Happy International Women's Day, all! What has everybody been doing to celebrate?
I had every intention of joining the University Women Centre's squad of radical cheerleaders but... well... maybe I'm not that radical after all. (Tubular? Possibly. Radical? I guess not. Surprised? Not much.) I don't normally go through my daily life feeling terribly uncool and painfully out of it, but gatherings like these tend to make me feel a bit square. OK, a lot square. Like I'm a giant imposing 135lb square in the midst of all these modern, edgy, and hip shapes. Stars and the like. 'Stomp, stomp! Make way for the square!!'
I did manage to make it out to some of the festivities of the day (timing my arrival to coincide with the end of the march and the radical cheering about leg hair and date rape.) Awkwardness and wishful thinking aside (e.g. could I not have biked there in something more chic and ironic than cycling pants from MEC??), I did manage to snag me a homemade Feminism Loves You! t-shirt and of course, one of my personally handmade buttons! The blisters weren't for nothing, then.
As somebody who has been involved in so-called 'women's events' for a few years now, I think I prefer today's DIY flavour over the distinctly Oprah/Enya/running through a field in a flowing dress feelings I get from other women-oriented meetings. However, I still found myself pulling away from and even (confession!) occasionally rolling my eyes at the in-your-face culture jamming of some of the participants today. Perhaps it's because I heard the word 'problematize' tossed around too many times and associated it with the nasty aftertaste of the academy. Or perhaps it's just because I'm not that cool and I was jealous of everybody who had an impressive cool factor seeping out from their pores (aside: generally, a good way to get a sense of people who are not at all cool is to take note of who uses phrases like 'cool factor'. You see? That's not cool.) Whatever the reason behind my slight aversion, the rah-rah activism doesn't seem to resonate with me that much anymore. I still think it's very important to be involved and to be political, but my own style must fall somewhere in between Bikini Kill and Lilith Fair... Um, The Donnas maybe?
5 comments:
Its so funny to hear someone who you think is the coolest thing say something like they are not cool. I have honestly told friends, there's this girl Dana, she has a totally talented artist husband and they travel and she wears cool camping vests and got married on a whim. you are soo cool.
Sorry I missed the festivities today! Good score on the t-shirt and the button is very cute. As for being cool, don't worry about it...you've got enough cool factor to blend with the crowd, and a little dash of square to make you not "too cool for school".
Aw... (she blushes). Thanks, girls! I guess I needed my posse behind me this afternoon to up my cool factor. What are you two doing next March 8th? ;)
Dana, yes it's all about the posse and the understated cool factor. That being said, I was at a University bar last night and started feeling bad about not looking like a bar star and/or looking too much like a professional. That's how I knew it was time to go!
I'd like to see on eof your camping vests.
Llna-
U R the hott shitt!
We're crafty bitches, and we knit 'fo PEACE!
Love your neon sweat bandd-sporting pro-she mullet hoarse from screaming lightning bolt embellished visual arts and crafts obsessed little sister.
When I was at Annie Sprinkle's wedding, there were several vulva-themed spoken word performances. Thanks, 1970s, for that awesome RUT that you've left everyone in... I feel your pain.
GO DONNAS!!
Post a Comment