WORLDLY WEDNESDAY

Ha! I wanted to do a compilation post today because so many things are on my mind. Then I looked at the calendar and BAM! It's Wednesday so now this magical post can happen. My heart and brain have been out of control with news articles and a social media sandstorm this week. 

I want to start this off on a lighter note. I just have to say that I, for one, kind of love Miley Cyrus. This picture really says it all. I watched Hannah Montana a little bit when it first came out...and yes, I was way too old for it at that point. The show was cheesy and the songs in it weren't great but I loved Miley's voice right from the get go. When she turned 18 and went a little wild with 'Can't Be Tamed', I really dug it. Sure it wasn't sending the same all-American girl message as she did before, but it was exactly what I wanted to hear from a young woman. It was kind of empowering to me. She was 18 and she grabbed life by the reigns. She owned her sexuality, her flawed nature, her bad reputation. I liked bad girl Miley! In 2012 she did a backyard session. Her and her band covered songs like this and this and I was in love all over again. Her voice is so beautiful to me. I really liked her song choices, too. This session I think spoke volumes about what kind of woman she was underneath her public image. Now recently, as we all know, Miley has been trying out some new things. I can't say that I'm entirely fond of the racial implications of some of her newest work. I know that adopting aspects of hip hop culture isn't a new thing (see Eminem) but I think she takes it a little far in her video for 'We Can't Stop' and also in her VMA performance. However, this is just about the only thing she has done recently that deserves to be criticized. Do you think that Miley needs to "put on more clothes", "act her age", or "make music like she used to"? That's just too bad. Stop googling her, ranting about her, and buying magazines with her on the cover. You have that choice, so choose it. I was reading her Rolling Stone interview and I realized that I forgot she was only 20. Then I got to the part where she talks about how she feels empowered wearing ballgowns with her short hair and her tongue out. Further down I read about her bringing hearing aids to students in Haiti, her role model being Dolly Parton because "she is a genius under there", and how all she wants is to be iconic. In Harper's Bazaar she says some things that show more of her intelligence such as " I was an adult when I was supposed to be a kid. So now I am an adult and I'm acting like a kid" and "...You're going to do dumb stuff from here on out. But do it in your own time. Do it safely. You can afford to protect yourself and still have fun." TL;DR- I love Miley Cyrus because she is talented, smart, grounded, full of personality, and powerful. If you don't like it, I don't give a hoot.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, my friend brought this article about Chris Brown to my attention which is in reference to his interview with the guardian. Now Chris Brown never was my favorite, and I got outraged along with most of America when he and Rihanna had their infamous fight. I don't care much for his music so he was off my radar until he 'made his comeback' in early 2012. Did I think we should be cheering for him? No, not personally, but I also know that a person's musical success is not always dependent on their personal behavior. As with before, Chris Brown once again became unimportant to me. I don't really follow celebrity gossip, read a lot of interviews, or generally care about most celebrities. Something I do care about is rape culture. So when I read that Chris Brown had been bragging about the loss of his virginity at the young age of 8, I was shocked. I wasn't surprised that he was proud of the fact that he had a sex life so young. I wasn't surprised to hear that he, as with many other men, think that all that matters is being experienced. I was shocked at that such a popular celebrity would outright admit the incident and that he seemed to have no inclination this this was rape. I am well aware that rape seems to be this word without a clear definition. Most people would read this article and not agree that Chris Brown was raped. The list goes on in their head. Was he forced? Not that he mentioned. Was he threatened? Not that he recalls. Was the other person over 18? Not at the time. But do these questions really cover all of the "guidelines" of rape? What about marital rape-when a woman does not want to have sex, but after enough coercing, gives in to please her husband? What about when a victim is too drunk or drugged up to knowingly consent to sex? What about when a child is too young to understand and agrees to avoid punishment or to please someone else? We, as a society, need to acknowledge that all of these examples are rape. Many victims downplay their attacks, justify their attacks, or even glorify them because they don't realize that it was rape. This issue seems to be worst among boys and men. Rape culture teaches all kinds of absurd ideals like 'boys can't be raped', 'all sex is good sex', and 'sex = power'. There's no telling if Chris Brown's recollection of childhood rape will help or further hinder male rape victims to speak up, report their attacks, and just generally admit the truth to themselves. I hope it opens up the door to more discussion on the topic. 

As most of my readers know, I follow a number of body positive blogs, bloggers, and activists. You may not know that I also follow a few female body builders and fitness models. I am inspired by, and look up to, women of every. single. body type. Why? Because I support body positivity. One thing that has come to my attention lately is the habit of fat loving people bullying fit people. How's that for irony, right? On body acceptance pages you will see tons of images that support your right to be fat. They will encourage you to stop shaming yourself. They will talk about the beauty of your rolls, your curves, your flaws. They will outright demand that you stop skinny shaming because it is just as natural to be skinny as it is to be fat. What you won't see is very much of anything, positive or negative, regarding fit bodies. On fitness pages and the pages of fitness models you will see many inspirational posters. They range from photos of the models themselves to photos of professional body builders and even naturally fit men and women. The messages will be everything from a simple "Believe in yourself" to the more direct "What's your excuse?" Now here's the thing: all of these posters and images serve the same purpose. If you do not fit the body type int he image, you may take the message in the wrong way. A fit woman might feel like she is supposed to be thick because people keep posting "Real woman have curves" and "Men like meat, not bones" or even things suggesting that working out makes you manly. A fat woman might feel shame because she keeps seeing things like "Respect your body" and "Lose weight Gain health". Images like this comes across in the complete wrong way to the opposite type of person. All they see is judgement when all you're trying to do is inspire. I will admit that some of the posters get mean and they get dirty. I think it is important to keep in mind that even the meaner images are posted on fat positive sites or on fitness pages. These posters and images are designed to perpetuate the ideals of the communities they service. If you don't want the tough talk of a fitness model, don't subscribe to their site. If you don't want to be suffocated with fat empowerment, don't 'like' the page. It is unacceptable for us to go on these pages and tell the owner that they are wrong, they are bullies, and they are spreading the wrong message. No matter what you believe, we are a community of women and we need to act like it. We all love our bodies for the way they look and the things they do. We all treat our bodies in a way that we believe is best. We are all women so let's stop attacking eachother and start living the words we preach. Body acceptance and body love for all.