Burn your bra - or Not.

You know, I wonder why every blog post I read (except here) has portrayed the blog-ess as being out of sorts. SHABBY feeling. Gloomy and Friggin sad.
And no one knows why.


I’d say if this weren’t the beginning of glorious sunshine filled summer that it was effects of seasonal affect disorder, but IT’S SUMMER, you know, summer, Watermelon, baseball, flipflogs, swimming, lazy beach days-sand-in-your-butt-crack, ice cream, popsicles, vacation adventures, SUMMER. SNAP out of IT!

I have pondered over this for a few days. It seems when I talk to those around me, at work and in my family and yes, on all the blogs I read, everyone is uncomfortable or harried BECAUSE of the summer months. The slower pace has all women frazzled, confused and discombubbled. They are either too busy to enjoy the pace or because the pace is too slow, women are uncomfortable with the free time they have. They have become lonely and out of sorts, with nothing pressing to do or if they have something to do, they just plain can't get "up" to do it.

If you are reading this and rolling your eyes don’t look away yet. If you are nodding your head in agreement, stay put, I’m going to talk about a theory I have.

Women are expecting too much. Not all of us, all the time, but in talking to women, I notice that there is much more to do than say 40 years ago when the feminist movement valiantly shouted equal pay for equal work, BURN YOUR BRA, get on the pill and ladies your quality of life will improve if you get to work. Go on, get out there, and get to work.

For example: I grew up in the late 50’s and 60’s. My T.V. stereotypical role models were Donna Reed, Laura Petrie and June Cleaver. They wore housedresses never pants or “slacks”, and made snacks for the “Beaver” when he arrived home from school. They cooked all day long, so that when the Mr. came home, she knelt before him, put on his slippers and then served dinner, (wearing pearls).
The 60’s started happening, and suddenly, women wore pants/jeans. Burned their bras, were supposed to be free to do what they wanted. Thanks to Ms. Magazine as opposed to Good Housekeeping. T.V. mom’s started to become slicker. Look at Bewitched even, she didn’t work outside the home, because she was so busy performing witchcraft, and yes, pouring Darrin #1 martini’s when he arrived home. We saw shows that proved that women who chose careers could have a really complex life, Like Mary Tyler Moore, who threw her hat in the air and lived successfully well dressed and single in her small apartment.
Thanks Gloria Steinham.
My mother (aged 78) and I had a conversation regarding Prohibition on Sunday. For you who either were passing notes in History class or are too young to care, Prohibition was a period of time in the U.S. (during the depression) that the Yahoo religious fanatics and feminist righteous lady suffrogates decided that alcohol was the root of all that is evil with our society (they were probably a little correct) and pressure congress to have it outlawed throughout the U.S. Carrie Nation, took this a step further and went into saloons and bars and smashed all the pretty liquor filled bottles to smithereens. She was angry. She looked like this. See WHY she was angry? (couldn't get a date)

Eventually, Roosevelt, prompted by Eleanor (my guess, my story, get off my back) amended that business and we were back to drinking and driving and the ladies were pushed back down. Any hoo, the feminist movement has messed with us ladies.

As the 80’s and 90’s television role models showed, we CAN have it ALL! See?
Mrs. Cosby, she was a brilliant attorney had all those kids, and a Mr. Dr. and did you ever see a Mrs. Brady’s Alice (who was clearly out of work at this time) cleaning her house? Subliminal message I say. They eluded to her doing all the cleaning and cooking and washing and litigating.

There was Maggie Seaver from Growing Pains, those of you that are age 26-35 viewed her as your role model , she worked outside of the home too, and her husband had a home office, but still she cooked and cleaned and had to mediate those kids.

See, we’ve been told that we can have it all with very little or no effort, and be perfectly coifed, slim, and stylish, our husbands grinning at our every word.

Thank you all my role models for letting me know that all things are possible for women in this century, however, where’s the REAL WORLD now?
Is it in reality T.V.? From Wife Swap we see a different, crazy world than ours. From the Super Nanny, we kids out of control and mouthy. But Why? We rarely see a women on T.V. who has many interests that she is very fulfilled by and has time to enjoy them. Why do you think that Sex and the City was so very popular? We’d all like to believe that we too can be sexy, stylish, have great friendships and drink martinis after work, and come home to immaculate cute, decorated dwellings.

Who really lives like this? The pressure! And that is why we can all thank the women’s movement for our funk. Seriously! Damn you Carrie Nation! Bar keep, pour me a drink.