Halloween Horrors

The other day, I went to my local (seasonal) Halloween store to get some highly appropriate Halloween junk.  I like Halloween as a holiday, where all the little kids dress up in cute little outfits and go door to door, getting candy.  I don't care for the gory, scary costumes that scare my dogs.  Those kids always get the bad candy when they pop up out of no where and scare one of my dogs out of their wits.  But, relating to women's roles in society, I was most disturbed this year by the decidedly revealing costumes found in abundance at the Halloween store.  Nurses, firefighters, Cleopatra, cheerleaders, and even bunnies have been degraded to this status.

These costumes don't help women achieve recognition for who they are or what they can do.  Instead, they call attention to what pop culture tells us the most important part of a woman is; her body.  I looked and looked and looked some more for a fun, non plus-sized costume that wasn't equivalent to a skimpy nightgown, but I couldn't find one.  In light of the fact that the women's movement has taken centuries to reach even realization, I think that any woman who puts on one of those outfits needs a good talking-to.  From her grandmother.  Have a little respect for yourselves, ladies.  There are children around.

However, the sheer number of these costumes suggests their popularity.  As with everything else that has changed for women, it's going to take time and talking to young girls about things like self respect and pride in not how one looks, but in who one is.  Until then, I'm beginning a boycott of the Halloween store.  It's much too scary.

In case you were wondering, these are my beautiful dogs.  Myles (left) is two, Fergus (middle) is 10 months, and Hunter (right) is 7

Fool in Love

I know I'm supposed to be writing all about women, but this is too good to let lie.  Last night, I was lying in my bed and reading Wildwood Dancing when I realized I was in love, just like all those girls in the books we read.  Juliet, Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, Fanny in Mansfield Park, and Jena in Wildwood Dancing.  These girls were all in love with their dashing knights and their tall and ominous lovers (and one with a man who had once been a frog), but I am in love with love stories.

Our entire culture is in love with love stories, hungering for the next time a good one dances across the screen or onto the charts.  But why?  A lot of these stories are completely shallow and unrealistic.  For example, the Twilight series has gripped an entire culture's heartstrings with the sad tale of two star-crossed lovers, creating a mob of Twi-fans waiting outside the movie theater every time a new movie comes out.  From a literary standpoint, this series isn't as well written as some other, less popular books.  But the public loves the books and movies, even if the entire plot is "Romeo and Juliet", vampire edition.  Don't get me wrong.  I loved reading them, for mind numbing entertainment that built off of the ageless play.  However, people love a good love story, especially with some sort of twist, even if the story is completely irrational (which makes it even better) or written with very little depth.

A couple years ago, teen country/pop sensation Taylor Swift came out with her new single "Love Story", and the world went berserk.  In it, if you haven't heard it, she rewrites the story of Romeo and Juliet, with a happy ending.  When it first came out, the radios seemed to play it nonstop, and all the girls were singing it when they were hooked together by their ear buds like Siamese twins.  Its intended audience swooned and fell in love, exactly as Juliet might have done after she realized she loved Romeo after knowing him for, let's say, an hour.  This song fed something deep inside teenage girls, with its line "Marry me Juliet... I love you and that's all I really know".  Why didn't Juliet say, "Romeo, I'm sorry, but I've always dreamed of going to college and becoming a world renowned mathematician.  I'd always promised myself that I'd wait until I had my education and could support myself to marry, so that I'd never have to need you just for money.  No offense.  Sorry." Romeo sobs.  "I SAID NO ROMEO!"  Well, for the obvious reason. Juliet needed to sell her song, have it top the charts, and have thirteen-year-old girls dream about the day when their Romeo would go against all odds to possess them.  Our entire culture holds this love story (especially with star crossed lovers) close to its bosom, and by brainwashing (or, you know, growing up in it) we all love them too.

Show me a song where a girl is singing "Goodbye Romeo!  Eighteen's too young!  I've got to go to college!" instead of "Let you put your hands on me, in my skin-tight jeans be your teenage dream tonight" (Katy Perry, "Teenage Dream").  No one could.  The love story, whether it is Romeo and Juliet or dancing all night, is much, much more attractive.  Neither "Love Story" nor "Teenage Dream" does any justice to the potential girls have or the realities of teenage love.  The sooner the world realizes that these songs aren't softly crooning love but are screeching "BUY ME!" will be all the better for the younger generations, who spend hours saturated in lies.  Girls, even subconsciously, are dreaming about Romeo rather than finding out what their talents are and what they love to spend their time doing.  Now I'm going to employ an old lady line: you've got your whole life ahead of you and all the opportunity in the world.  Don't waste it on some sixteen-year-old fool.  Live.  Be you.  Forget trying to make your life a love story and just let your life be your story, no matter how mundane you think it is, because it's better than it being someone else's life story.  And now, I wish to only be addressed as Auntie Mildred.