Why Do We Have to Shave?

            I could not wait to start shaving my legs.  My mom wouldn’t let me before I turned 13, and I was so mad at her for it.  All of the other girls started around age 12, and I feel like an outcast for not being able to.  When I started, I began to shave my arms as well.  From all the advertisements and photos of women that I’d seen in the media, I thought women were supposed to be completely hairless.  I stopped shaving my arms when I heard that it was weird to do so.  I didn’t get it then, and I don’t fully understand now why leg and armpit hair is so disgusting, but arm hair is normal.

            A few months ago, I started a conversation on shaving.    I said something about shaving being a man’s idea, and it’s absurd that women have to do such things.  I received all the comments expected too.  “Well, you could just not shave your legs like a hippy.”  “Don’t blame men for your problems.  Most of the time, women are harder on each other anyway.”  Some of the responses were in jest, but even those underlined the deep level of disciplinary body practices that we have as a nation. 

            As far as my research said, shaving was started by advertisers, which doesn’t shock me at all.  Skirts were shrinking in the 1920’s with the Flapper style, so advertisers saw an opportunity to sell more “hygiene” products.  They began talking about “smooth” legs and making women feel insecure about their “unattractive” hairy ones.  Nowhere I could find said that men, specifically, started the leg shaving trend.  However, if you’ve ever seen “Mad Men,” you know that there were no female advertisers in the 1950’s, so I can’t imagine there being any during the 1920’s.  Shaving was an American man’s idea.

            I wish that I could just not shave my legs like some commenters had said.  In fact, I usually don’t.  I rarely shave above the knee, and I go without for months at a time during winter.  I would love to buck the emphasized femininity trends that our country polices us on.  As much of a feminist as I am, however, I still shave during the summer or when I know my legs will be showing.  I don’t want to be judged by anyone, even if I don’t know them, and I hate that.  I hate playing the game.  I have heard all my life what people think about women with hair; it’s the first topic asked about when talking of a foreign (especially European) woman.  When people tell me to just not do it, I know they really aren’t serious, because deep down they know the consequences.  I just ask them this question.  Imagine that I’m interviewing for a job with a nice suit and skirt on, but I haven’t shaved my legs in months.  Do you actually believe that they are going to take me as a serious candidate?  I think everyone, whether they admit it or not, would know the answer to that.

No meat? *gasp*

I'm a vegetarian.  I know right?!  It's terrible!  Horrible!  I mean... what do I even eat!?
Actually, I was a vegan for over a year.  I still try to eat as few animal products as I can, but recently, I found out that I'm gluten intolerant as well.  Cutting out all gluten and all animal products is unbearably high maintenance, so I still eat a little cheese here and a few eggs there.  

Often, I'm asked, teased, and ridiculed about it.  I am called things like "tree hugger," "hippie," "weird."  (I take no offense to any of these names).  While everyone I know is blathering on about how it's strange, different, and not healthy my diet is, I travel inward to a quiet place until they're finished.  "What's the big deal?" I think.  "It's not like I'm affecting them at all.  It's my life, my body.  It has absolutely nothing to do with them."

The fact that it's none of their business never passes through these people's minds.

Meat is an idol.  People love it, cling to it, and defend it with all they have.  A few years back, I met a man who took me and a few others to a steakhouse for lunch.  It was his treat, and we could order anything.  I ordered a salad (what else can I eat at a steakhouse?).  He looked at me quizzically and asked, "Don't you eat meat?" (Because of course, if you choose not to eat meat for a meal, you're automatically suspect).  
I replied, "No" with no attitude, no accusatory tone of voice, no anything.  
"Well, what are you?  Some kind of tree hugger?!"
I sat there stunned.  Are you kidding me?  I literally just met this man 45 minutes ago, and he's judging me because I don't eat certain foods?  And he's treating me like I'm the freak?  What the hell?

This is the kind of thing that vegetarians deal with.  Vegans are treated even worse.

Meat is a religion.  It's "American," though don't ask me how it's remotely patriotic.  It's in every tradition; every holiday has its own special meat.  Turkey, ham, hot dogs: anyone can tell me what holiday is connected with these meats.  People practically worship their foods, especially here in the United States where obesity is such a problem.  Look at how bacon is a fad right now!  It's just meat, smokey and salty and delicious, but people practically worship it.  Why?  What is the big deal?  It's dead, decaying flesh, just like every other piece of meat out there. 

So, the big question.  Why do I choose to not eat meat?  Why do I try my best to stay away from animal products?  Well, I have numerous reasons for it.

First, it's unhealthy.  The only foods that contain cholesterol are animal products.  This is why vegans have such low levels; they only have the cholesterol that their body makes.  Most animal products also have ridiculously high fat content.  Also, fiber is non-existent in animal products.  Numerous kinds of meats are linked with cancer (think hot dogs and colon cancer).  Tell me this: have you ever heard of anyone increasing their cancer risk by eating broccoli?  Apples?  Carrots?  Yeah.  Me either.  Look at the number one killer of men and women in the US- heart disease.  You know what this is caused from?  High blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol (1) ... all things related to animal products.  Vegetarians have a 32% lower risk of getting heart disease. (2)  And I'm not even going to divulge my thoughts about hormones, antibiotics, and steroids.

Next, eating meat is killing the environment. (3)  The UN came out with a study about how animal poop, methane, and feeding hurts the environment worse than all modes of transportation put together. (4)  Yes, that's all planes, trains, cars, boats, and anything else you can think of.  If that doesn't blow your mind, I'm not sure what will.

My third reason is world hunger.  Every hunger person on earth could be fed if we grew plants for human consumption instead of animal consumption. (5)  If we used the land to grow crops for people and not animals, NO ONE would go without a meal.  SEVEN BILLION PEOPLE.  FED.  Wow.

Lastly, I don't like killing things.  I can't stand knowing that I took something's life, whether it's a bug that freaks me out, a frog that I hit with my car, or a cow that I want to eat because I think it's delicious. 
Einstein said, "If a man aspires towards a righteous life, his first act of abstinence is from injury to animals."  Paul McCartney is attributed with saying,"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we would all be vegetarian."  Whether you find the killing of animals to be moral or not, look in the face of an animal about to die.  They're not stupid.  They know what's going on, and they're TERRIFIED.  They're stressed.  They're hurt.  They are supposed to be stunned to not feel pain, but many times, they're electrocuted in the wrong place and still feel the pain of being sliced open.  Even if they are properly stunnedand feel nothing, they can still be conscious enough to know what's going on. (6)  For me, this isn't worth it.  I don't want to be the cause of anything's death, and I don't want to ingest the cortisol from these scared animals.  

I am a vegetarian for every last one of these reasons, and more.  Since figuring out about my gluten intolerance and eating vegetarian, my body has never felt better.  If I do eat meat, which I have done occasionally in the past few years, I feel sick, heavy, and sleepy.  I like to eat and feel almost immediate energy.  I like knowing that my diet will lower my risk of heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, and obesity. (7)  And yes, I get plenty of protein.  Vegetables, rice, and beans are full of protein, and soy and quinoa are complete proteins within themselves.  Whenever I'm asked about protein, I think about how the average American eats twice their daily recommended amount of protein. (8)

When someone "pokes fun" at me for my diet choices, I'm expected to smile and blow it off.  They're just teasing, right?  Well, what if I start "teasing" them back?  Maybe I could say, "No, I don't eat hamburgers, but I bet I also won't die of heart disease like you."  Or perhaps, "No, I don't think this meal would taste better with meat.  I don't like food soaked in blood."  What about, "Yeah.  Well, at least I have a much lower risk of dying from cancer than you!"  It's funny, right?  What?  What's wrong?  I'm just TEASING.

My family seems to think that this is a phase that I'm going through or that I'll grow out of it someday.  I'm telling you that's not going to happen.  I've been a vegetarian for almost four years, and I plan to be one until I die.  When I have a family, we're all going to be vegan.  What I put in my body is my issue, but when there are children depending on me, I'll start them out with the healthiest diet that I know.  Will it be hard?  Absolutely.  But a focus on health, on knowing your body, is the core of building who you are.

For more information on cutting out animal products, I highly recommend the documentary, Forks Over Knives, and the books, Skinny Bitch and The Kind Diet.

Sources:
1- http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/other/your_guide/healthyheart_fs.pdf
2-http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21258509
3- http://www.vegansociety.com/resources/environment.aspx
4- http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?newsID=20772&CR1=warning#.USblZqVOOSo
5- http://www.care2.com/greenliving/could-veganism-end-world-hunger.html
6- http://www.veganoutreach.org/whyvegan/slaughterhouses.html
7- http://www.eatright.org/about/content.aspx?id=8357
8- http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/27/weekinreview/27bittman.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The Hit List

Okay... so it may not be a hit list exactly, but it's as close as I get!

As many of you know, the Violence Against Women Act recently was approved in the Senate.  Unfortunately, there were 22 people who voted against it.  These people are men, Republican men.  This says so much about our society.  Every single one of the 20 women in the Senate, regardless of party, voted in favor of the VAWA.  Think about that for a minute.

Since there's not much else that I can do, I compiled a list of the men who voted against it.  Here are their names and Twitter handles.  Please let them know how you feel!

Sens. John Barrasso (WY) - @SenJohnBarrasso

Roy Blunt (MO) - @RoyBlunt
John Boozman (AR) - @JohnBoozman

Tom Coburn (OK) - @TomCoburn

John Cornyn (TX) - @JohnCornyn

Ted Cruz (TX) - @tedcruz and @SenTedCruz

Mike Enzi (WY) - @SenatorEnzi

Lindsey Graham (SC) - @GrahamBlog
Chuck Grassley (IA) - @ChuckGrassley

Orrin Hatch (UT) - @OrrinHatch

James Inhofe (OK) - @jiminhofe

Mike Johanns (NE) - @Mike_Johanns

Ron Johnson (WI) - @SenRonJohnson

Mike Lee (UT) - @SenMikeLee

Mitch McConnell (KY) - @MitchMcConell

Rand Paul (KY) - @SenRandPaul

Jim Risch (ID) - @SenatorRisch

Pat Roberts (KS) - @SenPatRoberts

Marco Rubio (FL) - @marcorubio

Tim Scott (SC) - @SenatorTimScott

Jeff Sessions (AL) - @SenatorSessions

John Thune (SD) - @SenJohnThune

Alright everyone.  GO RAISE HELL.

The Importance of Contraceptives in International Relations

I wrote this for my International Relations class, but the information here is so important for people to know. It's based off of someone from Amnesty International recommending a policy to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  It's not the best thing I've written (I was sick and on cough syrup & codeine the whole time), but the information still stands.  I also have the sources if anyone requires them.

Background:

            Amnesty International has a long history of fighting for human rights.  Since their beginning in 1961, they have brought numerous wrongdoings out of hiding and into the vision of the world.  Many of these discriminations have occurred against women.  In fact, Amnesty International has a specific division for women’s rights.  Included in this section are Sexual and Reproductive Rights.

            Access to affordable and needed health care and information is a human right.  Many women, however, cannot access it due to gender discrimination, lack of education, poverty, societal status, and violence against women.  Health issues that deal with sexual and reproduction issues are particularly challenging for these women to deal with.  Amnesty International firmly believes that women have a right to health care that deals with their specific needs as females.  

            There are numerous issues that are covered under the Sexual and Reproductive Rights division, but a very important matter is contraception.  Education on contraception is lacking throughout the world.  Women need to know basic information about preventing sexually transmitted diseases as well as preventing pregnancy.  Not only do women have the right to protect themselves from diseases, they deserve the ability to plan their families.  When women can choose when or whether to have kids, it affects all areas of life.  All human rights are interdependent, so women’s health is linked to their families’, communities’, and nations’ well-being.¹

Statement of the Problem:

            An estimated 222 million women have an unmet requirement for contraception and are currently not using any family planning method.²  This lack of family planning information and materials causes many issues worldwide.  In fact, only 14 of 88 developing countries have reasonably priced family planning available.³  The international community, including the United Nations⁴, has declared family planning a basic human right.  Contraceptives are fundamental to how women choose to live their lives; they enable women to become more educated, more equal, and more empowered.⁵  Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights directly affect the United States, because it is intertwined with the world’s population as well as other nations’ economic statuses.

            By providing contraception to women, the overall health and vitality of nations improves.   Contraception reduces sexually transmitted diseases, most notably, HIV/AIDS.  This not only decreases the number of adult with diseases, but also the number of children who will be infected.⁶  It also decreases the number of maternal deaths worldwide.  Family planning allows for the spacing of pregnancies and the prevention for women who are too young or too old to have a healthy pregnancy.  Ill-timed and closely spaced pregnancies contribute to the world’s high infant mortality rates.  Adolescent women are more likely to have preterm and low-weight babies.  These babies also have higher infant death rates.  Older women are also at an increased risk for complicated pregnancies.⁷  In 2012 alone, contraception will prevent 218 million unintended pregnancies in low-income nations.  This will also prevent 118,000 maternal deaths and 25 million miscarriages.⁸  Women and children’s health is not the only benefit of contraception, either.

            According to Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, an executive director for UNFPA (The United Nations Population Fund), “Family planning has a multiplier effect on development.  Not only does [it] help lift nations out of poverty, but it is also… empowering women.  Women who use contraception are generally healthier, better educated, more empowered…, and economically productive.”⁹  Women, especially adolescent women who frequently quit school due to unplanned pregnancies, can plan their families, enhance their education, and participate in the public life.  This includes paid employment, which helps not only the woman’s family but also the economy of her country.  It also helps the education of her children.  When families are smaller, parents invest more in their children, and these children tend to stay in school longer.¹⁰  The World Health Organization states that “family planning is key to slowing unsustainable population growth.”  With too many people, many of whom are uneducated, much stress is placed on the economy and the environment of those countries.¹¹ 

Policy Recommendation:

            I suggest that the United States shows support for the worldwide education of contraception.  Numerous agencies have declared it a fundamental human right.   Without education and access, however, this right is not being exercised.¹²  Contraception is not only an important part of the health of nations, but also of the people’s health within these nations.  

            In 1966 former communist leader Nicolae Ceausescu outlawed contraception and abortion in Romania.  He wanted a larger population, but his people were so poor that they could not support more children.  After his new law, the maternal death rate tripled.  Thousands of children were placed in orphanages, and many moved to the streets.  As of 2001, there were still 20,000 children living on the streets.¹³  The terrible reality of a world with no contraception is poor, unhealthy, uneducated, homeless, and dead people.  This leads to a crippled economy, an anemic environment, and a weak nation.

            The United States is a world leader in many areas, and I think that the access to and education of contraception should be another part.  It is beneficial to the environment, all nations, and most importantly, the people.  When people are happy and feel in control of their lives, their standard of living improves.  Everyone deserves that.

My Dream

I used to feel this strong desire to live in New York City.  It was an almost painful yearning for something that I thought may never happen.  My mom told me that I shouldn't, but if I did, that she was coming to live with me as my protection!  Numerous other family members and friends told me that NYC was a nice place to visit but not a preferential place to live.  I felt as though my dream was just that, a nice idea, a disappearing life that I had planned for myself.  With all the negative responses, I kept fiercely fighting back for my dream.  I thought that if I wanted it bad enough, it would eventually happen.

Now, I don't feel that strongly about it.  After my boyfriend and I went to visit recently, my fierce passion about living in NYC died.  Do you want to know the reason why?  It's not because I stopped loving New York.  My dreams didn't disappear either.  What happened was this: I finally realized that it was possible for me to live in New York.  My dream was entirely attainable.  I was always told and had always thought that I was dreaming too big or not being realistic.  While I was there, however, I couldn't stop thinking about how attainable my aspirations are. 

I want a big life.  I mean, really big.  I have so many plans, so many ideas, and I plan on doing all of them.

Disappointed in Me?

It has been brought to my attention that people in my life are disappointed in me.  It really hurt at first; my whole life I've tried to make everyone happy.  However, The more that I thought about it, the more that I agreed with it... to an extent.

Every one has an idea of what their life will be like, and they project that idea onto the people closest to them.  I have an idea of what my future will be, and in my mind, my boyfriend is there, my friends and family are there.  It's not really them, though.  It's what I believe that they will be.  It's my projection of what I imagine the future to be like.  Life, as we know, is so much more unexpected than that!  People change.  Places change.  Nothing stays the same for long.  When you have those kind of expectations of people, it's a unrealistic.  My boyfriend, my friends, my family- they all have a right to change who they are, what they believe, how they live their lives.  And so do I.

I know I'm not what people have wanted me to be.  I have changed so much within the last few years; it's me figuring out who I am, what I believe, and where I'm going.  It's not wrong.  The fact that I'm not living up to the expectation of others doesn't matter.  It did bother me at first since I really like to please people and keep the peace.  But now?  No.  A resounding NO.  No, I don't like to hurt, disappoint, or let down anyone, let alone those close to me.  But to project your ideals onto someone else?  That is what is wrong.  Changing, evolving, and growing are human nature.  It's how we grow up; it's how we survive.  Humans are rational, thinking creatures.  For me to contemplate and research ideas only to change my mind from how I was raised?  That's not wrong, that's life.  That's how individuals find their true beliefs, their true place in this universe.

Do I wish that I didn't have to disappoint these important people?  Absolutely.  I cannot, however, change who I am because of that fact.  I can only be true to myself.  Right now, I feel so independent, so empowered, so motivated.  I have finally figured out enough about myself to fuel my ambitions and dreams.  The fact that I am no longer disappointing myself?  That's what matters most.

Realization that I'm in Love...

I actually wrote this about a year ago, but I had the same thoughts tonight...    


So I came to a realization tonight.  I figured out that I am in love.  Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite like a Disney scene where the birds chirp and the squirrels dance.  It was more of an uplifting moment where the world was bright and cheery, and then I spiraled into pit of fear.  
You see, I’m not one of those cynics who hate love or claim that it doesn't exist.  My beliefs are quite the contrary.  I believe in love with all my heart.  Love is the only good and pure thing in this universe.  Without it, our world would be a disaster.  I’m talking about all phases of love, here.  It changes, morphs, evolves.  It can be passionate and practical, sweet and strong.  It can start out with butterflies and grow into the deepest, meaningful relationship you've ever had.  Love can even exist without romance; there are so many kinds of love.  
Why, then, am I so scared, you might ask.  Well, I’ve never had something wonderful in my life last for very long.  Is it even possible for "good" to be continuous?  Or is life just a series of ups and downs, going from good to bad and back again?  This is why I am nervous.  This exciting realization that I’ve come to, how long will it last this time?  How soon before it crumbles and falls, leaving me to once again pick up the pieces of my broken life and start over?  I know nothing in life is worth much if there is no risk, but when will there be some constancy?  Will there ever be?  I’m excited to be a part of someone’s life, to be connected to and depend on that someone.  And I know that no matter what happens, it will be worth everything that we went through, but I’m just scared.  I’m tired of getting hurt, but I know that even if I do, I will be grateful just to have been a part of something so wonderful.


...This feeling of anxiety is something that I felt again tonight.  Though Ben and I have been together for over a year, I'm still scared about the future.  Especially now, since we just moved in together this week!  I am so very excited about that, but at the same time, I dread what may happen.  The last time that I lived with a romantic partner, it did not end well.  What if this concludes in the same manner?  I guess part of life is not knowing and embracing that fact.  I'll just have to think optimistically and live one moment at a time.