Well if Plan A doesn't work there's always... Well you get it

The FDA has approved to allow women ages 15 and older to receive emergency contraceptive over the counter Plan B.

Besides the usual outrage of "They're too young!" "You're promoting sex!" "You're making it okay and easy for them to take a life!" "They are women and free to do what they will with their bodies!"
I wanted to strike up the part of the conversation of awareness, no not sexual awareness or of their situation of who is taking it, but of the possibilities of young women getting deadly blot clots.

Initially I did not think about this and it is a serious issue.
Personally I could have inherited Factor-5 a rare blood clotting disorder, if I had not gone to my doctor and got proper blood testing I would be walking through life unaware that I could have a clot simply from sitting too long.

Think of these young women 15, generally the age of a sophomore in high school. Are they sexually active? Yes. But are they  aware of what this high concentrated dosage of birth control could do to their bodies?

Now don't make this an age thing, because the makers of Gardasil (shot taken by young girls so they don't contract HPV, which could lead to cervical cancer). Don't get me started on that, if you let your kid get that shot (which you should to take precaution) they should also be seeing a gynecologist at the time and you are admitting to yourself that your daughter could and will be having sex and she and potentially her other partner could have HPV which is sexually transmitted and males are the carriers. GOOD TIMES.
Point being that that lovely shot dolling brand is reportedly also creating a shot for 9 year old boys to prevent them from getting herpes because oral sex is rising amongst youngsters. (Did someone's jaw just go slack?)

Well, going back to the fact that they are 15 and older than 9 and America is afraid to talk about sex, we should better educate in our schools not only on sex, but provide them with the necessary safety precautions to be taken but also inform them of the consequences involved. The new addition to it would be to add on the risks of blood clotting disorders and how deadly they are.

(Just saying these girls were in high school too...)

Carpe Diem/Mixed Signals

Hope the title isn't too clever, but the topic for discussion is YOLO (ugh) and the song "Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. 

YOLO, stemming from a song by Drake means You Only Live Once. It is a degraded version of Carpe Diem. For those of you who have seen Dead Poets Society you must also cringe at YOLO as well.

Unfortunately, YOLO brought about teens doing frankly stupid things and the acronym to blame it all was YOLO.  For example, a friend of mine relayed a story about her younger sister's friend. A boy was standing in the cafeteria and tossed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at the wall, in hopes of a food fight, he screamed YOLO as he performed this. This is all documented on his detention slip. What a waste of a good sandwich.

Lately there has been a lot of hype around the song "Blurred Lines" which Robin Thicke reportedly told Huffington Post that, "It was nice to disrespect women for once." It was unfortunate to hear these words come from a man who I would swoon over listening and watching the music video to "Lost Without You." The excuse for this behavior is that both he and Pharrell Williams are happily married with children, so they see no harm in it.

The song is so darn catchy. The overall message however, is a bit tragic. Not that we haven't had other main stream media music that has been appalling. A chart topper right now is called "Get Lucky" by Daft Punk.

 

My case for these is only that it will pass and while it is around it will be catchy, but I think it comes down to values and knowing that this song isn't going to change the world or represent all of the men in it.

Here is how I've broken it down: Defiant teen doing rebellious act = Screams YOLO. Guy trying to dance with girl and/or take her home, gets rejected = Cries out damned Blurred Lines!

I doubt the rate of assault and other such atrocities will increase or be promoted through this song. Look back to the songs of the 80s, or to Jersey Boys "What a Lady What a Night." I'm going to be honest I had no idea that song was about a prostitute.

The censored music video for "Blurred Lines" tries to make is more comical that the artists cannot have it the way they originally desired (see next paragraph). Still is demeaning over all. The men look like goons and the girls look like fools.

The uncensored music video (click on link to view video) does cause a bit of discomfort because the men are fully dressed while standing next to the naked women dancing. It is sort of a power struggle and a bit awkward. They don't need to lose a stitch of clothing as the women are dancing next to them. See for yourself. That I have to say is probably the only part that causes concern. If they had lost at least their shirts it would seem that both sexes are on the same level but the obvious lack of clothing and differentiation is alarming and degrading.

Just to sum it up, YOLO is for idiots, please prevent them from using this term and express how moronic they sound and the song "Blurred Lines" is but a passing song and will not effect young adults to think anymore "unholy" as they already do, nor do I think will it make them act in that fashion.

"Come on Barbie Let's Go Party"

Though Aqua had the scandalous modern Barbie's antics down, recently Huffington Post showed us what the average American woman would look like as a Barbie as compared to the stilt with hair.

As we know children grow up playing with dolls, I will not just target little girls on this. Girls play with Barbie (honestly I loved brushing their hair, but it got really knotty and I found that frustrating) and she is thin, wears make-up, tiny heels (MAJOR chocking hazard by the way), and aprons and various other "girly" or "female" oriented career clothing (barf). Following this boys also deem girls to be interested in these things and pink and other such atrocities. Not saying that boys are better off, having loud commercials that promote the stereotype that boys need colorful and violent action toys.

-Side note: I played with Barbie, Ninja turtles, Lion King, and Power Rangers, and yes they all shared a seat in Barbie's pink Corvette.

There have been various studies conducted on this and how it effects behavior, but I think the visual of the work that Nickolay Lamm did by creating a true all-American Barbie is fascinating.

As I look at this comparison I think that normal sized Barbie (the one who actually shares proportions similar to mine) is more attractive and something that I think young girls would like to play with. You know this doll will spark a new study. Barbie's body is not ideal. She would have many medical issues. From a possible necessary breast reduction, to aiding her in walking with her peculiar arch in her feet.

Hope they start selling this model on the shelves!

 

Much Ado About Something

It has been quite a while since my last post. I know my dearest and loyal (maybe one) fans have missed my blogging activity.

I would like to address that over this time gap a lot has changed in our world. We re-elected Obama, were fearful of Romney taking away our choice, Gays have the ability to enjoy a legal marriage with all the benefits that straight couples receive, Plan B was proposed to be available over the counter for girls, and Texas is fighting to stop abortion. There are of course plenty more things that have occurred, but you intelligent readers have been following the news and know this already.

Currently I have been changing fields of study and career paths. As it is listed somewhere I studied Journalism at Iona College. I have graduated and now am looking towards law school. With this I would like to study Media and Entertainment Law so that I can work with major publications and make a change.

If you follow me on twitter, @anj4insights I have been keeping extremely busy on there! So much so that Joanna Coles, @joannacoles Editor-in-Chief of Cosmopolitan Magazine, has favorited a fair amount of my posts. So if you are not following me, then you certainly should!

Let me speak more about Joanna Coles. Joanna Coles, who you can read more about her origins by clicking her name, has done something magnificent. She has taken my dream, tear, and is pushing Cosmopolitan back to it's great history of being a "Fun, Fearless, Female" publication by reviving it with stories that focus on women's issues both here and abroad. She has taken the reins and made the publication political, and has given writers the ability to be true journalists. I cannot wait for the future success this publication will bring.


Enough spoiling Ms. Coles with my admiration. Additionally there are many women and men who have made some astounding contributions over this time that I have not been writing. When I was at a convention this past summer for a Gujarati festival, I met Sunil Desai, he is the President and Treasurer of the Bindi Project @BindiProject. This organization is passionately pursuing and giving the well deserved respect for women that both Indian men and women, boys and girls should share. I celebrate and admire their efforts. www.bindiproject.org

 

Additionally I would like to speak about Sheryl Sandberg, @sherylsandberg who wrote Lean In. It was a phenomenal read and I highly suggest anyone who is working in a corporate setting read it, or anyone who intends on pursuing any form of career. I will probably refer to this book again since I have underlined my favorite lines and ideas (so just about 50% of the book). I tried to refrain, but it is difficult. Visit http://leanin.org/ to see the organization.

Sorry my first posting in some time has dragged and been a bit scatter brained. I have so many things to write about and share but the first post I think should be like a pilot episode, a little bit of this a little bit of that and you have a semi decent picture of the fun in store.

I look forward to some responses and to chatting with you all soon.
Let the fun begin!

Thankful for Black Friday

Not only has Black Friday entered our homes and reduced Thanksgiving and time with family, it has targeted women and mothers to shop till they drop. To make matters worse, everyone is so far in debt that advertisers are selling the idea "Why not get another?"

Black Friday sales have started on the evening of Thanksgiving, which eliminates the time spent with the family, since the rush will be to finish dinner in time for the sale.

Since wives and mothers are the target audience for Black Friday advertisements, and they also typically prepare the Thanksgiving meal, it puts more pressure on them to cook for so many hours and then lose sleep to shop at crazy hours.

Many stores choose women as their target shoppers and make Black Friday appear to be a tradition and obligation. Commercials for Target and Walmart are the main culprits.

The Crazy Target Woman, treats Black Friday as an Olympic competition, and in one video incorporates reverse psychology to deter the competition. Yes, use catty tactics, that makes females and all of humanity peaceful and thankful this time of year.

Walmart commercials push even more for women to rise and pillage. In the commercial two women gossip about a Black Friday shopping legend, who supposedly named her child Black Friday. Recently in these Walmart commercials the target audience is specifically middle class white women.

With Walmart Low Prices are guaranteed, as well as losing limbs in the chaos of Black Friday.

The scariest part about all this, is how tragically we are in debt and yet there is this push to purchase, most of which is absolutely unnecessary.

For this holiday season, let's actually be thankful for what we have, realize that it's the season of giving NOT receiving and spend time with the family.   I am pretty sure if Crazy Target Woman were real she would be seeing multiple psychiatrists and if the Walmart Legend were real, her kid would end up in therapy for having the name Black Friday.

Sexy and Smart: Sofia Vergara

Sofia Vergara has been named one of the most talented and powerful women in Hispanic entertainment by the Hollywood Reporter and Billboard.

According to her website, she started her career in the United States Hispanic network and crossed over to the general market.

Sofia Vergara is reaching great heights in her career on screen, as well as marketing herself and the creation of her new clothing line (and her cheetah print dress is so on my Christmas list!).

Sofia has successfully achieved voluptuous beauty and brains.

Sofia embodies and best utilizes the sexual power of the feminine. With her looks she has succeeded, but with the addition of her knowledge of how to monetize her image, she can succeed even further.

Acting like a smart businesswoman would, she is starting to advertise and market while she has a large impact on Hispanic and American groups. Being on one of the most watched television shows in America, Modern Family on ABC (which I watch religiously), has made her career skyrocket.

Sofia has brought about a new change for herself to have a career boost as well as to gain more money through advertising and marketing. The key is that it’s not luck, but timing.

Sofia currently resides in Los Angeles with her son Manolo.

Many upcoming actresses and other aspiring women, let’s face it, what people see first is you, and your body. Appearances can only get you so far and give small successes, but with knowledge there is power and wealth to be gotten. We are all marketing ourselves, but if we do it well, success will be within reach.

Don’t be afraid to strut your stuff, as long as you use your brain.

Sofia Vergara Website

Love and Marriage

Archaic institution some may say. But, do you have to be ancient in age to participate?

Marriages right out of college have a very low success rate. Some only last two to three years before divorce. In a study done in 2003 from Cognitive Therapy Associates (CTA), focusing on NYU students marry right out of college, CTA statistically shows it doesn’t work.

According to the study most of these young marriages end due to the start of a new career and stress.

Dr. Conner who ran this study, found that “students who marry while in school may be missing out on some experiences that would enhance their life experience and maturity”.

So, it would appear we won’t be getting married in our mid-20s like Mom and Dad did. I hope women’s biological clocks can keep up with this new change.

Let’s face it, the balance of finding love, a career, and creating a family is no easy feat.

It’s best said by Steve Watters of Boundless Webzine, “There was a time when weddings followed quickly on the heels of graduation”.

Watters is convinced that no matter what other factors can destroy a young marriage, it will always come down to the guy not being mature enough.

Men do not face as many pressures as women do from society, tradition or employers. Boys will simply be boys and enjoy single life as long as possible.

Maybe expectations that both the man and woman have are too high and our needs seem insatiable.

Watters says “Expectations for a marriage partner are now through the roof”.

The bar is too high, stressful situations and family matters can destroy a marriage, but yet even with the divorce rate so high we still want to get married.

Arranged marriages are very successful. An article from Newsplex shows the success behind the arranged marriage and the failings behind the traditional American marriage. Is it that we aren’t supposed to marry for love because it is not logical or simply because love and marriage weren’t supposed to coincide.

There are so many factors to both the recipe of perfection and disaster of a marriage.

No matter the age, maturity, lack or over abundance of love I’m still willing to take the risk.