we can do it...

forgive. i'm about to get all preachy up on yo' asses...

i've been watching mad men for the last few days. i gave the first few episodes a shot about six months ago, but i couldn't handle the blatant misogyny. could not handle it. until, i read an article regarding the show's writers. i'm making the numbers up, parce que i can't remember the exact details, but it goes something like this. seven out of the nine staff writers for the show are women. that shit made me think.

women. writing about other women's experiences in corporate 1960's new york. exploiting the gross misconduct of men as it relates to gender roles/stereotypes, racial inequality, homophobia and political confusion. so, i asked big red to watch it. she loves it. it is reminiscent of her childhood. big red grew up in various suburbs of los angeles, so the story lines seem a bit over-dramatized at times to her, but there is so much truth.

in an episode regarding the maidenform brassiere, a character states women wear bras for men, not for themselves. with utter conviction. and that's just a benign example. in a conversation about the upcoming kennedy-nixon election, the boss' wife says i'm not sure who we're voting for. can you imagine?!

the hard part for me... this was only forty years ago. not even close to a full lifetime. in the grand scheme of things, forty years is nothing. yet, here we are, looking back on it as if it were the olden days. but there are people, alive, who lived in that madison avenue world of 1962. and, you know, they still relate to a male-dominated sensibility.

of course, we've come a long way. thank goddess we have. so, i feel ill when i witness behavior in young women that can only be described as deplorable. one young woman calling another a bitch. allowing a young man to refer to her as my bitch. we must first demand respect from ourselves and from other women. creating the behavioral patterns that we wish all to emulate. no, this shit ain't easy. it takes time. but, in forty years, we've taken our bras off, redesigned them and put them back on with efficiency, comfort and most importantly with ourselves in mind.

we can do it.

let's discuss the impact of this photo and how it relates to a woman's image another day... for now, we'll use it to rally.

btdubs, this article, by ashley judd, prompted my early morning dose of girl power. she's got some interesting thoughts on a misogyny-driven media culture and its effects on women. she could totally be a sarah lawrence girl. here's a sneak peak at my favorite section... in response to putting on weight:

When I have gained weight, going from my usual size two/four to a six/eight after a lazy six months of not exercising, and that weight gain shows in my face and arms, I am a “cow” and a “pig” and I “better watch out” because my husband “is looking for his second wife.” (Did you catch how this one engenders competition and fear between women? How it also suggests that my husband values me based only on my physical appearance? Classic sexism. We won’t even address how extraordinary it is that a size eight would be heckled as “fat.”)

maidenform from here, kick-ass women from here and the riveter from here. support your fellow woman-kind today (and every day) would you? create patterns for yourself that you want to be translated into the way you are treated. the golden rule is a gem.