Utah Savage: Just a Thought

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Just a Thought

Writing fiction always gets me to thinking about stuff. I’m listening to the news. I watched the hearings today, saw that spit flinging Chris and his Hardball. He wasn’t so bad today, mostly footage of the hearings because they really do speak for themselves. I would be an Olbermann stalker, but I’m phobic about flying. So, ya, I watched you Keith.

But, I wonder about how so little, really, seems to have changed for women. They might have even gotten worse. We seemed to be journeying toward some sort of shared……. No, never really shard, more fought for and earned equality. the ERA passed House and Senate, then went the round of the States for ratification. And damn if we didn’t get fucked out of that. Not only that, we started allowing the new rules of the Beauty Quotient to stand, unchallenged as a reason to promote women. So off we go to the plastic surgeon. Suck out that fat, give me the perfect chin, nose, eyes. Botox so no one can tell what the hell I’m thinking since no expression crosses my line-less face, otherwise my ass would get terminated. Just a thought.

8 comments:

Chris Benjamin said...: there's a great book along that lines, called Female Chauvinist Pigs: Women and the Rise of Raunch Culture, by Ariel Levy, which I described on my blog as "A bang on look at what has happened since the split of feminist between the 'pro sex' and 'anti exploitation' camps, and how this division has made many women into accomplices in their own sexual repression and exploitation." Not that the book is an effort to let men off the hook, or to attack feminists, it's just a good look at how that split weakened the movement and next thing you know botox is all the rage.; April 9, 2008 at 9:16 AM
Utah Savage said...: Benj, I expected to get howls of derision from men at this post. But what do I get? Intelligent and knowledgeable remarks from you. A man! Another good read on this topic is "The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf. Thanks for you comment.; April 9, 2008 at 11:02 AM
Big Yellow Forehead said...: I have to agree that it's interesting to look at the two camps, as Benji says. I'm a woman, and I believe in equal rights, but sometimes feminist extremists make me want to vomit. (I feel, at times, that they would like the roles to be reversed, with woman as the oppressor, instead of men and women as equals.)

I don't remember if I blogged about this or not, but there was an interesting discussion about the differences between the civil rights movement and the woman's suffrage movement- particularly the difference in the struggle between Black and White women. I'm going to have to drink some memory elixir to try and remembered in what interview that was discussed...; April 9, 2008 at 11:09 AM
Utah Savage said...: byf, could you bring some of that memory elixir back and share it with me?; April 9, 2008 at 1:42 PM
Life As I Know It Now said...: The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf is a great book. Have you read her latest book? It's still on reserve at the library so I have not read it yet. It's called The Shock Doctrine.; April 9, 2008 at 2:04 PM
Blank said...: It makes you wonder.; April 9, 2008 at 2:14 PM
Utah Savage said...: Lib, darlin, I'm still working on The End Of America. That Naomi is one prolific babe, and damn if she doesn't nail it every time.

I got a little note that I have been awarded the Rebel Grrl Award. I came on over and gave a lovely acceptance speech and fuck if it didn't disappear, like I'd been given the hook and the music started and I couldn't thank my mother for being such a nssty abusive bitch, such great training and all and then....gone. I disappeared. No prize, nothing. But I am really honored. I think this might be the only prize I ever won. Now could somebody tell me how to get it home?; April 9, 2008 at 3:29 PM
K McKiernan said...: Oh my GODDDDD... how remarkable that someone just wrote about the very book I have been meaning to shout about from the rooftops!

J got me Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy for my birthday a week ago, and I about died. She gave voice to nearly every single thing I have thought about on the issue... it is an amazing, important read. The unreal but very truthful thing is... women are on the frontlines of the exploitation of women, and she clearly denotes all the ways in which.

Go get it NOW Utah.; April 10, 2008 at 8:11 AM