Mystified by Popular Culture

A Reader

2012-07-28T15:16:00.000-04:00

Thesis is done, but life hasn't found a way to uncomplicate itself. But, I'm updating this blog--finally. So, here is a post. I hope the next one doesn't take me a couple of years to write.

I received via email an unexpected but very welcomed comment from a reader. It really made my day/week/year… While I received this a while back, I think of it from time to time.

Here it is:

Hi Janine,

We don't know each other, I just stumbled upon one of your old blog posts and it made me laugh so much! The post is dated November 2006, "Starship Troopers vs. The Brain Sucking Vagina", and, although it's quite concerning overall, this was hilarious: "[...] throughout the film the soldiers stand at attention (giant penises) and use their huge guns (giant penises) to kill, and their medical instruments (giant penises) to poke, prod, and rape the Brain Bug in one of the final scenes. At the end of the film it is suggested that the troopers will defeat the alien race, because they are recruiting more soldiers (more potential giant penises)."

I don't know if you're aware of it, but the image of penis was extremely widespread in several real fascist [c]ountries, particularly in Italy. Images of towers, swords, guns, rifles and verbs such as "fertilizing", "conquering", etc. were carefully selected because of their supposed relationship with men's virility. It seems that such (medieval) idea is still very alive, which is quite concerning... However, you expressed it clearly, creatively and, perhaps unwillingly, funny! Thanks for giving me something worth reading, in this era of pointless "list posts" blogs. :)

It was really nice to receive some positive feedback about my writing. What's even more fulfilling is that someone enjoyed my writing and had a good laugh (and not in the "OMG this writing is so horrible, hahaha" kind of way).

So, fuck you, Prof. M., (one day I'll have the balls to write out her name--maybe when I am published somewhere besides my blog) for telling me my writing sucked and that I shouldn't be in the English Master's program. Hahaha.

Resolutions Crap

2010-01-03T12:13:00.002-05:00

The procrastinator gene embedded in my DNA makes it physically impossible for me to do anything before a deadline. I missed the New Year's Resolution tradition by three days. And I only have one resolution so far. I'm going to join Project 52. Follow them on Twitter @p52info or visit the site http://project52.info/

Basically, all you have to do is keep up with the project by writing one blog entry a week for a year. Sounds doable. So, I'm game.

I started by importing my other blogs into this blog. I wasn't keeping up with any of them, so maybe now that they are under one roof the task of updating won't be so cumbersome. We'll see...

Aggressive Driving My Ass

2009-07-30T11:26:00.000-04:00

I love the rhetoric the FHP uses to describe drivers like me. Aggressive.

Here's something I just saw a few minutes ago and applies to anyone who drives in South Florida:

FHP will be cracking down on those who tailgate, improperly change lanes or ignore traffic signals over the next two days. Troopers will also keep an eye out for drivers violating the Move Over Law or driving under the influence. http://www.justnews.com/traffic/20222628/detail.html

Wonderful. I tailgate, improperly change lanes, ignore traffic signals, and violate the Move Over Law. I do not, however, drive under the influence of alcohol. But it seems that I do drive under the influence of the stupidity of other drivers.

I tailgate behind people driving in the left lane at 65 or below who are passing NO ONE.

I am forced to improperly change lanes because slower traffic does not yield. Actually, no one yields. What is a yield, anyways? So, I am left with no other option except to pass on the right and swerve in and out of traffic if I want to get where I am going any time within the next century.

I must ignore traffic signals, because the douche-bags driving so fucking slow on the left hand lane are usually texting, half-asleep, day-dreaming, or a combination of the three, and have not noticed they have left their turn signal on for the past 5 miles. Not to mention, many people still have not discovered what a turn signal is, or what the difference is between left and right.

As for the Move Over Law. I cannot move over for stopped FHP because it is impossible to get out of the left lane when everyone around you has come to a complete stop because of this damn law. Yey to more fender-benders, pissed off motorists, and traffic stand-stills that come out of nowhere forcing you to slam your breaks and pray the driver behind you is paying attention! W00t!

Can't we enforce a SLOWER TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT law, so the left lane is already mostly clear of traffic and safer for FHP and motorists who have to pull off the road? Isn't that the smarter more intelligent option?

I guess not, since Florida has no such law in place. I don't know why I am surprised.

Driving faster does not necessarily mean driving dangerously. A fast driver must pay more attention to the road. You cannot drive at 80 while being preoccupied with your phones, passengers, switching stations, reading, or putting on makeup. It's almost impossible. You are forced to pay attention at higher speeds. Going slower just means more time to comer mierda (translation= eat shit; context translation= be innatentive)!

Germany's autobahn has no set speed limit, although 80mph is recommended. They also have significantly less accidents than we do here in the states. Go figure.

So, I will continue to drive intelligently--uh--I mean aggressively. If you're cruising on the left updating your facebook status, I will cut you off so that you can appreciate the rear-end of my car and before I do that I will tail-gate your ass.

Consuming Robots

2009-07-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

No. Consuming robots is not on my list at allconsuming.net. Consuming robots are robots that actually eat biological matter in order to... um... stay alive? I came across this link a few days ago on digg.com and you can read the original article here.

What's weird to me is not the zombie-ish fetishism I felt when I first saw the headline, but rather how freaking awesome it would be if cars or other machines could run off of biological matter. Oh. Wait... that's old news right? Damn. Oh well. I guess flesh-eating robots sounds better than flesh-eating Prius any day.

Perspectives

2009-04-06T21:41:00.002-04:00

Since it's been a year since I've posted...

Since I'm working on my thesis once more...

Since I'm working on various creative projects (visual art and writing)...

I'm going to make my Mystified by Popular Culture blog my depository for all things me.

Whoa. That sounds so conceited.

I hope this blog will still be a place I can rant about stupid social conventions that I hope our generation, or the next, or the next will find a way to dismantle and replace with all new parts. But, it will be a place for other things and thoughts as well. Time for a new perspective.

MIA

2008-03-12T00:15:00.002-04:00

I've been busy with so many things lately that I haven't had time to blog. Usually, I try to write an entry with a little bit of substance and that usually requires some time. But something has been driving me crazy and I wanted to post it here and maybe expand on it later when I have time...

I cannot fathom or understand the duplicity and utterly obvious contradictions that our culture blatantly screams out in our faces (the kind of screaming that causes spit to splash on your face--this is the kind of obviousness that I am talking about)! Anyways, why (and I really want to know the WHY of this issue), why does our culture scare the crap out of pregnant women (don't do this, don't eat that)? Why is a pregnant woman told, "Gee, you should hold off on that yummy and otherwise pretty healthy piece of Salmon because it contains mercury," but then, once the baby is born inject them with a bunch of vaccinations that may contain mercury or preservatives that are probably not really all that great for the baby???

I know what my answer to this question is... but I want to know how the medical industry/field or whatever justifies many of these kinds of contradictions.

Off Topic Rant

2007-08-20T15:29:00.000-04:00

I just got home. Traffic was horrible. The proposal for my thesis remains a scattered jumble of ideas that don't seem to come together in the sentence I write.

Anyways, to get out of the monotony of thinking about Lacan this morning I browsed on over to digg.com and saw an entry for Best Colleges of 2008. I had to check where my school ranks and what chances I have of getting into a good PhD program.

Haha. I might as well discard my futile attempts at writing a thesis because there doesn't seem to be much hopes in the way of me getting into a good program and later a good job.

Here's some of the verbiage from the U.S. News & World Report website on how they breakdown their ranking system. See what you think about it.

Student selectivity (15 percent). A school's academic atmosphere is determined in part by the abilities and ambitions of the student body. We therefore factor in test scores of enrollees on the Critical Reading and Math portions of the SAT or Composite ACT score (50 percent of the selectivity score); the proportion of enrolled freshmen (for all national universities and liberal arts colleges) who graduated in the top 10 percent of their high school classes and (for institutions in the universities-master's and baccalaureate colleges) the top 25 percent (40 percent); and the acceptance rate, or the ratio of students admitted to applicants (10 percent). The data are for the fall 2006 entering class. (source)

Can SAT and ACT scores really measure ambition? Wow! I had no idea!

So, any schools or employers who take this crap into consideration when looking at applicants can assume that any prospective students who previously attended a low ranking school will have less ability and less ambition than someone who attends a higher ranking school?

Hey, I can do that!

2007-08-15T11:03:00.000-04:00

I'm supposed to be writing my thesis right now. There are over fifty library books sitting all over my floor and I need to sort through them between today and tomorrow. I much rather read stuff on the internet and catch up with all of the feeds I have neglected in the past weeks than tackle the gargantuan task of thesis writing that lays before me.

Anyways, in honor of useful and insightful procrastination here is another article from another great blog, Critical Miami, which relates both to my thesis in writing and Miami.

How, you ask--simple. This article exposes the elusive art of editing a la Miami Herald!

A little off topic...

2007-08-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

This isn't about travel or things to do, but I just read a well-written article on Stuck On The Palmetto that I think everyone should read.

The article is not cheerful or uplifting--in fact, I hate thinking that such a thing is possible in this world.

Danger! Perpetual Road Construction

2007-08-14T00:05:00.000-04:00

Well, as any true Miami native knows--it's not Miami unless the roadway you are driving on is under some kind of construction. The epidemic of constant roadway construction only seems to get worse and worse as the time goes on.

Here's an example of what happened to Tony and I returning home after a fun night out at a local restaurant this past Friday. We are driving north on LeJeune/8th Avenue when we hit some major traffic and come to a complete stop. We know there is heavy construction on LeJeune in front of MIA, but that's been the case for years. Nothing new. Well, we eventually see that LeJeune is closed to all through traffic. There were no signs warning us of the road closure up ahead and subsequently we are forced to reroute onto the 836, which is void of detour signs.

Ok...no biggie. We're natives. We know our way around. But what about tourists?

It was appalling that on a Friday night, whoever is in charge of deciding when construction gets done, would actually choose that time to close such a major thoroughfare.

It's ridiculous.

Well...we continue on our way and the exit off of the 836 that we wanted to take was also closed. Imagine that.

We had to drive all the way to the Palmetto Expressway and come back towards LeJeune via the NW 36th Street exit--which is sort of like driving in a "u" then cutting across the top part--a HUGE detour!

I'm not sure if these closures were announced ahead of time, but there still should have been plenty of signs giving drivers enough forewarning in order to allow them to decide on alternates. Instead, the lack of signs just dumped drivers on a highway with additional closures in the middle of the night. What a wonderful situation to find oneself in.

Oh...and it was raining!

My advice, get one of those GPS systems in your car, if you're a tourist--and even for people that live here that might not be a bad idea--or just be aware of different routes you can use to get to your destination.

Disturbing...

2007-08-13T00:48:00.000-04:00

I was at the beach recently with Tony and we were just sitting and relaxing when all of a sudden I heard some loud screams and yells coming from the water. It was accompanied by violent splashing, so I looked up from my reading.

There was a group of guys (maybe five) playing with a soccer ball in the water, throwing it back and forth...but the screams were the result of one guy throwing the soccer ball at another guy. The ball hit him hard.

This scene repeated a few times about twenty feet in front of us. Then, it ended when one guy missed and the ball rolled far off down the shore coming to rest near a little girl making her way into the ocean. Luckily, the ball didn't hit anyone because he threw it with ferocious force

These guys were playing around, obviously--but why does their play have to involve violence and pain? How fun can that be? I don't want friends that try to hit me or attack me with soccer balls at the beach.

Anyways...this got me thinking...and I just came across a video on YouTube which disturbs me for much of the same reasons why watching those "friends" at the beach abuse each other with a soccer ball disturbs me.

Obviously, the guys in the video think what they are doing is funny, that they aren't hurting anyone, and even most of the comments on the video agree with the hilarity of the subject matter. But, any time I see violence (in any form) associated with fun or something funny--it just turns my stomach.

And to those that say that men are wired that way--pick up a copy of Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic by James Gilligan--it's more of a social/cultural problem than just a biological one.

Asses to Asses

2007-08-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

Trying on jeans is annoying for women for various reasons. For me it's the fact that sizes come in the all too ambiguous 8, 10, 12 series--which really doesn't mean much. Guys, it seems, have it much easier with their pant, jeans, and even dress-shirt sizes measured in inches. Who whoulda thought?

Well, my rant on men's versus women's clothing sizes will have to wait for another day... right now it's nice to know that a store called Hub Clothing in Scottsdale has installed The Butt Cam with the belief that "[a] lot of people dread trying on jeans and so any more entertaining you can make it the better. A lot of people compare it to trying on bathing suits, you know something they just don't like to do, we're trying to make it painless," (Hub Clothing Partner Tom Simon).

Oh, yes. That's what I want! I want an unnatural view of my ass that no one will have unless they stick their nose up my crack. I'll be an informed consumer this way! Thanks, Tom Simon! Thanks for reinforcing that women's asses and how they look are the most important consideration women have when shopping for jeans.

But, of course, there's more to this story.... According to Tom Simon, he and his associates are "even thinking of doing a best of and putting it on DVD for the year, 'Best Butts of '08' or whatever, yeah."

Yeah...brilliant!

Full Article
Gizmodo Review

Sand is sand is sand...

2007-08-09T23:47:00.000-04:00

Well...not really.

I've visited, spent the day at, and passed by many a beach in South Florida. I've never really found a beach that I've enjoyed completely. There's always been some feature or characteristic of the beach that kept me from enjoying my time there completely. For instance, the beach might have been too crowded, the shoreline was rocky, the waves were nonexistent--whatever--you get the idea.

Well, I recently visited a beach that I had heard of my whole life, but which I had never had the chance to visit. It is now my new favorite beach (maybe another day I will write about the beach this new favorite has replaced).

Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park in Key Biscayne (otherwise known by the Hispanic community as "El Farito") is a wonderful place to spend the day with your family, with your significant other, or even alone.

It is listed in Frommer's as one of the Best Beaches and the TravelChannel website refers to it. There are loads of other web references about this park, most of them positive.

My favorite aspects of the park:

beautiful sandy beaches
not crowded (granted, weekdays in the early morning are the best time to visit...but most people will visit the free beaches nearby)
sand dunes
little or no shell shards or rocks to hurt your feet
bike and nature trails
lighthouse you can climb up
snorkeling is possible
nice little waves (not too big/not too small)
lots of tables, benches, and gazebos available for rent
affordable admission prices
pets are allowed (in certain areas, not on the beach though)
two places to get food

Also, one more thing that made me enjoy my time there, but probably won't matter to most people, is that the place reminded me so much of the beaches in St. Augustine, Florida where I felt very peaceful, removed from the hectic city-life, and I was surrounded by nature.

This is a great place to visit and I plan on going there often. I can't believe I've never been before. I suppose most people that go to the area opt for the free beaches which abound. That's what my family and I used to do, but thankfully, Tony and I like to try new things. So we checked this place out. We're planning to go back soon!

Here's the addy and the official webpage...
1200 S. Crandon Blvd.
Key Biscayne, Florida 33149
Phone: 305-361-5811

Remember though...if you're in Miami and want to visit, but forget the address or get lost (which happens to us locals) just ask for "El Farito." You'll get strange looks if you say "Bill Baggs".

(Picture taken from http://mpancier.blogspot.com/ who has a nice entry about the Hispanic ties to "El Farito" that I, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to participate in...give it a read.)

Because this world isn't complete without...

2007-08-08T23:38:00.000-04:00

...Boob Pillows. Yup. I subscribe to gizmodo.com so I can read about the new gadgets, but it seems that I more often find things that piss me off.

*Sigh* First Pussy Feet, now Boob Pillows... Can some Japanese company make a joystick out of a penis, please? I mean, c'mon!

Oh, wait... there is a penis joystick--sort of.

Levitation

2007-08-07T03:02:00.000-04:00

Not much to do with robots, unfortunately, but amazing nonetheless.

**Update** Apparently, this link is no longer working, and thanks to my very vague post here, I have no idea what this was about. Oh well...

Fem-text-astic

2007-08-06T00:09:00.000-04:00

This is what gets my feminist taste-buds working!

A nice little collection of feminist writing available in full-text on the internet! Yey!

Thought I would share.

**UPDATE: Crap, this link is dead too. Curse you, changeable internet, and your unlinking ways!

Foot Fetish Anyone?

2007-08-03T12:27:00.001-04:00

The SiFeet Pussy Foot is a silicone foot with a "fully functional and totally fuck-able silicone vagina" on the underside of the foot. While I wonder what the "fully functional" aspects of the vagina are, the fact that it is obviously "fuck-able" isn't the only thing that disturbs me--the feet are disembodied (in a crude manner) and bound together by a rope, hanging like a piece of meat.

But why am I surprised? Foot fetishes are behind Chinese Foot Binding. The objectification and fragmentation of female bodies through sexualization is the main reason why women are still seen and treated as disposable and consumable material objects.

Stockroom.com describes "[t]his silicone sex toy is also a convenient practice tool for preparing to get hot and kinky with actual feet." Well, maybe their customers should practice with these feet--and get intimate with the destructive history men's foot fetish has had on women throughout the centuries.

Mind Control

2007-08-01T21:43:00.000-04:00

Follow this link for a few words and a very interesting video on the future of mind-controlled mechanical objects.

This, of course, is technological advancement at its height. It would make any geek wet his/her pants, but what are some of the implications of this new technology?

NeuroSky develops the gizmo that reads your emotions with different algorithms.

The idea of mappable emotions and the subsequent quantitative value that could be placed on them is one of my concerns. Turning something as organic as feelings into what may become our new analytic understanding of them may have some repercussions in the future of criminal investigations, perhaps. Maybe I'm wrong--or stretching this too far--but it was one of the first things that sprang into my mind as I watched the video. Can the technology they use to read and guage certain types of thoughts be applied to the rest of the vast array of human emotions? It may be possible to strap one of these nifty mind contraptions on someone and mathematically gauge someone's hatred or love of another person by showing them a picture of that person.

The idea of applying this technology for the physically impaired is wonderful, as Ologic would like to do in the future, but how will this technology limit exactly who can control certain objects? What if two people with the gizmo on their head, presumably, want to make the same object do two different things? Will one person's thoughts be more powerful than another?

And finally, my last thought about this new technology... The military may have vast applications for technology like this; but, in our gun-ho society it is also dangerous to apply, let's say, mind control capabilities on firearms. There would be no physical evidence left behind if something was fired in that manner.

I know that I'm pretty morbid and this technology is fairly new, but still, I think these things are worth thinking about.

Ugly Smile?

2007-07-30T20:46:00.000-04:00

I'm at a loss for words about this... thankfully, it probably isn't going to catch on.

A Helping Hand

2007-07-30T17:15:00.000-04:00

Better than the real thing?

A New Twist on Oral Sex

2007-07-30T17:02:00.000-04:00

Technological advances in speech recognition make it possible for the robot to interpret direction of sound.

Sex Terminator

2007-07-30T16:59:00.000-04:00

Robot sex - always worth mentioning!

Fem Bot

2007-07-30T16:47:00.000-04:00

What's in a name...too bad I couldn't get that name from Blogger. Someone else has already registered it but has never used it or updated their blog. Oh well...bygones.

I'm going to use this blog to collect ideas, writings, pictures, and articles about robots and artificial intelligence.

Hialeah Cop-Out

2007-07-30T13:59:00.000-04:00

I've been noticing a lot of Hialeah police out lately. They are pulling people over left and right. I figure it's the end of the month and all--they need to fulfill their speeding/traffic ticket quota for the month.

But just a word of caution: Tony brought me some Starbuck's coffee this morning and as he was waiting in line at the Miami Springs SB's he noticed a posting on the bulletin board about police being out and about like vultures on a feeding frenzy. This is supposed to last until August 5th or so. I'm mentioning this because anything on a Starbuck's community bulletin board is worth noting.

Also, mentioned on the bulletin board, according to Tony, is the doubling of speeding and infraction fines. I'm not sure how valid this claim is, I'm just passing along the info.

So, come to complete stops at all stop signs, don't take yellow lights (in case they turn red before you've cleared the intersection--it's a ticketable offense) and make sure you're wearing your seatbelt. If you get pulled over for one thing and they see you have another minor infraction, they will ticket you for both.

Side note: for all those who travel south down 7th Ave instead of LeJeune/8th Ave to avoid morning traffic, there is usually a motorcycle cop giving speeding tickets somewhere around 5th street. He hides out under a big, shady tree. Try to slow down, avoid the area, and flash warning lights to oncoming traffic if you see him.

I got a ticket a few months ago and I live a few blocks away...

Cameltoes and Moose Knuckles: The Battle Rages

2007-07-30T12:06:00.000-04:00

Cameltoe

Ah, yes. We all know this term. It needs no definition, although the cameltoe article on Wikipedia.com (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cameltoe) does a splendid job at delineating the term's definition and offering various physical causes that may play a part in the creation of a cameltoe.

Recently, I came across a YouTube video of an old song I often heard when I was younger, but
I've never seen the music video. The song, of course, is FannyPack's single “Cameltoe.”

It was interesting to watch the video and listen to the lyrics with a much more critical eye and ear. Female genitalia is not only being made fun of, but it is also categorized as disgusting and revolting. In the music video, people look disgusted and shocked at seeing a cameltoe, one man even throws up.

Personally, I don't think that the human body should ever be an object of shame or disgust. But, let's assume for a moment that this wish of mine is too much of an ideology. Then, are men also the subject of ridicule and humiliation when it comes to their reproductive organs? Let's ponder this for a moment.

What is the male equivalent of a cameltoe? Some sites argue that it is the term “bulge.” An obviously neutral term which carries with it no negative connotations. Other sites argue that it is the term “moose knuckle” and other slight variations of it. I'm sure that's going to catch on...

Ok, so let's take the term, bulge. If it was as negative as cameltoe I doubt baseball players or professional dancers would wear such enhancing protective gear in that area. I'm going to stray from the topic of cameltoes and moose knuckles a moment... Why is it that women have no equivalent protective wear for breasts or the genitalia in sports? I've gotten hit in the breast by a spiked volleyball and I almost passed out from the pain. It is probably dangerous too (I am no doctor, scientist, nor have I done studies...but do these studies even exist? Is anyone looking out for the welfare of female athletes?). Anyways...back on track now... showing off and having a prominent outline of the male genital area is definitely not a negative thing in our society. Men’s jeans even enhance that, giving the illusion of having a larger package than exists in reality by creating a nice little poofy pouch in the front area.

Now, I’m not someone who is wishing for men to be ashamed of their bodies—quite the contrary—I just wish the same standards existed for women.

I remember an incident that happened during my freshmen/sophomore year of high school (can’t remember when exactly)... we wore uniforms but some days we were allowed dress up days. On one of these dress up days I came to school with jeans and a white t-shirt with a smiley face on it. It was a baby-tee (was that what they were called?), which is generally a cotton t-shirt that is fitted to your body with small sleeves. Well, I’ve always had large breasts and there’s nothing I can do about them. I can’t stuff them into a tiny bra and hope they’ll shrink. They’re there. They are prominent. Get over it.

Well, I got called out for them. The president of the student council (a girl) and a teacher (a woman) both came up to me and said I was dressed inappropriately!!! I remember my face turning red. I felt ashamed and instantly put on the spot and insecure. I knew it was my white shirt. You could probably see the outline of my bra underneath and the t-shirt wasn’t loose so you could see my breasts pretty clearly. But, I was also not ready for a wet t-shirt contest or something. My conservative, Hispanic grandmother would never have let me walk out of the house if she thought I looked too hoochie or “inappropriate” for a catholic school.

This event embarrassed me, made me feel insecure and ashamed. I had to ask my grandmother, who worked at the bookstore to lend me a jacket so I could cover myself. Never mind this is Florida and it was hot. The student council president and the faculty member pointed out something that I wasn’t aware of that morning as I was getting dressed—the overt sexuality of female breasts and the shame society associates with sexuality.

If this incident would have happened to me today I would have been able to respond “appropriately” and asked them exactly what they wanted me to do with my breasts? Should I tape them down? Wear huge bulky sweaters (as many women ashamed of their bodies tend to do...as I often did in high school as a result of that incident)? Should I get a breast reduction? Should I be ashamed? Of course not. Damn them for ever making me feel that way.

What a backwards world we live in. Women with big breasts getting breast reductions...women with small breasts getting breast enlargements. Penis reductions—yeah right—not in this society.

Let’s return to the genital area once more and think back to our early childhood for a moment. If you are male do you remember an older relative pointing to your penis and remarking on the “cuteness” of it? Probably. If you are female, do you have any similar memories? Probably not. My memories are of family members always making sure I was covered up. Or if I was jumping around and sat down with my legs spread open, I would be told to close my legs. I’d obey automatically, without thinking of the “why” of the action. Pretty soon I was imitating women who crossed their legs.

It’s “ladylike” to cross your legs if you are a woman, but for me it’s always been damn uncomfortable. I get a red spot (I am very pale) on my calf when it has rested on my knee for a while. My leg falls asleep and sometimes my hip feel funky after a long sitting time with my legs crossed. This is social convention working here, this is probably not biological.

Another reason to cross our legs is the same reason we tend to do it as young girls—there are different standards and social mores surrounding genitalia that affect our behavior well into adulthood. As a result, we often transmit these ideologies to our own children without even knowing.

Men tend to sit with their legs spread far apart and women try to constrict their legs, crossing them or keeping their knees together, which requires some effort. The result—women take up less physical space than men. This must carry with it some psychological reinforcement about who is superior more important. In fact, at least my own personal experience supports this.

At a Cirque de Soliel show here in Miami, in a tent, with itty-bitty little seats squished together to fit the maximum number of people into the show area, I found myself between my huge boyfriend and a huge man who I did not know. I didn’t mind having my leg rub against my boyfriend’s, but I did mind having my leg rub against some stranger. I brought my legs closer together, I moved closer to my boyfriend—to no avail. I was forced to sit through the show feeling some other man’s leg against my own.

The problem with this is that I was the one moving, I was the one trying to take up less space. The man next to me, never batted an eyelash over the situation, nor did he try to bring his legs closer together. Yes, I am aware of the male genital area but I have never seen men walking down the street as if they were straddled on a horse or prepared to allow a semi-truck drive through their legs. Why do they insist on sitting like that then?

This blogger discusses the Hispanic male as the culprit behind this action, but really all males do it. It’s something they learn unconsciously. Women close their legs, men open theirs. Women are ashamed of their genital area, men are not. This is pure social convention and social mystification of sexuality.

Of course there are many reasons for this, but the constant hiding of female genitalia probably contributes to an overwhelming sense of shame about it. While little boys can run naked with people comment positively on their sexual parts of course they will grow up with a quite different understanding and relationship with their private parts than women do.

Even masturbation and self touching is something often associated with men rather than women. Men use their hands, women use dildos. The companies that produce dildos to help satisfy women sexually wouldn't make their hefty profits if more women just used their hands. Vaginal climax (the “mature” type of climax, according to Freud) is difficult—and some argue impossible—to reach without clitoral stimulation (Freud believed that climax is “immature” reinforcing the need of the male penis, or some phallic object to do the trick).

Think about gynecological examinations which women learn are something they need to do every year. We go see a virtual stranger, spread our legs, and allow that person (most often a man) look at, open up, and stick something into our vaginas. How many of those women who visit gynecologists ever look at themselves? Touch themselves? Have ever even tried? If this is offending you, disgusting you, don't worry—you are sharing the sentiments of most people in our culture.