Yeah, Yeah, Yeah -- "Jingle Bell's" to You Too

This will be my last post of the year, I promise. I have many rants about the holiday season but two that I must get off my chest are:

--The endless Christmas music. Yes, I'm a grinch, but I hate it. I wish I could go into a store and not hear this stupid music. I have actually left stores because the music is so annoying and makes me feel anxious and stressed.

--Bad punctuation. All right, this always bothers me, but especially now when I have to see "Happy holiday's" and "Christmas special's". It makes me want to rip signs, cards, and menus up!

I think I need to start hibernating during the holiday season.

--Curly

Miss Conduct's "Annual Airing of Grievances"

Oh, did I enjoy reading through these grievances from "Miss Conduct" and her many commenters over on the Boston Globe's Web site. What a perfect way to end the year! Hope that you enjoy this material as much as I did!

--Prunella

Not Tickling My Fancy/Fanny

I haven't experienced this myself, but lots of female friends have mentioned how, when they are at the gynecologist getting examined, the doctor will tell them to "think of Brad Pitt and relax."

This is disgusting and offensive for a number of reasons. First of all, not all women are straight and want to think about a man when someone has his or her hands between their legs. And whether they are straight or not, they may not find Brad Pitt (or George Clooney or Johnny Depp or whoever else) attractive. And why should women have to get such advice anyway? Do men at the proctologist get told that they should think of Julia Roberts or Angelina Jolie? Why can't the doctor/nurse focus on the task at hand (so to speak) and try to make the patient relaxed in some other way?

If someone said this to me, I'd be inclined to close my legs and kick him/her in the face!

--Curly

Undressed for Success

In my last post, I complained about music videos and their use of half-dressed women to catch the viewer’s interest. The same is true of advertisements. So often I see a billboard or an ad in a magazine and it features a mostly naked women, and I incorrectly assume the ad is for underwear. But no, usually it is for something totally unrelated to underwear, such as a car, or alcohol, or even an amusement park (because nothing is fun for the whole family like a sexy undressed woman!).

When will we stop using women’s bodies to sell things? Does seeing a naked woman really make someone more likely to choose a particular brand or product? For me, it does the opposite, and I would like to think that it might have this effect on those of us who are conscious of sexism.

--Curly

Black Eyed Pleas

One of my few celebrity crushes – and perhaps the most embarrassing one – was on the singer Fergie of the Black Eyed Peas. In my pursuit of Fergie, I have watched (and yes, I admit it, enjoyed) many BEP videos.

This peeve is not only related to BEP but to most music videos out there. Why are women scantily clad and portrayed solely as sex objects? Why are they bumping and grinding, usually with their gaze trained on the male singer, who is often unattractive and sloppily dressed but acts like a stud? Even Fergie, who does have a powerful voice, is nearly always wearing a minimum of clothes (okay, okay, I do like that, but I also chastise myself for liking it!) and she is shown in these videos as a sexy woman who is appreciated for her body and her looks, but not for her musical talent.

When will we get to a stage where we can focus on the music and on the story told by music? Why do we need half-dressed women in order to keep our attention?

--Curly

Have Yourself a Sexist Little Christmas

Ah, the holidays. A time filled with so many rant-worthy subjects!

I got a book catalog in the mail, advertising wonderful holiday presents, conveniently divided into “for him” and “for her” sections. For him, why not buy a book about war, sports, cars, or science? And for her, naturally there are books on cooking and gardening, with one thrown in about animals, since women love cute itty-bitty animals! Women would never want to read about science or, gasp, sports, and why should men learn anything about plants or baking?

How is it that even in this day and age, even presents are still sexist?

--Curly