Hate and Prop 8

Today the Supreme Court of California upheld the earlier ruling of Proposition 8, denying the right for same-sex couples to marry. In the very least, the court decided to acknowledge the marriages that did occur during the short time gay marriage was legal. But if the court can uphold these marriages, than what sense does this make to deny this basic right to all people? At least America bears witness to Iowa becoming the third state to legalize same-sex marriage (if you rule out California). This leaves Massachucetts, Connecticut, and Iowa as the only states where anyone can marry. Apparently Vermont and Maine plan to legalize gay marriage in September of this year.

Not that long ago, the United States refused to acknowledge interracial marriages. In 1967 the case of Loving v. Virginia brought down the Racial Integrity Act, the state law banning interracial marriages. It seems that history repeats itself once more with the ban on same-sex marriages. In attempts to stay positive, I believe that Americans will see the legalization of marriage for same-sex couples within the next 10-20 years. And until then, I refuse to marry. This is my own personal protest at the hateful denial of couples in love to affirm their commitment through marriage. Although I have a hard time with the traditional idea of marriage as it is, but that's another blog for another time.
At least we can trust that love and commitment still exist for everyone, regardless of the legal system and religious right's attempts to meddle in our lives.

Hairy Matters

All over the place lately I have begun to notice advertisements for shaving and all of the tools that accompany this daily routine. Advertisements perpetually enforce the necessity for females to remain hairless, including, I believe, a more current obsession with getting rid of pubic hair. I remember being completely embarrassed that all of my friends were shaving their legs in elementary school and begging my grandmother to allow me to join the ranks of hairless prepubescents. My best friend and I even shaved our legs for the first time together. Shaving transformed you from girl to woman, or so we thought. The latest MARTA bus advertisement that I have noticed lately, depicts two freshly shaven, shiny legs pointing in the air next to one of the various million blade razors that is currently hot on the market. Pointed out in the Killing Us Softly series, many advertisements, like the one from the MARTA bus, hone in on specific female body parts, eradicating any real identity from the individual. The usage of code words and symbolism enable the media to avoid words like pubic hair and vagina. When did vagina become such a dirty word? Our favorite witty lady from Informania's Target Women, Sarah Haskins, has also noticed this preoccupation with bush maintenance. Here's the clip from Haskins' latest greatest:



There's also an excellent excerpt from Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues that depicts a woman's attempt to please her unfaithful husband by shaving off her pubic hair. In the end she decides that going bald is far more trouble than it's worth.

To this day I still shave my legs and perform routine maintenance on my "garden." I am as much a product of society as anyone else. But I can't help but scoff at these ads that reinforce the female need to monitor and obsess over her appearance. Not to mention that shaving one's legs proves to be quite an arduous task.

Until next time, hairy or hairless, keep the spirit alive!