So sorry I didn't get the Perk-Up yesterday, I had to take off work on Monday because of a wicked headache and was behind a day for everything as a result. I even missed my Wednesday walk with Sam! :(
In case you still need to boil something, how about your blood? Or if you need to percolate something, how about your blood pressure? Or any other ridiculous comparisons I could come up with. I'm at a loss for anything, really, considering that both of these (and many more) applied after reading some asshat's 42 Thing Wrong with American Women.
First, LOVE the generalization. All women are the same, and all of them suck (especially if you're American). Second, I have a feeling this comes from a deep-down place of self-hatred, which kind of sucks because, really, who hates themselves that much that they have to project it onto people they don't know, especially towards one specific group?
Misogyny at its finest.
In response, here's my list of 42 Things AWESOME with THIS American Woman, a list that I'm sure many of you -- man, woman, American, non-American -- can identify with. :) Feel free to post your own list and share!!
1. I'm beautiful.
2. I have people texting, calling, and otherwise getting in contact with me because they love me. And I love them, so I return the favor!
3. I cut my hair short. And I look DAMN fine. ;)
Didn't look bad with long hair, either...
... but I prefer it short.
4. I am impressed by those who make the world a better place, from the amazing doctor who saves lives to the DJ who shares his/her love of music with everyone.
5. I love that my husband is witty and funny. Love that my guy friends are, too. There are many other things that I love about him (his smile, how he acts like himself around me, how he provides and cares for me [as I do him!]), but those are definitely top contenders!
6. I know what my man likes. Who cares where I got it? It works! ;)
7. I'm a fantastic cook. Shit, I run a cooking blog. LOL
8. Being a Floridian, and one who loves comfort, I love wearing my flip flops. I also love wearing my heels and my sneakers and whatever else I put on my feet. Comfort is key!
9. If I had condoms in my drawer, it'd be because I respect myself as a happy, healthy, sensual woman (and not having those condoms doesn't mean I'm any less of those!). I'd expect the man who wants to get with me to have the same respect for me.
10. I'm not a great dancer (but I still love doing it for fun!), but I can sing and I can play violin like it's no one's business. I also recognize that people have their own talents and should be recognized for them!
11. I don't idolize, but if I did, my family, friends, and those I find politically, socially, and otherwise inspiring would make the top of my list.
12. I strongly believe that how someone cares for an animal shows how they care for their fellow humans. (Except... I'm not typically allergic to people. ;))
13. "Sexy" is different for everyone. I can confidently say I find myself sexy and I know my husband does, too... hee!
14. I find my husband REALLY hot and I must be a damn good catch myself to have nabbed him. ;) Also, my worth is not defined by any "standards" set by anyone else, but by myself and myself alone.
15. Having a great job (and I DO have a great job!) is just but one quality that makes me a great catch.
16. I dress comfortably and in a way that suits my body and myself. Including PJs... ;)
17. I enjoy a good intellectual read. No, oh god no, Twilight is not included in that. LOL
18. I love to travel, and wish I could do it more often! From the beach to the mountains, from France to Canada, from my home state through my current state.
19. I have an awesome tattoo -- a gift from my now-husband! -- that I got when I was 21. It's a tree frog on my left hip. ;)
20. I consider the way I date(d) to be very personal to me, and did so with confidence in my own life and my own desires, while being up-front with the men I date(d). I'd expect the men I dated to be just as confident and to be up-front.
21. I love my family and my "chosen family", and I'd do anything for them. :)
22. NGL, but word has it that I'm pretty good in bed... hah!
23. I have sex when I feel like it. I'm not coerced, forced, or otherwise made to have sex when I don't. I also initiate when, you know, the gettin's good!
24. I find myself beautiful inside and out, and I don't need makeup to cover that up. I keep appearances, but I don't go out of my way to please anyone else because, let's face it, I'm beautiful as I am!
25. I am incredibly environmentally conscious, from the food I eat to the car I drive to the way I handle waste. Making a better world for the future. :)
26. I'm always ready to try new things!
27. That said... bring on the new things!! I like a challenge.
28. I care for my skin and deal with blemishes as they... ahem, arise. I don't get down on myself when I get a blemish, as they happen to everyone.
29. I'm much more an internet girl than a TV girl. ;) Awesome attorney-boss would argue that I need to watch more TV! (And movies, for that matter!)
30. I love being comfortable, including when I drive. I also love being safe, so I'm hard-pressed to wear heels when driving... it ain't safe, yo!
31. I enjoy watching my husband's jaw drop when I dress up for him. Or to go to an event. Or out with a friend. I just enjoy making jaws drop, what can I say. ;)
32. I find my natural skin pretty, but I do enjoy a tan once in a while! (What can I say, I'm a beach baby. Mreow.)
33. Love me some pizza and beer. Who doesn't!
34. I love sweets, too, in mini and huge form. Especially if it's pumpkin flavored or has frosting. Mmm, frosting...
35. My career is really important to me, and I feel like I do a damn fine job at it. ;) I also like to keep a nice home, but as one of two perfectly capable adults who live in said home, I also expect help around it!
36. I strongly prefer flats to heels, but I realize not all women are this way. :)
37. On the topic of food, I love butter and salt! They make great additions to several dishes.
38. I don't speak a foreign language, but I speak English pretty damn well. Something lots of people need to improve....
39. While it took me a while to get here (and it's mostly because of misogynistic bullshit like in the original post), I am incredibly comfortable in my own skin. That confidence, I believe, radiates from the inside out.
40. Hell yeah, I like Ikea furniture. ;)
41. I am classically trained in violin (and play on a regular basis with a local orchestra), hold a creative writing degree (which has gotten me further than I could have ever imagined!), and am trained in legal studies (and have an AWESOME job where I can expand that knowledge). I'm also well read in politics, current affairs, social responsibility, and (thanks to my husband) some engineering. SOME. Literally. We should debate some day. I promise to be a formidable opponent. ;)
42. I find the conversations I have with people to be enlightening, mentally stimulating, and always enjoyable. And I thank you all for providing those conversations!
Well said! This Canadian woman approves!
ReplyDelete....and the internet asshat can go back to whatever sad daydream land he's living in. You know, the one where his generalized and inaccurate statements equal "reality."
Thank you, Summer! ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd yup, pretty much that. My opinion is that he has such low self-esteem that he has to rip on other people. Girls are easy to rip on because they're the source of his insecurities, but it's coming from the inside out, not from the girls themselves.
Sigh. Whatever. We all know we're better than him. :)
It's people who say so many negative things like that who cause many of the issues with depression and eating disorders that are so common these days, because how can people feel good about themselves when people are publishing things like that and making it out to be hard facts? Good for you turning the tables like that!
ReplyDeleteLove all of these! :)
ReplyDeleteYOU Are AMAZING and I am So Happy I know YOU!! ;o)
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to read the list by the asshat; I don't feel I need any more anger today what with MacGvyer's ex doing her thing again. BUT, I love this post. Your hair is super cute short (and was also cute long). I had short hair as a kid and have been to chicken to cut it again since then. And MacGyver loves it long.
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned a cooking blog - is that a separate blog?
I could comment on nearly every bullet, but that would just get way too long. Great list. You are obviously a well rounded, centered, and happy person!
Would you like to do a guest post on meal planning in a "mixed" (veggie/omni) house for Urban Earthworm?
OMG! I totally realized that I never responded to your question! I'd LOVE to do a guest post along those lines! :) Wanna shoot me an email (thecoexistcafe@gmail.com) and let me know what you're looking for?
ReplyDeleteOh, and the cooking blog isn't a separate blog. Go figure, that this blog moved from being way more about food than faith to one way more about faith than food. I hope to find that balance again!
Self-loathing often causes people to lash out at those that they feel to be weaker and lesser than themselves. This hatred for the self is the cause of much of the misogynistic attitudes that pervade our society. I commend you for writing 42 things you love about yourself, instead of lowering yourself to this poor misguided individual's level and writing something like "42 things wrong with American men".
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to drop a note after reading all the hate regarding American women on the net, and shout a great big "thank u" XOXO! i am sick of being called names because i demand equal pay for equal work. that's not "entitlement" that's logic!
ReplyDelete