It’s A Man’s World

When’s The Last Time You Ridiculed a Man for Bettering Himself?

This came to mind, as I was just going about my daily business. The fact is, in a world where women are constantly fighting for equal rights – and yes major headway has been made – men are still privileged in social, political, and business realms, to start with.

When I use Google Images and search “Business Manager” – the first photo is of a man in a suit & blazer. The second, a woman in a skirt and button down shirt. 16 photos reveal themselves without scrolling once. Of this, on 4 show an image where the woman appears to be in command of the room.

business manager

Google “Body Shaming”…29 photos appear…not one is male driven. Photos of woman of all shapes and sizes. What’s beautiful, what’s not.

body shaming

Another interesting article I found was published in April 2015 by Pew Research Center. This study indicates that the pay gap is lessening, but still exists, with women earning less than men. You can read this article for yourself, and I agree it makes it seem hopeful! I prefer to rely on the BLS for my statistics – even though they are “outdated” by a year due to reporting procedures.

“In 2013, women who were full-time wage and salary workers had median usual weekly earnings of $706. On average in 2013, women made 82 percent of the median weekly earnings of male full-time wage and salary workers ($860). In 1979, the first year for which comparable earnings data are available, women earned 62 percent of what men earned. “

gender pay gapBreaching into politics…though women sit in offices throughout the states and counties as politicians, to think a woman is capable of sitting in the Presidential seat is still a joke, to many.

women vote mem woman president meme

I just have to sit back and think…why is it so easy and “normal” to ridicule and poke fun at women for bettering themselves whether by education, employment, or taking their health into their own hands? Do we make fun of men for eating healthier? Working out? Being a bit overweight? Taking a promotion? Furthering his education? Running for President?

Just a few thoughts for the evening. I’m also going to provide some links to articles regarding men’s and women’s careers/job projections. Notice the sexist tone? I did. And, quite frankly, I think it’s bullshit. Women aren’t helping the situation by being the big offenders of keeping our peers from seeking success, either.


http://www.cosmopolitan.com/career/advice/g2970/best-jobs/?slide=2

http://www.forbes.com/sites/kathryndill/2015/02/09/the-20-best-paying-jobs-for-women-in-2015/

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/money/best-future-jobs.html

http://money.usnews.com/careers/best-jobs/rankings/the-100-best-jobs

http://www.askmen.com/top_10/entertainment/top-10-highest-paying-jobs-in-the-us.html

Para mí? … Para ustedes, mis amigos – My Liebster Nominations

A few days ago, one of my fellow WP bloggers, Kaine Andrews of Insomnia, Nightmares and General Madness, provided the following feedback:

“As thanks for keeping the internet an interesting and informative place, I’ve nominated you for a Liebster Award to help others find new blogs. If you’d like to participate, the link is right here: http://kaineandrews.com/2015/03/13/liebster-award-nomination/

Thanks, and keep at it! (And good luck with the inn. That’d certainly make for some interesting blog material… fingers crossed for you!)”

Of course, my first thought was, “What the hell is a Liebster?” Well, curiosity always did pique the interest of the cat…and cats have 9 lives, so what the hell. I clicked the link. Interesting. Community. Recognition. Hmmm…I like it. Learning about my peers, my peers learning about me. Exposing my ideas, expanding my reader base, learning about everyone else and finding new and interesting blogs because of this community outreach?? The “rules” are simple enough:

  1. Thank and link your nominator.
  2. Answer said nominator’s ten questions.
  3. Nominate ten potential victims of your choosing.
  4. Create 10 new questions.
  5. Notify your unsuspecting prey of their nomination via social media or their blog.

Well, since I’m a stickler for sticking to the rules…Here is goes.

Thank you, Kaine Andrews, for becoming one of my first followers and first outside individuals to respond to and read my blog. It’s been a long-time coming to put my thoughts out for public review – and people like you make it a fun and functional forum. Your posts are both entertaining and informative. I enjoy perusing – it sounds so much better than internet creeping – your writings. Congrats on your nomination, and THANK YOU for mine!

As for the 10 questions I’ve been presented with:

  1. What website do you spend the most time on? Google. I’m a sucker for finding and linking ideas.
  2. What part of yourself would you most want to change? My self-perception; I don’t give myself enough credit and could use a little push sometimes.
  3. Who’s your least favorite celebrity (local or otherwise) and why? Honestly, I try not to follow the “celeb” scene too much. My least favorite, whew that’s a hard one…actually, it’s really not – Kanye West. I know, I know, seems as if it’s all too easy. But, for me, he really has taken such a front seat in the public eye and has failed to utilize it for the benefit of, well, anyone. He has degraded, publicly humiliated, and made an ass out of himself and other public figures. He has no concept of reality or appropriateness. It’s really disheartening that an individual of his caliber can a) make that kind of money with such little talent and b) have so much power that people just let this shit happen…and LAUGH about it! ‘Oh, that crazy Kanye…’ I find it, and him, appalling. 
  4. Elvis or the Beatles? Elvis. Simple. Plain and simple. Wholesome (until the drugs), beautiful, talented…I mean, he was Gospel and then he made panties drop with some hip-thrusting. He was a talented man. And, well, ‘Mama Loved the Roses’ will always be an all-time favorite for me. Bringing back Christmas memories.
  5. Betty or Veronica (or, for the ladies, Archie or Jughead)? The pitchforks and torches may come out on this one…Neither. I never got into comics. I couldn’t even make an educated guess as to which I would prefer. 
  6. What’s the last book you read or film you watched (your choice)? The Wolf Gift by Anne Rice. Quite the deviation from her Vampire novels – definitely no LeStat in this 2-book series. But, I am enjoying a different side of Ms. Rice. I do so enjoy her written word. 
  7. What book or film do you most regret reading or watching? Ultraviolet. I tried to get through it … after 5 attempts I gave up. Couldn’t do it. It was horrible. Not captivating at all.
  8. Contemplate the worst thing you can imagine. Doesn’t matter how implausible. Then it happens to someone else in a very public way. What do you do? Well, do I like this person? Actually, even if I didn’t…I would attempt to assist in some way – it’s what I do…I can’t help it. It’s my curse. 😦
  9. Do you believe in magic? Absolutely. We have to. 
  10. Mac or PC? PC … but I am thinking I may venture into the Mac realm for shits and giggles – just to expand my knowledge.

My ten nominations: Georgia Kevin, Solitary Pagan Witch, CiCi & Mimi, HK, The False Prophet, E, Kendall F. Person, singlemomtakingovertheworld, Longreads Blog, and, finally, ShopGirl. These writers are extraordinary in their own way and have provided me with some very special insight. New followers are always exciting and I love being able to reach out and inquire. Each of these 10 individuals have provided some amazing pieces which BEG to be read not only by me, but by others as well! I encourage anyone reading this to click the links and immerse yourself in the creativity and knowledge of others.

liebsteraward

My 10 questions to my 10 nominees are as follows:

  1. When did you know you wanted to write (for fun or otherwise) a blog?
  2. Sweet tea or unsweetened tea?
  3. Favorite gemstone and why?
  4. Where in the world is Carmen San Diego?
  5. What’s the first thing you look for when you go to a Goodwill store?
  6. What is one thing you can do now that you could not do at the beginning of the New Year?
  7. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off?
  8. Who was your favorite teacher (or professor) and why?
  9. If you could re-title a Britney Spears song, which one would it be/what would you re-title it?
  10. A mouse is in your house, what do you do?

Well, there we go. I did my part, now do yours! Good luck and happy reading!