Perspectives

Since it's been a year since I've posted...

Since I'm working on my thesis once more...

Since I'm working on various creative projects (visual art and writing)...

I'm going to make my Mystified by Popular Culture blog my depository for all things me.

Whoa. That sounds so conceited.

I hope this blog will still be a place I can rant about stupid social conventions that I hope our generation, or the next, or the next will find a way to dismantle and replace with all new parts. But, it will be a place for other things and thoughts as well. Time for a new perspective.

MIA

I've been busy with so many things lately that I haven't had time to blog. Usually, I try to write an entry with a little bit of substance and that usually requires some time. But something has been driving me crazy and I wanted to post it here and maybe expand on it later when I have time...

I cannot fathom or understand the duplicity and utterly obvious contradictions that our culture blatantly screams out in our faces (the kind of screaming that causes spit to splash on your face--this is the kind of obviousness that I am talking about)! Anyways, why (and I really want to know the WHY of this issue), why does our culture scare the crap out of pregnant women (don't do this, don't eat that)? Why is a pregnant woman told, "Gee, you should hold off on that yummy and otherwise pretty healthy piece of Salmon because it contains mercury," but then, once the baby is born inject them with a bunch of vaccinations that may contain mercury or preservatives that are probably not really all that great for the baby???

I know what my answer to this question is... but I want to know how the medical industry/field or whatever justifies many of these kinds of contradictions. 

Off Topic Rant

I just got home. Traffic was horrible. The proposal for my thesis remains a scattered jumble of ideas that don't seem to come together in the sentence I write.

Anyways, to get out of the monotony of thinking about Lacan this morning I browsed on over to digg.com and saw an entry for Best Colleges of 2008. I had to check where my school ranks and what chances I have of getting into a good PhD program.

Haha. I might as well discard my futile attempts at writing a thesis because there doesn't seem to be much hopes in the way of me getting into a good program and later a good job.

Here's some of the verbiage from the U.S. News & World Report website on how they breakdown their ranking system. See what you think about it.

Student selectivity (15 percent). A school's academic atmosphere is determined in part by the abilities and ambitions of the student body. We therefore factor in test scores of enrollees on the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT or Composite ACT score (50 percent of the selectivity score); the proportion of enrolled freshmen (for all national universities and liberal arts colleges) who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes and (for institutions in the universities-master's and baccalaureate colleges) the top 25 percent (40 percent); and the acceptance rate, or the ratio of students admitted to applicants (10 percent). The data are for the fall 2006 entering class. (source)

Can SAT and ACT scores really measure ambition? Wow! I had no idea!

So, any schools or employers who take this crap into consideration when looking at applicants can assume that any prospective students who previously attended a low ranking school will have less ability and less ambition than someone who attends a higher ranking school?

Disturbing...

I was at the beach recently with Tony and we were just sitting and relaxing when all of a sudden I heard some loud screams and yells coming from the water. It was accompanied by violent splashing, so I looked up from my reading.

There was a group of guys (maybe five) playing with a soccer ball in the water, throwing it back and forth...but the screams were the result of one guy throwing the soccer ball at another guy. The ball hit him hard.

This scene repeated a few times about twenty feet in front of us. Then, it ended when one guy missed and the ball rolled far off down the shore coming to rest near a little girl making her way into the ocean. Luckily, the ball didn't hit anyone because he threw it with ferocious force

These guys were playing around, obviously--but why does their play have to involve violence and pain? How fun can that be? I don't want friends that try to hit me or attack me with soccer balls at the beach.

Anyways...this got me thinking...and I just came across a video on YouTube which disturbs me for much of the same reasons why watching those "friends" at the beach abuse each other with a soccer ball disturbs me.



Obviously, the guys in the video think what they are doing is funny, that they aren't hurting anyone, and even most of the comments on the video agree with the hilarity of the subject matter. But, any time I see violence (in any form) associated with fun or something funny--it just turns my stomach.

And to those that say that men are wired that way--pick up a copy of Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic by James Gilligan--it's more of a social/cultural problem than just a biological one.

Asses to Asses

Trying on jeans is annoying for women for various reasons. For me it's the fact that sizes come in the all too ambiguous 8, 10, 12 series--which really doesn't mean much. Guys, it seems, have it much easier with their pant, jeans, and even dress-shirt sizes measured in inches. Who whoulda thought?

Well, my rant on men's versus women's clothing sizes will have to wait for another day... right now it's nice to know that a store called Hub Clothing in Scottsdale has installed The Butt Cam with the belief that "[a] lot of people dread trying on jeans and so any more entertaining you can make it the better. A lot of people compare it to trying on bathing suits, you know something they just don't like to do, we're trying to make it painless," (Hub Clothing Partner Tom Simon).

Oh, yes. That's what I want! I want an unnatural view of my ass that no one will have unless they stick their nose up my crack. I'll be an informed consumer this way! Thanks, Tom Simon! Thanks for reinforcing that women's asses and how they look are the most important consideration women have when shopping for jeans.

But, of course, there's more to this story.... According to Tom Simon, he and his associates are "even thinking of doing a best of and putting it on DVD for the year, 'Best Butts of '08' or whatever, yeah."

Yeah...brilliant!

Full Article
Gizmodo Review

Because this world isn't complete without...

...Boob Pillows. Yup. I subscribe to gizmodo.com so I can read about the new gadgets, but it seems that I more often find things that piss me off.

*Sigh* First Pussy Feet, now Boob Pillows... Can some Japanese company make a joystick out of a penis, please? I mean, c'mon!

Oh, wait... there is a penis joystick--sort of.

Fem-text-astic

This is what gets my feminist taste-buds working!

A nice little collection of feminist writing available in full-text on the internet! Yey!

Thought I would share.

Foot Fetish Anyone?

The SiFeet Pussy Foot is a silicone foot with a "fully functional and totally fuck-able silicone vagina" on the underside of the foot. While I wonder what the "fully functional" aspects of the vagina are, the fact that it is obviously "fuck-able" isn't the only thing that disturbs me--the feet are disembodied (in a crude manner) and bound together by a rope, hanging like a piece of meat.


But why am I surprised? Foot fetishes are behind Chinese Foot Binding. The objectification and fragmentation of female bodies through sexualization is the main reason why women are still seen and treated as disposable and consumable material objects.


Stockroom.com describes "[t]his silicone sex toy is also a convenient practice tool for preparing to get hot and kinky with actual feet." Well, maybe their customers should practice with these feet--and get intimate with the destructive history men's foot fetish has had on women throughout the centuries.

Ugly Smile?

I'm at a loss for words about this... thankfully, it probably isn't going to catch on.

Cameltoes and Moose Knuckles: The Battle Rages

Cameltoe

Ah, yes. We all know this term. It needs no definition, although the cameltoe article on Wikipedia.com (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameltoe) does a splendid job at delineating the term's definition and offering various physical causes that may play a part in the creation of a cameltoe.

Recently, I came across a YouTube video of an old song I often heard when I was younger, but
I've never seen the music video. The song, of course, is FannyPack's single “Cameltoe.”

It was interesting to watch the video and listen to the lyrics with a much more critical eye and ear. Female genitalia is not only being made fun of, but it is also categorized as disgusting and revolting. In the music video, people look disgusted and shocked at seeing a cameltoe, one man even throws up.

Personally, I don't think that the human body should ever be an object of shame or disgust. But, let's assume for a moment that this wish of mine is too much of an ideology. Then, are men also the subject of ridicule and humiliation when it comes to their reproductive organs? Let's ponder this for a moment.

What is the male equivalent of a cameltoe? Some sites argue that it is the term “bulge.” An obviously neutral term which carries with it no negative connotations. Other sites argue that it is the term “moose knuckle” and other slight variations of it. I'm sure that's going to catch on...

Ok, so let's take the term, bulge. If it was as negative as cameltoe I doubt baseball players or professional dancers would wear such enhancing protective gear in that area. I'm going to stray from the topic of cameltoes and moose knuckles a moment... Why is it that women have no equivalent protective wear for breasts or the genitalia in sports? I've gotten hit in the breast by a spiked volleyball and I almost passed out from the pain. It is probably dangerous too (I am no doctor, scientist, nor have I done studies...but do these studies even exist? Is anyone looking out for the welfare of female athletes?). Anyways...back on track now... showing off and having a prominent outline of the male genital area is definitely not a negative thing in our society. Men’s jeans even enhance that, giving the illusion of having a larger package than exists in reality by creating a nice little poofy pouch in the front area.

Now, I’m not someone who is wishing for men to be ashamed of their bodies—quite the contrary—I just wish the same standards existed for women.

I remember an incident that happened during my freshmen/sophomore year of high school (can’t remember when exactly)... we wore uniforms but some days we were allowed dress up days. On one of these dress up days I came to school with jeans and a white t-shirt with a smiley face on it. It was a baby-tee (was that what they were called?), which is generally a cotton t-shirt that is fitted to your body with small sleeves. Well, I’ve always had large breasts and there’s nothing I can do about them. I can’t stuff them into a tiny bra and hope they’ll shrink. They’re there. They are prominent. Get over it.

Well, I got called out for them. The president of the student council (a girl) and a teacher (a woman) both came up to me and said I was dressed inappropriately!!! I remember my face turning red. I felt ashamed and instantly put on the spot and insecure. I knew it was my white shirt. You could probably see the outline of my bra underneath and the t-shirt wasn’t loose so you could see my breasts pretty clearly. But, I was also not ready for a wet t-shirt contest or something. My conservative, Hispanic grandmother would never have let me walk out of the house if she thought I looked too hoochie or “inappropriate” for a catholic school.

This event embarrassed me, made me feel insecure and ashamed. I had to ask my grandmother, who worked at the bookstore to lend me a jacket so I could cover myself. Never mind this is Florida and it was hot. The student council president and the faculty member pointed out something that I wasn’t aware of that morning as I was getting dressed—the overt sexuality of female breasts and the shame society associates with sexuality.

If this incident would have happened to me today I would have been able to respond “appropriately” and asked them exactly what they wanted me to do with my breasts? Should I tape them down? Wear huge bulky sweaters (as many women ashamed of their bodies tend to do...as I often did in high school as a result of that incident)? Should I get a breast reduction? Should I be ashamed? Of course not. Damn them for ever making me feel that way.

What a backwards world we live in. Women with big breasts getting breast reductions...women with small breasts getting breast enlargements. Penis reductions—yeah right—not in this society.

Let’s return to the genital area once more and think back to our early childhood for a moment. If you are male do you remember an older relative pointing to your penis and remarking on the “cuteness” of it? Probably. If you are female, do you have any similar memories? Probably not. My memories are of family members always making sure I was covered up. Or if I was jumping around and sat down with my legs spread open, I would be told to close my legs. I’d obey automatically, without thinking of the “why” of the action. Pretty soon I was imitating women who crossed their legs.

It’s “ladylike” to cross your legs if you are a woman, but for me it’s always been damn uncomfortable. I get a red spot (I am very pale) on my calf when it has rested on my knee for a while. My leg falls asleep and sometimes my hip feel funky after a long sitting time with my legs crossed. This is social convention working here, this is probably not biological.

Another reason to cross our legs is the same reason we tend to do it as young girls—there are different standards and social mores surrounding genitalia that affect our behavior well into adulthood. As a result, we often transmit these ideologies to our own children without even knowing.

Men tend to sit with their legs spread far apart and women try to constrict their legs, crossing them or keeping their knees together, which requires some effort. The result—women take up less physical space than men. This must carry with it some psychological reinforcement about who is superior more important. In fact, at least my own personal experience supports this.

At a Cirque de Soliel show here in Miami, in a tent, with itty-bitty little seats squished together to fit the maximum number of people into the show area, I found myself between my huge boyfriend and a huge man who I did not know. I didn’t mind having my leg rub against my boyfriend’s, but I did mind having my leg rub against some stranger. I brought my legs closer together, I moved closer to my boyfriend—to no avail. I was forced to sit through the show feeling some other man’s leg against my own.

The problem with this is that I was the one moving, I was the one trying to take up less space. The man next to me, never batted an eyelash over the situation, nor did he try to bring his legs closer together. Yes, I am aware of the male genital area but I have never seen men walking down the street as if they were straddled on a horse or prepared to allow a semi-truck drive through their legs. Why do they insist on sitting like that then?

This blogger discusses the Hispanic male as the culprit behind this action, but really all males do it. It’s something they learn unconsciously. Women close their legs, men open theirs. Women are ashamed of their genital area, men are not. This is pure social convention and social mystification of sexuality.

Of course there are many reasons for this, but the constant hiding of female genitalia probably contributes to an overwhelming sense of shame about it. While little boys can run naked with people comment positively on their sexual parts of course they will grow up with a quite different understanding and relationship with their private parts than women do.

Even masturbation and self touching is something often associated with men rather than women. Men use their hands, women use dildos. The companies that produce dildos to help satisfy women sexually wouldn't make their hefty profits if more women just used their hands. Vaginal climax (the “mature” type of climax, according to Freud) is difficult—and some argue impossible—to reach without clitoral stimulation (Freud believed that climax is “immature” reinforcing the need of the male penis, or some phallic object to do the trick).

Think about gynecological examinations which women learn are something they need to do every year. We go see a virtual stranger, spread our legs, and allow that person (most often a man) look at, open up, and stick something into our vaginas. How many of those women who visit gynecologists ever look at themselves? Touch themselves? Have ever even tried? If this is offending you, disgusting you, don't worry—you are sharing the sentiments of most people in our culture.