Today I shaved my legs.
Yes, I am beginning my post with that sentence.
Today I shaved my legs. Why? Because I wanted to? Not quite.
Because society expects me to. Because if I don't I am labelled 'gross', 'unattractive' and 'unfeminine'.
I could of course leave the hairs on my legs to grow ten miles long, because I'm a lesbian.
And lesbians don't shave their legs do they?
Yes, they do actually.
By shaving my legs I am giving into the patriarchal expectations set upon me by society but I am also kicking the myths about lesbians in the face.
I shave my legs because I want to. Not because I'm a lesbian, not because I'm forced to by society.
However a lot of women do shave their legs because society forces them to.
Turn on your TV and you will discover adverts upon adverts of women smiling as they lather their legs in foam and shave. Every beauty magazine drills it into us that smooth legs are sexy legs. Hairy legs are manly legs. Hairy underarms are for lesbians (and the French) and a hairy 'down there' means you aren't getting any.
But do I want to shave my legs because to me personally it feels nicer? Yes. But is this belief merely a delusion conjured up by societies pressures?
I want to shave my legs, for me, because the media has made me believe I will feel better in myself if I have shaved legs.
Yes, I have written the words 'shaved' and 'legs' too much and they are starting to sound weird in your mind.
Yes, I will continue shaving my legs. But I'm still unsure why.
- They're all killers
- They're all rapists
- They're rapists and killers
- They're paedophiles
- They are murderers
- It's contagious
- They were abused as a child
- They're dangerous
- Schizophrenics are killers
- Depressives are having a bad day
- Anorexics are looking for attention
- Self-harm is a trend
- Those with OCD all wash their hands too much
- Suicide is the coward's way out
The truth is: 'Depression isn't an act. Self harm isn't a trend. Anorexia isn't a phase. Homosexuality isn't a choice and suicide isn't cowardly.'
Films
- Girl Interrupted
- Sylvia
- It's Kind Of A Funny Story
- Silver Linings Playbook
- My Mad Fat Diary
- The Roommate
Books
- Girl Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
- It's Kind Of A Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
- Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
- My Mad Fat Diary by Rae Earl
- Suicide Notes by Michael Thomas Ford
- The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson
I have compiled a list of my favourite LGBT books and films:
Books
- Annie On My Mind by Nancy Garden
- Empress Of The World by Sara Ryan
- Dare, Truth Or Promise by Paula Boock
- Pages For You by Sylvia Brownrigg
- Girl Walking Backwards by Bett Williams
- Kissing Kate by Lauren Myracle
- The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson
- Down To The Bone by Mayra Lazara Dole
- She Loves You She Loves You Not by Julie-Anne Peters
- Keeping You A Secret by Julie-Anne Peters
- Between Mom and Jo by Julie-Anne Peters
- Luna by Julie-Anne Peters
- Grl2Grl by Julie-Anne Peters
- Rage by Julie-Anne Peters
- But She Is My Student by Kiki Archer
- Instigations by Kiki Archer
- Binding Devotion by Kiki Archer
Films
- Imagine Me And You
- My Summer Of Love
- I Can't Think Straight
- Better Than Chocolate
- Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit
- Lip Service
- Sugar Rush
- Loving Annabelle
- Lost And Delirious
- DEBS
- But I'm A Cheerleader
- The Kids Are All Right
- And Then Came Lola
- Priscilla Queen Of The Desert
- FIT
- Fingersmith
- Tipping The Velvet
- The Secret Diaries Of Miss Anne Lister
- Why is there a gay pride, there's no straight pride?
- When did you decide to be gay?
- Who's the man and who's the woman in the relationship?
- How do you have sex?
- Do you hate men (to lesbians)?
- Do you hate women (to gay men)?
- Were you abused as a child?
- Why can't you just be straight?
- I'm not homophobic but...
- I have a gay friend, so I'm not homophobic
- I don't hate gay people but...
- The bible says it's wrong
- You're going to hell
- Is it a phase?
- It's a phase
- I'll support you with this phase you're going through
- You'll get over it
- Is it contagious?
The porn industry has corrupted society's view on what is a 'normal' female body.
Women, and even younger girls are having cosmetic surgery to alter their bodies, especially their breasts and private parts.
Most porn stars have had cosmetic surgery to 'perfect' their bodies. They have hairless, smooth vaginas and huge round breasts.
Girls do not need the 'perfect' body, they probably have the 'perfect' body, but just don't believe they do.
You need to learn to love yourself before anyone else can love you.
For those who do not hear voices, it can be hard to understand what it must be like to do so. Eleanor Longden, a talented university student and schizophrenia sufferer explains perfectly what it is like to hear voices. She was starting her first year at university when she began hearing a voice, and from then on her life changed forever. She was thrust into the deepest depths of hell. She was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and tossed aside by the psychiatrists.
Now she is mostly recovered, not through medication but through therapy and self-belief and is raising awareness for those who hear voices.
Read this Daily Mail article on Eleanor Longden's psychosis.
So everyone is raving about Miley Cyrus' very inappropriate dancing. You can see it here if you've not already seen it. Basically she's just pouncing around waving a giant blow up plastic finger and pointing it at her womanly parts.
So, she's gone from a child star playing Hannah Montana to an inappropriate attention seeking embarrassment.
As my friend Matthew pointed out - other things happened at the VMA 2013.
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won award for their activist video/song about marriage equality and equal love. Everyone is focusing on the negatives. The trashy bits. Not the worthwhile facts. The positives.
A paranoid schizophrenic murderer escaped from a psychiatric hospital near me lately and there is more stigma now surrounding schizophrenics. They are not all killers. There is a stigma attached to schizophrenics and this latest news just adds to the stigma. Some schizophrenics are murderers, so are some postmen or nurses. Anyone can be a murderer. Those who are mentally ill have more risk of BEING hurt by others than hurting OTHERS.
