So I was reading the news the other day–you know, the usual depressing stuff about the economy and my freakshow state government–when I came across an item that made me literally spit out my iced chai in bewildered shock. According to this blog post on the New York Times, there is a set of parents in Sweden who are choosing to raise their child without a gender. For real.
The parents have not revealed their two-year-old child’s gender to anyone, save for a few close relatives who have changed its diaper. Their goal is to enable the child, called “Pop” in the media, to be raised in a liberal environment devoid of the limits of the social construct known as gender identity. No “pretty girl” or “big boy” here – Pop is only referred to by its name, and has never learned gender pronouns like “his” or “hers.”
But it gets even more bizarre. You’d think the parents would be hell-bent on raising the kid to be androgynous, since wearing pretty dresses and big boy overalls are felonious acts in the crime family of gender stereotyping. Instead, the parents choose to give Pop “girl” hair cuts and clothing on occasion, and other times Pop will wear “boy ” hair cuts and clothing.
To me, this action in particular corrupts their whole plan. I can support parents who want their child to be raised with the freedom to become whomever he or she wants to be, but if you’re going to dress the child in boy and girl clothing, you’re only going to confuse the kid. Strangers will remark to the parents on the street, “What a beautiful daughter! How old is she?” or “What a handsome young man!” causing Pop to stress about the concept of gender that his/her parents are working so hard to minimize.
Also, what happens when the kid goes to school? What bathroom does Pop use? Pop will eventually have to get a driver’s license or some form of government ID, or, I don’t know, look down and see his/her genitalia. Will the parents stage a protest? Put that kid on pant-removal lockdown?
Somehow I think Pop may not turn out quite as well as his/her parents are hoping. What do you think? At what point does an experiment like this go too far?
Yay! Project Runway was so good last night. So good! It was just like old times; the designers got to choose their models for once, which made this is first episode all season where models started to cry and designers turned on one another. A potential catfight between Leanne-inmal and Suede? Where do I buy tickets?
Then the designers find out they have to design for one another, which is when everything got really fun, because their designs had to be inspired by a certain genre of music.
And someone up above was watching over this situation and fulfilled my dreams of finally laughing at an episode of Project Runway by putting the most ridiculous pairings together.
Here’s the breakdown:
Jerell has to be dressed in rock and roll (where is Leatha Stella when you need her?)
Meet Emily David, aka Queen Emily. She’s a 40-year-old single mom, a snappy dresser, and the only talented person on Tuesday night’s episode of America’s Got Talent.
I haven’t heard such a great rendition of Chain of Fools since Turkey Sub from School of Rock. It was proud, soulful, sassy, and confident. It was the voice of a woman who’d worked hard, walked through hell and lived to tell about it.
In her interview, Emily said, “So many times I think it will never happen for me…but then I go and look in the mirror and say ‘Why not me?’”
Why not you Emily? Why shouldn’t you take this show (and this country) by the shoulders and shake us out of a crappy music slump?
We’ve put up with pop starlets too long. Even those with good voices haven’t had the life experience to make their songs really sing. We’ve confused drunk driving, pantie dropping and stage parents with celebrity and even worse…with talent. And what do we have to show for it? Why should we wait for Disney to tell us who the next pop idol/future pariah is when hard-working, truly gifted people people like Emily are right in front of us? Read More »
Britney Spears has made the cover of Rolling Stone again, but this time it’s for all of the wrong reasons. Previous cover shots were done in full color, putting her entire body on display. This one is a somber black and white face close up and on her cheek it says, “Britney Spears: Inside an American Tragedy.”
As a member of her dwindling fan base, I can actually handle reading the constant stream of train wreck Britney Spears news. Because it’s not the words that bother me. What I cannot handle are the pictures that accompany the stories. When I read something particularly bad, I go back to the old photographs. The Rolling Stone covers. The MTV Video Music Award performances.
Anything to blot out the images of her out clubbing, crying, half naked, bald, pink wigged, going to rehab, going to court, naked and crying again.
When she burst onto the music scene in 1999, I so fiercely wanted to look like her. I stared at her pictures, her perfect abs, her long blonde hair. It didn’t matter that the hair wasn’t naturally blonde, that the pictures were posed and retouched, that it took hours upon hours and some plastic surgery to build that body; I was mesmerized. I didn’t listen to the music so much, but the music was secondary when it came to my love for Britney. I couldn’t get enough of seeing her and I wasn’t alone. Read More »
In her new video, Ashlee Simpson is definitely channeling Gwen Stefani. Do you love it or hate it? Let us know in the comments and get Ashlee’s newest single here!
As crazy as it seems, yes, here is The Spice Girls’ video for “Headlines”. Since their tour kicked off this week, they have been on a roll. And if you’re lucky enough to witness the reunion live and in person, let us know how it is! Get their single here!
So I was reading the news the other day–you know, the usual depressing stuff about the economy and my freakshow state government–when I came across an item that made me literally spit out my iced chai in bewildered shock. According to this blog post on the New York Times, there is a set of parents in Sweden who are choosing to raise their child without a gender. For real.
Yay! Project Runway was so good last night. So good! It was just like old times; the designers got to choose their models for once, which made this is first episode all season where models started to cry and designers turned on one another. A potential catfight between Leanne-inmal and Suede? Where do I buy tickets?
Meet Emily David, aka Queen Emily. She’s a 40-year-old single mom, a snappy dresser, and the only talented person on Tuesday night’s episode of America’s Got Talent.
Britney Spears 
How to Screw Up the First Date
Why Jennifer Lawrence is the Coolest Actress Ever
Men in Black Take on The Avengers
Jeopardy Without Trebek?!
Stop Sleeping With Your Ex!
