Girl Power?

For most of us, we understand that men and women are now pretty much equal. Sure, there are still some who resist the notion, but for the most part the fairer sex is no longer second class. However, there are a large number of things that women have suffered through over the years and in some countries they still do. One thing that caught my attention lately was body modification. We are living in a society where cosmetic surgery is not only accepted, but actively encouraged. Female beauty has always been judged on an unattainable scale. Only a tiny percentage of women can hope to meet the ideal and even so, most will do so only with surgical help!

I feel almost as though women are being forced into body modification. Is this an alternative way of keeping us in line now that it is no longer socially acceptable to chain us to the kitchen sink? Sure it can be argued that women are the ones choosing to have cosmetic surgery to alter their bodies, but are they really? Are they in fact subconsciously driven to it by the constant pressure to look perfect? Who makes these decisions. The majority of designers in the fashion industry are male. Thy make clothes for tiny women and urge us mortals to starve ourselves into them. Has anything really changed? Or did we just swap one form of oppression for another?

Think about it. It all begins with the Victorian corset. These were used to create an extreme body shape and over time they actually physically altered women's bodies by rearranging internal organs and squeezing the body into shape. Is this so far removed from a breast augmentation? What about Chinese foot binding? Most shocking of all is perhaps the clitorodectomy - a body modification still practised in many developing countries where young woman's clitoris is removed.

It's definitely food for thought.

Girls Living Like Bachelors!

Doing It Like A Dude!

We often hear tales of single men living the bachelor life, but the latest statistics show that not only are more women turning to the bachelor lifestyle, but they seem to be doing it better! A recent study by the University of Edinburgh details that the number of people aged between 25 and 44 who choose to live alone is increasing, but just what effect does this have on us?

The research revealed big differences between how men and women were affected, with men being more likely to have financial difficulties, poor health and suffer from social problems and isolation than their female counterparts. The research discovered that women who choose to live alone are usually educated to a higher level and tend to have a professional career. In comparison, over a third of men in the same situation were in lower paid jobs.

Not all of those surveyed were single, half of the women and 35% of the men were in long term relationships, but had chosen to live apart from their partners. It was found that those living the so called bachelor life did have a strong social networks of friends, something which is very important because living alone can impact mental health, especially when teamed with long working hours, limited income and other health concerns. Women are better equipped to deal with these issues than men, meaning us girls actually make better bachelors than the boys do!

Anything they can do – we can do better!

Warning: Feminist(ish) Rant!

As a woman living on her own, I do worry about the upkeep of my home. I constantly think about what would happen if I had a burst pipe, or if the basement flooded or if the roof was leaking. It's also one of the things my mother is constantly on my back about! 'Lauren, if you had a man you could get him to do your DIY.' It pains her that I am single! That's one thing about Indian mothers... they are desperate to farm out their daughters as soon as possible!

But seriously, I am useless when it comes to DIY. I can probably hang a picture, or screw in a few wood screws if I have to, but major work requires the services of a handyman! I did however, recently think to myself that I should get a little tool box in the house, just for minor things! Nothing exciting. Just a hammer, screwdriver, tape measure some nails and screws – the basics. So off I headed with my flatmate into the local DIY place! Now, it has already occurred to me that DIY is the domain of men, but surely there must be plenty of women who indulge in it too? I mean just cause I'm hopeless doesn't mean plenty of other woman don't love banging away with a hammer from time to time. Right?

Anyway , at the shop we found 'Women's Tools'. I was like huh? They have special tools for females. I was shocked, and more than a little bit disappointed that what passed for women's tools were the same hammers in the next aisle, only sprayed pink. There was a whole range of tools, boxes, belts etc with pink or lilac colours or even floral patterns and worst of all? Twice the price!

Are women really such consumers that they will pay double for a pink hammer? That's so patronizing! Why can't we fix our leaky pipes with regular man tools?