Day 11: Girly
Today's prompt had me stumped. I honestly have no idea why we chose this prompt at all. I don't particularly like girly stuff, and I think the only pink thing I own is the dress from my Disguise photo. I was bitching about this to my co-host MikeWJ, and he told me, "Come on, you have it easy! Just take a photo of your nails or your shoes or whatever."
So I'm taking a photo of my nails (sort of), and my shoes, and whatever.
*
Those are fantastic heels but they don't compare to the chocolate.
ReplyDeleteYou've got legs! And you know how to use them. Man that's a lot of nail polish. Are you applying it or sniffing it?
ReplyDeleteFABULOUS LEGS!
ReplyDeleteWell, you can't get much more girlie than that!
ReplyDeleteVery girly. Today in Major League Baseball the catchers are using brightly colored nail polish so the pitchers can see their signals for what pitch to throw.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a Saturday night!
ReplyDeleteNails? Check
ReplyDeleteShoes? Check
Chocolate? Nice touch!
:-)
Traci
The chocolate was my favorite, too. I say "was" because it's gone now.
ReplyDeleteYou're right, it totally does! :)
ReplyDeleteReally? I had no idea. But I guess it makes sense.. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess I'm more girly than I thought I was.. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Katherine! It's all in the shoes, you know. ;)
ReplyDeleteOne can't apply it without sniffing it, I'm afraid. Must be why my brain is fried.
ReplyDeleteI agree, chocolate always wins. And wine.
ReplyDeleteThose heels, those legs - they are going to cause an uproar! Yowza ~
ReplyDeleteAnd the chocolate image made me laugh and you are surviving Bob just fine ...
Thank you, Tami! It's all in the shoes, the shoes totally make the legs. ;) And the chocolate is just awesome because that's what chocolate is. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteZiva, I had a hard time with this one too.
ReplyDelete"I don't particularly like girly stuff" - ME EITHER!
PS: I TOTALLY want your shoes!
As a feminist, I almost sat this one out. I don't own anything that could be misconstrued as girly. Womanly, yes. The term is offensive and demeaning to women. I wouldn't be in such a dither about it if it weren't for the fact that women in the US have been steadily losing ground since the 80s. Equality has gotten further out of reach and, like it or not, language dictates how we think.
ReplyDeleteI love your array of feminine accoutrements. I've always wished my feet were smaller so I could wear high heels for fancy occasions. That wasn't in the cards for me but I do love the elegance, grace, and sexuality heels add to the way a woman walks or dances.
I think anyone who thinks the term girly is offensive and demeaning to women needs to think over the way they relate to things. There is nothing weak or demeaning about being girly. Girls are strong and beautiful and in no way inferior to men. Sure, the term girly is often associated with pink and frilly stuff, but to fault women or girls for liking pretty stuff is a bit backwards for a feminist. I agree, language dictates how we think, and you just assigned the term girly attributes that I never have. One could argue that by thinking like this, you made it demeaning and offensive, and you made being a girl something weak and undesirable.
ReplyDeleteI got the shoes in New York with Nicky and CheesyMike. Nicky got these gorgeous wedges, and I got these wonderful heels. They're the bluest blue you'll ever see, even though it doesn't show very well in the photo.
ReplyDeleteOoh, perfect for today, Ziva. I will borrow that blue polish and those shoes, please. Oh, and the chocolate I won't borrow, but I will devour it!
ReplyDeleteYou can take my shoes and take my polish, but you will NOT have my chocolate!
ReplyDeleteOh man!! That is AWESOME.
ReplyDeleteI love you, too.
ReplyDeleteMore food pictures No wonder I'm getting fat. I think you've captured the "girly" stereotype quite nicely.
ReplyDeleteIn this case, the actual chocolate will make me fat, not just looking at the photo. Sigh.
ReplyDeleteM'mmmmmm chocolate - every woman's desire.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is mine. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think you missed my point. Girly, by definition, applies to girls, not women. To apply it to women is where I fall out of agreement with your position. You made my point for me by writing, "Girls are not inferior to men." Girls are children; men are adults. That's where language matters. Girls are not inferior to boys as women are not inferior to men. I have no issue with someone of either sex liking pretty stuff. That's not an inherently female trait any more than liking to play in the mud is an inherently male trait.
ReplyDeleteWomen are fully capable of doing anything men can do. Historically, and especially in the States, men treated women as something less, something more helpless, something that needs to be taken care of. Far too many men and women still believe these myths, and in essence, are saying and treating women as if they were girls--children who need all of those things until they've matured enough to do them for themselves.
You'd have either loved or hated the 60s and 70s when women were finally and fully engaged in demanding equal rights, equal pay, and equal treatment under the law. We are losing those rights faster than ever. Reproductive privacy and rights, which should not even be a matter of public or political concern, have been stripped from women in far too many states. It's not a good time to be a girl or woman in the US, in fact, it's frightening as hell.
I think you're being a little too literal in your interpretation of the word, especially in this case. Yes, the term girl refers to a child, but language evolves, even English, and today when someone's talking about a girl they often simply mean someone with female parts, not a child, nor are they automatically assuming women can't take care of themselves and need to be treated like children. To assume that is to simplify something that can't be simplified like that.
ReplyDeleteI often refer to myself as a girl, even though I am very much a woman, very much capable of taking care of myself and others, and of doing any man's job. I work with my hands just as well as a man does, and I don't consider myself to be in need of any special treatment simply because I referred to myself as a girl. The language has evolved to make grown men and women in a relationship girlfriend and boyfriend, and I don't see how calling someone a girl even if they're over 18 would indicate that you find them incapable of being mature.
But I do realize that I live in a country that has elected a female president, and where women are in the majority in the government. I know America is in a much different place. Still, I don't think trying to get rid of the word "girl" for anyone who's not a child is where your efforts are best needed. Fight for reproductive rights, fight for women's right to abortion, to say no and to decide when and how to get pregnant. Fight for a change of the legal discourse, and to change the way legal text is written with a focus on the man. Put your efforts there instead of accusing me and Michael of being offensive and demeaning simply for using an everyday word that I honestly don't think is the root of all evil.
I'm not sure what you mean by your comment about me either hating or loving the 60s and 70s when women were demanding equal rights. I studied women's rights in university, I love the fact that women had the guts to stand up for themselves and for what was rightfully theirs. If by feminist you mean someone who fully believes in equal rights for everyone, and who supports women's rights issues, I am a feminist. But if by feminist you mean someone who does all of that, but who also can't adapt to the changing times and pick her battles to choose what is really important and where the issue really lies, then I'm not a feminist. But don't think I don't support gender equality in every way. Suggesting anything else would be offensive.
But I'm no moron. I know you'll tell me that it starts with the smallest things, and that if we let this one little thing get by us, then it's all downhill from there. Maybe you're right. Maybe you're not. What I do know is that you won't change my mind on this, and I won't change yours, and this comment section is way too small for this discussion. ;)
Cheryl, I agree that our society, like most, often
ReplyDeletetreats women as inferiors to men. And like you, I'm deeply concerned about the loss of women's rights, as well as issues like equal pay and
equal justice in our legal system. But I don't believe girly is an inherently misogynist word.
First, girly clearly applies to girls without a hint of sexism, and neither Ziva nor I stated that it was
meant to apply only to women. My photo today illustrates that perfectly well. It is a photo of a girl, a girly photo, and it's beautiful, not demeaning in any way.
Second, psychologists would tell you all
women retain certain aspects of girlhood well into adulthood, just as all men can be boys. There's no shame in that -- in fact, I believe attitudes of youthfulness are something to be celebrated. Or mourned when they're lost.
Third, while Ziva can be girly in the purely
feminine sense of the word -- today's photos prove it -- girly hardly applies to her in the weak sense of the word. Nothing about Ziva
indicates she believes women are or should be subservient to men. Quite the opposite. In fact, Ziva's arguably a role model for womenhood in the strong sense of the word. She works, she's a top product of the world's number-one educational system, she speaks so many languages I can't count them, she's earning an advanced degree in international justice, she's a math whiz (although admittedly everybody's a math whiz compared to me), and she's tough as hell.
Fourth, I agree with Ziva that it's wrong to avoid words like girly and woman just because some people mistakenly imbue then with negative meaning. There's nothing about either word that says "less" except to people who already believe being girly or womanly places you further down the social ladder. To dismiss girly as a word would be like dismissing "Black" or "Indian" as words.
They only take on negative connotations when they're used or perceived negatively.
Fourth, neither Ziva nor I are sexist, so give us a break.
No, not always.
ReplyDeleteWell, I, uhm, well...huh. I'm not sure what to say about these most-excellent photos.
ReplyDeleteI like chocolate?
Yeah, I'm going with that. I like chocolate.
Good choice. :D
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's the heels, I'll be honest.
ReplyDeleteI remember nail polish from my goth days. I'm lying. I never had goth days. Pretty girly though. Pretty girly indeed.
ReplyDeleteYou do realize I'm going to have to ask Nicky to find me a photo of you from your goth days now, don't you?
ReplyDelete