Heels

Heels do a lot for a woman. They elongate and thin the legs and ankles. They make a woman appear taller and more confident and "stately," and because of all of this, women wearing heels in the workplace are seen as more sophisticated and higher class. It's a status symbol. A woman wearing heels (and makeup) to a job interview is more likely to get hired than a woman who chooses to avoid dangerous footwear and slapping dirt on her face. Ironic?

What else do heels do for women?

They vastly increase pressure put on the knees and toes. With just a three inch heel, the pressure is increased up to 76%. How many women wear 4 or 5 inch heels? This increases their chance of developing a debilitating condition - osteoarthritis. And women already have a higher susceptibility to bone problems like osteoporosis. The spine is forced to readjust to the change in alignment, causing increased stress on the back, and negatively affecting posture. Since the calf muscle of a woman in heels is shortened, contracted, the muscle can remain tight even after changing footwear. Eventually, a woman who wears heels regularly may experience pain when switching to flats, or even barefoot. 

And how about those gorgeous pointy tips? You know, shoes like this one:

Where the toes are nicely crunched together? Just looks so damn comfortable doesn't it? It can cause bunions, which are bony outgrowths on the foot. That way, even if you think your foot looks oh-so-pretty in those glorified elf shoes, they're gonna look pretty destroyed once that shoe comes off, what with your toes permanently cramped together. It can even cause your toes to become bent (called hammertoes). The foot is now disfigured, regardless of footwear. 

There's even more - all of which can be seen here: On Your Feet: High Heels' Effects on the Body

So why do women continue to wear these painful and dangerous footwear? Style? Fashion? Impress the opposite sex? Many women will say they genuinely enjoy wearing them. I love the way they look! They make you feel elegant. At what price?

Years ago (but as recently as the early 1900's), the Chinese used to bind the feet of women from the time they were small children. Their feet wouldn't grow, and the smaller the foot, the more attractive the woman. It was an obviously painful process which started with breaking the arch of the foot and binding the toes to the ankle. The foot grew into itself. It was designed to make women more feminine. They were unable to walk normally - only able to shuffle along. It's believed to have been started by the upper-class, showcasing that they didn't have to work, and of course, middle and lower class began emulating that. The lower class families would bind only the foot of the eldest daughter (since the rest did have to work). 

Eventually, foot binding was outlawed. So the Chinese found a way around that. They created shoes that caused women to walk in much the same way those with bound feet did. 

I am certainly not suggesting that the feet binding practices are in any way comparable to heels, as one requires breaking the bone of a child no older than 5 while the other is a fashion choice women make on their own. What I am saying is that the idea behind the two are the same. It's designed to hold women back, to make them more feminine, and in both cases the belief was/is that they became more attractive. In both cases it causes severe strain on the body (obviously foot binding vastly more so). 

I don't expect high heels to be outlawed, or even want them to be. I think in a free country, such personal choices should not be criminal. I only draw the comparison to show that women are hurting themselves, causing bodily harm for fashion. For style, for grace, for elegance, for things that men don't need to worry about.

Men wear ties. Which are uncomfortable sure, but is there lasting harm done to the body? No. And is there anything else men are expected to do that is at all comparable to the myriad things expected of women? 

I think my legs look great in heels. I think my face looks prettier with makeup on. And so I do wear them both occasionally (once a month perhaps). So perhaps I'm a hypocrite when I talk about these things. Because every time I wear either, I'm buying into a patriarchal society that values women's beauty over women's health. 

We all are. 

I see no reason for women to put themselves at harm, while men do not. And for beauty no less. 

Health and well-being should always trump everything. Especially beauty.

Ode to Xtina

When I was younger, I didn't think I was a feminist. In fact, I believe I mentioned previously that I once wrote a paper for a history class about how women should know their place in the world and stop trying to mess with appropriated gender roles.

But, around the same time as that paper, I also did a project on how even Buffy the Vampire Slayer perpetuated gender stereotypes. I think I was probably just trying to do whatever would cause the most contention.

But throughout high school, really ever since tween stars became the new hot thing (about the same time as boy bands), my favorite musical artist was Christina Aguilera. Besides for the fact that between her, Britney Spears, Mandy Moore, and even Jessica Simpson, she obviously had the best natural voice, and greatest range, I loved the person I perceived her to be.

As an impressionable teenager, she became my idol. When "Genie in a Bottle" came out, people around me questioned her integrity. The lyrics, and the dancing in the video, were too suggestive for someone so young. I defended her as an up and coming artist who was listening to producers in order to eventually make her own way.

Which she did. She became her own person, a strong woman, an independent woman, and my idol. Horrible rumors surfaced about her promiscuity. People talked about her outfits and called her names. Yes, she wore pretty crazy outfits (most notably this one - VMA 2002), and yes, quite often they showed a lot of skin. But it wasn't so much the outfits I loved as her reaction to naysayers. She said once that she didn't care what people said about her. She wore what she wanted to wear, and that was it. And it was the greatest response I had ever, and have ever, heard. You don't like what I'm wearing? Well, conveniently, I wore it to please myself, not the rest of you.

When she went on tour and lost weight, rumors swirled about an eating disorder, when in reality it was long hours of dancing and little time for food. She fought the rumors. The media came back when she gained weight, and vitriol reigned. Again, she turned a blind eye, and maintained her confidence in her body and self.

Christina has never been anyone but herself. No matter what the media was telling her she should be, she wore what she wanted to wear, when she wanted to wear it. And it wasn't a Lady Gaga thing, not a shock value, not a desperate attempt to get into the public eye. It was who she was. and it is who she is.

Recently, she came under attack for calling out her fellow Mouseketeer Tony Lucca on his final song in the competition -  Jay Z's 99 Problems (But a Bitch Ain't One). As a side note, with the birth of Jay Z's daughter, he vowed to never use the term bitch in his music again. His daughter, not his wife, got him to start respecting women. Whatever, at least he's there. Or trying to be. In any event, Xtina wasn't thrilled that Lucca used a song that's supposed to win it or lose it for him whose bridge is "I got 99 problems but a bitch ain't one."

So what happens? The media pounces on Christina. What a bitch! (The irony of calling her a bitch because of her commentary is apparently lost on most people). A few choice comments:

"please, put some clothes on.. no one wants to see you half dressed... you need a new stylist if you want to be a professional and be taken seriously. Sexy does not mean slutty... maybe check out What Not To Wear!"

"She is a [sic] Overweight Diva - who thinks she is so wonderful. She dresses like a HO and she has issues."

"Christine [sic] shows up every week dressed like a $10 hooker and she thinks the song lyrics are degrading to women????"

(All quotes taken from People Magazine: Tony Lucca & Christina Aguilera Clash Over B-Word on The Voice)
The idea of attacking a woman's look when we disagree with her opinion is not new. It is reserved solely for women, but it is not new. Christina did the right thing. She voiced her opinion on a show where she is the judge. Not only does she have the platform to say what she wants, but this woman has been a champion for women's rights since she stepped into the limelight 13 years ago. So why the hate when she speaks her mind??


Especially about a rap that is not only about the degradation of women, but is by a champion of misogyny. Yes, Christina  had commented negatively on Lucca's voice previously. Isn't that her job? 


Where were these critics during American Idol and SImon Cowell's reign? What, really, was the big deal here?


It was a woman, voicing her opinion, on the negative portrayal of women. So, in retaliation, we negatively portray the woman who could say such blasphemy...


Christina, you are beautiful. No matter what they say. Words can't bring you down.  


It was in good part due to Aguilera's attitude that I learned to accept myself in middle school, into early high school. And I can't thank her enough for that. 


The world needs more famous women like Christina Aguilera. More female teen idols that exude confidence (btw she says that's the best way to attract a guy. I also like that answer) no matter what people are saying. 


So Christina, keep fighting the good fight. And  you'll forever remain my #1 female idol.

Hilarity

There are some topics that, when used in jest, I won't tolerate. One is when someone says "kill yourself." When I was in high school, and my friends said that as a form of "fuck you," I got them to say "severely maim yourself" instead. The idea being of course, that should that person listen to your advice, only the second one gives you a chance at their forgiveness.

One is calling people "retarded" when you mean stupid. It's a horribly offensive term, and the only person who appears stupid is the person who thinks those two words are synonymous.

And of course, jokes about violence against women. I used to run with a guy who asked me once, on one of our runs, why I could use "kill" in jest, and clearly, I was okay with talking about maiming people, but use "rape" in the context of "that test raped me" or "he totally raped me in Call of Duty," or just good ol' fashioned "shut up and make me a sandwich" or this or this and my tolerance is gone. And it isn't because, as so many critics like to say, because I have a "stick up my ass" but rather because things like domestic violence and rape are so pervasive, and yet so misunderstood.

It's not because I don't have a sense of humor. It's not because I'm ultra-PC, or that I hate any joke that may offend someone somewhere maybe. It's because as of right now, people don't understand rape. It's because we currently live in a culture that not only allows these crimes to happen, but a culture that embraces it and normalizes violence against women.

As long as rape myths prevail in headlines and articles about sexual assault victims, as long as people believe that women use rape as an excuse for drunken sex, as long as people honestly believe women belong in the home and not the workplace, as long as violence against women is sexualized in the media, well then as long as that is culture we live in, I will not tolerate these kind of jokes.

Eventually, I hope, this country, and maybe one day, this world, will not view women as a marginalized minority (when in fact we are the majority), and one day rape and violence against women will not be the poisonous epidemic that it is now. One day, domestic violence calls will be the exception and not the norm for police calls.

And when that happens, you can make all the rape jokes you want. Because when that happens, I'll know that not only the speaker, but anyone within earshot is looking at rape as they do murder - a violent crime. And once we can see the joke as JUST a joke, and not a symptom of the rape culture in which we all live, well then, maybe I can feel differently. Honestly, though, I  believe that when we reach that point, these rape/domestic violence jokes won't be quite as "funny" as they are now.

Until then, I'm going to look at any and all phrases that regard violence against women as something to laugh at as problematic.

People laugh at rape when it's a serious problem. And that's why I can't laugh at rape when it's a joke.

Cosmo

This may be the longest any feminist blog has gone without writing about everything that is wrong with Cosmpolitan magazine. I admit it that it's a (very) guilty pleasure, and I do read it fairly often. And as often as I appreciate the tips and stories in it, I get angry at some of the ridiculously outdated advice they continue to give (among so many other problems)...

So, to start: the cover. Cover model Demi Lovato who has battled (and beat) an eating disorder, is the woman of the issue. She is interviewed inside about her past struggles and mental illness (bipolar disorder). As in every issue, Cosmo shows a handwritten mini interview - with multiple choice questions like what kind of guy they usually go for. So one question was "I couldn't date someone who didn't love my _____" Lovato's answer? "CURVES!!!".

Which is great! What a perfect answer for someone battling an eating disorder. It is truly wonderful to hear about a woman who is proud of their body. So what does Cosmo do to celebrate such security and confidence? They airbrush her curves, in essence eliminating her waist from the cover photo. So hey, thanks Cosmo for once again juxtaposing a great confidence boost like a celebrity who loves her body with a picture of that same woman that's designed to make women hate their own bodies.

If only it ended there. Then i come across some true-to-form Cosmo advice. In their column, "Ask Him Anything," one woman writes "If you meet a cute guy at a party, what's the best way to initiate exchanging phone numbers?"Now, if it were me writing the answer, I'd probably say something akin to:

Why is this a question? The best way to initiate an exchange is to say "hey, it's been really great talking with you, do you mind if I get your number so we can do this again sometime." That seems reasonable to me, and if a guy wanted to get my number, I'd expect him to say something along those lines as well.

Cosmo's answer? "[...]Let him initiate it - it makes him feel manly to be the one picking you up [...]"
Seriously? Are we living in 1950? Are women still not supposed to speak up, or out, or go after what they want? I have never subscribed to that idea. Ever. When I want a guy, I go for him, and it's also never failed me. Bottom line, to me, is, if you ask a guy for his number and he doesn't like the fact that you're so forward, then, seriously...why are you still attracted to him? That's definitely a deal breaker for me. I'd prefer my men to respect a woman with the confidence to do what they want.

Next crappy piece of advice in their " Your Biggest Love Qs (Answered in 20 Words or Less)" column"

Q: My boyfriend is gaining weight, and I'm not that turned on by him anymore. Can I say something?

My answer? Break up with him. Not because he gained weight, but because if something that trivial and superficial can affect your feelings for him, the relationship is obviously doomed. You should be turned on by HIM, not his looks, or his physique, or his weight.

Cosmo's Answer? Yes, tell him, but nicely. Suggest the two of you hit the gym more often.

Really Cosmo? Let's celebrate superficiality! Let's help make men feel just as self conscious as women, cause hell, why not? If your boyfriend is obese, then sure, for his health, it's important to help in some weight loss. But just to have him be your object of lust? If you can't see the problem with this advice, then God help us all...

In the same column, is some advice that I actually talked about, in depth, in a previous post...

Q: After five years of dating, my boyfriend still hasn't popped the question. Is there anything I can do to speed up the process?

My answer? Who cares? What's more important, the man you love, or a materialistic ceremony that celebrates a lifelong committment, although in 50+% of cases, people break up (on average after 10 years)?? 

Cosmo's answer? Tell him you want to get married, and if he's the right guy, he'll marry you.

ARE YOU NUTS?! I can't think of a worse answer. Literally, cannot fathom worse advice to give a woman, let alone the 3+ million subscribers and other casual readers. Here's a better idea, Cosmo, if he's the right guy, she shouldn't feel the need to pressure him into doing something he doesn't want to do. And if she's the right girl, and he doesn't want to get married, they should be able to talk about it without breaking up, and without problem, regardless of outcome. For the last time, marriage is NOT the be all end all. Relationships are NOT a means to an end. People are not pawns, used solely to increase likelihood of that piece of paper that says there's a committment. Marriage is supposed to be a celebration of love, not a celebration of verbal coercion...

Next advice column problem: Colum titled "15 Times to Always Say No," one of which is when "the lame-looking dudes at the end of the bar just sent you and your girls a round of shots. Because if you said yes, then you'd have to actually converse with them. *Shudder*"

Two issues with this advice - (1) nothing, including a guy buying you a drink, should make anyone feel compelled to do something they don't want to, like talking to a guy. If a guy buys you a drink, all you need to say is "thank you." Past that, it's entirely up to you. And problem number (2) is why not talk to the "lame-looking" guys? Why not give them a chance? You have no idea who they are, or what they're like, and clearly they're at least nice enough to buy you a drink. Again, put your superficiality aside and just live your damn life.

Last major problem with this issue? "Girlie Decor That Won't Freak Him Out" - an article about how to make your living space more appealing to men. Here's a better idea, Cosmo readers, how about you decorate your home....the way you want. If you want pink, do pink. If you love unicorns, buy unicorn adorned items. Who the hell cares what anyone else thinks? You're the one living in it. Does anyone honestly think men are decorating their homes to appeal to women? No, because why should they? Same idea as mentioned previously, if a guy doesn't want to come over or spend time at your place simply because you have too many "girly" things, then why are you with him at all? If he cares about that, you shouldn't care about him. A home should reflect your personality, and who you are. It should not reflect the personality of the (apparent asshole) men you're bringing home from the bars.

Dear Cosmo,

I am not a drone. Not an object. Not a marriage obssessed, superficial bimbo. Please stop treating me as such. I am a woman. I am independent, I have my own personality that I love and that I love others to know about. I choose the people I allow into my life based on how they interact with me, the real me. I don't alter my looks, my personality, or my home based on the man I'm hoping to attract.

Three million subscribers. Three million women listening to this advice every.single.month. Countless others who buy off the stands. People who believe in these words.

It's time to stop, Cosmo. Your reach is too ubiquitous, your ideas too pervasive. Step up, and starting working for WOMEN. Not for men.

Sexual Assault Trials

I was speaking with someone recently about how cops keep getting acquitted on rape charges despite pretty solid evidence. Whether juries are prone to acquittal for everyone, or if being a police officer grants them more leniency. I would think that civilians would be harsher towards police, since they're supposed to upstanding citizens - since they are responsible for arresting criminals, it seems even more egregious a crime when it is the cop who is the perp.

Yet we know that Franklin Mata and Kenneth Moreno were deemed innocent, and now another NYPD officer (although this one was off-duty) Michael Pena was also not convicted of rape (Although he was convicted on other charges, including predatory sexual assault). In Pena's case, his defense was not that he was innocent (plenty of witnesses saw him assaulting this woman and using his gun as leverage), but that no penetration occurred, and thus, no rape. Despite his DNA being on her underwear, despite her statement of pain, despite marks on her vagina, despite witness testimony. Apparently this is not enough.

So why the acquittal? Why are so many rapists (MOS or not) found not guilty on these horrible charges even in the face of overwhelming evidence? My friend's belief is that cops get off easy because juries don't see them as repeat offenders. They're not the stranger in the bushes that are attacking any woman they see. In which case, we really need more education on sexual assault in schools. Because when a vast majority of rapes are NOT the sociopath in the dark alley, we really need to start convicting the first time offenders, cops or not.

My friend also suggests that rape is so difficult to prove because the act itself is legal, it's just the force that is not, and coercion is hard to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt. Also troublesome is that NY law requires male to female penis to vagina penetration, or vice versa (as a side note, this desperately needs updating). So although sex might be proven, is the force? Hence the Moreno/Mata acquittal. And when the force is proven, is the actual penetration clear? Is it clear that it wasn't another object that was used? (In which case it only counts as sodomy). So without the man's DNA inside the woman, actual rape is almost impossible to prove.

Can we remedy this?

Should we remedy this? The justice system (rightly) revolves around the theory that everyone is innocent until proven guilty. Guilty beyond reasonable doubt. Where there is doubt, there should be acquittal.

So is there anyway that we can get better justice for the victims of this horrible crime? Can we make it any easier, without negatively affecting the very foundation on which this country was built?

Honestly, I don't know. The first step is obviously changing NYS law to reflect federal law (“The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.”) I believe I still would have voted both those cops guilty. Fortunately, because of the other charges, Pena is still facing a possible life sentence.

These victims need justice. Cops or civilians need to do their time for a crime that causes severe lifelong psychological damage to its victims.

Let's figure out a way to deliver.

Male Privilege

For those men who think sexism is dead. For those who think feminism should've ended with the Suffrage Movement. For those who just don't see the big deal.

If you can walk down the street at night and not feel compelled to cross to the opposite sidewalk when you see a member of the opposite sex walking towards you, or someone walking behind you...that is male privilege.

If you can walk down the street without fear of harassment, without people hitting on you, and cursing you out when you ignore them...that is male privilege.

If you can pick someone up at a bar, and return to their place without fear of being raped, or without being verbally or physically coerced into sexual acts you don't want...that is male privilege.

If you can speak your mind without someone calling you a derogatory term, crazy, or if you can speak your mind and be taken seriously...that is male privilege.

If you can feel comfortable exercising your sexuality, in any way, in any manner, with however many people you want, without being publicly shamed...that is male privilege.

If you are not expected to wear clothes that are uncomfortable, and cause damage to your back and joints...that is male privilege.

If the advertisements you see don't depict your gender in hyper sexualized, photoshopped, unrealistic ways...that is male privilege.

If your intelligence is not called into question based on the color of your hair...that is male privilege.

To say that feminism is dead, or that there is no further equality to be had, or that feminists are looking for the upperhand, or just reasons to hate men, is false. Women are not treated equally, for all the reasons listed above, and more. Men continue to have the upper hand in virtually every aspect of life, and until women can feel comfortable in our own culture, the feminist movement will be alive and kicking.

I want to go out and not wear makeup or heels. I want to be able to walk around at night and not be fearful of that random male, regardless of age or race or attire. I want to walk around without be harassed by men on the street. I want to feel comfortable going to a guy's house, without fear of being raped, and called a liar when I try to press charges. I want my actions in the bedroom to be private, but, should they become public, I want the person who released private information to be shamed, not me. I want to see ads that show women of all sizes with their clothes on in stances that are appropriate for the item they are advertising. I want to call people out on their bullshit without being called crazy, or accused of just "PMSing." And I want to be blonde without people assuming I'm a ditz because of it.

I want to be as free as a man. And until that happens, I will keep fighting.

And there will be resistance, because no one likes to see a woman step out of place.

“Equality is not a concept. It's not something we should be striving for. It's a necessity. Equality is like gravity. We need it to stand on this earth as men and women, and the misogyny that is in every culture is not a true part of the human condition. It is life out of balance, and that imbalance is sucking something out of the soul of every man and woman who's confronted with it. We need equality. Kinda now.”
― Joss Whedon (Producer of Buffy the Vampire Slayer)

Open up any newspaper or turn on any news station and you're guaranteed to see something about Trayvon Martin, the unarmed 17 year old child who was shot and killed by a cop-wannabe neighborhood patrolman the night of February 26. The country is rightly outraged that the man responsible - the man who pulled the trigger of the gun that released the bullet that killed a defenseless boy - was not immediately arrested.

Trayvon should have been safe walking to and from a store to pick up skittles and a soda, regardless of dress or time of day. Everyone is so well aware of this right to safety that no one has questioned his decisions.

Yes, he was alone. Yes, it was night. Yes, he was wearing a hoodie. But only one man has tried to claim that the boy even partially deserves the blame for his own death because of his choices.

And the public is, again, rightly outraged. How can you tell someone that they shouldn't wear hoodies at night, lest the be deemed suspicious? Who cares what he was wearing? A young man is dead because a crazed man decided he couldn't control himself in the face of such an obvious threat to the neighborhood as a man in a hooded sweatshirt.

If you read the comments on the article I linked to, you'll see that everyone is appalled that someone would even suggest his clothing had anything to do with his murder.

STANCHAZ says "Mr. Rivera: you should be ashamed of your inane, insensitive comments, and your attempts to create "excuses" for the inexcusable actions of[...]Zimmerman."

ANTLIVE says "so what if the kid wore a hoodie, now sweaters are illegal? ill tell you what, your mustache makes you look like a 70's porno actor, so should someone shoot you? appearance doesn't make the person, its the people who judge with the quickness."

SUZANMONTANA: "Sounds like Geraldo has been crushing his skittles and snorting them. Thats the craziest thing....Trayvon did nothing wrong."

No one deserves to be the victim of a crime. No matter their clothing choice. No matter the time of day or night at which they were out. No matter the gender or race.

Victim blaming solves nothing. Prevents nothing. Rest in Peace Trayvon.

The only thing responsible for his death is George Zimmerman.