the good, the bad, and the ugly

[mountain_laurel]

one million points to the Target stores in Colma, CA, which have taken to stocking women's underwear with the bigger sizes on top. most stores stock in the opposite direction, with the biggest sizes right next to the floor, which makes no logistical sense whatsoever unless you're a sadist. i actually wrote to Target about this a while ago. i wonder how many other women did? either way, i'm definitely pleased about it.

no points at all to Inside Edition, for trumpeting the "progress" exhibited by the many "girl power" shows coming up in the fall TV season. i suppose it's better than Donna Reed, but i'm still not convinced it's a positive step that female characters can be strong only in the sense of having a black belt and being violent (while looking insanely hot, and much too thin to actually be that physically strong). (hell, is it a good message for anyone that the only way to be strong is to beat people up?) (and don't get me started on the notion that martial arts are all about the ass-kicking.) you'll notice that women who are portrayed as being aggressive in a business or sexual sense (both much more likely in the real world than a legion of female Bruce Lees) are still usually the bad guys.

and yes, i still enjoy watching ass-kicking hotties of both sexes. i'm not enough of an asshole to boycott most of the entertainment industry just because i'm disappointed by portrayals of women. (although i still don't get why people actually liked Charlie's Angels.)

that doesn't mean i don't notice.

(please, note the use of the word "usually" and do me the favor of not enumerating every exception you can think of. of course there are exceptions. the exceptions aren't what i'm talking about. what i'm talking about is why those are the exceptions rather than the rule.)

the ugly: i had a sudden wild craving for hot dogs, so that's what i'm having for dinner. mmmmmm, life-giving fat. my favorite.

Comments

[phidiana.livejournal.com]

Miss Meredith-thing? I look forward to getting through September and being in a position to hang out and talk.

No specifics out of this post that bring me to stay that, but many THINGs, I look forward to knowing you better 1:1, as well as here. 8)

[merde.livejournal.com]

cool! perhaps you can teach me some nifty cooking secrets i don't already know, since as far as i can tell you're well ahead of me on the gourmet cooking curve.

[phidiana.livejournal.com]

I think you're underselling yourself and overestimating me here, but i'd love to cook together. 8)

[rimrunner.livejournal.com]

and much too thin to actually be that physically strong

Yeah. There's a woman in my class who's TINY; shorter than me, and no fat on her anywhere (she works at a gym). She's in spectacular shape, but she's gonna have to work a lot harder to get that kind of power behind her punch.

Yeah, yeah, Bruce Lee only weighed 135 pounds. Lee was a special case in a lot of ways, and Jesse says most people can't do what he did even if they trained for years.

[merde.livejournal.com]

my understanding (which is limited -- i did spend a couple of years working for a grandmaster of kung fu, but i've never practiced martial arts myself) is that smaller, weaker people do best with systems like Judo and Aikido, where they can use leverage to gain an advantage. such people don't, however, usually manage to develop the sort of tremendous punch/kick power one sees portrayed in the movies.

as for all those high-kicking moves performed in high heels... all i can do is snort derisively.

[opadit.livejournal.com]

as for all those high-kicking moves performed in high heels

On the other hand, there's the Ginger Rogers factor.

[sambushell.livejournal.com]

There's a woman in my class who's TINY; shorter than me, and no fat on her anywhere (she works at a gym). She's in spectacular shape, but she's gonna have to work a lot harder to get that kind of power behind her punch.

Or maybe she just needs some wires and an MTV-brewed director.

craving hot dogs

[loosestrife.livejournal.com]

I was really surprised a while ago to find a fake brand that's surprisingly close to the real thing: Boca Smoked Sausages. Until I tried these, I'd dismissed all fake hot dogs as flabby and flavorless. These are actually OK. If you're specifically craving the fat they obviously won't fly, but if it's general hotdogness you want, they do a brave and creditable job.