I never really learned
To be a girl.
I would have rather worn a tux
To my First Communion
Than a damn frilly dress.
I played with Hot Wheels, then Pokemon cards
And eschewed Barbies and pretty dolls.
I preferred cutoff jeans
And t-shirts
To floral prints and skirts.
My hair was always down,
Even when playing soccer,
Until I was in my teens.
I didn't learn to braid,
Or twist, or wrap, or bun,
And my ponytails have bumps.
My nails are chewed and stubby
And when and if I paint them
It's clumsy and gets smudged.
I wear foundation,
Not to appear tan,
But to cover the zits
That linger from adolescence.
I'll wear eyeliner
And that's it
Partially because
I'm not good at the other stuff.
I don't need heels
Which is good
Because they make me wobble.
I'm bad at dancing,
Clubbing or choreography,
Line or waltz.
Yes, I
Never learned
To be a girl.
But that never stopped me
From becoming a woman.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Tuesday, September 10, 2013
Country music has been changing, and I'm not very okay with it
All right.
Another country music awards show is coming up, and yet again I'm mad that Taylor Swift is even included in the genre any more. Granted, "Red" could maaaaybe be considered in the genre, but the three other singles off of the "Red" album cannot even be close to country. "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble," and "22" are pop to the core.
I've been saying this for years, mind you, and she only gets worse. Of course, she's America's media darling and her fans drive the TV viewings way, way up.
The "Female Vocalist of the Year" category includes another very-questionable nominee in Kelly Clarkson, who has made a few forays into country but still puts out pop hits. Are they struggling for female vocalists to nominate? Perhaps, because there haven't been as many women who have made hits in the last year or so.
But Taylor and Kelly are just a few of the stars who are chipping away at the dam holding pop away from country. Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban (a longtime staple), and even old favorite Tim McGraw are switching banjos and twang for autotune and popularity. Carrie Underwood even has some of that pop sound--can you imagine her baling hay or riding a horse any more?
Don't even get me started on the horrendous beast that is Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" remix with Nelly. Someone should have salted that demon before it crawled out of hell.
So, this is me inviting anyone, but women in particular, to pick up a guitar, record a YouTube video, and try like crazy to get a record deal. I like what Luke Bryan said last week about women in country. It's hard for them, he said to be feminine while being one of the guys. There are beauty standards that female entertainers are held to. They can't all throw on a white tee, jeans and a hat and feel good to go out in public. They're obviously still pretty, but does society tell them so? Can women go on their own into dive bars and try to sing as a professional without being jeered at? Probably not...
Granted, I grew up in the 1990s, and pop-country crossovers have been a staple on my radio since I was a kid. But I'm sure I'm not the only one pining for Garth Brooks's sound every time I hear another poppy hit. It may be hip, it may cross genres, but I sure as hell don't like it.
Another country music awards show is coming up, and yet again I'm mad that Taylor Swift is even included in the genre any more. Granted, "Red" could maaaaybe be considered in the genre, but the three other singles off of the "Red" album cannot even be close to country. "We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together," "I Knew You Were Trouble," and "22" are pop to the core.
 |
| The face of good TV ratings, and of genre betrayal. |
I've been saying this for years, mind you, and she only gets worse. Of course, she's America's media darling and her fans drive the TV viewings way, way up.
The "Female Vocalist of the Year" category includes another very-questionable nominee in Kelly Clarkson, who has made a few forays into country but still puts out pop hits. Are they struggling for female vocalists to nominate? Perhaps, because there haven't been as many women who have made hits in the last year or so.
But Taylor and Kelly are just a few of the stars who are chipping away at the dam holding pop away from country. Lady Antebellum, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban (a longtime staple), and even old favorite Tim McGraw are switching banjos and twang for autotune and popularity. Carrie Underwood even has some of that pop sound--can you imagine her baling hay or riding a horse any more?
Don't even get me started on the horrendous beast that is Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise" remix with Nelly. Someone should have salted that demon before it crawled out of hell.
So, this is me inviting anyone, but women in particular, to pick up a guitar, record a YouTube video, and try like crazy to get a record deal. I like what Luke Bryan said last week about women in country. It's hard for them, he said to be feminine while being one of the guys. There are beauty standards that female entertainers are held to. They can't all throw on a white tee, jeans and a hat and feel good to go out in public. They're obviously still pretty, but does society tell them so? Can women go on their own into dive bars and try to sing as a professional without being jeered at? Probably not...
Granted, I grew up in the 1990s, and pop-country crossovers have been a staple on my radio since I was a kid. But I'm sure I'm not the only one pining for Garth Brooks's sound every time I hear another poppy hit. It may be hip, it may cross genres, but I sure as hell don't like it.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Feminism and country music/violence and country music
I'm sharing this article NOT because it knocks on Taylor Swift, but because it talks about feminism in country music and throws some props to my girl Miranda Lambert. Certainly, there is sexism and some old-school stereotypes in the genre. I think there is an overarching theme of men respecting the women (at least a little more than in pop or rap music) and women being tough and independent, not running around in lingerie.
Some of these revenge songs also make me think. Most songs I know about getting revenge on cheating or abusive partners are sung by women, about men OR by women, about women. I'm hard pressed to think of a man who sang about shooting his cheating wife. BUT, I could name you a whole score of women who sang about killing abusive fathers, boyfriends, etc. or the woman responsible for their husband's infidelity. Is it okay for women to advocate violence and men to shy away from that? Or is that just a product of history, where men have beleaguered and belittled women for years? Are women just taking their justice?
Some of these revenge songs also make me think. Most songs I know about getting revenge on cheating or abusive partners are sung by women, about men OR by women, about women. I'm hard pressed to think of a man who sang about shooting his cheating wife. BUT, I could name you a whole score of women who sang about killing abusive fathers, boyfriends, etc. or the woman responsible for their husband's infidelity. Is it okay for women to advocate violence and men to shy away from that? Or is that just a product of history, where men have beleaguered and belittled women for years? Are women just taking their justice?
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Dead Island does pretty well with female characters, but ultimately falls short
DEAD ISLAND RIPTIDE SPOILERS TOWARDS THE BOTTOM
Let's be honest, I love women. I mean, I am one, sure, and I also happen to be gay, so there's that, but in general, I think we're some pretty badass people. And in the context of what I'm talking about right now, which is video games, it's fun and empowering for me to have some good, playable (or background) characters in the series I enjoy.
I've never been a huge "gamer" in the sense of the word. As a kid, I liked Pokemon. As a teenager, I enjoyed Golden Sun and Fire Emblem, mostly, and also some more of that Gotta Catch 'em All stuff. When I moved in with my now-fiancee in 2010, she started introducing me to other games -- namely, the Assassin's Creed and Resident Evil series, and, more recently, we have been enjoying The Last of Us and the Dead Island games.
Now, I've read somewhere that 45 percent of gamers are female. I've also read, and seen online, the stereotype of girls who are either constantly harassed by guys online for being girls, or the girls who brag about being "gamers" just to...I don't know, sound cool? Impress dudes? I'm not sure how that works.
Though I enjoy the joy of killing zombies/thwarting evil pharmaceutical companies in Resident Evil, and there are some (sexed up) female characters there, too. I love the thrill of stabbing evil Renaissance men in Assassin's Creed, but the fact stands that the only playable characters are male assassins -- through five games, now, and going into a sixth. Sure, you can be a woman in the multiplayer, but that's not as fun. However, props to the AC series for including Leonardo Da Vinci's sexual orientation as a side comment. Dude was gay. And I don't see a lot of gay people in video games. Am I playing the wrong ones? Anyhow. I think I am, because I know there are some good female characters in Metal Gear, in Portal, etc. But I don't have those! So let's talk Dead Island. I haven't seen many essays about this game. I think Dead Island is headed in the right direction with their female characters. And, they get points in my book for including about every ethnicity you can find in the world among its characters.
There's been one bad move on Techland's part about the first game -- an unlockable skill for one of the female characters was called "Feminist Whore" in the programming. Not so nice, Techland.
The first game does a fair job of balancing the roles between men and women, at least for the first part of the story. Here's the premise: the island of Banoi has become host to some kind of zombie virus. No one can get out because a monsoon is coming, and of course the radios out of the island don't work because of that same monsoon. Out of the survivors, four become heroes because they are immune -- Sam B (African-American), a one-hit wonder rapper from New Orleans who is a man with ghosts in his past from Katrina and a rough childhood. Logan (white American), a bit of an asshole ex-football player from Texas who can't play any more because he crashed his car while drunk driving. Purna (Aborigine-Australian), an ex-police officer and reluctant bodyguard for rich dudes. Xian Mei (Chinese), a hotel desk clerk who secretly spies on wealthy Westerners for her superiors. Another male character, John Morgan (white Australian) is added in the second game, Dead Island: Riptide.
All of them have their skeletons in the closet, and also their strengths and weaknesses in-game.
It's good to have a diverse cast of characters to select from. And the rest of the world, this beautiful island and the city and jungle on it, is inhabited by zombies and survivors. Both men and women, of all races and colors. On the surface, it looks pretty even.
But then you start to pick it apart. As you progress in the game, there are a lot of characters that you meet and you can do tasks for. One lady wants bottled water. One man wants canned food. A few people want them to find their loved ones or find them a certain item. And there are specific point people -- main characters, kind of, that advance your quest along. But most of them are male. Sinamoi, the head lifeguard. Joseph, who leads you the sewers so you can get into the richer parts of the city to look for food. Matutero and Mowen, who lead you through the jungle. Dr. West, who is working on a cure for the virus. Titus, a leader at the prison. The man actively facilitating your whole crazy ride is Col. Ryder White, who is holed up in the prison with his sick wife. He's hoping Dr. West can make a cure out of the heroes' blood to save his wife because she was bitten. And you find out after the game that a hacker named Charon has something to do with the virus's release. The heroes meet him in the prison--and he's a guy, too.
There are a few female characters of note. Mother Helen is in charge at a church in the city. Jin is a teenage girl whose father died of the virus--she accompanies the heroes along the journey. Yerema is a teenager, too, I think. Her father is a leader of a native jungle tribe, and he's gone a little overboard with his homemade cures for the zombie virus. The heroes save her and take her with them.
In the later parts of the game, it's mostly a man's world. And you see it more when you get out of the resort part of the island and into the city, jungle and prison. The random thugs who are looting the area are all male. They pop up in the city and parts of the jungle. The zombie officers that you encounter in the police station are all male. The scientists in Dr. West's lab are all male. And the prisoners are also guys--admittedly, that makes some sense. Additionally, all the tougher zombies are male--the Rams, the Thugs, the Butchers, the Floaters and (I think, you can't really tell) the Suiciders.
That brings us to the second game, which has a bit of a better male-female ratio as far as main characters go. I haven't played it quite as much, but I still enjoyed it, and was thoroughly pleased with the addition of Harlow. She's a survivor who isn't all sexed up like some female characters, and (SPOILERS) is also immune, and who ends up being the final boss in the game--a very welcome change from all of the male bosses and big Thugs or Infected from the rest of the games. When we had to fight her at the end, I was pretty darn happy about it. I am so used to the tough-guy lingo in games -- "take this, you son of a bitch!" "Let's finish this bastard once and for all!" It was refreshing to hear Logan Carter call the final boss a bitch and go with her with as much ferocity as he would a male boss.
There is also one special zombie, called a Screamer, who is specifically female.
In the end, of course, it's all about survival. This game isn't the most challenging, but it also doesn't take time to develop much romance or many relationships between characters. It's not focused on sex appeal. Sure, there are some minor characters in swimsuits because they're on a damn island. There could be some more female NPCs (trying to kill you--because women can be evil, too!). But most of the game is shooting, slashing, helping people, and trying not to let the health bar get too low.
As a woman, I appreciate having my choice of characters. None of the main characters look like me, since I'm a white girl from the USA, but it's still cool to know I have a little femme fatale charm behind my rifle or my wakizashi when I move out onto the island to kill the zombies.
Let's be honest, I love women. I mean, I am one, sure, and I also happen to be gay, so there's that, but in general, I think we're some pretty badass people. And in the context of what I'm talking about right now, which is video games, it's fun and empowering for me to have some good, playable (or background) characters in the series I enjoy.
I've never been a huge "gamer" in the sense of the word. As a kid, I liked Pokemon. As a teenager, I enjoyed Golden Sun and Fire Emblem, mostly, and also some more of that Gotta Catch 'em All stuff. When I moved in with my now-fiancee in 2010, she started introducing me to other games -- namely, the Assassin's Creed and Resident Evil series, and, more recently, we have been enjoying The Last of Us and the Dead Island games.
Now, I've read somewhere that 45 percent of gamers are female. I've also read, and seen online, the stereotype of girls who are either constantly harassed by guys online for being girls, or the girls who brag about being "gamers" just to...I don't know, sound cool? Impress dudes? I'm not sure how that works.
Though I enjoy the joy of killing zombies/thwarting evil pharmaceutical companies in Resident Evil, and there are some (sexed up) female characters there, too. I love the thrill of stabbing evil Renaissance men in Assassin's Creed, but the fact stands that the only playable characters are male assassins -- through five games, now, and going into a sixth. Sure, you can be a woman in the multiplayer, but that's not as fun. However, props to the AC series for including Leonardo Da Vinci's sexual orientation as a side comment. Dude was gay. And I don't see a lot of gay people in video games. Am I playing the wrong ones? Anyhow. I think I am, because I know there are some good female characters in Metal Gear, in Portal, etc. But I don't have those! So let's talk Dead Island. I haven't seen many essays about this game. I think Dead Island is headed in the right direction with their female characters. And, they get points in my book for including about every ethnicity you can find in the world among its characters.
There's been one bad move on Techland's part about the first game -- an unlockable skill for one of the female characters was called "Feminist Whore" in the programming. Not so nice, Techland.
 |
| Why don't you say that to her face? |
| L to R: Purna Jackson, Xian Mei, Logan Carter, Sam B. They look a fair bit different in the actual game, but this is them! |
All of them have their skeletons in the closet, and also their strengths and weaknesses in-game.
It's good to have a diverse cast of characters to select from. And the rest of the world, this beautiful island and the city and jungle on it, is inhabited by zombies and survivors. Both men and women, of all races and colors. On the surface, it looks pretty even.
But then you start to pick it apart. As you progress in the game, there are a lot of characters that you meet and you can do tasks for. One lady wants bottled water. One man wants canned food. A few people want them to find their loved ones or find them a certain item. And there are specific point people -- main characters, kind of, that advance your quest along. But most of them are male. Sinamoi, the head lifeguard. Joseph, who leads you the sewers so you can get into the richer parts of the city to look for food. Matutero and Mowen, who lead you through the jungle. Dr. West, who is working on a cure for the virus. Titus, a leader at the prison. The man actively facilitating your whole crazy ride is Col. Ryder White, who is holed up in the prison with his sick wife. He's hoping Dr. West can make a cure out of the heroes' blood to save his wife because she was bitten. And you find out after the game that a hacker named Charon has something to do with the virus's release. The heroes meet him in the prison--and he's a guy, too.
There are a few female characters of note. Mother Helen is in charge at a church in the city. Jin is a teenage girl whose father died of the virus--she accompanies the heroes along the journey. Yerema is a teenager, too, I think. Her father is a leader of a native jungle tribe, and he's gone a little overboard with his homemade cures for the zombie virus. The heroes save her and take her with them.
In the later parts of the game, it's mostly a man's world. And you see it more when you get out of the resort part of the island and into the city, jungle and prison. The random thugs who are looting the area are all male. They pop up in the city and parts of the jungle. The zombie officers that you encounter in the police station are all male. The scientists in Dr. West's lab are all male. And the prisoners are also guys--admittedly, that makes some sense. Additionally, all the tougher zombies are male--the Rams, the Thugs, the Butchers, the Floaters and (I think, you can't really tell) the Suiciders.
That brings us to the second game, which has a bit of a better male-female ratio as far as main characters go. I haven't played it quite as much, but I still enjoyed it, and was thoroughly pleased with the addition of Harlow. She's a survivor who isn't all sexed up like some female characters, and (SPOILERS) is also immune, and who ends up being the final boss in the game--a very welcome change from all of the male bosses and big Thugs or Infected from the rest of the games. When we had to fight her at the end, I was pretty darn happy about it. I am so used to the tough-guy lingo in games -- "take this, you son of a bitch!" "Let's finish this bastard once and for all!" It was refreshing to hear Logan Carter call the final boss a bitch and go with her with as much ferocity as he would a male boss.
There is also one special zombie, called a Screamer, who is specifically female.
In the end, of course, it's all about survival. This game isn't the most challenging, but it also doesn't take time to develop much romance or many relationships between characters. It's not focused on sex appeal. Sure, there are some minor characters in swimsuits because they're on a damn island. There could be some more female NPCs (trying to kill you--because women can be evil, too!). But most of the game is shooting, slashing, helping people, and trying not to let the health bar get too low.
As a woman, I appreciate having my choice of characters. None of the main characters look like me, since I'm a white girl from the USA, but it's still cool to know I have a little femme fatale charm behind my rifle or my wakizashi when I move out onto the island to kill the zombies.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
I'm a terrible blogger. ;)
Hi y'all, sorry it has been such a long time. I know I say that sometimes, but I forget to blog! I write all day, and if I don't have a deadline to hit...well, it's just hard for me, I guess.
Leah and I just got back from a wonderful trip to New York City to see some friends and watch a football (soccer) match. It was a ton of fun! Maybe I'll update about that soon.
MKRJ
Leah and I just got back from a wonderful trip to New York City to see some friends and watch a football (soccer) match. It was a ton of fun! Maybe I'll update about that soon.
MKRJ
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Open Letter to the Pope: From Scoops the cat, who is almost three
 |
| From the desk of Scoops |
Dear Pope Francis:
I just wanna congratulate you on your election yesterday, and say a few things that are on my mind as a young brother cat in Ohio.
First up, I identify as a Franciscan, so I was pumped when my mama told me you took St. Francis's name. He is by far my favorite saint because he loved animals and cared about the environment. Huggin' trees, man! He lived a simple life, as do I. And I hope you will continue to champion the poor folk. I grew up on the streets before I was adopted. Now I live with a few other cats. My owners like to foster out cats 'cause they're real cool like that. I've seen a lot of animals in my life, and though I may be afraid of dogs, I know all animals deserve God's love and respect.
I do have an issue with ya on a few bits. And excuse my vernacular, man, but why you gotta be hatin' on gay people? See, my owners are both girls and they're in love. And to me, there ain't a thing wrong with that. I know I'm a cat, and I'm probably not the smartest cat, but I know for sure that my mamas adopted me and they love me for who I am. And I love them back for who they are. I haven't met an animal who gives two shakes about their owners' sexuality. I love my mamas because they are kind and caring, they pet me, they love me, and they'd never hurt their animals. They're good people. But if I happened to be a human being, they wouldn't be able to adopt me. And I don't wanna go back on the streets.
Don't all people deserve that love, too? That chance to share a monogamous relationship and raise a family? Man, it's not even an issue where I stand. I don't know why people are hatin' on other people. I have seen black cats, grey cats, orange cats, calico cats, male and female cats, and they are all my brothers and sisters. And I have seen the same with people. Black people, white people, people from Asia, Europe, South America, whatever. Gay or straight or bisexual or queer or anything. I don't care.
See the thing is, we animals don't worry about all that crap. We are simple animals as God made us. St. Francis loved us for our simplicity. We don't have a lot of needs. We don't ask for too much. And most importantly, we see right through skin and sexuality and gender and see peoples' hearts. We can read souls, man. We can tell when someone is sketchy. We can tell when someone is sad.
I can tell, ain't no doubt in this mind, that I was raised by two people with love in their hearts. I think any animal would rather be raised by two gay guys who treated them right than by a hetero couple where one person was abusive. I think any kid would, too. Sex and sexuality and skin don't matter. It's the heart, man. We can see that. I think St. Francis could, too.
You influence a lot of people, Mr. Pope. I am excited to see what happens in the church. I hope for a future full of truth, love, and help for the needy.
Give me a holla if you're ever in Ohio. I'd love to meet you.
Respectfully,
Scoops
Ohio, USA
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Lament of a broke twentysomething
Dear bills,
There are too many of you.
I'm trying really hard, I work full-time, I don't eat out too much or buy clothes and shoes. I even got a job that correlates directly with my college major.
I moved out of my parents' house, too! I pay for most of my own shit, I try to take care of my cats, and eat well, and take care of my car and my fiancee (who is also working a lot while going to school).
How about you bills just take it easy for a bit, okay? Really, rent and utilities and gas and electric and insurance and student loans and the credit card bill are all piling up and it makes me sad.
So please take it easy on me?
Please?
Please?
Love but not really,
RJ
There are too many of you.
I'm trying really hard, I work full-time, I don't eat out too much or buy clothes and shoes. I even got a job that correlates directly with my college major.
I moved out of my parents' house, too! I pay for most of my own shit, I try to take care of my cats, and eat well, and take care of my car and my fiancee (who is also working a lot while going to school).
How about you bills just take it easy for a bit, okay? Really, rent and utilities and gas and electric and insurance and student loans and the credit card bill are all piling up and it makes me sad.
So please take it easy on me?
Please?
Please?
Love but not really,
RJ
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)