From Make Over to Take Over

Reading more into my book I have discovered a lot of things that for me seemed distant and unreal. This book shows a lot of situations young girls go through and that even though we never hear about them they happen very regularly and in the lives of the people we least expect.

While reading I got to a chapter called “Free Barbie”. Instantly my op-ed article came to my head. In it I discussed how the way Barbie looks has created stereotypes all around the world of how a “beautiful” woman should look like. Strangely this chapter talked about the same thing, not only does she try to show the consequences wanting to look like this plastic doll brings, but also she tries to shows Barbie’s perspective of what she look like to society.

Chang Ying a 16-year-old chines girl who works in the Barbie factory at Kwai Yong, China talks about her experience in this cruel sweatshop where no one matters except for the plastic dolls being made. Ying says, “ She talks to me. She’s really angry. She’s really hurting. She is really guilty. She hates shopping and feels bad about all the girls who are starved to make her and are starving to be like her.” We as human beings tend to blame everything on some one else. Even blame stuff on plastic object or situations so that we can free our selves from the fact that it was always our fault. Obviously Barbie didn’t decide her personality, or how to look. There was some greedy businessman who knew how girls would feel about this perfect doll and how much they would want to buy it.

Reflecting on my op-ed article I would probably change the part where I blame Barbie for making girls turn into walking skeletons or people pleasures and instead I would make the industries, the market, the money, and never less the people who control this stuff, responsible for all that happens with girls. To start changing society we have to start with our selves.

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Good Girls go Bad.

What’s a Good Girl? That was the title I opened to in my book. The question went around my head for some time before I started reading the short passage. I realized that never before had I questioned the fact that I was a good girl. I had good grades, I didn’t do drugs, I was not rebellious, and I didn’t do any thing that any average teenage girl would do.

The first sentence of this passage was “ She doesn’t speak to a boy at all.” ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Most of my friends are boys, that doesn’t mean I turn into a “bad girl” when I talk to them, or at least that’s what I thought. Since the first sentence I knew I was going to disagree with every thing this obnoxious selection was to say.

Since I was little I have always been that person who says and stands up for everything they think. My parents have raised me to become a strong, independent woman. One who can be successful and get anywhere she wants without depending on any men or any other person. The idea this passage sells of a “good girl”, in my opinion is the way society through out history, has made woman seem weaker and less capable than men. People say that you get what you believe you deserve. How can women fight every day for their rights and then believe that a good girl should be the one that stays at home, agrees with everything, is quiet, and doesn’t argue? Where are we? 1932?

After reading this passage if come to the conclusion that if this pathetic stereotype about good girls is true, then probably I will happily rot in hell.

Cicadas: (noun) any large homopterous insect of the family Cicadidae, the male of which produces a shrill sound bymeans of vibrating membranes on the underside of the abdomen.

Leave it to Eve Ensler

Starting this new book “ I am an Emotional Creature” by Eve Ensler, I’ve come too realize that teenage girls all around the world are seen the same. Superficial, PMSing, little bitches whom only think of them selves and drawn in the most minimal things. It’s harsh but in the end it’s true.

Adults believe that girls at this age are selfish and just don’t want to conform with what life is giving them. But what they don’t know is that not even they understand what is going on. All thus things we do in High School like following around the popular girls are just mistakes that in the future will seam ridiculous. But how can we stand if we never fall? I believe we have to make mistakes and learn from them, so in the future when the situation is real, we can know how to handle it.

Even though I’m still in the beginning I’ve liked what I’ve read. The author uses historical events and relates them with the issues of teenage girls. This connection makes such a superficial topic turn into something more educational and interesting. I like how Ensler uses informal register all the time. Using terms that are common in girls today makes it easier to relate to the book. Sincerely I’m not the type of girl who likes reading dramatic stories where girls victimize them selves and create huge dramas.

I don’t know if it’s the way the author puts the situation or maybe the casualty in which she tells what she sees, but this book has caught me. Not only was I surprised when I started reading but also it was funny how much I could relate to it. Maybe I don’t like drama but in the end I’m still a teenage girl like any other in the book.

Murky (adjective)

dark, gloomy, and cheerless.

Giddyup (interjection)

used as a command to a horse to speed up.

Blame it on The Alcohol

In a country like Colombia we see every day on the news how terrifying violent acts happen all around the place. We live in a society where we learn to be careful and to protect our selves from robbers, rapists, kidnapers and every single stranger on the street. Where in the world would an average school kid have to take their bodyguard even to the bathroom? It’s insane.

In the past week there has been a dilemma about what happened in Andres Carne de Res two weekends ago. Being aware that Andres is one of the most popular restaurants in town and that it’s Halloween parties are always recognized around the country, it was more than obvious that a scandal would be made about the incident happened on the first of November. Early this week Andres Jaramillo the owner of the place came on radio saying that in part this was the girl’s fault because she was wearing a mini skirt. What in the world was he thinking? How can some one come out on public media and insinuate that a girl disserves to be raped because she is wearing a skirt. Even if she was running naked, does that mean she has to get raped?

Don’t Shift the Focus From Men by Mychal Denzel Smith talks about how society always tries to blame rapes on other factors like alcohol, clothing, environments and even the victim.  For me a rapist is a rapist no matter what his excuse was.  On the article we see binge drinking as an example, Denzel says, “Drinking does not cause rape, and once you begin focusing on the actions and behavior of the victimized you ignore the role of perpetrator.”

 Since I was very little I remember my mother telling me that no one except the doctor could see my body, but not even once did I hear her telling my brother that making girls do things against there will was wrong. Why do they create preventive methods instead of educating society not to do things? It’s like teaching you who to fall instead of telling you the floor is slippery. Therefore the way of stopping this horrible act is not teaching women how to be careful not to get raped but instead teaching men not to rape.