Thought-Provoking Thursday: All Women Equal?

It's International Women's Day. This year's theme is "Empower Women - End Hunger and Poverty". I was excited when I started reading and hearing about Women's Day in the news, but this morning I got to thinking - why is Women's Day not celebrated in the States? There are news blurbs, and politicians makes comments, but that seems to be where the day ends. It's a national holiday in many countries, especially those in Eastern Europe. I don't believe the countries that designate today as a national holiday necessarily value women more than the US values women, so why has this day not picked up momentum here? I know that we do not have as high of a population of women who are facing hunger and poverty than in developing countries, but there are definitely hungry women living in poverty trying to make it day-by-day in the US.

The more I think about International Women's Day, the more I am confused. On the one hand it is clearly a political day, a day to call attention to the needs and progress of aide to women across the world. On the other hand, it seems like it is just a day to celebrate womanhood. Would it be a frivolous American thing to use Women's Day to celebrate all the fun things about being a woman, when women across the world are focused on just having their basic needs met? Would it be greedy if today in the States we focused on women being able to speak their mind without the risk of being publicly slandered (ie maniac radio personalities) when there are women in other countries just praying not to endure torture and rape?

What are your thoughts? What should Women's Day be about? Would it be strange to have different themes for different countries?

Being 30-Something Has Perks

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I learned something exciting the other day. I learned that after the age 30, if you have had three consecutive years of clear pap smears, you only need to get a pap smear every three years. How did I now know this? What a great perk to being 30! And I thought there were no milestones that went with being 30....

As I was searching to confirm that what I heard was in fact true, I came across some extremely entertaining videos. NPR reported the other day that every minute an hour worth of video is uploaded onto YouTube. I love that YouTube encourages any and all videos to be posted.
Note: These videos are not graphic, but may be awkward to watch in the workplace with the volume turned up. A few months ago I sent out an email with this photo. It was hilarious as I quickly received emails with horror stories of being caught at work reading my email. So, maybe you should watch these videos at work... all in the name of having a good, awkward story to share.

Canada has a Cervical Cancer Awareness week. Their promotional ads have me beyond intrigued. I have so many questions. Why is the woman dressed like a fairy godmother? Is the fairy godmother's wand actually a microphone? Who wrote the dialogue to include phrases like, "Let me tell you, girlfriend"? Why did they choose to make the campaign look like a scrapbook? Who wrote the rap theme song? How did the men who sang the rap feel about their gig?

This is by far the most confusing video. The model person is interesting in and of itself. The brief photography lesson is nice. The fact that this girl wants photos of cervixes emailed to her is confusing and disturbing. Is she an artist? A medical examiner? A creep? How many photos has she received?

Target the Ladies

This evening John and I took a trip to Target to pick up a few things sans Grayson. As much as I love our son, it is great to have the opportunity to stroll through a store without the risk of a meltdown. I was not exactly strolling through Target as much as I was waddling though, wondering just how close I was to delivering Lucy in the home decor section. As I waddled at a snail's pace, John and I ran into a few different people we know. I ran into someone I have not seen in years. It's embarrassing to run into someone I have not seen in years when I am in the state I am in: a big mass, barely moving, wearing the same dirty sweats I slept in last night. So much for making an impression that I have kept myself together over the years. The response to my somewhat disheveled appearance was, "Oh, and you are with baby!" For some reason I felt like a teen mom, or like I was an unfortunate pregnant woman. Oh well, I'll own it.

Target was buzzing with the masses and John posed the question about why women love Target so much. He asked what is so special about Target that brings women to it in droves. I did not have a clear answer, but it is true, the Target population tends to primarily be women (this is purely anecdotal evidence, of course). Sometimes I go to Target on a weekday and I am always surprised by the number of pregnant women or women with small babies cruising the aisles. I will see woman after woman, eyes somewhat glazed over, slowly pushing carts down each aisle. Sometimes it feels like it is "ladies day" at Target, but that would be silly because Target does not need to have such a gimmick to attract the gals.

I don't know the exact reason why Target draws so many women, but I do know that sometimes I feel an unspoken solidarity amongst the women at Target. Cheesy statement, and probably overly sentimental, but whatever. I have bonded with a number of women over the sales or clothing at Target. Even tonight, I had a couple of bonding moments. I spotted a cute shirt in a woman's cart and I commented that it was a good find. We chatted briefly about her good decision to purchase the top. Bonding moment. As I was making my way out the door a woman walked up next to me and asked, "Are you due any moment now?" I must have looked really rough by the end of our Target journey. When I answered, "Yes." The woman, biting her lip with enthusiasm, gave me a thumbs up, and said, "Best of luck!" Bonding moment.

I am a sucker for Target. I have found myself walking the aisles on days when I have nothing else to do. I am one of those women, but I am okay with it. It's all about solidarity, even if it is found on a sale rack.




*Image from http://crowbiz.wordpress.com/