"I Love Things!" Thursday - The One With Feminism

Since I am unusually at peace I am feeling unusually feminine and feminist. I think this is a good thing, and today's list of love reflects that.

1. Allie Brosh

My love for this image is without end. Forever and ever, Amen. Source.

I cannot fully express just how happy I am that Allie posted on Hyperbole and a Half. The ILTT  for last week was going to be all about her, but alas, I never got around to writing it. So, I'm highlighting it again now. If you haven't read Hyperbole and a Half, then just go. Now. Educate yer'self. I'll wait. See? Awesome, yes? Not only is this chick the more artistically talented, funnier version of me, she's also super brave, what with being so honest about her personal struggles and all. I love that. I love her writing, her pictures, her sense of humor, her ability to laugh at herself. But most of all, I love that she's putting herself out into the world. By sharing her story, she's helping so many people. People like me. When I read her new entry last Thursday it was exactly what I needed to hear. I'm not a freak. I'm not alone. My fish are dead. It sucks that my fish are dead. And that's okay. Seriously, so much love for Allie Brosh.

2. Amy Estes

I sure wish I could rock black
frames that hard. Alas.Source.

This woman right here writes a blog called Coffee & Sunshine. I like coffee. I like sunshine too. It mostly just doesn't like me. It burns. Anyway . . . She is awesome, and if you aren't reading Coffee & Sunshine, you should be. Not only has this fine lady helped me with a Teacher Ready assignment when I was in dire straights, she also consistently writes these amazing, self-reflective, real, and completely relatable posts that never cease to blow my mind. Maybe she is my Spirit Guide, because it seems that just when I need to hear something in particular - that's what she's just published. Like Allie Brosh, Amy is open and honest about her personal struggles and as a reader, that means an awful lot to me. From the time I was coming out of college until fairly recently I found myself drowning in media that was telling me how I should be, and I was not measuring up. No one seemed to struggle like me, and when you feel like you're all alone in your troubles it makes those troubles seem so much worse. Then I had a kid, and that just compounded the problem. For a long time I obsessed over achieving the perfection that I kept finding online. I kept trying and failing. It made me sad. Everyone else had the trappings of the cool life. They threw opulent DIY parties for their children. They didn't seem to have any issues with laundry - hell, they used cloth diapers. How could I compete? How could I even compare? Then, ever so slowly, as I began seeking out bloggers instead of sites, I found people out there who were kind of like me. They were honest. They had trials and tribulations. There were ups and downs. My life started to feel a little more normal. And that is why I love Amy Estes.

3. Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo

Did I mention that Honey Boo-Boo is also for gay rights? "Out noted that her
acceptance of her gay relative "confounded" the sterotype of the "redneck"
working-class, conservative Southern white female." Damn straight. Source.

This is beginning to read like a recap of Wednesday Reflections #13, isn't it? I promise, it's not, but we are going to revisit the topic of Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo. I've decided that I like these people, and I have some really good reasons why. While I question the level of exploitation that may or may not being going on with regard to TLC, I think that it's mostly a good thing that this family is on TV because I think more people can relate to them than are making fun of them. At first I was offended at the notion that a family so very similar to my own was being paraded around on television like some kind of freak show, but I don't think I was giving them enough credit. They're poor, not stupid. I'm sure they're fully well aware that there are people out there laughing at them and saying all sorts of horrible and mean things; they just don't care. I love that. The salt of the earth, the Thompson family are comfortable in their own skins, and that's really admirable. You don't hear anyone agonizing over physical appearance on this show despite the fact that the star is a pageant queen. These women are confident and they defy the cultural standards of beauty. Not only that, but in every bit of the show I've seen they are a supportive, loving, and fuctional family. Can we say the same for some other famous families on television? I think not, with the exception of Caroline's family from The Real Housewives of New Jersey and I'm just saying that because I love her. Like Roseanne before it, Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo gives us a look at what a majority of Americans live like, and also like Roseanne it's making a lot of people who have no concept of this reality very uncomfortable. I love that. Maybe Honey Boo-Boo will inspire a real dialogue wherein we can discuss topics such as generational poverty and the hardships of rural Americans. While I question some of the family's health related choices, I can't be too judgmental as I too have a weight issue as a result of poor dietary choices. I "redneckognize" the problem though. I hope the Thompsons do as well, because I'm very interested in seeing their story play out. I hope it has a happy ending.

4. My Sister

If I were a cow, I wouldn't look that happy about being milked.

Everything I said up there about the Thompsons? I said all that because the mom reminds me a lot of my sister Alicia, who is the most confident, out-spoken, down to earth, comfortable-in-her-own-skin, and happy person I know. We've had our issues in the past, but I think that had a lot to do with me being a teenager. Now I kind of wish that I lived closer to her so That Sprout could spend more time with her. I find myself really missing her, and I need to call her more often. This should be a goal. Not only is Alicia confident and able to laugh at herself (most of the time), she's also one of the people responsible for my very ecclectic tastes in music. You might not be able to guess from this picture, but that woman milking the fake cow is the one who schooled me on The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kraftwerk, Echo and The Bunnymen, and Elvis Presley. During the turbulent years she really got into country, but I still remember jamming out to "Das Model" in her very awesome 1970-something Camero. I miss the Camero . . . I miss schlepping around Crescent City on foot. I miss red Kool-Aide and Bolongna and Cheese Sandwiches (on white bread!). I miss hanging out at the pet store she used to work at. I miss going to football games and palling around with the EMTs and the Band. Now she works more than she should have to so there's not a lot of time for the fun bonding type things, and that's sad. I really respect her work ethic - it's something that I wish that I had. Her life has not been as easy as mine, yet I think she's probably a lot happier than I have ever been. That's pretty admirable. Even though I don't show it as much as I should, I really do love my sister.

5. M.E. Thomas

Click here to buy the book from Amazon. Source.

I know I've mentioned Sociopath World before. I think it's a really interesting, insightful, informative, and engaging blog. (No, I did not make that alliterative on purpose - it just happened.) Only recently did I learn that ME, the person who writes Sociopath World is a woman. What's more, she's written a book that was released this week. Since this post is in praise of women who are keeping it real, I thought ME would be a good person to round out the list. She has written her blog since 2008 and has garnered quite a following. She attracts all sorts of people looking for information about sociopaths, empaths, narcissists, BPD, and autism spectrum disorders. She is very well read on the psychological research into sociopathy, and while her comments and forum have descended into small minded chaos from time to time, she has maintained a professional caliber blog which I have aspired to emulate here. She's my number one blogger role model - not for content, but for style. I don't know anything about her other than what she's written on the blog, which is both candid and veiled, but I know that she's one of the smartest people I have encountered in my internet travels. I might not love her, but I love reading her blog, and I hope that she her book is very successful. I'll be buying a copy soon, I can tell you that.