International Woman's Day

It's International Woman's Day

So I've been reading some blogs today and I've mostly been getting the "Yay! It's woman's day! It sucks to be a woman for blah blah blah reasons and I'm so happy to be reminded of it!" Well you know what? Fuck that noise. Being a girl kicks ass.

I have grown up always knowing that being a woman is an incredibly special thing. You can chalk it up to my mom, a woman who (perhaps like many of your mothers) grew up in a world where choosing to wear pants to school was tantamount to initiating an an anti war rally at your high school today. She instilled in me two very important qualities very early on in life; compassion, which is second to nothing, and a strong and well supported belief that the female gender is absolutely nothing short of the male gender. Especially when it comes to intelligence.

And so off I grew up, always believing, and, well knowing, that woman are essentially much smarter than men.   I know that might sound aggravating to many of you. I know plenty of my readership are men, and I love you. I love you so much in fact. And its not that I think that woman are smarter than men because we have more developed brains, or bigger brains, or anything like that. It's just that, woman know things that men don't.

So I grew up always believing woman were right. And I still do, for the most part.  But I also know this: Woman are cray cray. And its with good reasoning. We have been (divinely) endowed with the glorious position of motherhood and a strong, instinctual regard for life, consideration for safety, survival of our kin and babies, and a general concern for home decor and fashion.

Seriously! Think about it.  Not only are we in charge of making sure the household (or the family unit) is under wraps and headed in the right direction for more prosperous reproduction and caring for our own off spring, we are also absurdly concerned with the way it appears, looks, and comes off to other people, or tribes, or whatever. That can drive a girl crazy, for sure. This isn't about how the rugs match the curtains (heh) or how the candle sticks look with the flower arrangements, its about a general appearance of "'oh, that woman has got it together'...sister friend then cups her hands around her mouth and yells in the other woman's direction 'you go girl!'."

I understand and respect that many of you right now think I am taking this in the wrong direction. Like, good job dude...You have gone from having a serious conversation about girl power and all of the sudden you're talking about home decor. How progressive!  But seriously, woman have a right to be concerned about this shit. I know I am. Every time someone comes over I run around like a chicken with my head cut off, cleaning every surface, folding every throw blanket, lighting every candle, hiding everything that I deem inappropriate to have just hanging around in the common areas. It's hard when you begin to acknowledge that certain things are a 'woman's job', and no matter how annoying it seems, we as woman are likely to fall into it.

Kind of like how men will fall victim to taking out the garbage.

Which is okay with me. Certain things are a man's job.  Taking out the garbage is totally one of those jobs in my opinions. And I don't give a fuck what you think about it, dude.

I grew up considering myself a tom boy, which is nothing special in my opinion.  But because I was an awkward kid growing up, didn't have many girl friends, only really connected with the boys, it was just my place. Which is a good thing, because it made me an excellent little worker for my father. A young artist who was not afraid to get dirty and perhaps break a nail or get scraped up (my first summer I worked with a broken hand in a cast, for instance), it was no surprise when I started working for my dad. I began when I was 13 and kept it up till I was in college. I would work school breaks, summer breaks, whenever was a good a time for me to get in there and make a few bucks. Because while my mom taught me an appreciation for love and compassion, my dad taught me an appreciation for money. And holy shit do I love money. About as much as I love compassion. And thats saying a lot. Cause I love the shit out of compassion.

So I've spent a lot of my life working around men. I even went on to take a decorative painters position up here in MA. I held onto that job for year, which gave me all sorts of wonderful experience in working with men.

This is where I can deduce, with nothing but complete certainty, that men are kind of idiots.

I say kind of, because I love men. I love you.  And I know that we woman are idiots, too, sometimes. But men, you boys...you're something else!

Ladies - how many of you have been privy to the inside outs of construction site? Where you are the lone girl amongst as many as two dozen men at any time...before you begin to fantasize about how awesome this might be (and don't get me wrong, it has its moments : ) ), understand that men who aren't used to being around woman at work act like IDIOTS. And I'm not saying this as someone who has just merely been on a construction site once or twice. I have done months at a time, working for both my father and the decorative paint company, working on big constructions sites. Its a shit show. And it is quite clear to me why most men won't hire woman to work for them, it ain't worth it. Having a woman on site means trouble.  And it's not the womans fault. Men can't handle it. MEN CANT HANDLE IT. AND I REFUSE TO THINK ANY DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THIS. CAPITOL LETTERS MOTHER FUCKER. YAH HEAR ME?

It's just that, gosh dudes. Can't you just try and ignore that men and woman 'go together.' Can't we just be equals? Can't we just work side by side? Can't you just look at me and for one minute without an ounce of irony just think to yourself 'you go girl!'

I've gotten a little off track. I wanted to talk about how awesome it is being a girl. So I'm going to back track now. I guess I just needed to my moment to complain. Oops. My B. Lets be awesome now.

Being a woman means that (hopefully) you have great woman friends. And this is up to you. Be a great lady, or a great human being in general, and you can attract great girls to your side. Great ladies are your number one asset in life. Currently I have more good girl friends than I have ever had in my life before, and I am benefitting big time because of it. Hopefully you are lucky enough to have a great mom, or otherwise you are lucky enough to have an incredible Aunt, or Grandma, or friend of your family, sister, or best female friend that will play the part. Do Not Be a girl that is too cool for school. Girl friends are where it is at. Forget the boys. They are cute but they are fleeting. Collect your girls. Treat them well. Honor them.

Girls are smart. We are born into this world with many sets of innate skills. We know how to care for ourselves and people. We come pre installed with incredible amounts of intuition, love, compassion and devotion to those around us. Don't be afraid to cultivate these traits.

Girls are given all the gifts that men are given, but we are unfortunately persuaded to not cultivate them the way boys are. Be strong. Be physical and active. Be scientific and mathematical. Don't let society dictate the kind of person you will be. Perseverance makes us strong. We have had a shit storm of human history against our progress, and we are better people for it.
Because even in the face of all that sucks about womanhood, I love being a girl. Even when I have my period. Even when I am bloated by said period beyond belief. Even when I am getting cat called. Even when I take a moment to think about how far my mothers generation has had to come to be where they are, making 80 cents for every mans dollar. Even when I am the victim of lame ass but effective advertising for women. Even when I am camping and can't just easily take a piss out doors. Even when I was on a job site and I'd have to use the same god damn port-o-johns that all the men do (even though thats technically ILLEGAL). Even when I am not given my due rights. Even when I am treated as unequal.  Even when I was constantly insulted by other contractors on jobs who assumed I didn't know what the fuck I was doing, even though I had way more experience in my given trade than they have ever had. Even when I am probably going to be penalized and disadvantaged in my career for being selfish enough to have my own children. Even when my own government decides that I do not have the right to decide my own fate when it comes to family planning. Even when my government wants to control what I do with my womb, but doesn't care or want to help me when my child is out of the womb.
Even when I know I getting stared at and gazed at when I don't want to. Even when I know that men are not taking me seriously, for whatever unfounded reason. Even when I feel like I am being judged for my looks more than my intelligence. Even when I know and understand about what happens to less fortunate woman in other countries all over the world at this very moment. Even when I know that we have existed for as long as our male counterparts and have just barely begun our ascension towards greatness. Even when I know that there have been 44 male American presidents but no woman presidents in the 'alleged' greatest country in the world. Even when I know that we have to work so much harder and have to prove so much more just to be considered equal.

I love being a woman.

And I wouldn't trade it for anything. And I hope that the woman I alluded to in less fortunate places can say the same thing. There is something eternally excellent and beautiful about being female. The experience of being feminine is special. Of being aware of the woman before me. Of understanding that every generation of woman before me has paved a way for me to be who I am. Of being connected to a body that essential to the progression of our species. Of breast and vaginas, hips and soft skin. Of looking in the mirror and hopefully finding a way to love yourself and your body, no matter what the cues and hints from cultural bullshit.  Of knowing how bad ass it is to not let anyone else get you down, or going above expectations like it ain't no big thang.  Of being tough, and rugged, and self sufficient and hardcore. Of never even thinking twice about what you will and can do in your life.

And I will continue to always believe we are equal. I am so proud and happy to have been brought up in a world(my world, or a bubble, or an idealistic microcosm, what have you) that has always praised woman and chosen to look at our innate and very palpable abilities as well as our accomplishments. I have always been raised as a capable and complete human being. And I happen to be a chick. Does that make sense?


Thanks Mom.

             Did you know there is a Rosie the Riveter High School in California? Its an all girls trade school. So cool.