I watched the documentary Miss Representation over the weekend, which challenges us to think about how much pressure we women put on ourselves to look "perfect," thanks to the ridiculous amount of emphasis the media places on how women look, rather than what we achieve. Meanwhile, controversy has been swirling lately over a sexy yoga advertisement on YouTube. In reading one writer's response to this, I came across this genius video that I just had to share. I'm always looking for ways to infuse this blog with feminist values, without turning it into "mind, body, angry rant.com..." I believe we can keep our feminist ideals, and our positive attitude, and I think this brilliant video does just that. I shared it with my kids, and talked a little bit about what it meant. I'm not sure they understand it quite yet, but I want to arm them from an early age to think critically about the messages they are being sent in the media. I also wanted to remind myself.
Full disclosure: I've been feeling rather like "poop" since the holidays about 5 or 10 pounds that I gained over the last few months. Seriously... I'm over it. What is it that I tell my students? Life is cyclical, we have "on" and "off" cycles. I'm back "on" now, planning what to eat so that I feed myself well, taking time for self-care so that I don't burn out. Miss Representation was a great reminder to put my energy into positive, constructive things, like the people I care about, my work, my goals, and enjoying life!
Have a happy week everyone,
Andrea
You read my mind! I spent the weekend in NYC surrounded by models with perfect bodies. I've put on the good ole holiday cheer weight and I need to focus less on losing the lbs and more on just giving my body what it needs (healthy/unprocessed food) and eliminating what it doesnt (excess wine and chocolate). Thank you for this healthy reminder!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading Robyn! I'm so glad this struck a chord for you, and I totally agree!
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