“Women, are you sick of being bombarded with advertisements that depict women as sexual objects? That use our bodies to sell products? That embolden men to disrespect us? That tell us we are not worthy unless we conform to unrealistic, sexist, racist, and unhealthy beauty standards?” ( National Women’s Liberation)
A campaign by National Women’s Liberation and Red Stocking to place stickers on ads that are exploitive of women and, I like the last sentence, “tell us we are not worthy unless we conform to unrealistic, sexist, racist and unhealthy beauty standards.”
Do you see a contradiction between breast augmentation, push up bras, and minimizer bras? It seems like we are never supposed to be happy with the way we are.
I spotted this post on Yahoo Beauty today and felt a spark of hope. It is about a model, Erica Jean Schenk, who landed this cover for a running magazine. It is encouraging to see that there may be a crack in the wall of popular media opinion about the definition of beauty and health. Is it possible that women who do not fit the current popular image of beauty have a chance? I know there is a Body Image movement and I think it’s great. And I say it’s about time.
Another nice post on this in Huffington Post by Louise Green. She says:
“More than half of North American women represent the plus-size demographic, making up hundreds of millions of women, yet only one fitness magazine in history is bold enough to showcase a plus-size woman on the cover.”
Maybe now there will be more magazines willing to do so.
Are you ready for this? I am ready as I’ll ever be. I answer this way when I am thinking of doing something pretty far outside of my comfort zone. It means I am ready to throw myself into something however not ready I may be. Things aren’t going to get any better so I may as well forge ahead. Face the fear and uncertainty and step out onto the stage.
One thing I am never ready for is being in a high place. Things like bungee jumping, sky diving or hiking along the edge of a high cliff. I know I could work on overcoming these fears but I am not ready yet.
A recurrent bad dream I have (thankfully not too often) is that I am walking along or toward the edge of a very, very high cliff and suddenly I am pulled to the edge and over it. I have this horrible feeling in my stomach and, oh no! , here I go over the edge and have the sensation of falling a long way down until….I end up in the ocean below.
I know I would not like going to the Grand Canyon and looking over the edge or riding one of those little donkeys down those narrow little, slippery paths to the floor of the canyon either. There is this Sky Walk platform that loops out from the edge of the canyon. It is clear plastic so you can see through your feet to all the way down below. Hey if we were meant to “sky walk” we would have wings right?
I think the trouble is I have a good imagination and I can imagine the donkey coming across a rattlesnake on the path ….or my donkey being kicked by another donkey ….or losing it’s footing and….if I ever rode one down I would have to look at that skinny little path and see how high up I was. You know how they tell you when you are climbing up a high mountain, “Don’t look down.” I could imagine that Sky Walk coming loose from its cantilevers or whatever is bolting it to the cliff and…or the walkway starts to crack under the weight of so many people…or someone bumps me over the rail and ….you get the idea.
On Friday July 31, 2015 there will be a Blue Moon. This is the second full moon in the month of July. The next Blue Moon will be in 2018. There is something mystical and romantic in the name. I may drink some blue wine or at least some Cabernet. Maybe light a blue candle and listen to some blue moon music and go outside and gaze at the moon.
From Riul Doamnei on You Tube:
And from ScienceAtNASA:
Does the full moon have an effect on you? Where will you be watching for the Blue Moon? If you live in another part of the globe are you viewing the Blue Moon tonight?
I received notification today that this is my One Year Anniversary with WordPress. I have learned a few things since I started and still have more things to learn. It has been great to meet other bloggers who have stayed my readers. I really appreciate it! I hope to continue to inspire you all to continue reading my posts and welcome others who may want to join in. 🙂
We have all heard about how it is important to have social connections, important for our well-being. But making connections can be daunting for someone with an Introvert temperament. There needs to be a good fit. I have felt this in my own life when looking for outside interests. I did not see this issue addressed in any books or articles I had read other than to say how introverts can push themselves out and try to be more extroverted. Until I saw this post by Emily White.
In her post she talks about how she was made to leave an environment that had been ideally suited to her and move back to a big city. This was interesting to me because I have felt as she did about the city environment. I live near Los Angeles which definitely qualifies as a big city. What is daunting about such a big city is that there is so much of it and this can be a bit overwhelming. You have to really focus in and look around to find your niche in such a big place. It is like looking at a big cluttered room and trying to decide what to do first and where to begin. Ms. White gave me some food for thought and showed me that you can succeed in making connections as an introvert even in a big city. She doesn’t say we have to morph into an extrovert or do extroverted activities that involve things that introverts do not like such as making a lot of small talk or participating in groups. Unless the group is involved in a cause we are passionate about.
I really like that she is addressing this and discussing how she found connections that fit her. It is good to see posts like this because it gives support to people who want to make connections but want to feel comfortable doing so and do it in their own way.
Since I have started into a semi-retired stage, I have been looking for activities and projects that are engaging to me. I have done the usual book group at the library and I am doing volunteer and paid tutoring. My blog is something very new for me. I definitely was not into social media and I do think introverts approach social media differently from extroverts. I can get very overloaded with social media and the internet. So I am working at balancing my involvement. Which means limiting the time I spend on WordPress, Facebook and email. There must be time set aside for reflection and quiet pursuits.
Some views of Los Angeles, a very big city, and some parts of it that suit my interests, (not the crowded freeways).
[Sotheby’s catalogue Feb. 2006] This photograph was reproduced in the May 1, 1919, issue of Vogue with the following caption: ‘Eager-eyed from under her bridal veil, she gazes in the fortune-telling crystal, hoping to see her dreams there in the clear yet mystery-filled glass. Fastening the draping veil of rose point lace are jeweled wings of platinum set solidly with diamonds and only Cartier could have devised the flexible setting.’
Some of things I cherish most are the memories I have of my children as they were growing up and the memorabilia from that time I have saved over the years. I have saved some of their art work, letters, cards, and little gifts from them when they were small. I know I have a large box in the garage containing samples of my kids’ art work and school papers. I could not bring myself to throw the stuff out. Many of these mementos from my children are inside my house as well. How can I say which one is most cherished. That seems unfair.
I often come across them when I am going through my dresser drawer, closets or armoire. They evoke memories of my kids at a certain age and feelings of such deep love and the poignancy of times passed and sometimes laughter.
Some of the things might be, a drawing, a hand-made Mother’s Day card, a note from my daughter saying she loves me, a letter from my son away at camp, a box of their baby clothes, the toy elephant I was given by a friend after my son was born that plays “You Are My Sunshine”, or my daughter’s first Mary Jane shoes. I can’t pick just one. Maybe this is why I can’t part with them either.
Some dispassionate person will have to decide the fate of these things after I am no longer of this world.
Baby dress, elephant, and Mary Jane shoes
Some cherished gifts
This is post is my contribution to Cherished Blogfest. You can read other great posts and link up to participate yourself. 🙂
Butterflies are Free is a film starring Goldie Hawn about a free spirited girl who lived in San Francisco. One day she sees a cute guy peering at her from a neighboring window while she is undressed. She thinks he is a peeping Tom and rushes next door to tell him off and realizes he is blind. I love the setting and era of this movie, (San Francisco in the 60s). Goldie helps the boy to overcome his fears and be independent and he helps her realize she has her own hang ups as well. I think this was Goldie Hawn’s first film and she is adorable.
Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles each year and during the Fall to late winter they end up in California. I always love to see butterflies outside. We get a few around my house. On my list is the idea of putting in plants that will attract butterflies, birds and bees.
Even though butterflies can fly thousands of miles, they couldn’t fly as far as the New Horizons space ship. I try to imagine what it is like on Pluto. There wouldn’t be any butterflies. Pluto is so far from the sun that it wouldn’t have daylight. Amazing that a planet so far away is still kept in orbit around the sun. Pluto has 5 moons but no oceans or people to be affected by their forces. If we had 5 moons how would our world be affected?
Pluto has been out there waiting for us to visit. We finally made it. We did a fly by, like a migrating butterfly, but we didn’t drop in yet.
This post is my contribution to Lindaghill’s Stream of Consciousness Saturday. 🙂
I got this copy of a photo of Pluto in my email yesterday from Dr. John P. Holden at the White House, Director of Office of Science and Technology Policy. He said he hoped I would share it with someone so, besides some of my family and friends, I am sharing it with you, [ This photo is no longer available so I replaced it with this Gif from NASA ]. I am going to share the text of the Email as well because I don’t think he would mind. I signed up a long time ago to get emails from The White House. Any US citizen can. Here is the text of the email message:
“This morning, the United States became the first country to reach Pluto — and the first country to explore the entire classical solar system: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. NASA’s New Horizons interplanetary probe has been making its way to Pluto since January 19, 2006, and has been providing the world with the sharpest photos ever seen of our Solar System’s most prominent “dwarf planet.” Today, it made its closest approach to Pluto yet — about 8,000 miles — at around 07:49:57 EDT.”
It seems to me I remember it was decided a while back that Pluto was not a real planet. I have to admit I never liked the idea that Pluto was no longer a planet. I don’t know about you, but I think this looks like a planet.
OK I researched briefly some articles on the topic of Is Pluto a Planet?
Per CNN One person who never accepted Pluto’s demotion is Alan Stern, principal investigator for the New Horizons spacecraft, the first spacecraft sent to Pluto. He said Pluto was given the boot because of its distance from the sun.
“In fact, if you put Earth where Pluto is, it would be excluded!” Stern said. “Any definition of planethood that excludes Earth, in any circumstance, is deeply flawed. After all, if there is any object everyone agrees is a planet, it’s Earth.”
I read today they found snow on Pluto. So it has weather?
Notes Tied On The Sagebrush 