A Rant of Feminism, Empowerment & Becoming Good. As I See It.
It makes you want to reevaluate everything. I found parts of the Rabbit Blog in Tumblr, turns out there was a whole bunch of stuff the poster left out from the blog. I read the article and found myself agreeing with some points and raising my eyebrows at others.
As a woman in her 20s, I still believe in striving to be the best I can be, in wanting to look back on life and think, "Hey, it was a great run. I did good & the world's better off, having had a portion of me." I still believe that women are the underrated half of the species, and that one day we'll get our turn at world domination. Well, maybe not domination per se since we're the more fair/selfless of the species. I'm saying that the vast majority of Earth's population will one day come to a unanimous appreciation of womankind... So yes, strive to be good/great/awesome (see how I don't mention perfect, ugh that's just overdoing it) and empower yourself. Idealistic? Whatever. Guess I'm just uncomfortable with mediocrity and apathy. I plan on dancing to this tune of bettering myself way past my 30s, 40s, 70s. ;)
JFK, Jr. once was quoted saying, "People keep telling me I can be a great man. I'd rather be a good one." Maybe that's what the blog meant when referring to "average". But really, I don't think so. JFK Jr. is talking about being a good person, not average but truly good. Average is the hundred millions of other people who waste energy or exploit indigenous tribes/the environment/their offices. Average is not defending the rights of others. Average is turning a blind eye on abuse - of power, of nature, of people. Average is settling for whatever crap the world deals you, then complaining incessantly.Shut up with the status quo, all not right in the world & you should speak up about it. You don't HAVE to be great, but goodness (or trying to becoming a good person) is something else. It's noble.
So that's my little rebellion at the insinuations of going for "average". There's nothing wrong with you being you, just don't settle for average. But for what it's worth, the article had its moments. I liked these bits of the article the most. This is the good stuff - a kind of girl empowerment. Read on, ladies (and gentlemen, if you're interested in female psyche).
From the Rabbit Blog: "You’re tired of pretending, tired of bluster, tired of fake swagger, tired of your pride, tired of seeming cool, tired of blowing things off, tired of shrugging, tired of going with the flow, tired of acting unattached, easygoing, tough, cool, incredible. You are tired of trying to be the very best, most beautiful, smartest, coolest, funniest, most ravishingly perfect woman in the room.
...
"But you can't get someone to love your warts if you walk around pretending to be wartless. One day, there will be an unveiling, and it will be harsh. Not only that, but walking around, aware of your warts but pretending to be wartless? Not only is it unattractive, but it's uncomfortable, and it makes you cry into your soup every night.
...
"It shouldn't come down to a man, not until you find one who's capable of showing up. And look, that's what you want. Admit it. Maybe you're not ready, maybe you are, who knows? I don't buy this not ready bullshit anymore, unless you're in rehab and prone to falling for drunks. I think one of the biggest parts of being ready is admitting what you really want, even though it might sound uncool to someone.
...
"And yes, when you start demonstrating your vulnerability, your weakness, which I feel strongly that you should do, when you stop trying to hide your flaws, when you start making it clear that you are just another person in the room, not the best or the worst, when you fail to spin your story in any way, when you strive to appear brave but still admit to feeling crumpled and silly, when you show people who you are and even how you feel without apology (this doesn't mean being bold and showing off, necessarily, it can mean anything), when you try to bring your whole person into the room, the warty loser and the dude lover and every last one of you, then you will repel many, many men, and you will also attract a few who are exactly the sorts of men you want to know. Or not, but they'll be better for you than the ones who liked the fun-time chick, the one who wouldn't mind painting her naked body blue for Burning Man.
...
This is the start of a new era for you. You might be a little less fun to talk to at a bar or at a party, you might have less men around you, but you will be much happier. You now have permission to be exactly the way you are. No matter how ugly you think that is, you are not alone, and plenty of people will find your ugly very beautiful. This is the breakdown you've been waiting for, for a long, long time.
...
I like you much better already." - Rabbit [ Excerpt from The Rabbit Blog at http://www.rabbitblog.com/2010_06_01_archive.html ]
So for all the women out there, who rack their brains over the perfect outfit or the perfect man or a perfect image, I say you deserve better. Better than a life of second guessing & molding yourself to the standards of society. You deserve to break the mold, raise the bar and generally rock the world with how good you are. Good as you can be, without the fake gloss-over or the pretenses we wnat to hide behind. Good as a person & empowered citizen of the world. Good as no one else but you. Good as you.
As a woman in her 20s, I still believe in striving to be the best I can be, in wanting to look back on life and think, "Hey, it was a great run. I did good & the world's better off, having had a portion of me." I still believe that women are the underrated half of the species, and that one day we'll get our turn at world domination. Well, maybe not domination per se since we're the more fair/selfless of the species. I'm saying that the vast majority of Earth's population will one day come to a unanimous appreciation of womankind... So yes, strive to be good/great/awesome (see how I don't mention perfect, ugh that's just overdoing it) and empower yourself. Idealistic? Whatever. Guess I'm just uncomfortable with mediocrity and apathy. I plan on dancing to this tune of bettering myself way past my 30s, 40s, 70s. ;)
JFK, Jr. once was quoted saying, "People keep telling me I can be a great man. I'd rather be a good one." Maybe that's what the blog meant when referring to "average". But really, I don't think so. JFK Jr. is talking about being a good person, not average but truly good. Average is the hundred millions of other people who waste energy or exploit indigenous tribes/the environment/their offices. Average is not defending the rights of others. Average is turning a blind eye on abuse - of power, of nature, of people. Average is settling for whatever crap the world deals you, then complaining incessantly.Shut up with the status quo, all not right in the world & you should speak up about it. You don't HAVE to be great, but goodness (or trying to becoming a good person) is something else. It's noble.
So that's my little rebellion at the insinuations of going for "average". There's nothing wrong with you being you, just don't settle for average. But for what it's worth, the article had its moments. I liked these bits of the article the most. This is the good stuff - a kind of girl empowerment. Read on, ladies (and gentlemen, if you're interested in female psyche).
From the Rabbit Blog: "You’re tired of pretending, tired of bluster, tired of fake swagger, tired of your pride, tired of seeming cool, tired of blowing things off, tired of shrugging, tired of going with the flow, tired of acting unattached, easygoing, tough, cool, incredible. You are tired of trying to be the very best, most beautiful, smartest, coolest, funniest, most ravishingly perfect woman in the room.
...
"But you can't get someone to love your warts if you walk around pretending to be wartless. One day, there will be an unveiling, and it will be harsh. Not only that, but walking around, aware of your warts but pretending to be wartless? Not only is it unattractive, but it's uncomfortable, and it makes you cry into your soup every night.
...
"It shouldn't come down to a man, not until you find one who's capable of showing up. And look, that's what you want. Admit it. Maybe you're not ready, maybe you are, who knows? I don't buy this not ready bullshit anymore, unless you're in rehab and prone to falling for drunks. I think one of the biggest parts of being ready is admitting what you really want, even though it might sound uncool to someone.
...
"And yes, when you start demonstrating your vulnerability, your weakness, which I feel strongly that you should do, when you stop trying to hide your flaws, when you start making it clear that you are just another person in the room, not the best or the worst, when you fail to spin your story in any way, when you strive to appear brave but still admit to feeling crumpled and silly, when you show people who you are and even how you feel without apology (this doesn't mean being bold and showing off, necessarily, it can mean anything), when you try to bring your whole person into the room, the warty loser and the dude lover and every last one of you, then you will repel many, many men, and you will also attract a few who are exactly the sorts of men you want to know. Or not, but they'll be better for you than the ones who liked the fun-time chick, the one who wouldn't mind painting her naked body blue for Burning Man.
...
This is the start of a new era for you. You might be a little less fun to talk to at a bar or at a party, you might have less men around you, but you will be much happier. You now have permission to be exactly the way you are. No matter how ugly you think that is, you are not alone, and plenty of people will find your ugly very beautiful. This is the breakdown you've been waiting for, for a long, long time.
...
I like you much better already." - Rabbit [ Excerpt from The Rabbit Blog at http://www.rabbitblog.com/2010_06_01_archive.html ]
So for all the women out there, who rack their brains over the perfect outfit or the perfect man or a perfect image, I say you deserve better. Better than a life of second guessing & molding yourself to the standards of society. You deserve to break the mold, raise the bar and generally rock the world with how good you are. Good as you can be, without the fake gloss-over or the pretenses we wnat to hide behind. Good as a person & empowered citizen of the world. Good as no one else but you. Good as you.