How lucky I was to have been there on January 21 at this historic, record-setting event, an event that brought hundreds of thousands of people to our capital and inspired millions on every continent to march in solidarity. It was so over-crowded that I can honestly say I STOOD for women’s rights rather than MARCHED for women’s rights (!) and it was truly extraordinary in many, many ways. This is what delighted me most: Continue reading
women
The Burden of Sexual Attraction
It is well known that in the bird world males are the flamboyant, colorful characters, sporting bright plumage and singing about their assets to attract the less conspicuous females. I envy those lucky chicks who can hide in the foliage, quietly watching and judging all the song-and-dance routines before making their choice for this season’s nest-mate.
In the human world, we gals don’t have it as easy. Sexual attraction is our burden, much to the delight and profit of world’s fashion, cosmetic, and perfume industries. It’s even worse since medical technology joined the party. If we are no longer satisfied with the effects of putting paints, dyes, bleaches, lotions, and chemicals on our bodies, we have more options; we can enhance our bodies with “cosmetic” procedures, many of them surgical, some of them dangerous. The list of what women can do — and are really implored to do — to appear sexually attractive is quite long, starting with a little lipstick and ending god-knows-where in the realm of breast augmentation, facelifts, and tummy tucks. A chirpy song-and-dance routine seems simple by comparison.
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