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.

Paid by Beauty and Pay the Price

Sexual harassment in the workplace in the U.S. has been steadily rising. Most cases go unheard, but for those that are, more women will seek help than men.

Men feel emasculated if a female is paid more than himself. This also leads to the fact that attractive women get paid more than those considered unattractive. In the article in Forbes "How The Herman Cain Allegations Are Redefining Sexual Harassment" by Larissa Faw, a quote from Anna North a writer from Jezebel said that "Women’s appearances are also scrutinized in other ways in the workplace, from dress to facial features — a recent study even found that women were perceived as more competent when they were wearing makeup.”

This is not a surprise, women are still being referred to as girls and not women. A woman could get paid more from her looks, but pays the price of harassment in the work place. Women are more willing to put up with "women jokes" and other small degrading instances than immediately report something.


If this occurs so constantly that we have to ignore the small comments that lead to sexual harassment, then something must be done and action should be taken right away. There is the fear that a complaint could taint your image or make you appear to be a whining woman.


That is not so. A woman of power and strength should always stand up and do what is right, there is no problem too small or too big. Sexual harassment should not lead to an internal battle of "to tell or not to tell". 

But for those who report these instances, know that you are not alone. The article states that men also suffer and report sexual assault from other men in the workplace.


For the full length Forbes article: How The Herman Cain Allegations Are Redefining Sexual Harassment