Very Bad Female
So, yes, I missed International Woman’s Day yesterday. I am, to be honest, a bit crap when it comes to the whole feminism/ standing up for women’s rights thing. Yes, there is inequality, and yes, the way women are treated in developing countries is something worth getting upset about. And I do… But being white, middle class and living in a (sometimes) civilised country I don’t feel the inequality quite so much… politically… socially… in a have a rally about it type way… am I making any sense?
Where I do feel the inequality is, well… Let me put it this way.
For the past 2 days I have been sat in front of my beloved Mac trying to sort out a couple of website designs for the Scout group I am involved with. I have had, yes, a month to do it and the committee meeting is tomorrow night; so am going through the kind of anxiety that I had at university when I realised I had about 9 hours to deadline, it was midnight and about 2,000 words to do on a book I had never read. That kind of fear…
So, I set my alarm yesterday morning and then had to go out to do various things, meaning I didn’t actually get started until yesterday afternoon. Then there was a whole ‘heated disagreement’ portion of the day which ate into my time because the men of my family (lovely though they are) don’t actually do any housework. And with Mum’s recent illness I am refusing to let her shoulder it all (even though she does without any argument, which is a whole other issue) so once all that got done I had only a couple of hours yesterday. Then today…
Oh today…
Mum let me sleep. I have been tired what with being ill and stressed and all that palaver… and what she did was technically lovely but…
when I woke up at 2 o’clock this afternoon…
So, I sit back down in front of the Mac, having thrown on clothes that were nearby, hair in a kind of wild woman frizzy state as I didn’t drag a hairbrush through it. I plugged in my headphones and got to it. It wasn’t going at all well and a couple of comments along the lines of ‘leave it… there’s no point in getting stressed about it’ really weren’t helping. I mean, I have accomplished bugger all recently. Life is becoming one long scheduled mess. I get a certain satisfaction from the job I do but that isn’t enough for me at the moment. I need to finish something. I need to be able to actually hit a deadline without being let off. Yep, my perfection chip is kicking in again.
I have been accused told recently that I am not a proper woman. Not in the fact that I am still a young spring chicken and therefore a ‘girl’ but that I am more like a bloke. Part of me looks around at the females around me and despairs thinking maybe it would be better to be thought of as a bloke but then… no.
Not that I have anything against blokes! Don’t get me wrong! You are all (mostly) lovely people who I would do anything for…
I apparently am not a proper woman because I don’t care what I look like. This is about 75% true. I hate the way I look, and am CURRENTLY unable to do anything about it physically. When the doctors figure stuff out then getting fit is right up there with the healthy tag.
I hate talking about or buying clothes. Everything I own and have worn in the past makes me look like a beached whale wearing a muu-muu in a sack race. Except the excellent t-shirts I own… which I wear in a classic-non-woman’s cut… so not girly there either. This is another thing about clothes sores - you see all these great clothes for tiny people but as soon as you get to the bigger sizes they decide we all want to wear bright patterns and sacks? Idiots. That’s another post.
I like shoes in the fact that they keep my feet warm and dry (although when it comes to Skechers it’s a different matter… I love them. L-O-V-E. Love)
I own one lip gloss, one eye shadow set, one mascara, and one foundation. I rarely use them as I either can’t be bothered, don’t have enough time, or just don’t see the point.
The last time I bought a women’s glossy magazine I nearly went back and asked for my money back. Out of 250 pages, there were 3 pages devoted to something other than looking good. And this wasn’t a fashion mag!
I do not want to watch any more soaps or gardening programs or shows in which the main point of it is to look around someone else’s house either to buy it or the crap inside it. I don’t want to watch any breakfast TV where the presenters roll their eyes at anything serious (this means you Fiona Phiillps - Britain’s most annoying presenter - ooo, when the revolution comes…). I want to watch Top Gear and Mythbusters and MegaStructures and American Chopper!
I want to be left alone to do a website in yesterday’s clothes until 5 in the morning while having a discussion about science-fiction and the news! K? And I am a woman! I get overemotional at things and fancy George Clooney and want the happy ending and all that. But mostly I want the last 48 hours back so I can work.
This rant was brought to you by Bec’s Overwrought and Massively Tired Brain. It is being strapped in for a couple of hours sleep but will be back with you after these messages…
PS. I know the beginning and end of this post had nothing to do with each other… I’ll try better next time.
I don’t know - the beginning and end seemed to link up fine for me.
You are not a bad female.
You are not a stereotype. That’s a good thing.
Miss Britt’s last blog post..Sunday Contest: The Baby Brother Edition
Comment by Miss Britt — March 10, 2008 @ 12:50 am
Wear what makes you happy. I used to get really dressed up for work and do my hair and all that but now I’m following the ‘bag lady’ influence. I like to think of it as my own quiet rebellion against the women’s mags.’ As long as you’re clean’ is what my Mum always says. And at the moment that works for me. I agree with Britt - it’s good to do your own thing!
Selma’s last blog post..Look At This Stuff. Isn’t It Neat?
Comment by Selma — March 10, 2008 @ 8:25 am
Macs and Skechers… have I told you how much I love you?
kapgar’s last blog post..To that same old place that you laughed about…
Comment by kapgar — March 10, 2008 @ 12:03 pm
I must have read it wrong, as the beginning and end appeared to have everything to do with each other.
Comment by yorksdevil — March 10, 2008 @ 1:42 pm
Reminds me of an old joke about a meeting on women’s rights.
The first speaker, a lady from England stands and says, “During last year’s conference, we spoke about being more assertive with our husbands. Well, after the conference, I went home and told my husband, Barrington, that I would no longer cook for him and that he would have to do it himself. After the first day, I saw nothing. The second day, I saw nothing, but on the third day, I saw that he had cooked a wonderful roast lamb.”
The crowd cheers.
The second speaker from Russia, stands up and says, “After last year’s conference, I went home and told my husband, Ivan, that I would no longer do his laundry and that he would have to do it himself.The first day, I saw nothing. After the second day, I saw nothing, but on the third day, I saw that he had done not only his own washing, but mine as well.
The crowd again cheers again.
The third speaker, a Jamaican lady, stood up and said,” After lass year’s conference, I wen home and tole dat lazy husband of mines, Dingo Jack, dat I was froo pickin up his beer cans, cookin his tucker and washing his undaweah and dat he was goin to haf to do dem himself.
The crowd goes wild, cheering and clapping for five long minutes.
She continues…
“Afta da first day, I nevah see nuffing.
Afta da second day I nevah see nuffing,
but afta da fird day, I could see a little bit out of my leff eye.”
I noticed you recently had an 80mph storm after an earthquake. It reminds me of a local named Will Rogers who quipped, “if you don’t like the weather, stick around for five minutes. Something you like will come by.”
Comment by Quantumfog — March 10, 2008 @ 1:46 pm
Miss Britt - Thank you for reminding me of this. I was starting to feel quite the freak. And then I remembered freak is also a good thing.
Selma - Clean always… I think my ’style’ would be called ‘can’t be bothered geek’ chic… with less of the chic.
kapgar - It’s always good to hear
yorksdevil - women’s equality through to me whining… I think it was a larger world smaller world thing… Did I mention I was knackered when I wrote this?!
Quantumfog - I may be using the WIll Roger’s quote in today’s post - bloody weather! And is it terribly un-PC of me to admit that I guffawed at the joke?!
Comment by bec — March 10, 2008 @ 11:02 pm