My View on the Feminism Issue

I have always been too scared to label myself as a Feminist for fear of immediate judgement and ridicule. Feminists are those angry, hairy arm-pitted lesbians with men’s haircuts and lots of piercings, right? Oh, how wrong.

Feminism is changing, Feminism has changed, and the internet is facilitating that movement. You no longer have to be a die-hard, man-hating Feminist to read up on the topic, in fact, you don’t even have to be female. It’s hard to estimate the number of my skim-reading generation that might have flicked through the pages of, ‘The Female Eunuch’ or perhaps even heard of Virginia Woolf and her, ‘Room of One’s Own’, let alone any with the XY chromosome. However, many more, one could imagine, have clicked onto the, ‘Everyday SexismProject’ or been inquisitive enough to reach the end of a Guardian CiF article by the fantastic Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett or Holly Baxter (writers of Vagenda- for the slightly more curious Feminist). Even the questionable layman’s news provider, BuzzFeed is in on the act, with dozens of articles promoting the gender equality cause.

Feminists don’t have to be a Feminist first and foremost and a teacher/student/parent second. Feminism doesn’t have to take over one’s life and force us into a state of stereotypical penis-haters. We don’t need to hold up signs of giant genitalia to get our point across. Feminism is accessible to everyone in the UK and the more people who are thinking about it, the more that are writing about it and that means there is more pressure to do something about it. Even if we’re being told to ‘Look Up’ from our screens, a video I suspect the majority of my generation (myself included) will gush over and then continue to ignore, sometimes it’s progressive to look down.

The topic is enormous. Whether your particular attention focuses on the lack of female MPs in parliament (147 out of 650)[1], the gender pay gap (the GPG in the UK in 2013 stood at 19.7%[2]) or the blatant and totally undeniable sexism in music videos for example; Feminism can no longer be pigeon-holed.

The Feminism issue is evolving, opinion-splitting and practically undefinable. Although we are being told to stop being a world of, ‘smart-phones and dumb people’, this intangible, influential connection between us that we call the internet is offering easier access and therefore encouraging more and more young people to take an interest, form an opinion and ask the right questions.

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[1] Source: http://www.ukpolitical.info/female-members-of-parliament.htm

[2] Source: http://www.equalpayportal.co.uk/statistics/

Time for Tea or to Bust out the Booze?

Image: Olhar-43

After a surprisingly popular post about different levels of drunkenness (to be found here), I had a thought about the differences between when you need a cup of tea or when all that will suffice is something much stronger. The difference between the desire for a warm cuppa to calm you down compared to the desperate times of the dangerously fleeting statement, ‘hand me the vodka’. Whether your tea comes in the form of classy chamomile or bog-standard breakfast, we often feel the need for a brew. Just occasionally, things fall so out of hand that a bottle of whatever has been sitting on the kitchen counter for far too long is the only thing that you are craving… 

Tea:    You know that test/essay/dissertation that you worked super hard on and completely freaked out about to all your friends? Pass the brew, you got a 2:2.

Booze: Yup, you failed- time for the voddy.

Tea:    You know that friend who has been worrying you lately with all the things that seem to be going wrong and you want to help but you just don’t know how? A calming cup of delicious tea will get your cogs turning to help you give the best advice.

Booze: You know that friend who has been driving you nuts with their drama and you just don’t care? Wine could help, but dependant on the amount of commotion- you might need something stronger.

Tea:    You know that person you quite fancy and they’ve starting going out with someone else? A nice infusion with a friend might take your mind off things.

Booze: You know that person you quite fancy who hooked up with your flatmate/someone ridiculously hot/your sibling? Bring out the booze, get your buzz on and show them who’s fabulous. N.B. This one is always a mistake. 

Or you could solve all these dilemmas the way the Irish do, mix the booze with the brew. 

2000 Hits Later

Quite recognisable, no?

My second post on this blog just over 6 weeks ago was a declaration of my plans to expose my attempts at creativity online. I now feel that with the landmark of 2000 hits diminishing into the distance, it is time for me to reflect on this adventure thus far.

I am happy to see that I still possess the adamant feeling that my blog is there to entertain, maybe even educate but not to embarrass. Although I like to write about various aspects of my life, I am pleased to say that my personal life has stayed well and truly off the page. 

For all the things I am doing right, there are plenty that I am doing wrong. One of the challenges I am yet to face is that I often find my blog does not have any purpose or theme. I write the things that come to my mind, varying from amusing advice to controversial opinions without much continuity. This is hardly surprising, I tend to be incredibly indecisive in every other aspect of my life as well but I worry that mynotebookandme will suffer as a result. 

Despite all my gripes, the most encouraging aspect of this experience is that I have discovered that I like writing. I would never have thought that at the age of 20 I would discover a new hobby as simple as writing. I owe it all to Paperchase and their cute notebooks (yes, there is a real notebook!).

So 2000 hits later and I can’t wait to watch the numbers crawl even higher. The more people read, the more I write. Forget the stereotype of teenage girls complaining about boys and bad weather and jump on the blogging band wagon- it really is incredibly satisfying.

I guess I will update you again in 2000 hits time…but who knows when that will be.

What Does Your Supercar Say About You?

So you might ask why a 20 year old girl with a fairly limited knowledge of Supercars would want to write about them? It may be true that my knowledge stems from watching the occasional Shmee150 video (more to support my brother, than to appreciate the content) and seeing a pic of the celeb-of-the-moment’s hot new wheels on Daily Mail Showbiz and Gossip online, but I have a rare insight that is hard to come across. I am a woman, and I am interested in cars. Yes, I can tell you more than just the colour of my car, I even know its engine size! 

  

In anticipation of huge generalisation; have you ever noticed how girls can be very judgemental? We gossip, we criticise and we compare. A lot of us do the same with cars, we put a focus on the aesthetic and the beauty of a car, more than the mechanics. Am I allowed to go as far as to say that these so-called ‘boys toys’ are built for boys to use and girls to look at? I know I’m being controversial, but statistics show that women prefer safe and reliable cars for themselves, while men enjoy the more luxurious supercar. This would lead us to believe that us girls don’t have the same desire to drive one, but maybe we do care about what our man looks like in one. Take the McLaren X-1 as an example, this is a fantastic car- but if you love you girlfriend, please don’t buy it. It is ugly.

The Not-So-Beautiful X-1

In my eyes, the ultimate supercar to fit with the needs of both parties is the Audi R8. This car is a masterpiece of engineering, both mechanical and aesthetic. What’s more, it is slightly more affordable than some of the more extreme wheels you see around, meaning your boyfriend can still buy you that Marc Jacobs handbag you've always wanted. 

This and a handbag?! Yes please.