La la la

[flexagon]

Handstand hold for 2:05 for the record! Not much in terms of improvement, but it's tough... everything after 90 seconds is just pain pain pain. My pattern is forming up: looks like I'll be doing the long holds weekly. I introduced my gym-friend Kat to them yesterday, and she made it 75 seconds on her first try (as well as teaching me a whole new way to kill my glutes). She is so hardcore.

Speaking of strong women: I'm reading Female Chauvinist Pigs by Ariel Levy, a third-wave feminist, and when I get done with that I'm going to read The Pleasure's all Mine by Joan Kelly, a professional submissive who also identifies as feminist. So far I'm pretty sure I'm one of the women Ariel Levy complains about. This is not the post in which I intend to actually discuss the book, and yes, my tongue is firmly in my cheek, but -- she misses the very vital point that we FCPs can objectify men too. ;) If everyone were held to the same "have to perform well and have to look good" standard that women are, well, the world would be a better-looking place. And yes, witness the rise of the metrosexuals.

Edit: oops, I am not actually a FCP. For that I would not only have to not be a "girly-girl" but also be obsessed with such as entertainment. Sigh... I would have been such a great first-wave feminist. Equal pay for equal work! Rahr! But everything that comes out now is this confusing "third wave" stuff.

Comments

[nevers.livejournal.com]

2:05! nice work. i am still full of excuses for not having done a hs hold in weeks. maybe today...

anything over a minute on a first try is super impressive.

[a-kosmos.livejournal.com]

Hmmm.... I've been peeking at the Female Chauvanist Pigs book.

[nevers.livejournal.com]

oops. another workout without a hs hold. this is why i need a training partner!

[nahele-101.livejournal.com]

damn.

i'm gonna try it out tonight and see how long i can go for.

i'm not completely for everyone looking all metrosexual like. i want my dirty hippie girls/outdoor adventure freaks.

:)

i do pluck my eyebrows though.

[flexagon]

Kat is super ultra hardcore. She's not all gymnasticsy but she lifts heavy weight and is always into learning new exercises. I'm gonna miss her when she finishes her thesis & goes off to be a teacher.

[birdofparadox.livejournal.com]

The problem I find with feminism (and I consider myself to be one) is that it regresses and advances weirdly. It's about not being restricted to stereotypical gender roles, being compensated fairly, having the right to be treated like a human instead of an object... But it gets confusing now. I've gotten flak from feminists for being married, for enjoying makeup, underwire bras, cooking, Hello Kitty... and it's just as appalling to me as the crap I get from folks who called me an old maid at 30, treat me like I can't understand computers when I've been in the field for a decade, and repeatedly ask when we're going to have kids now (never accepting "We're not," as a valid answer). Feminism is about being free to decide who we are, and that usually is filled with complexity and dichotomy. It's also about seeing the interconnectedness of all social justice issues, because treating others as less-than-human diminishes ALL of us.

*driveby hello* Would you mind if I added you? You seem v. interesting from the yoga communities.

[flexagon]

I accept "we're not" as a valid answer! :) Have I seen you around childfree_zone as well as yoga? Anyway, cool beans; go ahead, I have added you back; I like writing, yoga and health type stuff; and if I didn't have to stay up late working now, I'd say more about feminism and confusion.