kaija24

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By kaija24 • 14 years ago

She Proposed…And He Said Yes!

Ever wonder why the cultural narrative about a woman waiting for the proposal is so pervasive and ingrained? Or why in this age of feminism and equal partnerships we don’t hear more stories of a woman proposing to her boyfriend? My good friend, feminist, and colleague did just that and wrote about it very honestly in a guest post on the website A Practical Wedding .

Changing the story can be hard. it can seem like everyone is pushing back. I googled “women proposing” and talked to my friends. There was one clear message: “Cute idea, but you should really wait for him.” ??One of my closest female friends told me “Men will propose when they are ready. We just have to wait for them.” A close male friend just couldn’t envision how a woman proposing would work. The internet told me that he’d feel like I was stealing his thunder. It also warned me that he might say yes without meaning it, just to keep the peace. Some articles warned me that it would ruin the relationship forever.

The warnings didn’t ring true to me, not for us and our relationship. He isn’t a big-surprise kind of guy; no thunder to steal. With really important things, he always speaks honestly. He wouldn’t say yes if he didn’t really mean it. He’s not particularly traditional, so he wouldn’t be offended by my proposing. And those conversations about weddings and getting married — the ...

By kaija24 • 14 years ago

Town meeting on health care in NC

I just got back from a town meeting put on by one of my local representatives here in NC, or at least I got close to it. The event was held at a large auditorium on one of the local college campuses, but filled up well before the scheduled start time. My two friends and I, though we were disappointed at first, soon decided that the best part might have been the theater of democracy going in the crowd outside. Yes, so many people turned up that those of us who couldn’t get into the event became part of a sizeable and spirited crowd that gathered around outside, on the lawn, on the sidewalks. It was inspiring to see so ...

I just got back from a town meeting put on by one of my local representatives here in NC, or at least I got close to it. The event was held at a large auditorium on one ...

By kaija24 • 15 years ago

No More Bush! (Who says feminists aren’t funny?)

Over drinks and dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday last night with my fabulous grad student/scientist/alpha female cohort, out of post-holiday stories, new year’s resolutions, and current events discussion came a spectacularly funny and personal idea for celebrating the outgoing administration: we are going to shave/wax away the bush to mark the historical occasion of No More Bush.

Now this is a group of women who don’t generally put fashion, glamour, or grooming trends at the top of the to-do list as we are all a bit on the alternative/hippie/nerd/free-thinker/bleeding heart liberal side of the continuum and like to stay busy protesting in the street, fighting the patriarchy, curing cancer, and saving the world. We completely missed the Brazilian craze, but ...

By kaija24 • 15 years ago

Female athletes are not fuck toys!

Olympians…world class athletes or fuck toys? Depends on if the athlete in question is male or female. High-acheiving men are revered for their accomplishments, but the women athletes are still judged on their attractiveness and fuckability. The Facebook group linked below states that Alicia Sacramone "sucks at gymnastics" (yeah, so why did she make the Olympic team then?!?) but, hey, a whole lot of assholes say they’d still fuck her anyways. Great statement of values there.

If you are a member of Facebook, please sign in, go to this group, and report it. It’s just offensive and Facebook needs some input from people who do not accept that it’s okay to publicly talk about women this way.&<nbsp; Dehumanization of half ...