Thursday, September 8, 2011

Feminists Wearing Makeup


When Damn Arbor's Quinn Davis is not blogging, or doing real work, she writes for Adios Barbie. She is also a feminist who likes to wear mascara. From her most recent (and most excellent) article on Adios Barbie:
It was the spring of my sophomore year, and I had just dipped my toe into the pool of feminism. It was exhilarating. Every word I read felt like someone else was describing me – to myself. I finally understood why things didn’t feel quite right when middle-aged men commented on my appearance. I got how fourteen-year-old boys learned to have the gall to look me up and down whether I stood alone or with my parents.
And – most importantly, at least in this piece – I saw how the desire to wear makeup was socialized into me as completely and concisely as a cult.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but my foray into feminism was the start of the disintegration of my relationship with Snap Crackle Douche. It helped me realize what a crap-tastic situation I was in. However, at the time of the Cosmetic Conundrum, the full realization was just a glimmer in my eye.
“If you’re such a feminist, how can you buy into the very things that are used to oppress women?” he asked.
To tell you the truth, I had no idea how I could. I mean, I liked wearing mascara. When I put it on, my eyelashes were transformed into these incredible, feather-like things that made me feel like a magical being. I was a friggin’ unicorn. Bam.

The whole article is really worth a read. On a side note, I am impressed by the number of times Quinn is able to work the word douche, or some form of it into the article.

2 comments:

  1. Best Ann Arbor Blog Ever!

    You guys rock!

    Please do an inexpensive restaurant review, and not just the Fleetwood. There must be some other places where you don't go broke just looking at the menu.

    Keep it going!

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  2. Abe's Coney Island in Ypsilanti. Mark's Coney Island south of I-94 on State Street.

    ReplyDelete