Sometimes, looking at someone's Facebook profile can tell you a lot about them, like when you see one of your friends has listed Spice World as one of their all time favorite movies.
Other times, Facebook can tell you a lot about an entire generation, like the fact that there’s an entire group on Facebook called Future Housewives @ FAU and there’s almost 40 members.
The description of the group that is listed directly from Facebook:
“This is for all the girls who are going to FAU to get their M.R.S Degree, or if they are going to get a degree and then be a house wife.”
For those of you who have never heard the phrase getting your MRS degree it means that a woman goes to college to find a husband and become a Mrs. This was a popular phrase back in the 1950's and 1960's when women were expected to get married and not have a career.
The idea that the only benefit of college is to meet someone that might support you for the rest of your life is a concept that I thought had long been extinct, but sadly, it seems like it's still alive and kicking.
Last semester, a professor of mine asked how many of the women in class planned on staying home and not working after college.
Not one woman raised her hand.
So when a friend of mine said that she was sick of dealing with all the girls in her elementary education classes that didn’t plan on having a career after college, I was really confused. I just didn’t think college girls thought that way anymore.
My friend looked at me and said, “You can’t throw a sandal down the breezeway without hitting a future housewife on the head.”
Maybe she was exaggerating, but after doing some research, there are plenty of young women who plan on getting a degree, staying home and raising children for the rest of their lives.
Along with the FAU facebook group there are at least five other global groups (groups that students from all different universities can join) with the same concept I’m here for my MRS degree. There’s even a group for Yale University called I came to Yale to get my MRS. degree but am failing miserably.
Sure, a Facebook group might not mean much. And sure, it's possible that a few of these women are only members of this group as a joke. But for all the young women who actually plan on being more than a wife and mother and for all the women who never had the chance to be anything else, we should take a stand. So what's the best way to fight against group like this? Just make fun of them.
MRS Course Listings (feel free to add to the list)
MRS 1100 Cooking in High Heels
MRS 1200 Staying Thin While Pregnant
MRS 2300 Turning Anger into a Smile
MRS 4300 Looking Pretty While Giving Birth
MRS 4600 Doing Your Husbands Laundry and Wearing Pearls
MRS 4300 Attracting the Mailman
Monday, February 25, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Apple Bottom Jeans—Where’s the chicks?
Using sexy ladies to spice up a music video is a concept that even my great-grandparents are familiar with. Sex sells—it’s always going to be that way.
But we’re on the dawn of a sexual revolution—because of the music video Low by Flo Rida. Low can be described in just three words: apple bottom jeans.
Although it’s hard to put the words “apple bottom jeans” and “revolution” in the same sentence there is something so different about this music video that it might just spawn a sexual revolution.
Where are the girls? And where are the apple bottom jeans?
Almost every frame was a guy nodding his head to the slow beat and making some gesture with his fingers—(sexy).
For those of you fortunate enough not to have a radio, and haven’t had this song bashed into your head 43 million times— Low is all about admiring a sexy woman—there may even be a reference or two to prostitution (so classy). Nothing new about that—don’t waste your IQ points trying to figure out the lyrics.
But with the video clocking in at 3:49 minutes long it has only 35 seconds (give or take) of combined frames showing actual women (I counted because I care). That’s a whole 3:14 minutes of just a bunch of guys singing about women.
By now you’ll realize this isn’t your average music video – in fact, take a look at every other top ten video on MTV.com. All of them feature more images of women than men – even the music videos by female artists. Old school Britney Spears actually contained just a few frames of men in her videos.
The lack of women in Low is so untraditional that one might even argue that gender and sexuality is on the brink of a revolution.
Objectifying women has become so much the social norm and unofficial proof of a man’s masculinity that men no longer need to even show the images of the women they’re objectifying.
Because the message of the song is not Look how pretty this woman is…don’t you agree she’s hott? , but you know I’m a man because I sing about how I objectify women—look how cool I am.
And the video assumes that the audience doesn’t want to see images of sexy women—but rather hero shots of the men.
In other words – sexuality has become a way for men to prove their masculinity to each other so much so that sex has nothing to do with it anymore.
Now some of you might be thinking – you can’t possibly find proof of a sexual revolution inside a rap video made by conceited men. And perhaps this is an isolated incident. Or maybe it’s not.
But we’re on the dawn of a sexual revolution—because of the music video Low by Flo Rida. Low can be described in just three words: apple bottom jeans.
Although it’s hard to put the words “apple bottom jeans” and “revolution” in the same sentence there is something so different about this music video that it might just spawn a sexual revolution.
Where are the girls? And where are the apple bottom jeans?
Almost every frame was a guy nodding his head to the slow beat and making some gesture with his fingers—(sexy).
For those of you fortunate enough not to have a radio, and haven’t had this song bashed into your head 43 million times— Low is all about admiring a sexy woman—there may even be a reference or two to prostitution (so classy). Nothing new about that—don’t waste your IQ points trying to figure out the lyrics.
But with the video clocking in at 3:49 minutes long it has only 35 seconds (give or take) of combined frames showing actual women (I counted because I care). That’s a whole 3:14 minutes of just a bunch of guys singing about women.
By now you’ll realize this isn’t your average music video – in fact, take a look at every other top ten video on MTV.com. All of them feature more images of women than men – even the music videos by female artists. Old school Britney Spears actually contained just a few frames of men in her videos.
The lack of women in Low is so untraditional that one might even argue that gender and sexuality is on the brink of a revolution.
Objectifying women has become so much the social norm and unofficial proof of a man’s masculinity that men no longer need to even show the images of the women they’re objectifying.
Because the message of the song is not Look how pretty this woman is…don’t you agree she’s hott? , but you know I’m a man because I sing about how I objectify women—look how cool I am.
And the video assumes that the audience doesn’t want to see images of sexy women—but rather hero shots of the men.
In other words – sexuality has become a way for men to prove their masculinity to each other so much so that sex has nothing to do with it anymore.
Now some of you might be thinking – you can’t possibly find proof of a sexual revolution inside a rap video made by conceited men. And perhaps this is an isolated incident. Or maybe it’s not.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Valentine’s day - Oh crap!
Valentine's Day is here - which means there will be a whole lot of pointless gifts in circulation, a whole lot of couples staring at single people like they're homeless, and forced awkward sex for people all across the country.
Very few of us actually know the history of Valentine’s Day - if you do, then stop reading this right now and get back to watching the discovery channel you history-loving slut. Basically, three saints named Valentine all died in weird ways; you didn't miss much.
Let’s face it – being a single person on Valentine’s Day can be just plain cruel. All day long, all they see is happy couples exchanging big fluffy pink bears and unwanted packs of socks. All day long its happy couples with smiles on their faces.
While you're at Publix buying your Stouffer's dinner for one, you have to stand in the checkout line watching couples suck face while they're buying red wine and organic steak.
And let's not forget the stares that couples give to single people. It’s like they're marked with a huge sign on their forehead that says PITY ME. We look at them like they're homeless and they need some assistance.
Listen—no one wants to have the Hey at least you still have your health talk with their single friends on Valentine’s Day. We all know the drill. The coupled up folks are going home to have sex and the single people are going home to cry and watch re-runs of Dancing With the Stars.
I bring you the single person's survival guide with a few simple rules to keep to from going crazy on Valentine's Day.
THE SINGLE PERSON’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
1) If you don’t have it, fake it. There’s nothing wrong with telling your friends you have a date—you don’t have to tell them it’s with your new box set of family guy.
2) Valentine’s night is the night to hit the clubs. Think about it—there’s no way you could accidentally go home with a married guy.
3) Hang out with other single people. Don’t expect you're coupled up buddies to hang out on Valentine’s Day. Warning—make sure you hang with the right kind of single people. You don’t want to spend the night in the bathroom of a Denny's because your single friend is having a Why does no one love me meltdown. (eww)
4) If you’re really in a pinch, just remember, in a few years almost all of these happy couples will be broken up.
But if all else fails and you're still depressed, just remember that Valentine's Day sucks for everyone-including those people in relationships.
If you’re in a relationship—it’s still a miserable holiday because of the insane amount of pressure. There’s even pressure to buy that special someone the perfect gift. There’s the pressure to buy your single friends gifts so they don’t feel like total crap.
And most importantly, there’s the pressure to have sex. If you’re in a relationship it is practically an unwritten law that you must have sex on Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing that says romance like socially forced awkward sex…can’t wait!
Either way you’re screwed - and not in the good way.
Editor's Note: No chicken nuggets were harmed during the making of this blog.
Very few of us actually know the history of Valentine’s Day - if you do, then stop reading this right now and get back to watching the discovery channel you history-loving slut. Basically, three saints named Valentine all died in weird ways; you didn't miss much.
Let’s face it – being a single person on Valentine’s Day can be just plain cruel. All day long, all they see is happy couples exchanging big fluffy pink bears and unwanted packs of socks. All day long its happy couples with smiles on their faces.
While you're at Publix buying your Stouffer's dinner for one, you have to stand in the checkout line watching couples suck face while they're buying red wine and organic steak.
And let's not forget the stares that couples give to single people. It’s like they're marked with a huge sign on their forehead that says PITY ME. We look at them like they're homeless and they need some assistance.
Listen—no one wants to have the Hey at least you still have your health talk with their single friends on Valentine’s Day. We all know the drill. The coupled up folks are going home to have sex and the single people are going home to cry and watch re-runs of Dancing With the Stars.
I bring you the single person's survival guide with a few simple rules to keep to from going crazy on Valentine's Day.
THE SINGLE PERSON’S SURVIVAL GUIDE
1) If you don’t have it, fake it. There’s nothing wrong with telling your friends you have a date—you don’t have to tell them it’s with your new box set of family guy.
2) Valentine’s night is the night to hit the clubs. Think about it—there’s no way you could accidentally go home with a married guy.
3) Hang out with other single people. Don’t expect you're coupled up buddies to hang out on Valentine’s Day. Warning—make sure you hang with the right kind of single people. You don’t want to spend the night in the bathroom of a Denny's because your single friend is having a Why does no one love me meltdown. (eww)
4) If you’re really in a pinch, just remember, in a few years almost all of these happy couples will be broken up.
But if all else fails and you're still depressed, just remember that Valentine's Day sucks for everyone-including those people in relationships.
If you’re in a relationship—it’s still a miserable holiday because of the insane amount of pressure. There’s even pressure to buy that special someone the perfect gift. There’s the pressure to buy your single friends gifts so they don’t feel like total crap.
And most importantly, there’s the pressure to have sex. If you’re in a relationship it is practically an unwritten law that you must have sex on Valentine’s Day. There’s nothing that says romance like socially forced awkward sex…can’t wait!
Either way you’re screwed - and not in the good way.
Editor's Note: No chicken nuggets were harmed during the making of this blog.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Yell Scream and Punch Your Way to Love
No one wants to be that couple that everyone stares at in the grocery store because they can't seem to stop fighting about what kind of fat-free yogurt to buy.
Or, if you're Dane Cook fan: the nothing fight over jelly.
But the fact is that couples don't want to be known for having arguments at all. When couples argue, they tend to do it behind closed doors, hidden away from everyone else. There are so many articles written by therapists claiming that they can help couples stop fighting. But why should we try to stop it at all? Fighting is important to keeping a relationship healthy. Should we just hold all of our anger inside until it explodes and we end up having to make that shameful phone call to our parents for bail?
It seems like it's the couples that don't fight that are the unstable ones. It's the prim and proper couples that really scare me. Women who hold in their opinions have a higher chance of death and even scarier: irritable bowel syndrome. (ewww) So the next time you think its best to just ignore your boyfriend's football-watching-Cheeto-eating annoying behavior, think about all those feelings coming out in the form of explosive diarrhea. If you're too shy to speak up, you might want to start stocking up on Charmin now.
Maybe I'm from the old school of thought, but I think, the couple that fights together stays together. A lesson I learned last weekend when the usual You never do the things I like fight, ended in a spontaneous getaway to Orlando, the best vacation we've ever had.
Let the angry words flow from your mouth. Don't walk away or cool off, don't be afraid of saying something you might regret, just say it. A fight can be a way to capture all the little problems and fix them.
For instance, a stupid fight about annoying habits can be a sign that you're spending too much time together.
If you're in the type of relationship that challenges you mentally, spiritually, physically, you're more likely to have a You-can't-trust-anyone-just-like-your-mother fight.
Granted fighting is always a sign of good things to come, if nothing gets resolved and it turns into a habit, your relationship might be treading in dangerous waters.
FIGHTING FAIR VS. FIGHTING DIRTY
1)The main difference between the good fights and the bad ones is intention. Believe it or not, you can pick a fight and have good intentions-and then both people are trying to help each other and the fight leads to personal growth. (Just ignore the cheesy factor)
2)If the fight turns physical, it's time to run like hell.
3)It's true you shouldn't go to bed angry but, if you can't picture this fight ending in sex, it could be time to just walk away.
The very best reason that couples shouldn't shy away from verbal brawls is the kick- ass way in which couples make up. Use your imagination here.
Or, if you're Dane Cook fan: the nothing fight over jelly.
But the fact is that couples don't want to be known for having arguments at all. When couples argue, they tend to do it behind closed doors, hidden away from everyone else. There are so many articles written by therapists claiming that they can help couples stop fighting. But why should we try to stop it at all? Fighting is important to keeping a relationship healthy. Should we just hold all of our anger inside until it explodes and we end up having to make that shameful phone call to our parents for bail?
It seems like it's the couples that don't fight that are the unstable ones. It's the prim and proper couples that really scare me. Women who hold in their opinions have a higher chance of death and even scarier: irritable bowel syndrome. (ewww) So the next time you think its best to just ignore your boyfriend's football-watching-Cheeto-eating annoying behavior, think about all those feelings coming out in the form of explosive diarrhea. If you're too shy to speak up, you might want to start stocking up on Charmin now.
Maybe I'm from the old school of thought, but I think, the couple that fights together stays together. A lesson I learned last weekend when the usual You never do the things I like fight, ended in a spontaneous getaway to Orlando, the best vacation we've ever had.
Let the angry words flow from your mouth. Don't walk away or cool off, don't be afraid of saying something you might regret, just say it. A fight can be a way to capture all the little problems and fix them.
For instance, a stupid fight about annoying habits can be a sign that you're spending too much time together.
If you're in the type of relationship that challenges you mentally, spiritually, physically, you're more likely to have a You-can't-trust-anyone-just-like-your-mother fight.
Granted fighting is always a sign of good things to come, if nothing gets resolved and it turns into a habit, your relationship might be treading in dangerous waters.
FIGHTING FAIR VS. FIGHTING DIRTY
1)The main difference between the good fights and the bad ones is intention. Believe it or not, you can pick a fight and have good intentions-and then both people are trying to help each other and the fight leads to personal growth. (Just ignore the cheesy factor)
2)If the fight turns physical, it's time to run like hell.
3)It's true you shouldn't go to bed angry but, if you can't picture this fight ending in sex, it could be time to just walk away.
The very best reason that couples shouldn't shy away from verbal brawls is the kick- ass way in which couples make up. Use your imagination here.
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