"Indeed, it is likely that the idea that the west has a 'culture' that produces 'practices' at all may seem foreign....Culture may be seen as something reactionary that exists in the nonwest. The west has science and the market instead". Beauty and Misogyny Shelia Jefferys p. 28

I agree. Our culture messes around with the genitalia of intersex children, but where's the outcry? It's all OMG, those barbaric brown people! Let's scrutinize their genitalia!

I also have a prelim trans thought. I think Jeffrys has mixed up being a transvestite[in which one does get a sexual pleasure from wearing women's clothing, although I don't know if it is sadomasochistic] and being transgendered[in which one believes they are 'truly' the 'other' sex]. While I don't think surgery should be necessary to be considered the 'other' sex, there are still many things I don't understand.

I think Shelia Jefferys was railing against the idea of the sex difference, that everyone gets put into two slots at birth or whatever, but maybe I am dreaming. I am so hot, and I can't follow the plot of an episode of Dirty Jobs...

I was reminded of this because a lady hates women's tools. I do too. Just make tools for small hands and big hands, leave off the pink crap, because a woman is a full fledged adult human,k? I don't like the idea that every single woman is feminine. And irony my foot. Jefferys has a little bone to pick with the idea that if you say it's ironic or whatever, it's automatically OK, and I do too. You can say anything is ironic. But does the whole 'pink is for women' crap really break down just because we say our tongue is in our cheek? Maybe it's a whole difference in ways of knowing or whatever. I don't think just saying something is different will change things. Otherwise, with all the trees and electrons expended, the world would look much different.

"The eschewing of rational interrogation of the mystery of such "choices" are made and pleasures to which most men seem immune. and what they might mean for women's live, renders beauty practices into an aspect of the natural world beyond political concern"-Beauty and Misogyny Shelia Jefferys p. 12

I'm starting a new series, my thoughts on Shelia Jefferys. I've had a hard time expressing this feeling, but I think the whole OMG!!! But I loves teh makeup!!! stuff makes invisible women who are really bad at femininity, or even men who really love the girly crap. When we speak of manicures as a special part of being a girl or act like women, and only women, need to 'restore our sensuality' by pole dancing, the fact that men have sensuality or might want manicures is totally obscured, as well as the fact that women aren't shot out of the womb with a love of frills and makeup. European men hundreds of years ago were wearing frills all over, as a counterexample to the idea that somehow women have a gene that makes them want to be pretty- like we women are all born with eye lash curler in hand.

I think the whole choices thing doesn't really give us more space for everyone. Yea, it makes girly girls feel better about themselves, but there was already space for the concept of a girly girl. We need space for androgynous folks of both sexes, hairy legged ladies and smooth legged dudes, we need guys who aren't scared to Zumba and women who love power tools, girls who cry at shoujo manga, but can hold their own on mini comics, football playing girls and dance team guys. We're not going to get that by the choices route. We need to break down the bonds of social coercion that push everyone to different sides of the room and tear some people apart.