Saturday, December 26, 2009

Marital rating scale

From The Art of Manliness, a website which seeks to bring back the "art" of traditional manliness. I really don't get the art part though.

Ever wondered how to properly rate a wife? We got the answer with our amazing wife rating chart!

And a husband one too! Has he forgotten to give you your allowance? Demerit!



Always love some good ol' vintage sexism!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Sarah Haskins!

That women is a genius.

About Christmas

Many would argue that Christmas is actually just a demonstration of the consumism that permeates our society. I agree. But it is fun, and it is nice to have two weeks off from school!
So I say, hooray to Christmas!

What I want for Christmas:

1.A mini-car/motorcycle/both

2.YOU! (I mean, not, you, the reader, you you)

3.Money…urgently needed

4.Lily Allen’s new CD (and no, not from E-Mule)

5.Two skateboards! My best friend & I must absolutely learn.

6.Become suddenly able to speak Latin perfectly

7.To pass the technical drawing test!

8.To enter school at 12 am and leave at 1

9.To go on holiday somewhere with my friends this summer

10.Ummm, I guess that’s all.



Why I like Christmas:

1.Because I can sleep ‘till late for two weeks

2.Because I receive gifts, even though not really what I want (see above)

3.Because people keep thanking me for the gifts they receive. And YOU hugged me!

4.Because I can eat a lot of YUMMY things-but I do that all the time, so not really.

5.Did I mention I can sleep ‘till late?



Why I hate Christmas:

1.Because I can’t buy gifts for free.

2.Because my money is never enough to buy the non-free gifts.

3.Because if I don’t go to school how can I talk to YOU? I can’t even see You!

4.Because my mobile can never send enough texts. My credit lasts even less than usual! Which is very bad, because neither my mother nor I have enough money left to re-charge it. And she gets mad.

5.Because it’s really a senseless holiday.

"Fat is Beautiful"- a non-beautiful TV program

Yesterday they put on a new program on Italia1 (a Berlusconi owned station, whose only purpose is to objectify women, I think). It's called "Ciccia e' bella" (i.e.Fat is beautiful) and it's an absolutely disgusting thing, IMO.

The show claims to be able to raise fat people's self esteem without making them lose weight. It seems the only way your self esteem can grow is by taking nude photographs and having them put on a great bill-board in Milan.



Pratically, it goes like this:

1.Fat girl (but not really too fat, just not stick thin) talks about how much she hates herself and her body and how she has panic attacks when looking in the mirror.

2.Stick thin counselor tells her how much she loves her (despite the fact that they've just met) and tells her to place herself among a line of people ranging from a little-bit fat and obese. I imagine it mustn't feel very good to be the one at the end of the line, but anyway. Girl places herself at the end, counselor moves her to her right place (near the beginning) and girl gushes and says she can't believe it.

3.Photo of girl wearing only a bra and panties is placed on a billboard. Passing people are intervewed and asked what they think of her body, while she watches. Most say she is pretty, especially her breasts (tits, they say.) She's happy.

4.People she knows are interviewed and asked what they think if her. They all love her. She's surprised and pleased but says she doesn't care what people she knows think, because she just wants strangers to like her body.

5.Now she takes her clothes off and a photographer tells her what kind of expensive underwear she should put on to look sexy. She puts it on and he says it's sexy.


6.A nutritionist tells her how to eat

7.A beauty expert makes her hair barbie-blond and puts her make-up on etc. At the end she looks pretty much like everyone else on the show-uncreative and plastic-like

8.She models and feels great for having entered history. Because, I mean, what should one wish to be remembered for except looking pretty on a catwalk?

9..She takes a nude photoshoot which will be displayed in public and feels that now she is fully actualized.

10.She goes home and tells everyone how proud she is of having taken a nude shoot! Hooray, self-esteem gained!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

About the Ranting Contest

The Ranting Contest (see here for more info) didn't receive enough partecipants (surprise surprise!), thus I am prolonging the deadline to when an acceptable number of partecipants are received. Thank you.

I cannot afford a more decent post today because I have technical drawing homework. =(

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!!!

Today is my birthday! Now I'm fourteen years old! *slap back approvingly for maturity and experience achieved at this great age*




Today I'm doing the sweet all things-I -have-done post which I should be reserving for New Year's eve. Here:



3 Fun Moments of When I was 13

1. When I was graffiti-ing with my friends on Saturday night (well, evening, actually) and we were afraid we'd get caught. It was all crowded and we were searching for a solitary place. We found it. So I took the spray and started drawing my first graffiti (which, by the way, looked horrible). Then suddenly my friend looked up, and cried: "You idiot! We're in front of the police station!" And so we were running and laughing and running and laughing and shouting and laughing some more. My friend had gotten all afraid and was planning all our future as jeuvenile delinquents. And then we laughed more. We graffitied somewhere else afterwards, but the place was so isolated we haven’t managed to find it again.. And we didn’t get caught. =)

2. When I got 8 out of 10 on the geography test even though I hadn’t studied a thing. I hadn’t even opened the book. And I got them all right! Eight is the maximum. I am a genius.

3. The trip to Sicily! Oh, those four days I laughed enough to last me my whole life, I think. But I guess not. I must have slept like six hours at the most, all nights put together. We spent the night being idiots. And the days too. There was an incredibly strong wind and we could hardly manage to stand, then the music and the jumping on beds and buying friendship bracelets and having a nutella party and listening to music and singing and jumping and driving the supervisor crazy…and all the cute guys!


And this year I’ve also had my exams-the oral ones were actually kind of fun…I mean, I had studied for days for that test, it was good to just talk and talk and know you’re saying it right!

And I’ve started this blog! That’s something, considering that about one year ago I didn’t even know what a blog is…I’ve discovered a great deal of things in these 364 days, if I think about it.

Yes, all in all it’s been a good year. Except for some ugly moments, it’s been good.

What I want from this year

1. Think less, do more

2. Have fun!

3. Have fun!

4. Have fun!

5. Do something useful if possible…otherwise-have fun!

Shouldn’t be too hard to reach my goals.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Quote of the week: Wives


"Women will never be as successful as men because they have no wives to advise them."

-- Dick Van Dyke
This is unfortunately might be true. Although it should be refrased as "Women will never (if actual level of work division is to be kept) be succesfull as easily as men..."

Because wives, stereotypically, are meant to clean, cook, take care of the kids, possibly have a decent job and be pretty while doing it all.

Husbands, on the other hand, are meant to work and fix stuff. And take the kids on fun activities.




Which makes it exceedingly hard for women who actually want to build a great career and  have a family, because the two are opposites.
When discussing about the future with my friends, many girls say: "I'm not marrying. I want to work." or "No, I won't marry! I want to be free!"
Every girl seems to think that marriage=boring old moral and good life. Some want it, others not. But noone ever said they wanted to have fun, work and marrry.
I haven't heard anyone saying that they do not want to work to build a family, because the housewife is considered the worst possible thing to be. But the girls who plan to have families do want less prestigious jobs.




I've never heard a boy talking about how to marry and have a career and be good at both. It's just not a problem for men. The wife will sacrifice her work for the kids, she's the one who will keep the house fixed and welcome the husband home at the end of the day.
And, IMO, it sucks.



And this creepy video which totally illustrates it all:

IN THE PAST:



NOW

Saturday, December 12, 2009

The Disney Princes

Image from sociological images
That Disney princesses and all the glamour and hype surrounding them can beharmful for girls has been much discussed and much debated. What I haven't heard a lot about, though, are the disney princes.
Maybe that's because the princess movies aren't really targeted to boys, and if a boy was watching them he would mosty likely idenify with the princess anyway, since she's the protagonist.
But, if you take a look at the  Disnet prince's characters, well, they're even more empty than the Princesses. Except thay save instead of baing saved.
Have a look:



P.S. Don't forget to enter the ranting contests a couple of posts down here!

Daisy blogging

Today I'm taking a break from ranting...enjoy this photo of Daisy, my cat!


She's protecting the toys. It bothers her if somebody takes something.

P.S. Don't forget to enter the ranting contests! See two posts below.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

6 Great Essays You Should Read (From Echidne of the Snakes)

Echidne of the Snakes, my all time favourite blogger, once wrote a series of great essays about the need for feminism today.
They were my first introduction to feminism, and I admit they convinced me quiet well.

THE NEED FOR FEMINISM:
1.The right to go out
2.The planet of the guys
3.Our father who art in heaven
4.The invisible women
5.The female body as property
6.The longet revolution

These really touch all the points I think should be touched, and in a simple un-academic way.
Go echidne!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Announcing The First Ranting Competition!

After having read somewhere that putting up competitions raises traffic, I have decided to host one on this very blog! (Even though I know it won't improve traffic)

So, here are the rules:

1.Anyone, anywhere, may partecipate by sending me an email ( at dare.2.believe@hotmail.com )about what it is that they have the tendency to rant the most about. It can be anything. Never mind about silliness!
2.I will choose two winners: one by chance in a hat and one for most creative ranting subject.

3.PRIZES:
All prizes are books, you may choose one from the list below:
-The poison that fascinates by Jennifer Clement
-Warriors of Alavna by N.M.Browne
-The Wild Children by Felice Holman
-The Adoption by Dave Hill
-The Zahir by Paolo Coelho
-Teen Idol by Meg Cabot
-The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edward

None of these books will change your life or transform your way of thinking, but they're an enjoyable get-away.

4.Deadline on 15-12-2009 (My birthday!)

5.I will contact the winners by email, and of course they will be posted on the blog.

Monday, December 7, 2009

On Rape Culture (Or why I’m not able to go out wearing a skirt at 4 a.m.)

Today I heard my sister singing an Arabic song. It’s lyrics go something like this:

The girl who wears a short skirt,


The girl who wears a short skirt,


Boys’ eyes follow he-e-er!


And she’s so full of herself,


She’s so full of herself

…(don’t remember anymore)…




So…what I get from this song is that girls who wear short skirts are vain sluts who want boys’ attention.

Well, you could say, it’s just a song. Who cares what a song says? Problem is, the song says just what everybody seems to think.

I’m not saying there aren’t girls who wear minis for guys, but what if I just like the feeling of it? What if I’d really like to wear one, but can’t because, in everyone’s eyes, it has a different meaning? What if I’m not heterosexual and am wearing it for another girl’s eyes?

Personally I don’t like to wear any kind of skirt because I find them uncomfortable, but when there’s a soft breeze I love the feeling of it on my bare legs. And say the breezy day on which I was wearing this short skirt I happened to get raped- who’s fault would it be? Well, mine of course! For my silly carelessness...if I wear such provocative clothes I should expect these results. Because boys will be boys, and you have to be careful whatever you do (see full list of thing not to do here) in order not to trigger their natural instincts, which of course they can do nothing about. Otherwise, you are just a stupid slut, bitch, whore, (insert other derogative terms related to women.)


Why, though, is a shirt that shows my legs so damn provocative? I don’t think boys in shorts are considered sexy much, and it surely isn’t expected for girls’ eyes to follow them.

But, you know, women’s bodies are just sexual objects. Everything about them has to be sexualized: legs, breasts, stomach, waist, feet, eyes, hair…everything.

Women are sexual beings, but of course not sexual for their own enjoyment…just the keepers of sex, the bearers of a fruit that it’s up to men to pick and enjoy.





This continuous, normalized objectification of women is perpetuated by culture as a whole. TV shows (an example here), commercials (too many for me to link to), movies, traditions, songs …everything. And all of this makes both men and women think that female bodies are objects to be used as one pleases. Of course, there is a “correct” use, but boys will be boys and rules are made to be broken.




Western people usually think that the treatment of women as objects is characteristic of so said “uncivilized” countries…these barbaric people over there…when really the only difference between a woman in, say, Saudi Arabia and one in America is that in the first her body is property of her father/husband, while in the second it’s public property.



So practically, a woman who doesn’t take proper precautions to protect her body is very much comparable to a man who hangs his credit card on his front door.
Nice.

"Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison.”
                                                                                                Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Sadly, true.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

Fairytale remake: The Princess and The Frog

Once upon a time there was a little princess who liked playing with a golden ball. One day she was throwing it up and catching it (sounds fun!) when, tragically, it fell into a nearby pond! The princess tried to get it with a stick, and not succeeding in this, contemplated the idea of having a swim in the pond. Just as she was going to get in, an ugly frog jumped in front of her: “I am a frog.” It said, “ Take me with you, let me to eat from your plate (it’s not like you need food anyway) and let me sleep in your room (even if I’ll stink it up). Then kiss me. If you do that, I’ll give you your ball back”


The princess was fascinated by the talking frog, and she observed it trying to figure out how it managed to talk. She remembered reading something about the need for particular vocal chords in order to speak. She wondered what kind of surgery the frog had done to its brain and vocal chords.



She took the frog with her without taking seriously what it had said. Of course she had completely forgotten her ball.


The real princess who is happy to kiss the frog/

When she was eating it demanded obnoxiously to eat from her plate. The princess, who was hungry, put some tape on its mouth and ate her plate by herself. Then she took the tape off to let the frog eat flies.

But the frog seemed to have no intention to eat. It said again,” I am a frog. Take me with you, let me eat from your plate (it’s not like you need food anyway) and let me sleep in your room (even if I’ll stink it up). Then kiss me. If you do that, I’ll give you your ball back”

“Why do you keep saying the same things?” Asked the princess.

“Because you are not listening to me.” Answered the frog.

“Oh, ok” Said the princess, thinking about it, “But why should I do what a frog tells me to do?”

“Because,” Said the frog with a knowing air, ”If you do, I’ll turn into a handsome prince. Then we will marry and you will be able to bear my kids and clean my house.”



The princess stared at the frog, “I found you while playing with a ball. Does that make you think I’m old enough to marry?”



The frog didn’t know what to say. The little princess was getting bored of it anyway. She put it in a box and went to play Monopoly with her sister.



Then she decided to put on a show with the talking frog, and everyone was fascinated and actually paid her for the show. The princess was very happy.



Then a circus owner asked the princess to sell him the frog. Since she didn’t want to play with it anymore, she did, and with the money she had now she bought lots and lots of sweets and some toys.



P.S. Did you notice that in the first Disney movie with a black princess she becomes a frog for most of the movie? I wonder why...

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Got raped? Blame yourself, slut!

Ask Amy, from the Chicago tribune, has decided to happily join the victim blaming squad.
That's the letter she received:
 "Dear Amy: I recently attended a frat party, got drunk and made some bad decisions.

I let a guy take me to "his" room because he promised that he wouldn't do anything I wasn't comfortable with.

Many times, I clearly said I didn't want to have sex, and he promised to my face that he wouldn't.

Then he quickly proceeded to go against what he "promised." I was shocked, and maybe being intoxicated made my reaction time a bit slow in realizing what was happening.

We were soon kicked out of the room by the guy who lived there, who was pretty angry.
          I guess my question is, if I wasn't kicking and fighting him off, is it still rape?


          I feel like calling it that is a bit extreme, but I haven't felt the same since it happened.
Am I a victim?"

What do you say?  Is a person who has been forced to have a sexual activity, which she has clearly said she didn't want to have, while drunk, a victim?

I would think she is, but in reality, she's just a stupid slut who doesn't know that you can't go around getting drunk at parties and then expect to not get raped.
 Snippet from Amy's answer:
"Were you a victim? Yes.
First, you were a victim of your own awful judgment. Getting drunk at a frat house is a hazardous choice for anyone to make because of the risk (some might say a likelihood) that you will engage in unwise or unwanted sexual contact.
        You don't say whether the guy was also drunk. If so, his judgment was also impaired."


Sure, the poor guy. He was probably drunk, see? You don't want to go around ruining his life and charging him of rape, when his judgment was impaired!

Girls who deserve to get raped

The fact is, whether he was drunk or not makes  no difference. If you kill a person while drunk, you are an assassin. If you steal while drunk, you are a thief. If you rape while drunk, you are a rapist!

People seem to have a really difficult time deciding what's rape and what's not. Although the thing is really simple: rape is a non-consensual sexual activity.

If you are raped, it's the rapist's fault, not yours. That's victim blaming. That's stupid.
The fact that you looked good/were drunk/flirted  etc. doesn't mean it's your fault.

Blaming a victim for the fact that she/he was raped, is much like saying a victim of murder looked too unhappy with life, so it was her/his fault if an assasin killed him/her.

Episodes of victim blaming are common everywhere across the world. Like that judge here in Italy who decided that a child rapist who had abused his step-daughter, shouldn't stay too long in prison, as the girl had already had previous sexual experiences.
As Echidne of the Snakes said, that's like saying ramming food down your throat witha great wooden stick is less painful if you have already eaten before.

The whole situation is ridiculous. I have else to say on the subject.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Quote of the week: I don't know

"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly. I said I don't know."
                                                          -Mark Twain

There are a lots of things I don't know in the world. For example, I don't know the chemical composition of natural gas, and I don't know dates of important historical event (but I do know the start of the second world war! It's 1939! I know, I'm a genius.)

Other things I don't know have a more phylosophical nature, I think. Here is a list of questions I don't know how to answer (my hypothesis may be included):

1.Why is it considered empowering and intellingent for a girl to do traditionally "boys' stuff" while it's humiliating for a boy to do more traditionally "girls'stuff?

Wait, maybe I do know this one. Because of course the boy is the superior model, so a girl who reaches a boys' level is considered a good thing, while obviously no male would want to recede to  the inferior being that is a woman. Anyway, it's ridiculous. Gender roles are ridiculous as a whole, so of course anything that comes from them can't do much good. It's unfair to expect a person to conform to a set of things they must do, like, think, watch...based on whether they have a penis or a vulva.

2.Why do people think today more or less in the same way they did 100 years ago-with the only difference that now they generally exclude themselves from the category that is considered "bad", thus creating popular phrases like "I'm not a racist, but (insert racist statement)"?

Ummm, maybe the human brain really doesn't develop much across times. I suppose now we have the added skill of being able to sit for hours doing nothing and experience reduced butt-pain. Also, we understand more about technology and stuff, but these things don't really need to change your way of thinking. Once you get over the shock of discovering your monkey heritage, that is.

3.I can't quiet get this, does the Maya calendar count the years same as us? I mean, from the birth of Christ? Shouldn't their 2012 be different from ours?

I don't know *scratch head* . I should do my research. Then I'll inform you.

4.Why do teachers experience immense glee in assigning as much homework to poor students as humanly possible?

Ah, they teach this method at a special secret evelness course for teachers. They learn a lot of interesting stuff at this class, like how to have an evil smile and slow time.

   5.How do we manage to live in a world pratically based on the little crazy doings of casuality?

?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Isn't it strange.



                                                                 

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Cute male models

Today I was web-surfing and I casually stumbled on this site, which is full of naked cute male models and dressed female ones.
You can go check out the pictures if you want. Definitely not safe for work, or school, or parents.

Anyway, as you have probably noticed, this is an exception to the rule. The naked woman and dressed man is the standard.
Oh, and the guys in this service all look sad or striken, while usually naked women are all smiley and oh-so-happy to be at your service. Which is kind of strange if you ask me.

The girl in the photos has a kind of striken look too. Well, I could barely glace at her, really, so I hardly care about her expression. :p

What do you think about this kind of stuff. Do you think it helps even things up, or it's just objectifyng cute male models?

Monday, November 30, 2009

Flesh-colored gown

From Sociological Images

Her dress is obviously flesh-coloured, right?

"First lady Michelle Obama chose to wear a gleaming silver-sequined, flesh-colored gown Tuesday night to the first state dinner held by her husband's administration. "

Samantha Critchell from Associated Press has written an article about the American first lady's dress choices, in which she describes her gown as "flesh-colored". Hmmm, somehow I don't think Michelle's skin looks very much like the dress. I would think a brown dress should be her flesh-colored.

This is nothing particularly new. White has always been assumed as the neutral. Just try to imagine a movie containing only minority people. Now imagine one with only white people.
See the difference?

The thing doesn't only go with race, of course. The straight white guy is always the default. In anything. Anywhere.
Because male, white and straight is normal. White straight guys are always seen as individuals, not just part of a group. On the other hand, a woman is first of all a woman, then a person.
Even facebook default avatars follow this standard.

Sigh.

Bad cruel Latin

Despite attending a scientific high school-which generally means you kinda have to focus on scientific topics-I have spent the week-end studying my much loved (not) Latin lessons and Grammar stuff. *aaaargh!*

I believe that Latin lessons should be banned completely from schools.
It's a dead language, and the lessons don't include a "talking to the long-dead" part, so it's simply completely useless. I don't see why I should spend my weekend declining words (and what kind of stupid language declines words anyway?) when I could be doing interesting and useful stuff like...well, something.


Typical student faced with latin book.


Anyway, today I feel like dedicating this absolutely wonderful song to...umm, a lot of people. Enjoy Lilly Allen's genius.

Saturday, November 28, 2009

My Short Skirt

I have not posted for a couple of days now...I've been really busy.
Yesterday I partecipated in a race. To my defense, I didn't arrive last. Just second last. It took me a full hour to run that thing...I should at least have gotten a prize for the effort!
But after all, I did manage to reach my goal: losing four periods of school. Yay!

Anyway, you should totally have a look at this poem from the vagina monologues. It's amazing. I found out about it on theF-bomb.

       My Short Skirt  by Eve Ensler


It is not an invitation


a provocation

an indication

that I want it

or give it

or that I hook.



My short skirt

is not begging for it

it does not want you

to rip it off me

or pull it down.



My short skirt

is not a legal reason

for raping me

although it has been before

it will not hold up

in the new court.



My short skirt, believe it or not

has nothing to do with you.



My short skirt

is about discovering

the power of my lower calves

about cool autumn air traveling

up my inner thighs

about allowing everything I see

or pass or feel to live inside.



My short skirt is not proof

that I am stupid

or undecided

or a malleable little girl.



My short skirt is my defiance

I will not let you make me afraid

My short skirt is not showing off

this is who I am

before you made me cover it

or tone it down.

Get used to it.



My short skirt is happiness

I can feel myself on the ground.

I am here. I am hot.



My short skirt is a liberation

flag in the women's army

I declare these streets, any streets

my vagina's country.



My short skirt

is turquoise water

with swimming colored fish

a summer festival

in the starry dark

a bird calling

a train arriving in a foreign town

my short skirt is a wild spin

a full breath

a tango dip

my short skirt is

initiation

appreciation

excitation.



But mainly my short skirt

and everything under it

is Mine.

Mine.

Mine.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

The Hairy Legs Dilemma

Cross-posted from The F-Bomb

Today I'm loaded with homework so I'll just share this article of mine (smiles proudly) which has been published on the F-bomb.

The Hairy Legs Dilemma






I am a very hairy person.

I’m okay with that, for the most part, but it seems the rest of the world isn’t.

I turn on tv (or the computer, or a magazine) and am immediately faced with an ad for an (incredibly painful) device that promises to give you sensual smooth skin, that will last for a whole five days!


The thought of shaving every five fucking days gives me shivers. My skin happens to be very sensitive. It does not enjoy being pulled from every pore. In fact, every time I shave I am bought to near tears by the piercing pain I feel. Nonetheless I do it. I purposefully hurt myself to change my natural body and fit the stereotype of what a girl is that society imposes on me. Why?

Patriarchy. Because of that fucking patriarchy.

If I tell people that though, they’ll just shrug and say, yeah, just don’t shave then.

Easy to say.

My hair is dark. It is black and very visible. If I go to the beach with my natural legs, I shall attract many weird disgusted looks and disturbing cat-calls. My friends and family will try in every way to convince me to shave that fucking hair, to avoid them the embrassement of being seen in company of such a freak. Some of my friends will, in fact, stop hanging out with me at the beach. They will not want to be put in the same category as me!

As to my love life, it would be even more null than it already is.

Those are the conseqences of a non-shaving demanour. And the truth is, I can’t. I can’t just sacrifice whatever is left of my social life (being a foreigner, a feminist, and mostly a non conformist, I am not at the highest place popularity-wise).

I’m not strong enough.

Since I joined the feminist movement, I shave less often, but I still shave. My legs are within acceptable limits of hairiness. The rest of my body I keep hairy, since it’s not too bad, even though occasionally I get causal male oglers comment on my growing moustache (if they think I am going to hurt even my face-something that I’ve tried and has resulted in lots of little red baubles all around my mouth- for their pleasure, I can only tell them to please get lost.) Everyone is happy. Except me.

It’s just so unfair that guys can grow a beard of hair on their legs, and I, because I am a girl, have to be hairless. Whoever decided that hairiness was a boy thing anyway?

I am trying to gradually decrease my shaving until I am strong enough to face the social pressures hairy legs bring with them.

Until then, I shall continue spending an hour or so torturing myself every month. Or maybe I should just dedicate myself to masochism for the sake of it. At least that is supposed to bring on some enjoyement. Also, I would know that I would be doing it for myself, and not for others. I would not feel as weak and guilty and so fucking angry as I feel now.

Friday, November 20, 2009

The second movie about sparkly vampires: New Moon

The 18th of November, and you probably know this (well, you do if you live around teenage girls or near a theatre), was the day of New Moon's premiere.

Well, I certainly liked New Moon better than Twilight, mostly because the sparkly vampire and his family disappear for most of the movie, making it less vomitable.
Now, I can't say I didn't enjoy the movie at all (it is very, very hard not to enjoy an incredibly sexy werewolf and his muscles...), but some things were really disturbing.

THE STORY (spoilers)

Bella has a creepy dream about herself becoming old (OH NO!) while sparkly vampire Edward is of course still young (well, young, considering he's more than 100 years old....). . He sparkles a lot in her dream.
She wakes up, and it's her birthday. She is sad because it means she's getting old.

Then she goes to her birthday party at Edward's house, where she cuts her hand and a guy with bad halloween make-up and hair that desperately needs a comb tries to kill her. So Edward decides to leave Bella, and she assumes that's because she isn't good enough for him. Because of course a  possesive stalker sparly vampire is far too good for anyone, right?

But Bella has incredible strenght, and quickly gets over him. She just becomes a walking zombie, doesn't talk with anyone, sits alone at the Cullen's table pretending they're there and spends her days looking out her window and writing e-mails to Alice's  (another sparkly vampire) fake address. After about six months her father starts worrying, so she is forced to go out with the horrible Jessica. Jessica one of the bad non-supernatural guys. Because she likes to talk, isn't shy and thinks Bella is weird! Incredible!

So then Bella discovers that if she does stupid senseless things she will see Edward scolding her. Because what's better than a boyfriend who scolds you if you go on a motorcycle?
Here Jacob comes in, and being again near to a sexy guy Bella feels better. Until it turn out he's a werewolf and starts going around shirtless (ok, ok, my favourite part is when he takes his shirt off...), then he no longer wants to talk with Bella. So she falls again into depression, because the other guy who loves her isn't dangerous and feels disturbed by violence. Obviously he's no good.

At some point Edward decides to kill himself by revealing his sparkly vampire self. So Bella stops him, and a after a lot of sequences in which Bella gets to be saved by both vampires and werewolfs, Edward asks her to marry him. End of story.

During all the movie, there are various scenes depicting Bella wildly shouting and grasping at the bed while dreaming of Edward leaving her.



I'll leave you to judge. Or to watch these two movies that give a much better criticism than anything I  could possibly do:






Monday, November 16, 2009

When even a google image search is racist

Have you ever tried typing "Michelle Obama" in a google image search? This is the first image you will get:




The first thoughts I had about this...um, representation of Michelle Obama are:
  • It is racist.
  • Whoever created it doesn't have half an inch of creativity. Black people resemble monkeys! Hahahahaha! Sure never heard this one before.
  • Why is it on the first page?!
Honestly, I can't say I'm surprised that pictures like this exist. We know very well that the world is racist. I just can't believe it actually ended up on the first page. Do people click on it so my much? Why? Well, I know I did because I wanted to see what kind of stupid website would put on such a picture.

I would like to know what the thoughts of a little black girl would be when faced with such a caricature. I guess not very pleasant.

I am sure some other bloggers have already talked about this. I certainly hope so.








Sunday, November 15, 2009

Quote of the week: Human Stupidity

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe."


Indeed, I agree with Einstein. There's a reason why he's considered a genius after all.
This week  I have encountered quite a few cases of human stupidity. Since I am absessed with lists, here we go:
 Top Five Human Stupidity Cases of the Week

  1. I was having a conversation with a nice lady outside a shop. On discovering that I was not, in fact, Italian, she asked: "So, like, you don't have a God, do you?" On my explaining that, actually, people don't have to be Italian to believe in God, she was genuinely surprised. Then she dismissed it, saying:"Well, but you'll go to hell anyway."


  2. A guy in my class was indeed very excited to discover I was not Christian. Do you know why? He figured I could swear all I wanted, so he wanted me to do all his swearing for him. Umm...WTF?


  3. My new Grammar teacher does not believe in punishing students in any way. Just try to imagine the situation of the class.


  4. A cleaner was about to suspend me at school-because I was leaning with my feet on the wall.


  5. One of my best friends-who does not eat chocolate for fear of pimples and only consumes healthy food-has started smoking. He insists that it is not, really, bad for his health, because smoke does not make you fat.

As Pink (the absolutely best rock musician of all times) says: "Where, oh, where, have the smart people gone? Where, oh, where, where have they gone?"



Friday, November 13, 2009

Mysoginist TV

There is a very popular program that goes on every night at nine o' clock and which my little sister loves. That is not good news to me. See what kind of thing goes on every ten minutes:


Another much loved, much watched program:



Or this:



Children are watching this...at 9 p.m. They may just as well put on a porn movie and get done with it.

I'm sick and tired of women being potraied only as stupid sex dolls, only as objects of desire, never as the ones who desire theselves. It's always the same stereotype: male guy wearing elegant-but-casual clothes and near naked female. Always. I'd rather not see any of this at all on a quiz show, but not even one half-naked guy, huh? What about my sexual desire? Doesn't it have to be satisfied?
Talk about inequality.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Fairytale Remake: Snow White

Ok, today is Snow White’s turn to be re-made!




SNOW WHITE



Once upon a time there was a little girl called Snow White whose mother was dead (just for a change, you know.)

She lived happily with her father in a great beautiful castle, until the day he decided to get re-married.

The stepmother  she got was old and no longer beautiful, unlike Snow White who was young and still beautiful.

So the stepmother hated Snow White, because she had been taught to think that a woman’s greatest asset was beauty, and that all women where to be judged on solely that. Snow White’s beauty scared her, and since she probably suffered from some borderline personality disorder, she decided to kill her.

However, being a good and proper lady who will not manually undertake violent action, she sent another man-a hunter- to do the dirty work for her. For some reason, she also demanded that he bring her Snow White’s heart. (What did I say? Borderline personality disorder.)

But when the hunter went to kill Snow White, he found her rolling various objects down a hill. When he approached her, she showed him what she was studying, and how, and told him that she hoped to win the nobel prize in physics some day. He was fascinated by the subject., so he decided not to kill her, and gave the weird step-mother a lamb’s heart instead.

Snow White decided to ran away for safety, so she went into the woods where she met seven short and grumpy bachelors, the so-called dwarfs.

At first the dwarfs didn’t want to keep her, but once she learned that they worked in diamond mines she showed them how they could get diamonds in better and faster ways. Thankful for the help, they allowed her to stay with them and pay for food and lodging by working in the mines.



But one day the stepmother learned that Snow White wasn’t actually dead. No, it wasn’t that good daddy was worried and found her, he didn’t notice her disappearance, apparently. She found out through her magic mirror, which she had modified do that it could show her everything but herself, because she had self-image issues, as we know.

So the wicked stepmother decided to go kill Snow White herself ,by wearing a witch Halloween costume and giving Snow White a poisoned apple.

So Snow White fell in an enchanted sleep, from which she awakened with extreme annoyance in order to slap a prince who kissed her while unconscious.


Then she left the dwarves and went into the big city, where she decided to look for a better future and keep protecting herself from the stepmother until she died of old age.


                                         


Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Why Stupid=Popular

I don't know if it is so everywhere, but where I live, stupid means popular.
I have never understood why, when people see you have a brain (incredible!), you immediatly lose whatever chance you had at friendship. With most people, anyway.
In a school enviroment, being smart means you are a nerd. Outside, it means you are boring.

I have some thesis on why that may be:

Thesis number 1: If you are stupid, other people feel exceptionally smart around you. They will spend time with you feeling good about themselves and the greatness of their brains, which makes them like you.
If, on the other hand, you are more intelligent than them, they will feel self-conscious and stupid, which makes you unpopular.

Thesis number 2: If you really are smart, you probably won't be very interested in Paris Hilton's new look. Not finding  in you a shrieking partener, people won't like you.

Thesis number 3: When you hear what stupid subjects some people talk about all the time, you-a smart person-distance yourself from them because of your lack of interest in said subjects. This makes you unpopular.

Thesis number 4: Smart people are actually boring.

Thesis number 5: I have no idea. It's probably part of the contorted human nature. What do you think?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

And here I rave about bookcrossing

About two years ago I discovered one of the best websites on the net: the amazing bookcrossing!
In case you don't already know about it, I warn you: if you love books, bookcrossing is dangerously addictive. Almost as much as sudokus.

Bookcrossing is, according to the Concise Oxford English Dictionary, the practice of leaving a book in a public place to be picked up and read by others, who then do likewise.
Practically, you "release" a book leaving it anywhere you want (on statues, hanging on trees, a seat at the dentist's...wherever.), and wait for someone to find it.
The person who finds it, will then (hopefully) make a journal entry on the website, and release the book again if they wish.

Of course, if you prefer a less risky method, you can give the book to someone you know, or send it to someone else on bookcrossing.

I could describe everything here, but the FAQs on the bookcrossing website are much better than anything I could do.
You should really check it out, it's fabulous!

http://www.bookcrossing.com/

P.S. Do I repeat the word "bookcrossing" too often? I don't have any synonyms. 

And, Especially, She Is Pretty.

Today I was watching the news. That is not a good idea if you don't want to get mad at the world.
Here are the charming "news" you get on Italia1, the most popular channel in Italy:

1.Female tennis player wins tennis match! Great victory for feminists worldwide. She has a wonderful butt! (Close up to her butt). Look what a physique! (Shot of her in bikini.) (Shot of her in bikini) (close up to her breasts) (close up to her butt.) Yes, she is beautiful.

2.Future Miss Universe contestant is an army officer. (Shot of her wearing an army suit.) Beautiful and tough. (Shot of her in bikini) Prefer her in bikini? We understand you. (Male gaze, anyone?).Let's just hope the job doesn't spoil her...we want her good for the contest!


3.Flu! The new epidemy! (Scary horror movie music) The deaths in Italy....(TUM!) Toscana: -number (TUM!) Sicilia: -number etc. etc.

4.New edition of famous reality show "Big Brother"! Truly hot moments....don't miss it!

5.Interview with celebrity.

6.Story of a crime, with all the suspensful music and horror movie-like effects.

I was just wondering about the economy and stuff, but you know, all people care about is sex and blood, right?

Monday, November 9, 2009

Fairytale Remake: Cinderella

We all know (I hope) everything's that's wrong in fairytales. I mean western fairytales with female leads here. Cinderella, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and company?
Well, I thought it would be fun to re-write them in a way that you, dear readers, will be able to tell your daughters without pratically teaching them that the whole purpose of their lives is waiting for their prince and being pretty.

So, today's story is:
CINDERELLA

Once upon a time there was a girl called Cinderella who was very smart, clever and funny. One day her mother died and her father married a wicked stepmother who had two daughters of her own. The step-mother and her daughters were jealous of Cinderella and her brain. They made her work all the time in the humblest of jobs, treated her badly and humiliated her in every possible way.
At first Cinderella tried to bear it all, but then she just couldn't take it anymore. Being old enough to marry, she decided to leave her father's house and start working.
She worked at a baker's, and soon became so good that she bought a baker shop all of her own. She earned so much on that shop, that she was able to open another shop, and another one yet, until she created a chain as great and famous as McDonald's.
In all that time she met many good people who became her friends, and together with them she had a lot of fun.
So she lived happily ever after.



Sexist gym.

Today is Monday, which means back to school for yet another tiresome week (sigh). It also means two wholen gym periods...(double sigh).

We have separate gyms for boys and girls at my school (and every other school in this town, except the Catholic one , because it wants to prove its modernization. And besides, it doesn't have space for another gym.)
We have been given a good explanation for that. You see, they wouldn't want those delicate little girls to hold back the strong manly guys, would they? And besides, being always confronted with people better than them, the girls might lose their self esteem! Everyone knows they already have confidence issues anyway.
Also, the guy's gym stinks, because, you know, boys aren't capable of keeping spaces clean. And girls would be disgusted by such manly displays of non-hygenic habits.

But what really bothers me are the tools contained in the different gyms. Being completely incapable of dancing, I couldn't care less about an all-round surround sound sistem (yeah, I like listening to the music, but it stops there).
Guess what the boys have instead of the music? A climbing wall. Three climbing walls, actually: a strange ropey one, a tall one, and the Very Difficult one. Did I mention I love climbing? Nah, can't be, I'm a girl. Girls don't climb, they don't like to run, they don't want to get dirty or sweaty and ruin their hair/make-up/perfect outfit. Except if they're lesbians, of course.
And obviously boys don't want to do something as girlish as dancing. Duh, of course not! They only dance if forced by those cruel, cruel girls.

This really frustates me, you know. Also considering that a great many of my friends are guys, and most of my, um...non-friends? are girls.

Add this to the reasons I hate school, please.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

A Ranting Introduction.

Um, hello. I would really like my first post to be incredibly deep, charming, catching, witty, philosophic and everything, but I don't know how to write introductions. This doesn't mean you have to leave this blog! I am sure you don't want to miss the rants of a teenager.
Ok, let's start.

WHO AM I?
I am an acne-prone, curly haired teenage girl (oh yes, despite all the respectable men claiming otherwise, female bloggers DO exist. Incredible, really) who rants on her blog when she should be doing her homework.
My hobbies are: eating chocolate, studying at the last minute, doing useless stuff and ranting about the ills of society. I also like reading books and watching movies in order to critically analyze them. That bothers  some of my friends, so I sometimes have to avoid this engaging activity.
I worship truffles, and I firmly believe they are the reason god/goddess/atom/non-existing being/whatever created Earth. He/she/it/nothing needed someplace for it to grow.

WHY AM I BOTHERING YOU WITH THIS BLOG?
Because daily life often doesn't give me enough time and opportunities to properly rant. Also, my friends and family aren't always interested in how gender roles are represented in the media (weird, I know). So I am assuming you are indeed very interested in hearing about such things.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO NOW?
Read this blog, follow it, link to it, tell your friends about it, click on advertisments and donate. I know, I am shamelessly self-advertising.