LONG time, no write. Forgive me, but here is something interesting..

I am currently (right now in this very moment) in my Dramatic Literature Class and we are starting on the topic of Feminism...how fitting. haha, someone in my class just mentioned "buring bras" as the first thing that comes to mind when they here this term "Feminism."  We just discussed the difference (and relation) between the terms Feminist, female and Feminine.  Feminist is a political term, for those that fight against the patriarchal contructs in society.  Female is a biological term, dealing with the sex of a person, genetics, dna, and all that jazz. NOW onto Feminine: gender, or the cultural characteristics that have been socially constructed as part of that given gender.  Interesting.  Now I am not saying that I agree or disagree by making this post, because science vs. the humanities continues the "nature vs. nurture" battle to this day.  But I will say that there are feminine characteristics and masculine characteristics.  Here were a few that we listed as a class:

Feminine:                                                  

chocolate   

emotional reasoning 

proper in speech

teachers

cooking/sewing

Masculine:                                   

meat

logical reasoning

harsher in speech

doctors    

hunting/football                                   

I think that we can all agree that these are only a few of the characteristics out there, not they they are TRUE or apply to all of us, or any of us, but they exist.  I ask YOU, what are some of the feminine or masculine charcteristics that you recognize in yourself or others? Does a woman have to reason emotionally and eat chocolate to be feminine and does a man have to reason logically and enjoy a variety of meats to be masculine.  I say NO! No, this does not have to be the case.  However, I still want a masculine man because I am more comfortable as a feminine women.  And to me, masculine and feminism goes so beyond this list! (not that I discredit literary theory or dramatic literature) but to me, confidence! Confidence in what you do, and who you are, and what you like to do.  Confidence in your choices and in the person that you are works for both masculine and feminine characteristics.  Why not focus on that in ourselves rather then "I'm a girl and I LOVE steak" or "I'm a boy and I want to be a teacher" and thinking that there is something wrong with these characteristics.  I have heard, and I agree with, the idea that confidence is one of the most attractive qualites that a woman (or a man) can have.  So, all of this (referencing to the lines upon lines of words above) has been written so that I could come to this conclusion......there you have it. 

Day 2

"'Cause I'm a woman! W-O-M-A-N, I'll say it again."-song lyrics from "Woman" by Peggy Lee.
So what change "occurs" when one decides to become more feminine or "womanly?"  Can we call it a change? Or rather an enhancement? Or a new mind set? (We'll have a better understanding after the 30 days, although I feel as if I am leading most towards the last one...) There is something to be said about a girl that takes care of herself, and I have backup. Last night, (Thurdsay the 2nd) I had the opportunity to interview some guys, some good-looking single MEN.  Did I say MEN? Yes, I believe so.  And I asked them several different questions, (that weren't so eloquently worded, and I think they'll agree haha) about feminity and the female race.  One of the questions I asked was, "What's the first thing that catches your eye about a girl or when it comes to girls?" A few guys said, "Her smile", or "Her eyes".  When asking Scott (25) to describe a feminine girl he said, "A girl that takes care of herself.  That's confidence. It depends on where her confidence comes from though." (That is another topic tomorrow however, the difference between high maintenence and feminine, we decided (the men and I) that those need to be better differenciated between each other..that's for tomorrow:) But let's get back to what men think, because I think we are all DYING to know, haha)  When speaking with Brent (21) about this whole feminine business, he said, "Looks get a girl asked out on the first date.  Personality gets her asked out on the second."  I think this is a reasonable approach, it's nice to know that guys would prefer to date a girl with a good personality rather than date a girl that has the personality of a mailbox.  HOWEVER, looks get a girl asked out on the first date.  As I said previously, there is something to be said about a girl who takes care of herself.  It's okay to curl your hair and put on perfume, to shower on a regular basis.  It's okay to enhance your natural beauty and where things that may fit your body better than a potato sack or brown bag from the grocery store would.  I had a request from a friend to explain what I was doing to make this change of becoming more feminine, because me just sayin, "I will be feminine for 30 days" really is quite vague.  These remaining 28 days, I will take care of myself physically, more than I have in the past. With that being said, here are some ideas (or a list of things that I am doing) for this 30 day experiment, : I get up a bit earlier so I can get in a good exercise, (helps build endorphins for the day), I get up early enough so I can fit in a shower, and fix my hair, (curl, straighten, scrunch, up-do, just so i don't pull it back like I usually do), put on some makeup, deoderant, shaved legs, (yes, even during the winter ladies), wearing blouses more than t-shirts, putting on perfume, (not bathing in it), taking a little bit more pride into high heels, etc. There is just kind of an idea as to some "physical" things you can do.  Now I'm not saying that I didn't do any of these things before, (get that straight, I use deoderant) BUT, now it's a more conscious effort. And PLEASE don't think that I think I'm cool or anything ok? It's an experiment and I think a great deal can be learned from all of it. OH, and about Friday, Sept. 2nd, it was an awesome day. I was so me, and wore an outfit that was so me, BUT I was more particular in how I presented myself.  Pictures will be on their way, I promise. Stay tuned for tomorrow's discussion.  It's about high maintenence..ness. It will be awesome. Have a good night, or morning I should say. haha, goodnight!!!

Day 1

Could we be just as sexy pulling apples off a tree like Audrey Hepburn suggested? Though we may not be apple pickers, we are women living everyday lives, doing everyday tasks and events. Some of us are married, some of us are single.  Some of us have a fat crush on a guy and he may not even care that we exist.  We are women with many differences, but one common quality: we are female. (DISCLAIMER: Day one counts for the past few days seeing how I started this past Monday but it still all comes together for day one, you can expect 29 more posts:)) Monday: I wore my hair curled, white button up blouse, black fitted jeans and teal sandals.  My makeup was minimal but just enough to show color. Throughout the day, I remember reflecting on the way I walked, "heel toe heel toe heel toe".  When you walk in such a manner, it gives you a sense of "swivel". The kind that women desire. It's a walk of confidence. (that explains why they use on "high fashion" run ways because something, (confidence) has to make up for the jack the ripper outfit) That is the day I hugged a friend when I saw him in the bookstore and he said, and I quote, "Wow! You smell really good."  Tuesday I ended up wearing jeans and high heels because I had just previewed for a mask club and didn't feel like changing. (haha) I got many more looks it seemed (guys and girls), but this could have been because of the fact that I looked like the jolly white giant (white blouse) in high heels seeing as I am 5 ft 10 inches.  Wednesday I put on a jumpsuit I have which is like a parachute pants attached to a sweetheart neck bodice. The bodice has flowers. (so girly haha) Curled my hair with a pin curl on top. I received a few compliments, from both men and women, but besides the "I'm a girl" part, I just felt confident, and happy to be at school. Thursday (today): white pants with a blue silk blouse, lots of awesome retro jewelry that I received from my great grandma and grandma which I will forever be grateful for, my hair curled (again) and a pin curl on top. Again, some very nice compliments, a few looks, and a comment from my friend Brock, "I like this classy look, you should keep it this way. It works for you. " Brock is awesome. I'm not gonna lie however, I found today challenging. I woke up and curled my hair and thought, "why am I doing this? I look like such a girly girl!" Ask Aubrey my roommate, it was a struggle. haha.  It was then, this morning that I reminded myself that to be feminine you don't have to curl your hair and wear fancy clothes. It's about confidence and confidence in your sexuality! So, I challenge you, for tomorrow, to practice confidence, in the way you walk AND in the way you think and view yourself. I will do the same, and tomorrow, I won't curl my hair.

"There is more to sex appeal than just measurements. I don't need a bedroom to prove my womanliness. I can convey just as much sex appeal, picking apples off a tree or standing in the rain."-Audrey Hepburn

"Why?", you may be thinking to yourself, "Why is she doing this? Better yet, why that quote? It's a bit risque don't you think? With the bedroom and all?" To tell you the truth, I don't know much about bedrooms.  In fact, I know more about the benefits of fiber for your bowels than I do about anything that has to do with, let's say.."intimacy"?  I am a single (almost) 21 year old with a desire to test the power of an adjective and possibly a potential way of living.  I can safely say that all of us are familiar with what we call a "feminine woman." (close your eyes...now, who comes to mind?) Some classic examples, like Marilyn Monroe, Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, Princess Diana, Elizabeth Taylor and last but not least, Audrey Hepburn, have withstood the tests of time, still claimed as some of the most feminine women to have ever graced this earth.  Again, "what does this have to do with anything?" and "Why, you Taylor? Out of all people. You used to wear "treasure planet" pony tails to class with converse." (not entirely true, I like to dress up and I love fashion, but hopefully you get the jist..." Well folks, readers, women, this is where seed was planted:


A little over a month ago, I had the opportunity to attend an acting workshop.  Following the closing night's performance of Utah Shakespeare in the park's, A Midsummer Night's Dream fellow cast and company members, and myself, gathered around and re-worked the climactic fight scene between the two men, Demetrius and Lysander, and the two women, Hermia and, myself Helena.  Only this time, the concept of "gender roles" was placed on us by thee, (and yes I say thee because her technique changed my life as an actress) Anne Shakespeare, the founder of the company.  The overall, objective you could say, as we worked this scene was for women, to be women and for the men to be men.  In other words, feminine and masculine.  Anne explained to us that if we did this, then natural chemistry would be there on stage.  At first, I didn't know what to think, (I was a bit nervous to tell the truth) but as we worked, more and more my mind was opened as I witnessed the power of this concept! The chemistry came! Not chemistry like we all fell in love with each other, but this natural, life-filled energy came into the scenario.  After the workshop ended, I basically spilled questions all over Anne about life and being feminine.  After the discussion ended, I realized that there is something to being feminine. Huh, who would have thought? haha


ATTENTION: being feminine does not mean that a girl/woman should be ditsy, helpless, incapable, or small (haha).  Being feminine to me is taking the time to appreciate the fact that you are as Anne said, a "strong and virtuous" woman.  She told me that nothing is more attractive then that. It's OKAY to dress up. It's OKAY to smell good. It's OKAY to respect yourself.  That to me is being feminine. So, with that being said, I will be a "feminine woman" for 30 days, blogging each day about my experience.  You can do this with me too!!! I will have some tips, ideas, or thoughts on each post, as well as what I looked like that day.  I technically started on Monday, (August 29th) but I decided that I wanted to start this as a fresh journey, with the reader, (even though the other day a hugged a boy and he told me I smelled really good...if that's an incentive grab it and run with it!)  Prior to writing this intro., I think I intended for this to be a funny thing to read everyday, but I've already realized that with that humor, which will still be a natural daily occurance, there may be a lot of growth and a better sense of self, for any woman that reads this.  That is all. Let the games begin.