself, and god loves all his creatutures, god loves gays. It's basic logic.
C: But gayness can be cured.
M: Cures don't work. Find me evidence that they do.
C: They showed it on tv.
M: Of course. Tv never lies! And besides, if you are forced to hear people telling you constantly that your sexual orientation is so wrong, and telling you that curing it will make you right, at some point you'll get tired of it and say you're hetero.

It went along these lines, more or less.
It's frustating how this guy was completely drowning in his own privilege. He even tried to argue that if gays had equal rights they would take over the world. Seriously?
And that if children could see, say, gay superheroes, they would become gay too. Which doesn't explain why all homosexual people don't become heterosexual, since they see so many hetero superheroes.

Some people can be just so stupid.

Pro-Ana Websites

Have you ever visited a pro-ana website?

If you haven't, don't. It is simply horrifying. And it is just a taste of life as an anorexic...now try and imagine the real thing.
I had a friend who was anorexic. She used to study all day long in order to forget she was hungry, and she drunk litres and litres of water. She didn't even eat a little slice of pizza on her birthday.

And other people never tried to help her. They made fun of her. They told her: "You're crazy, girl!"
or: "Well just eat, my god, stop making so many stories!"
That didn't help.

It is understandable that in the real world anorexic people get little help, and the help they get they often reject, dismissing it as "trying to make me fat."

Is it better in the virtual world, then?
Can websites where fellow anorexics tell you that you have to get thin, GET THIN, and that your illness is actually a lifestyle, a religion, which you should proudly follow, be helpful?
Some say anorexics already think that way, and support groups decrease isolation and loneliness.

Others, like a commenter on this article, have different opinions:

 "Anyone who is pro ana deserves to die. YOU ALL RUIN LIVES. I am a twin who has lived with a sister who has a eating disorder that almost took her life and destroyed my family. How dare you make eating disorders a positive thing. Its a disease and you all are fucked in the head. I hate you selfish people. There is so many more important things in life besides being skinny. WAKE THE FUCK UP. Your wasting the life god gave you, and for that you will go to hell for. Your not striving to be thin your striving to die, and most of you will. I suggest you take control of your pathetic life and get your shit together. No man wants a fucking twig anyway its disgusting. Dont even bother talking back to me, I would snap your body with my fucking finger. If you all really want to lose weight then get of your lazy ass and eat healthy go work out, starving is the dumbest thing you can do. And who ever created this site you better wish we never meet in person for you are the fucking devil. F U C K Y O U."

Umm, not that I agree with such a comment, but my thoughts on pro-ana are really ambiguous.
I don't think ana creeds, like this one, help at all. Have a look:

 "Ana's creed: I believe in control, the only force mighty enough to bring onrder in the chaos that is my world.

I believe that I am the most vile, worthless an useless person ever have to existed on this planet, and that I am totally onworthy of anyone's time and attention.

I believe in oughts, musts and shoulds, as unbreakable laws to determine my daily behaviour.

I believe in perfection and strive to attain it.

I believe in salvation trough starvation.

I believe in calorie counters as the inspired word of god, and memorise then accordingly.

I believe in bathroom scales as an indicator of my daily succeses and failures.

I believe in hell, cause sometimes I think I live in it.

I believe in a wholly black an withe world, the losing of weight, recrimination for sins, the alonegation of the body and a life ever fasting. "

And from the same website, the ana commandments:

"Thin Commandments

1) If you aren't thin, you aren't attractive

2) Being thin is more important than being healthy

3) You must buy clothes, cut your hair, take laxatives, anything to make yourself look thinner

4) Thou shall not eat without feeling guilty

5) Thou shall not eat fattening food withoud punishing afterwards

6) Thou shall count calories and restrict intake accordingly

7) What the scale says is the most important thing

8) Losing weight is good, gaining weight is bad

9) You can never be too thin

10) Being thin and not eating are signs of true will power and succes."

And try to read this. Really touching.
But it sounds as helpful as "you're crazy" to me!

 Beautiful?

On the other hand, there are a lot of pro-ana websites out there which offer REAL support. No thinspiration photos or starvation tips...just help on what anorexia means and how to deal with it. Now THAT sounds helpful.

Indigenous people and animals: same thing.

You know these albums with figurines that are always going around. There's one about animals very popular this year. I puts a picture of a "weird" or "cute" animal with some short information about it.

It also has several pictures like this:

And yes, I can't turn the picture around.

Nice, huh? The objectification of oppressed people is nothing new. Nor is it new that they are presented as

absolute idiots. (Notice smart expression of the man).                                                                                 

My sister showed me the figurine saying: "Look! I got the idiot one! This one's rare!"        

I did point out it was racist, but I doubt the point got across.

                           An animal.

Hateful image keeps popping up on tv

Evidently someone thought there was nowhere better to write the name of a tv program than on a girl's butt.

And they keep advertising for it during the Simpsons, in case I just wanted to laugh and forget that I shouldn't be watching tv and letting my butt grow unappropriate for name writing. Also, you're all little sex objects, bitchez.

I can't believe how much gratuitious sexism tv can dish out every day. Stuff like this alredy is bad enough, add to it hideous advertising and asshole shows...not a women-friendly enviroment.

In fact, only white hetero man can watch some tv without feeling horrible..the rest can just go fuck themselves.

Today, remembrance of the "Foibe"

Today is the Foibe's remembrance day. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, the foibe were tortures that lasted until the '50s, done by Tito's Yugoslavs on the Italian population.

Particulary, there is one girl, Norma Cossetto, whose story is one to be remembered. It's just one story among thousands, touching and horrifying, just like everyone else's.

Norma was a student at the University of Pavia, she was 23 years old, when she was kidnapped by the Yugoslavs and put in a prison, were she was repeatedly raped by seventeen guards. Then her breasts were badly damaged, and the rest of her body slashed. She was thrown in one of the foibe, deep holes in the ground from which the name of these tortures came. In fact, the prisoners were usually tied together and put at the edge of the foiba. The first was shot, so all the rest fell into the foibe alive, and there they died.

Norma's story was reported by other prisoners who survived, and was then honored by the University of Pavia.

=(

I've shaved!

Because I'm feeling all weird, I just have to inform the world about this little piece of news...the reassuring hairyness of my legs is gone.



The nice and comfortable before:

Thea after much screaming after:

Boohoohoo...my legs feel so bald and naked now. I hate them.                                                                

What makes me hate all-girl times.

"My boobs are too small. They're hateful"
"Mine are so disgusting! They are just do HUGE! Ewww!"
"I have to shave my legs again..they always have these stupid black points.."
"My hair can't be kept in place for two minutes...it's so messy! I hate it!"
"I need to thin down. I have great big dusgusting blobs of fat."
"Me too."
"Me too"
"Me too."
"And that girl over there, isn't she ugly!"
"Yeah, she is...she's too aggressive...and she got muscles too...ew."

Conversations like this are really, really common in all girl environments. Which is why I hate gym lessons. It's a constants putting themseves and others down. There's always something wrong. Something must always be fixed. It's truly exasperating.

It's very sad too. All these girls, who evidently find nothing to do or talk about except applying the male gaze to themselves, with all it's impossible standards and everything. And I know most of these girls...they are people with ambitions, strenght and great personalities...yet, it is phisical aspect which, in the end, matters the most, and which makes them so insecure.
And the majority are very conventionally pretty too...when they talk like that you can literally see the ones who vary from canonic beauty shrink and shame themselves. It's  horrible. And incredibly irritating.       

Analyzing school books (kind of)

Because I had nothing better to do (well, nothing other than Latin anyway), today I started taking photos of my school books. I got somewhat interesting results.

Geography:
Here is the cover

Welll, a the other way round cover, but anyway.

Notice that, strangely, they are all girls. Girls are being used to represent the world's population as a whole! That is indeed good.

I guess they are also trying to convey diversity, both cultural and racial, as in a white girl with a veil and one without, a black girl with a veil and one without. Maybe they're all girls because boys don't wear veils?

Physics:

Now, while most figures looked something like this (i.e.male):

 

I was surprised to see stuff like this too:

Which made me smile.

I then counted the female figures and the male ones. 28 males, and 6 females. 5 had both.

There were only 6 photos of girls.

Grammar:

The grammar one has a girl on the cover. With a computer.

All in all, pretty good. =)

The Ranting Teenager is back!

Sorry, I know I've been away for some time now. That has been due to a combination of lack of time and lack of ideas.

Moreof a lack of time.
Or maybe more lack of ideas.

Also, I got 4/10 on the technical drawing test, which made me grumpy. On the other hand, I got 7/10 on Latin, which is wonderful. On another hand yet, you most likely don't care...I promise a series of decent posts now!

And this is totally unrelated but it's a quote I found funny:
"Remember, if you need a hand, you will find at the end of your arm."

For Haiti

Hopefully all will work out for the best.

And a moment of silence for all who have died.

The Annoying Orange

Hey people, hey people!
I am great fan of the annoying orange. It's absolutely wonderful.

On bra colors on facebook

I've noticed a lot of bloggers criticizing the "post your bra color" facebook trend as just a useless and senseless way to promote breast cancer awareness.

I don't really get it. The message, at least the one I got, never mentions breast cancer. It's just about making guys puzzled as to why all the girls have colors on their statuses. One boy I know, not understanding, posted a color too.

It's a pretty silly thing, but fun and harmless. My color is fuxia. =)

P.S. Some commenters asked me for specifications about my genius essay. I'd gladly post it, but it' in Italian and traslating is a boring and stupid activity. Anyway, I talked about porn, religion, women's body and who owns it, rape, traditionalism, sex, work, the "women are women, men are people" thing....I guess that's all.

Watching the news

Here's what services news stations felt they had to do today:

1.(Reality show partecipant's name) has suceeed where most of us keep failing: losing weight during the hoidays. You may remember her as the nice fat one from "The Big Brother", but she's so no longer. (Various shots of her stick-thin in bikini). We will now talk to her and discover her secret:
Scantily clad girl: Oh, I'm an expert now. Eat fruit and vegetables, no sweets, a little carbohydrates. It works! Well, I'm so hungry I could eat a table, but it doesn't matter. Now I'm HOT. I'm showing them all what I can be!"

2. Sexy gradma! 80 years old lady in little northern town is very mucg not your typical old lady. She has been sending erotic messages to her 40 year old neighbour for months, and undressing in front of the window *laughs*. She's a very eccentric lady. Her last act was to enter his house, jump on him and have sex. Evidently not happy, the neigbour called the police.

3. Be sure to watch our brand new program, where we pair the most unlikey couples! (Women talks about how wonderful the program is going to be.)

Well, evidently there's not much going on in the world, huh?
Also notice that in Service2 very real stalking and rape were reported as funny. Reverse the sexes of the neighbour and the old one and see what would happen.

Feminist Debate in Class (Or where I brag about my genius)

Yesterday hell broke loose in class. The teacher had assigned a creative writing project about women's rights today. Most kids wrote about islamic countries, poligamy, veils and stuff.
I did a four page times new roman size 12 essay, in which I talked about women's situation in the Western world. Strangely, people actually listened while I was reading it. That alone I would have considered an accomplishment, but it turns out both the teacher and the students had something to say about it.

So, most girls agreed and said, with great vehemence, that the way things are now isn't fair. The majority of the boys did too...although a couple argued that it's innate differences and girls have their privileges too etc.

Well, the point is that it's really pleasant to see people intensely arguing over something I have said. The teacher was really striken. I don't think she had ever thought about this stuff. Neither had most of the students. In fact, people continued talking about it even after school.

All in all, I'm very satisfied.  I don't think we'd ever had debates at school that varied much from who's hotter than who.
Now everybody calls me "The Feminist". Not that I mind, since before I was called "Zappy."

Guess what? I got the award!

What is the Award?
The award is passed from blog to blog. If you receive it, you must accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I received it from...
My Reading List, a fab book review blog.






And am giving it to....(drum roll please...)

1.I don't eat my friends, a vegetarian girl's life.
2.Echidne of the Snakes, my favourite blogger.
3.Life, love and everything in between, name says it all.
4.http://venusian-rising.blogspot.com/, pretty cool.
5.You can't go back and other impossibilities, lots of fun stories.
6.I blame the Patriarchy, expert patriarchy blaming
7.Shakesville, Shekespeare's sisters
8.WitchWords, not a real witch, I think
9.Motivated Grammar, uhm, motivated grammar?
10.Maths goes pop
11.A cat of impossible color, fashion and random
12.Her life with boobs, boobs and life
13.Sociological Images, images that make you think
14.Feministe, some feminist musings
15.Catgirl Meowing

The Two Sides of the Abortion Debate

Why you should be pro-life:


  • Because they are going to heaven and god is on their side.

  • Because they’ve got witty mascots like Judy The Talking Embryo, who demonstrates how intelligent pro-lifers are, since she can talk already. Judy only asks to get out of there alive! But the bad, bad, pro-choicers want to kill her with a scary hunting knife! And you don’t want to be one of them, do you?

  • Because it will make you feel noble and important.

  • Because you might have never been born if abortion was wide-spread. Oh, also if you’re parents fought and didn’t do it that night. Or if you were miscarried. Or if your parents hadn’t met. But assuring that every child that can be born is absolutely not aborted is necessary, god says so!

  • Because they have yummy cookies!

  • Because what are you going to be otherwise, pro-death?

Why you should be pro-choice:

  • Because what each individual woman does with her body is none of your damn business.

  • Because the world is already too full of idiots (also called human beings), so what’s the point?

  • Because women who need abortions are going to get them, legally or not.

  • Because then you have the chance to call pro-lifers bigots, and feel yourself liberal and important.

  • Because then, instead of saving Judy, you may go around saying that “prevention is better than cure”  and  preventing unwanted pregnancy. Theorically you could do both, although most pro-lifers don’t, so this point is really pointless (did ya get how clever I was there?)

   • Because if you’re a woman, you may prefer it if people have a slight respect for you, at least more than they have for an incubator.

  • Because I say so.

  • Because we have better cookies!

Good Movies

Today it's back to school, and back to blogging too. Since I'm in a very happy mood (thank all the sweets the Befana brought), this post is on a positive note.

4 Good & Feminist Movies

A post with a stupid title by The Ranting Teenager, and they're not actually all movies, but really, whatever.

1. THE BARBIE MOVIES: These have had really a lot of success in Italy, despite Barbie's obvious non-perfection. The first ones followed the usual fairytale scheme, including girl, prince and marriage. However the girl tends to actually do something. Then they started doing re-makes of famous classics, like "Barbie the Princess and the Pauper", "Barbie and the Christmas Carol" and "Barbie and the Three Musketeers." And barbie doesn't always marry at the end. In fact, in "Barbie and the Three Musketeers" she clearly puts her career before the prince, which she saves. Of course she always looks pretty while doing it all, but so does Superman, for that matter.

2. ATOMIC BETTY: Atomic betty is a cartoon character. And she's awesome. She is a normal girl-and by normal I don't mean cool and fashionable or wishing to be so- who also leads a team of galactic superheroes. She can also play sports exceedingly well.

3.A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: The story of three siblings and their onfortunate lives. It's funny in a dark sort of way, and very well made. Violet, the eldest, is a genial scientist, her little sister Sunny can bite and their brother Klaus knows thousands of things.

Atomic betty

4.THE WINX CLUB: This series has had enormous success in Italy, and little girls are bombarded with propaganda for Winx dolls, Winx cups, Winx bags, Winx magazines, Winx wallpapers...well, despite their teeny-weeny waists and always perfect appearence, I admit that I really like them. At least, I'd better, since my sister keeps them on tv 24/7, when it's not Hannah Montana. The Winx are fairies who have to save the world while developing their personal talents and having cute boyfriends. They fight against a band of witches and a band of wizards, and they always win. They're boyfriends, on the other side, always need to be saved. But often they co-operate. At the end of the show they sing hideous inspirational songs.

The Winx

Mumble, mumble...

Hey there! Happy 2010 to you all!


I know I haven't been around much lately, but blogging during the holidays, it turns out, is exceedingly difficult. Before new year's eve, there's all the holiday mess/fun so there's hardly time for anything else. After new year's eve, you realize school is soon starting and you're waaaaaay behind on homework.

So, see you again on the 7th of January. Until then, I know it's painstakingly difficult, you'll have to do without me.