Snow, snow, snow!

Today, we were graced with snow. Not just a dusting or an inch like usual... We've had close to 5 or more inches. It's nice to look at and play in. Campus closed at 2 today so I didn't have afternoon classes which was great. I just hope that my classes are cancelled tomorrow. That would be even better...


I'll have something more interesting to post later. :)

Thoughts from My Psychology of Women Class

So today in my Psychology of Women class we were talking about gender stereotypes and the media. It's pretty obvious that the popular culture does shape stereotypes. But sometimes the ways it does this are very small and "insignificant." One example we talked about was shopping for clothes when girls are little. There is a HUGE selection of clothes for small girls. Of course there are clothes for young boys, but not nearly as many choices as girls have. So from this fact, you could maybe draw a conclusion that this supports or almost encourages girls to be more materialistic than guys. Girls have an assortment of accessories and from the images they see in magazines, in order to fit in, be popular, or just be well dressed, they have to have purses, earrings, necklaces, etc. When I was growing up, I never got my ears pierced. It wasn't that big of a deal to me, and honestly I just didn't want them. It was something that would make me a girly girl in my opinion and I didn't want that. (For those of you who don't know, I was borderline tomboy when I was growing up.) Whenever someone realized I didn't have my ears pierced, it was chalked up to I was afraid.... which was not the case in any way. Also when someone realized that I didn't have my ears pierced, the person's expression would change to an expression that says, "Wow, you're weird." But they would never say this to my face. They would just keep asking why and again, just chalk it up to me being scared of needles or something along those lines. So... fed up with this constant treatment, I went and got my ears pierced on my 18th birthday. It was something you had to have an adults signature for if you were underage so it was the perfect act of being an adult for me. But this brings me back to my original point, why are certain things expected of women. We're expected or stereotyped to have our ears pierced, like clothes and shopping, cook, take care of children and just be a "girl." I'm sorry, I absolutely hate shopping. Ask my sister, my mother or my father. Or for that matter anyone who truly knows me. I detest going to stores and trying on clothes. If I could walk in, pick something up, pay and leave.... i'd be sooo happy. But no, you have to try it on, try on multiple things to make sure you like it, and so on. It's this whole long boring process. AHHHHH! Ok, rant over. But again, in class we talked about how magazines portray women as extremely thin and beautiful which encourages or brain washes our youth that they HAVE to be that thin. If they aren't they are fat and/or ugly. It's a horrible fact about our nation that we put soooo much emphasis on appearance. This trend of girls becoming depressed and developing eating disorders because of this emphasis is SICK. I can only hope that it gets better and that awareness is made that putting those types of images on billboards and magazines is only hurting our youth.... who are our future leaders. I would like to say that in Spain, they have banned pictures of girls who are under a certain weight or under certain body measurements to be put on billboards, magazines, etc. They had such a high rate of eating disorders that it was almost like a pandemic. But, once this ban went into affect, the number of reported eating disorders went down. I'm not going to say it went down drastically, because as far as I know, it didn't. But, it went down none the less. Putting bans into affect like this one isn't the answer or solution to this problem. Better thinking and change is. 




Ok, so I know I went on a few tangents and might have strayed from the original topic, but this is what has been floating around in my head today. If you don't like it, deal with it. :)

Blast From the Past

So, I've been thinking a lot about my childhood today. Mainly the TV shows and music I used to watch and listen to. So, I've decided that this post will be dedicated to my childhood. 

All That - What an amazing TV show. It was almost like a Saturday Night Live for kids. It had different sketches featuring different people from the cast. The original cast was the best by far. But you also have to include Amanda Bynes to that list. She did the "Ask Ashley" sketch. Basically, kids would mail in to ask Ashley a question... Usually the question was really stupid like, "Dear Ashley, I am very hungry. My mom  isn't home. What should I do?" Ashley would act sweet, but then go on an angry yelling rampage and then settle down again for the next question. Her angelic looks were truly deceiving. 

The Backstreet Boys - Now, this is very embarassing to say or admit to... But my heart still flutters when I see A.J. Mclean. The Backstreet Boys stole my heart and helped  me through the very confusing years of.... dun dun dun! Private School. I remember when the Millenium and Black and Blue albums came out in 1999 & 2000. I also remember being at a friends birthday slumber party and jamming out to "I Want It That Way." Oh my.... how times have changed. Nick Carter was also very handsome in my opinion. But even better than him was his brother Aaron Carter. Aaron Carter caused quite a commotion in the public eye, but that's for another post at another time. 

NSYNC- If you talk about the Backstreet Boys, you have to talk about NSYNC. This group also stole my heart just around the same time as the Backstreet Boys. I remember dancing with my best friend at the time to "Bye, Bye, Bye." My friend and I also used to have debates over which one of us would get Nick Carter. She would say, "I'll get Nick and you can get Lance from NSYNC." I would usually give up and just agree. What's funny is that Lance "came out of the closet" a few years ago. Not that his constantly frosted tips wasn't a clue at all. NO ONE knew Lance was gay. *sarcasm* 

Are You Afraid of the Dark? - The most AMAZING tv show ever. Every afternoon my mom would pick my sister and I up from my private school's daycare. We would then go home and I would rush to the TV and change it to Nickelodeon. Usually about the time I got home Are You Afraid of the Dark? would be on. This show was about kids who would meet up at their local hangout spot, light a camp fire, and tell scary stories. There was a little more to it than that... but that's basically it. As simplistic as it sounds, it was a really good show. I used to be terrified when I watched it. There was this one episode about a doll house that really freaked me out. There was also a movie made that was basically one big episode. That movie gave me nightmares for YEARS. Not days, not weeks, but YEARS. It wasn't all the time, but at least a few times a year, I would have the same exact dream. But each time, I would get a little farther in the dream, if that makes sense. 

Furby - This child's toy came out when I was little. At first, everyone was abuzz about the Furby! It was so cute, cuddly, and just darn adorable. They would talk to you, and if you had a second, they would talk to each other! Shortly after the Furby became popular... people started noticing that the Furby would turn on by itself. It was almost creepy. Those big eyes staring at you and suddenly it would talk. Did I mention it's eyes blinked? It was truly terrifying after a while. Furby began to lose popularity when then general public became worried about their safety. I remember my Furby would not shut up. It kept talking and talking and would turn itself on even after I turned it off. So, I decided to be smart and pull the batteries out. I kid you not, it still talked. I screamed and threw it in the trash can. Hopefully that demonic thing is officially gone. 

Ani Di Franco

Last post of the night.... promise!

Not A Pretty Girl

i am not a pretty girl that is not what i do

i ain't no damsel in distress and i don't need to be rescued

so put me down punk wouldn't you prefer a maiden fair

isn't there a kitten stuck up a tree somewhere

i am not an angry girl but it seems like

iv'e got everyone fooled every time I say something

they find hard to hear they chalk it up to my anger

and never to their own fear

imagine you're a girl just trying to finally come clean

knowing full well they'd prefer you were dirty

and smiling and i'm sorry

but I am not a maiden fair and I am not a kitten

stuck up a tree somewhere generally my generation

wouldn't be caught dead working for the man

and generally I agree with them trouble is you got to have yourself

and alternate plan i have earned my disillusionment

i have been working all of my life i am a patriot

i have been fighting the good fight and what if there are

no damsels in distress what if i knew that

and I called your bluff don't you think ever kitten

figures out how to get down whether or not you ever show up

i am not a pretty girl

i don't really want to be a pretty girl

i want to be more than a pretty girl

 

Christ Tomlin - I Will Rise

This song is so inspirational. It reminds me of my favorite Bible verse.

Isaiah 40:31 KJV

But they that wait upon the LORD
shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as EAGLES
they shall run, and not be weary;
and they shall walk, and not faint

I had to recite this verse every day at my private school. You could almost call it our "mascot verse." Every morning we had to recite: (1) The Pledge to the American Flag (2) The Pledge to the Christian Flag (3) The Pledge to the Bible and (4) Our school's Bible verse. I know each one by heart to this day. It's kind of obvious why.... But this verse always stuck with me. At first, it was just a verse that I recited every day; it had no meaning. But when I finally reflected on it a few years ago, I realized that it holds a GREAT meaning. Trust in the Lord and you will never be alone. You will NEVER be alone. 

Too Funny...

So I found this video and it's just too funny to not post. Excuse the language.... But this video is basically about a man who has an iPhone with the iRevolver app and is stuck in traffic. Enjoy! :)

 This video just shows what people are really thinking and possibly doing during traffic. So next time you are stuck in traffic, take a look around. Someone may be shooting you with their iPhone.

Mr. Happy Face

Today was a normal day. I went to classes like usual. But this afternoon, I decided to watch some videos by the youtube user 'SecretAgentBob.' One thing you should know about his videos are that they are always a bit.... sadistic. They always tend to have something gross or violent or basically deviant in them. The one I watched today was "Mr. Happy Face." This one is particularly terrifying. Watch it, but be warned... it is very.... upsetting.