Is it bad that I agree with this?

[Not Afraid]

Gotta love the urban dictionary.

Afro Bush

Lush, unruly, kinky pubic hair.

That afro bush had such thick underbrush and was so overgrown that I lost my wallet and car keys in it.

[€uroMeinke]

So is the feminist position one that women have no freedom but are compelled to do what pop culture dictates? I think I'd be insulted if the society I was in presumed me so powerless as to have to protect me from my weakness of wanting to be attractive to potential partners.

[lizziebith]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

So is the feminist position one that women have no freedom but are compelled to do what pop culture dictates? I think I'd be insulted if the society I was in presumed me so powerless as to have to protect me from my weakness of wanting to be attractive to potential partners.

We're talking about the cultural programming (yes I said it) of young women here. Young women trying to make their way through the confusing and contrasting signals of hormones and hair and curves and wanting-to-do-it v. you are ugly if you have curves and hair, and you are a whore if you want to do it. Believe me when I say it's a lifelong fight against that crap. Of course we have freedom in the abstract but learning to use that freedom, in our culture, takes great, and mature, bravery. And it's an uphill battle, apparently, wherever one goes and whatever ones age is.

Oh, I got over being insulted about it long ago, but it's there whether I care or not. I do continue to care on behalf of the future partners of my son.
If he brings home a hairy curvy gal or boy (or the opposite!) that he truly loves than I figure I've done my job at running cultural interference. But cultural interference must be run. GRRRRR! And these stupid "ideals" burn my toast.

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm waiting for "homeless chic" to come into style. Then I'd fit right in...

[Not Afraid]

As an adult, I like having the options of following what fashion trends I want and disgarding the rest. But, I'm 44 and I've been through the dorky unacceptable phase and have gotten to a point here I know my faults and assetts and can live with them. I also am not really concerned about impressing men. (Sure, it's nice when it happens, but it's not a motivator.)

I grew up as a coat hanger. I WAS model thin but that wasn't enough. I think the real problem is that most teens just find the grass is always greener with someone else's look. But, as an adult, I am happy I am not a coat hanger any more - except when certain fashions I want to wear need a coat hanger body.

As for tats, I love them when they are attractive. Tat boy on "Runway" has an awful tat. It highlights the fact that he doesn't have much of a chin - plus it's distracting. The only reason I haven't gotten a tat at this point in my life is that I can't make a permanent decision.

Thongs ARE comfortable with some items of clothing just as granny panties work best with others. I have choices and, damnit, I'm going to use them.

Sometimes, there's more to life than sex.

[blueerica]

Interesting thread...

I am not sure how I feel about the banning models thing. Making a big stink of it just reeks of publicity to me. Personally, I would prefer a greater (I'd say wider, but the pun would be too obvious) selection of models in terms of sizes, appearances, but it's not enough to make and break me.

As far as the other topics are concerned, I kind of see it both ways. And my personal views have grown out of having two parents who feel the world affects them in every way, removing choice and personal responsibility from the equation. I grew up when Kate Moss was popular, and I'm no skinny chick. Yeah, I had boyfriends, yeah I could get a guy to bed... It was never an issue that was based on my weight. It would have been an issue if I actually believed it was. But that's just me.

I could go on and say I have "not done" things out of someone else's wishes, but I've never done something because popular culture tells me it's what I want, and I've never done something to change myself at someone else's insistence.

On the other hand, I've made some choices about my hoo-ha that have nothing to do with anyone else's preferences. I've decided it just plain old feels better to be on the bare side of the road. Everything from the shower (and I'm not talking one of those fancy shower heads... just a straight up regular shower) to, dare I say it - masturbation, feels better. And HELLO! Bonus! No one has to choke on a pube if they... well, I think you get it.

It all started - literally - when I was just "trimming up" for wearing a bikini. I got kinda bored and "whisk." I didn't really like it at first, aesthetically. Kinda freaked me out. But you know what.. after a couple of days of my "normal routine" and after trying to grow it out again, I've just decided it's the way things are gonna be from now on. I've considered waxing, but at this point the expense kind of keeps me away... and the idea of waiting until I can wax again doesn't satisfy my impatience.

Now, I realize I have just said WAY too much, but I felt like I had to say it for all the people out there that do things because it's the way *they* like it, not because of someone else.

[blueerica]

Oh, Alex... but you IS so ugly! (OK, I kid I kid! I have no clue!)

Oddly "Leave My Kitten All Alone" by The Beatles just came on my iPod. Hmmm...

[Ghoulish Delight]

I took a soc. psych class that focused on the fact that so many bahaviors that we take for granted are the result of social pressure. Try standing backwards in an elevator. Try standing in a pubilc place and do absolutely nothing. Try eating a utensil-required meal with your hands. You'll feel that pressure, whether someone's there or not. You'll feel like something is wrong.

Social pressure is real.

But I found myself thinking, "Umm, so what?" during that class a lot. Because none of this was news to me. I was under no illusion that there was some amazing practical reason that people stared at you funny if you were facing the back wall of an elevator. Big deal. It bugged the heck out of me that the professor never went to the next step, the step of, "Okay, we've identified our social programming, so what do we do about it."

It wasn't until a while later that it ocurred to me...what needs to be done about it? I came to the conclusion that the "solution" isn't to try to get rid of social pressure. That's ludicrous, it's what allows society to exist. Without it, without the ability we have of a species to NOT think about every single little act, we wouldn't function.

The key, as I see it, is simply awareness on an individual level. To create a culture devoid of negative social influence is an impossible goal, and fraknly one I don't even consider a good one because with the bad goes the good. Blandness would be the only alternative.

Instead, the solution, on a per-person basis, is to simply be aware. As long as you are cognizant of the fact that your choices, your likes and dislikes, are influenced by the culture and media around you, you stand a chance of taking control of it. There's no need to reject it if you understand it.

"I face forward in elevators because I'm supposed to," is different from "I face forward in elevators because I'd rather not have people staring at me, and I can see what floor I'm on." "I wear these designer clothes because other people do," is different from "I wear these designer clothes because they flatter me and improve my chances of positive social interaction."

If you're aware of the source of influences, you stand a chance of recognizing when it's better to ignore them.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Instead, the solution, on a per-person basis, is to simply be aware. As long as you are cognizant of the fact that your choices, your likes and dislikes, are influenced by the culture and media around you, you stand a chance of taking control of it. There's no need to reject it if you understand it.

Moments like these, I find myeself envying your wife. As I've spent some time envying you her company, as well, I don't think there's anything wrong in saying so.

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by Eliza Hodgkins 1812

Moments like these, I find myeself envying your wife. As I've spent some time envying you her company, as well, I don't think there's anything wrong in saying so.

To quote € from another thread...when's the next party?