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Monday, July 31, 2023

Feminine Differential - Skort

 

It is not shorts.  It is not a skirt
It is a SKORT

According to Wikipedia: A skort is an item of clothing that is made to look like a skirt but is not one. It has shorts built into it as to not show your genitals. Lots of people prefer these to normal skirts, as they can be more comfortable.Skorts continue to be popular in sports such as tennis, golf, and field hockey, but have also gained popularity in casual and athletic wear due to brands such as Lululemon. Lululemon's "Speed Up" skort, for example, has gained a following for its comfortable, moisture-wicking fabric and built-in shorts that provide coverage and protection during athletic activities.




Boston Proper - Floral Tropical Print Twill Pull On Skort

A comfortable twill skort designed for effortless ease comes to you with a figure-flattering high-rise waist in a colorful tropical floral print you'll love. You get the sexy look of a skirt from the back and a feminine layered look in the front. So versatile, this easy-fitting pull-on skort can be styled with untucked casual tops or tucked-in dressy blouses.





Taylor Swift
June 29,2023

Look of the Week: Taylor Swift makes the case for the summer skort.

CNN Style: From the days of cumbersome cage crinolines — steel hoops skirts designed to exaggerate the hips and shrink the appearance of the wearer’s waist — to tightly laced corsets, clothes (specifically those worn by women) have impeded comfort and free movement throughout history. 

Perhaps that’s why it’s so exciting when a garment is equal parts functional and flattering.Such is the case with the skort, the sartorial amalgamation of a skirt and a pair of shorts. This week, the hybrid garb has been spotted on Taylor Swift not once, but twice.










Sunday, July 30, 2023

Political Week In Review 7-30-2023

Pew Research - Key findings: How Americans’ attitudes about climate change differ by generation, party and other factors


Republicans Are Throwing Temper Tantrums Over 'Barbie:  'Ted Cruz said that a world map shown in the movie was used by Hollywood to act “as a mouthpiece for the Chinese communists.”... Warner Bros said in a statement that the map was simply a childlike drawing and “not intended to make any type of statement.








 




Saturday, July 29, 2023

Friday, July 28, 2023

The Perfect Riding Boots

 

About two years ago I wrote about Mixing Genders On A Motorcycle. Fact is that most riders are perceived male especially riding the larger Harley.  So I do get quizzical looks. 

Riding is something I have been doing since 14 and hope to continue as long as able.  I know; full of contradictions. Some call riding "Wind Therapy", but for me it is sensory overload with that "I am alive" adrenaline rush; fearless.   

After telling me, "I don't think I have sold a bike to someone as old as you", my bike shop owner recommended I get good boots.  The shoes I had on that day were just some old slip-on sneakers. From previous bikes, I knew he was right.  So, the search for the perfect riding boots.   

Let's be realistic; in most of the motorcycle accidents, the toe and ankle area are most affected. So the principal purpose of a riding boot is to protect your toes and ankles from twisting / breaking.  Not to be a feminine differential. 

The site Women Riders Now has a good article on "Our Best Picks for Women’s Motorcycle Cruiser Boots - Fashion Vs. Function".  
Harley -Women's Corrington 5" Riding Boot

Not to be too boring, my first boots for this ride were a female Harley ankle boots. Over two years in, I have gotten good use of these. A very generic boot with just an ever so slight heel with no overt feminine decorations.  However on longer rides, they are short and the top of the zipper rubs my leg in a not good place. The solution was heavy socks; bulky and hot.

A few week ago (photo) I did see at my Harley store in Stuart, a very functional boot. My size was available and after trying on several other sizes, I found the perfect fit. This one comes up higher and dose not require heavy socks to cover a problem spot on my leg. They are made in a 7" and 5" shaft height.  I choose the 5" (shown). 

The construction is a combination of leather and nylon that helps with the weight and provides a good snug fit. Even the heel works for me on the bike and with long jeans it is only slightly noticeable. Your step does need to adapt to the heels and they make for just a slightly different gate.  I love heels!

Helmet Hair

I like the look of this " Women's Corrington 5" Riding Boot".  Here is the description from the Harley site:

A rebellious style for the modern female rider. The Corrington Boot is sure to impress. The balance of full grain leather and nylon make this style breathable and lightweight. The 2.75" rubber heel provides the perfect feminine touch while still being ideal for any adventure -  Shaft height T: 4.5” / Heel Height 2.75"

I like the matter-of-fact look and could see me wearing these to non-ride events with a pair of tight jeans. Just a slight "Feminine Differential."  Biker babe?


See also: Review: TCX Ladies Classic Motorcycle Boot Protective waterproof boots for women riders who like a decent-sized heel


Not me - I ride with boots 









Thursday, July 27, 2023

Rohi's Readery

 

Last evening I attended a community gathering at a very unique Book Store. We had a great turnout to support the bookstore dedicated to young readers and parents seeking supportive and non-discriminatory reading.  Here is the description:

Rohi's Readery, founded and operated by Pranati (Pranoo) Kumar Skomra, is a social justice driven children's bookstore dedicated to critical literacy that promotes inclusivity and diversity.

The store, Rohi's Readery, is the dream of Pranati Kumar Skomra, a 35-year-old native of India who moved to the United States with her family and says she remembers not seeing herself in the books she read here as a child.

The one-of-a-kind bookstore is centered on a commitment to serve as a space for empowerment, belonging and accessibility for all when it comes to the world of critical literacy. To ensure that they are honoring and uplifting the everyday experiences of historically marginalized communities, they are committed to seeing characters in shades of Black and Brown, shedding light on those with disabilities, representing the LGBTQIA+ community, presenting authentic and accurate historical content that has been previously suppressed, and highlighting non-fiction content that reflect the strength and courage of everyday community members.

Rohi's Readery West Palm Beach FL
Dedicated to Revolutionary Readers


Join Rohi's Readery for educational programming through story time, phonics classes, and themed events as well as The Square's TGIFamily on the last Friday of every month. 

Located on the corner of Rosemary Avenue and Hibiscus Street. West Palm Beach. 

If you are an educator looking for diversity based unique books or a parent that would like to browse their selection, please contact Rohi's Readery.  Any and all support given, is to a book store committed to diversity.  

In attendance last evening was the West Palm Beach Mayor, Keith James, and many other city/county official pledging their support. A wonderful evening.


Mayor Keith James and Rhonda
He liked my "WOKE" Button.  


Wednesday, July 26, 2023

The Third Gender of Southern Mexico

In Oaxaca’s Istmo de Tehuantepec region, the traditional indigenous division of three genders is seen as a natural way of being.


By Ola Synowiec 26th November 2018

My Note: We are not along.

“Which form should I use when I talk to you: feminine or masculine?” I asked Lukas Avendaño, who I had seen in trousers earlier in the day but now was wearing a traditional black skirt with colourful embroidered flowers called an enagua. We were speaking in Spanish, with its gendered nouns and pronouns. “I prefer you’d just call me sweetheart,” Avendaño giggled.

Here, in the Istmo de Tehuantepec region in Mexico’s southern state of Oaxaca, there are three genders: female, male and muxes. This third classification has been acknowledged and celebrated since pre-Hispanic times, and it’s hard to imagine life without muxes here. But in this region where most people speak the indigenous Zapotec language, my question doesn’t make much sense.

“In Zapotec, as in English, there are no grammatical genders. There is only one form for all people. Muxes have never been forced to wonder: are they more man or woman?” Avendaño explained.

“We’re the third sex,” added Felina, who, unlike Avendaño, decided to change his given male name, Ángel, and goes only by this moniker. “There’s men and women and there’s something in between, and that’s who I am.”

I was at Vela de Las Intrepidas (Vigil of the Intrepids), the annual celebration of muxes that takes place each November in Juchitán de Zaragoza, a small town on the Istmo de Tehuantepec. Observing the different muxes, I couldn’t see much in common between their styles. There were muxes who, like the local tehuanas (women from the Istmo de Tehuantepec), wore the same richly embroidered outfits that inspired Frida Kahlo’s unique look. Others seemed to prefer Western-style dresses or drag queen apparel. And there were some wearing men’s clothes, showing their status with just simple makeup and nail polish.

A lot of muxes work preparing
the traditional fiestas that are a big part
 of the local economy (Credit: Zofia Radzikowska)


“It’s hard to describe who a muxe is. Basically, we can say that a muxe is any person who was born a man but doesn’t act masculine,” Avendaño said.

“What we know, ‘under Western eyes’, as ‘male-to-female transvestite’, ‘male-to-female transsexual’, ‘effeminate gay’ or ‘masculine gay’ seems to be included within the category of ‘muxe’ as long as there is also a strong component of ethnic identity,” writes anthropologist Pablo Céspedes Vargas in his article Muxes at work: between community belonging and heteronormativity in the workplace. Avendaño similarly emphasised that ‘muxe’ is a Zapotec term and it can’t be understood without knowing more about their culture.

...

For the Mexican and international gay community, Juchitán has become a queer paradise and a symbol of tolerance. Even though some locals still discriminate against muxes, and the muxe community as a whole has less opportunity to study and gain employment, the traditional indigenous division of three genders as a natural and traditional way of being has inspired the LGBT scene around the world – and muxes are becoming aware of it.


Read the whole article here



Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Barbie’s classic stiletto mule heels...

 The Controversial History 


By Marie Lodi, CNN
Published 6:34 PM EDT, Tue July 18, 2023




When the trailer for Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” movie was first released, Google Trend searches for fluffy mules shot up 115 percent. This was, of course, largely inspired by the trailer’s scene featuring Margot Robbie’s Barbie stepping out of her pink stilettos and into a tip-toe pose, a reference to the doll’s signature stance due to her perpetually frozen feet. (In 2015, Mattel began making Barbie dolls with adjustable ankles so she could finally relax — and wear flats.)

With a wardrobe now spanning 64 years worth of fashion, she’s had her pick of footwear, but Barbie has been closely associated with the stiletto mule — also called the stiletto slide or sandal — since her inception.

At an event in Seoul, South Korea
 on July 3, Robbie wore
hot pink Moschino separates
It’s clear that shoes are an important totem in Barbieland; in the movie, Barbie’s feet, or what happens to them, serve as a key plotline. When it becomes clear that her arches have fallen, it’s a bad omen. When she seeks wisdom from Kate McKinnon’s Weird Barbie, she must choose between pink pumps or brown Birkenstocks, seemingly à la the infamous red pill-blue pill dilemma in “The
 Matrix.”

And throughout the film’s meticulously thought-out press tour, Robbie has been knocking out look after Barbie-themed look, with designer pieces frequently paired with high-heeled mules custom designed by Manolo Blahnik — like a take on the 1964 “Sparkling Pink” Barbie, for example, which Robbie replicated for a press conference in Seoul, South Korea.



“When you walk in mules, you walk a bit differently…Madame de ­Pompadour in her mules, walking around Versailles, click click click,” Blahnik once quipped. “Can you think of anything more exquisite?”

Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler introduced Barbie to the world in 1959, changing everything the world then knew about girls’ dolls. The doll’s inspiration was somewhat controversial, coming in part from the German comic strip character Bild Lilli, a sassy high-end call girl who was later sold as an adult novelty doll. A model in many respects, Barbie had breasts and an anatomically impossible figure, and wore a fashion-forward look created by Mattel designer Charlotte Johnson: a black and white striped bathing suit paired with backless heels.


Neiman Marcus - Christian Louboutin 
Me Dolly Patent Red Sole Sandals
$795 - Sold Ou
t

“It was almost like a slide, so it’s very revealing, but then you have this really thin high heel,” explained Elizabeth Semmelhack, Director and Senior Curator at the Bata Shoe Museum in Toronto, of the shoe’s design. “It was instantly linked to ideas of feminine desirability. Not only does the stiletto heel race into fashion at this time, but Barbie does as well.”

“Our mules are still used on Barbie,” Mattel’s Kim Culmone, SVP of Barbie Design, told CNN. “Less so on dolls targeted to kids because they fall off and lose them — we do keep playability in mind, but the open toe backless shoe style is used on collector dolls and in reproductions.”

The mule has both a storied and complex history, and has “for centuries been connected to ideas of play, private time, and intimacy,” said Semmelhack. According to Semmelhack, backless slippers first became more ornately designed for upper-class women in the 1600s. In the 18th century during the Rococo period, culture in Europe grew more focused on more intimate gatherings, so the mule functioned similar to the way a house slipper would. (A pair of silk mules belonging to Marie Antoinette sold for $57,000 in 2012.) “These elements of dress that had previously been worn, just in the privacy of one’s boudoir, start to become a little more appropriate, not for fully formal occasions, but for a wider range of them,” she said, adding that “they basically signaled that you were a little more relaxed.”

The heeled mule came back into women’s fashion in the middle of the 19th century, as part of a wave of nostalgia for 18th century style. “At that point, they still continued to signify the kind of private domestic realm,” Semmelhack continued, “so the backless mule was kind of equivalent to being in a state of undress.”

Erotic photography came about in the 19th century, and Semmelhack points to depictions of women wearing nothing but heels, which increased the hypersexualization of the high heel in the following decades. (In Edouard Manet’s famous 1863 oil painting “Olympia,” for example, a woman lies on a bed, wearing nothing but yellow mules.) “You add in the peep toe, which came in in the 1930s, then fast forward to the post-war period of the 1950s, and you’re starting to see the back of the foot and the toes of the feet,” she explained. “It also gets interpreted as a boudoir slipper, and the quintessential Frederick’s of Hollywood shoe. By the 1950s, the height of a heel begins to skate towards the tawdry.”


In other words, just like “Barbie” is a film about a doll breaking out of her box, it’s time to break a pair of mules out of theirs.






Monday, July 24, 2023

Gender Neutral Skirt...

And it is cute


This is not a joke or a put-up - See it here - Order it here. 
Wear it anywhere according to Quora. 



Christophe Perrier


Can boys wear skirts like girls?

Sure they can: we, as men have legs, hips and have human apparency so a skirt will fit us. The problem is more to dare to wear one.

If you’re a man, or a boy, and you want to wear a skirt, how do you proceed ? If you have a sister you might ask her to lend you one to try or you might steal it discretly in her closet if you don’t dare to show your curiosity for many reasons.

If you’re an adult you might decide to buy one. If so you need to go to a women’s “assigned” store to encounter one. Sorry for you but I’ve been searching a skirt in men’s fashion store and haven’ t found any. Never !!! So get courage and go !!! Many brands are waiting for you (or your money) in any commercial mall or city center. You have to try it (are you brave enough to ask the attendant to go to the fitting room ?) If you go to a store like Zara it’s worse: Men and women sections are separated and so are fitting room !!! Which one to select ??? That’s a reason I’ve never bought my skirt in Zara. I prefer going to a women’s exclusive store. The problem of the fitting room doesn’t exist because it’s “for all”.

Are you still here ?? Well now you have to wear it in public. Aren’t you afraid ? Well I advice you to first try in a crowded place like a mall or a city center on a Saturday afternoon. No one will notice you. I also advice you to perfect your good look with a masculine and elegant top like a shirt and a classical sweater and nice shoes (don’t forget that they’re quite exposed at sight and if you walk with used or dirty shoes they will be seen). You have to adopt a discrete but good looking appearance. If it’s in winter, you should wear tights to protect your legs from cold and it’s much more elegant in my opinion.

As you see, a boy “can” wear skirts but it is socially very difficult to make it just because society is organised to assign skirts to women as it used to be organised to separate “white” and “coloured” people in several countries.

As a man I decided (as well as few other men in the occidental countries) to “break the rules” and I realize it’s actually possible. I’ve never been mocked or told anything bad. I’ve never been called “Madam” and I’ve never felt so masculine wearing a skirt because bravery is needed. And bravery is known to be a typical masculine virtue


Friday, July 21, 2023

Tony Bennett - 1926 - 2023

Tony Bennett, Champion of the Great American Songbook, Is Dead at 96






 Tony Bennett performing "The Way You Look Tonight" with Faith Hill

Trans Youth Prom...

Fosters Space For Transgender Joy And Community


The youth-led event was created to center transgender joy as an act of resistance amid nationwide attacks on the queer community.


By Shruti Rajkumar
May 23, 2023



Trans kids and additional activists
march to the U.S. Supreme Court


A large crowd of transgender youth and adults gathered around Union Square in Washington, D.C., on Monday for the Trans Youth Prom, a celebratory youth-led event created to hold space for transgender joy, liberation and existence.

The Trans Youth Prom was organized by four transgender youth from various parts of the country, with support from activists and drag artists to bring the vision to life. The event provided support and a safe space for trans youth and their families. It also gave people the opportunity to use community love as an act of resistance to harmful narratives about transgender lives and anti-transgender legislation across the country.

12-year-old nonbinary organizer Grayson told HuffPost in an email interview.

Michael J. Coppola, 15
from Long Island, performs 
 

“The intended purpose of the Trans prom is to show that no matter what happens we still have reasons to celebrate, “Trans prom is about the fact that we are here and we will always be here regardless of laws.”



The Trans Youth Prom brought in more than 200 transgender youth, their parents and transgender adults from more than 16 states across the country. The event also featured a parade, during which the group chanted “Trans kids are magic” as they marched from the Capitol to the Supreme Court.

Grayson said they hope that transgender youth leave the event feeling loved and knowing that they have power. Strangio hopes that the event gives people the respite and pause they need to keep fighting for transgender rights.

“We will not change the facile and cruel debates over our lives and bodies in one day, but I believe we will send a powerful message that change is coming,” Strangio said.



Thursday, July 20, 2023

Feminine Differential Perfume - Do You Still Wear It?

 


Here are two iconic fragrances that 
are my favorites. Both of these I remember vividly for my teen dating years. I can immediately recognize them still today with each enlisting an immediate pleasant feeling of well being. And, best of all, good memories. 

What feminine message does a fragrance convey too you? “Fragrance is the ultimate tool of seduction, it’s an invisible signal, a code that says, I’m ready for the world”. According to Mr. Annese, who credits Tory Burch’s eloquence in storytelling for the success of her digital fragrance sales to women who ordered without so much as a whiff.

One of my first girlfriend always wore the "Jean Nate", still available according to Fragrantica. My steady high school girlfriend that became my wife, always wore Youth Dew.   

Jean Nate by Revlon:  "First launched back in 1935 for the Jean Nate Company, which was later bought by Revlon. This timeless classic possesses citrus, floral and spicy notes, such as lavender, jasmine, rose, carnation, lily of the valley, cedar, tonka bean, musk and sandalwood."

Youth Dew from Estee Lauder: "Absolutely captivating, with opulent flowers, rich spices, precious woods. It has been called one of the sexiest fragrances ever created, and more than 50 years after it was launched it continues to entice with its sensual, yet timeless appeal.  Estée wanted to find a way for women to buy their own perfume, so in 1953 she created Youth-Dew, a bath oil that doubled as a skin perfume."

There is no question that certain perfumes are a Feminine Differential. However, has perfume wearing gone down the same path as panty hose?  Do women still wear or use perfume?  According to a 2008 NYTimes article "The Sweet Smell of ... Nothing":


“Eighty-five percent of women are still buying fragrance, but an increasing number tell us they are wearing fewer scents, less frequently or not at all.”


So my question to you: Do you in general tend to wear fragrance less now than you did in the past? What is your favorite? Memories?


  


Wednesday, July 19, 2023

MAGA Propaganda Collides With Florida Reality


By FRED GRIMM*
PUBLISHED: July 14, 2023



My Note: Some may believe that all of Florida is in lock step with Trump's MEGA agenda and Desantis' draconian measures. Many, in spite of the searing heat are still lucid. Exposed in this Sun Sentinel op-ed is the results of what authoritarian brings and the impact it is having on Florida.  

South Florida Sun Sentinel
columnist Fred Grimm
. (Rolando Otero, South Florida Sun Sentinel)


Imagine the cognitive dissonance in mocking climate change as so much liberal hype even as the heat index in South Florida exceeds 100 degrees for the 33rd straight day. And counting.

Imagine hewing to the official state pretense that Florida’s property insurance crisis isn’t a crisis in the same week that Farmers Insurance Group notified the state that it was skedaddling.

Imagine acting as if the spate of racist, homophobic, sexist laws spat out by the Florida Legislature embodies sound policy rather than the cynical contrivances of the governor’s presidential campaign. Never mind that Florida cities are losing convention business due to the state’s “unfriendly political environment.”d is the truthy of is happening in Florida under authoritarian rules.   

Imaging trying to convince farmers and builders that Florida’s draconian anti-immigrant legislation hasn’t chased away much needed workers, even as farmers and builders insist otherwise.

Imagine ignoring the damage caused by agricultural runoff, leaky septic tanks and other pollutants in a week when 440-square miles of toxic green algae was smothering Lake Okeechobee.

Mendacity has always been an integral element in MAGA’s brave new world, but imagine the enormous self-deception required to ignore a life-threatening heat dome stalled over Florida, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and a sizeable chunk of Arizona.

Climate denial just doesn’t resonate after the hottest day in the hottest week in the hottest June in recorded history. Along with floods, wildfires, superstorms, droughts, mudslides, melting glaciers, dying coral reefs and other disasters ignited by global warming.

Fading Away...

Even wild-eyed zealots must reach a breakpoint where reality undercuts MAGA ideology. Apparently, in Florida, that juncture remains elusive. Last month, Gov. Ron DeSantis demonstrated his contempt for climate change mitigation by vetoing a budget item that would have qualified Florida for a $346 million federal grant to improve energy efficiency. [turn down money that would have benefited Floridians] DeSantis told Fox News that he “rejects the politicization of the weather.”

Florida Chief Operating Officer Jimmy Patronis, who oversees the Office of Insurance Regulation, suffers his own MAGA delusions. After Farmers Insurance Group announced that the company would neither write new insurance policies in Florida nor renew 100,000 existing policies, Patronis accused the company of going woke — the DeSantis regime’s ultimate revilement.

“The more we learn about Farmers Insurance the more it’s clear its leadership doesn’t know what they’re doing. While they’re bad at helping people, they’re good at virtue signaling,” Patronis claimed Tuesday.

Patronis didn’t say whether three other major insurers who’ve abandoned Florida, or the 15 companies that have stopped writing new policies, or the seven firms that have gone bankrupt covering disaster losses were similarly undone by liberal wokeness. He accused Farmers of “playing politics” and said the company was “well on its way to becoming the Bud Light of insurance,” referencing the MAGA hate frenzy ignited last month by the appearance of a transgender woman in a Bud Light ad.

Despite Florida’s mighty war on woke, property insurance has risen from an average annual premium of $1,544 to $4,231 under the DeSantis administration. Depending on one’s political perspective, Florida insurers have either fobbed off the cost of inclusion, equity and diversity on their customers or else hurricanes have rendered vulnerable areas of Florida nearly uninsurable.

State laws targeting abortion, Black history, LGBTQ rights, immigrants, college professors, teachers, librarians, unions and drag queens have been blamed for the loss of at least six conventions in Fort Lauderdale, one in Miami and five in Orlando. Con of Thrones, a gathering of “Game of Thrones” enthusiasts,  canceled its Orlando convention, due to “the increasingly anti-humanitarian legislation and atmosphere in Florida.”

But Florida’s tourism losses haven’t yet reached the critical point where state officials admit that their mindless culture wars are savaging the state’s brand.

The nation’s harshest immigration laws have left the state’s agriculture, construction and hospitality sectors desperate for workers, but apparently the desperation hasn’t reached the point where Republican politicians are forced to admit another mistake.

Residents downstream from Lake Okeechobee along the Caloosahatchee River, the St. Lucie River and the Indian River Lagoon worry that huge gobs of green algae will soon be floating their way. But state officials still haven’t gone after the polluters who created this stinking mess. Not yet.

Nor has Florida’s firearm mayhem — more than a thousand gun homicides a year — reached the crucial juncture when MAGA pols no longer deny the relationship between permissive gun laws and all those bullet-riddled bodies.

When it comes to firearm killings, escalating insurance costs, climate disasters, immigrant labor, polluted waterways, legislative bigotry, the solutions are obvious. Sadly, we’re just not there yet.

Florida hasn’t reached that crucial breakpoint where truth matters more than ideology.

*Fred Grimm, a longtime resident of Fort Lauderdale, has worked as a journalist in South Florida since 1976. Reach him by email at leogrimm @ gmail.com or on Twitter: @grimm_fred.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Barbie


Did you play with a Barbie doll? I did not. She came on the scene after my doll playing times or maybe I had grown out of my overt sissy / girly phase by 1959. 

However, I did have "baby dolls" and remember vividly staging elaborate tea parties.  Also, I do remember inviting the girls in the neighborhood over for a "doll" tea party. They came. I only wish there were photos or I remember how I dressed for the party.  

After my doll phase, I was more into the "Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier (1955") craze. By then I needed to fit in with the neighborhood boys.  

How about you.  Did you play with dolls? Barbie? 


1959 - The Original Barbie Signature Doll



Sunday, July 16, 2023

8th Anniversary

 

July 16, 2015

From this very modest post eight years ago to today, my "Because" has not changed.  Over the years I have discussed the potential why, the fun, the complications, the news, the success stories, fashion, and the exhilaration that "Escapes" convey.  Read my "Free" post from December 2015, to understand my "ESCAPE" tag.  

The numbers: There have been 2922 days since I started and there is a total of 2,936 published posts. There have been 4,251,922 Blog views.  On average currently about 2,000 per-day. I have published 3,100 comments that you have sent with numerous e-mails also received. My "Survey Tab" provides me with much insight into what you like/dislike; thank you.   

Thomas Jefferson

This blog would be nothing without you, my loyal readers, I have likened writing a blog to being on the radio; you are speaking but have no clue if anyone is listening. I value your comments so much. Even if you disagree I will always publish what you say. Sometimes just an "I am here" lets me know that the blog is seen. Thank you!

Every time I consider giving up, some relevant news story happens that is critical to our community. 

 It is "the best of times and the worst of times".  The best - we are still free to "Escape" and be our true- selves. Exercise that freedom!  The worst - some want us to be invisible or not exist. We will not let that happen. Be strong! Be visible! Be pretty!


 Be yourself!


Here's  to another Eight Years.


Political Week In Review 7-16-2023

 




The dumbing-down of Florida Schools - Politico: "DeSantis kicks off feud over College Board’s AP psych class". Florida school districts had raised questions about an AP Psychology “learning objective” that covers gender and sexual orientation.
It is unclear whether Florida will now block the AP psychology course from classrooms, the College Board told educators.

Please know that we will not modify our courses to accommodate restrictions on teaching essential, college-level topics. Doing so would break the fundamental promise of AP: colleges wouldn’t broadly accept that course for credit and that course wouldn’t prepare students for success in the discipline.”








Saturday, July 15, 2023

Friday, July 14, 2023

Feminin Differential - Short Shorts


 

I love the look of the model above with her denim "short-shorts and sweet-heart neck-line tee. Classy and cool - A great summer look. (Pinterest - Fashion influx black frill puff sleeved crop top)

Marilyn Monroe in Shorts

Going back to my youth, there were several summer I refused to wear shorts, opting for jeans all summer.  I was so sissy-phobic, justifying it by saying boys do not wear shorts; it is a "girl thing". Yes I suffered, because I remember how hot the Virginia summer got and the only air-conditioning in town was our local movie theater.  A severe case of denial; not wanting to admit that there was a "girl" present so wanting to escape. Was there anyone else that deep in delial during their youth?    

So are short-shorts feminine? According to Wikipedia:

Short shorts, as their name implies, are shorter than average. Such garments had been known since the 1930s when female Hollywood stars wore them for publicity photographs, and in New York City, a by-law (repealed 1942) was passed banning women from wearing them. They were principally worn for sports and active purposes, such as cycling. Shorts that terminated at the upper thigh became increasingly popular as informal leisurewear and sporting attire throughout the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s for both men and women. In the early 1970s short shorts began to be made in fashion fabrics, in which form they became known as [feminine] hotpants, a term popularised by Women's Wear Daily. The terms hotpants and short shorts have since become interchangeable.

The above shorts are a few seasons old, I believe Banana Republic. To look for these just search "Paper-Bag" in woman's shorts. I love them in white and the gathered "paper bag" waist is a definite feminine differential. If the ones you get are are not true short-shorts, just give a roll to leg opening. The Top is current and is Amazon's "LYANER Women's Square V Neck Puff Short Sleeve Knit Summer Elegant T-Shirt". A  great fit and I love the sweetheart neck line; $23.99; a keeper. 

See also what I wore to my "moonrise" Meetup group evening.  

See also, Fashion Jackson - "Take this Summer Outfit from Day to Night."


A stunning look
INSSTREET




  

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Thursday, July 13, 2023

‘There are more trans bans than trans athletes

 What’s driving anti-LGBTQ+ hate in America?



Sam Levin in Los Angeles

June 29, 2023





The Guardian spoke with Gillian Branstetter, 34, who works for the ACLU’s LGBTQ & HIV Project and Women’s Rights Project, about the forces driving these anti-trans bills, the “upside-down” media coverage, and what she thinks it will take to defeat this escalating discrimination.

Gillian Branstetter

Can you give an overview of how attacks on trans rights have increased so far this year?

Nearly 500 pieces of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation were introduced this year. If you didn’t know anything else about the US, you’d presume there is an army of transgender people who are swiftly taking over the country. It’s hard to overstate how grave this is for trans folks. Twenty states have now banned the healthcare that many transgender youth need to live. There are bills restricting trans people’s participation in sports and which bathrooms they can use. There are efforts to restrict trans people from having their stories heard at libraries and in schools. There are restrictions on drag performances, which are a proxy for attacking gender nonconformity and fluidity. There are bills forcing teachers to out students they perceive to be trans. Most alarmingly, we’ve seen efforts in Texas and Florida to empower states to remove trans youth from their parents’ custody.

What is the impact of all of this on trans folks in the US?

This has transformed the reality of transgender life in this country. It’s not as if trans people had achieved social and legal equality before this started. Trans people are significantly more likely to experience poverty, homelessness and hunger. We’re overrepresented in our nation’s shelters, prisons and foster care system. We are four times as likely to experience violence as cisgender people. So to turn this marginalized group into the main character of conservative nightmares is very daunting.


The people behind these bills are transparent that they want to “eradicate transgenderism” from public life entirely. They do not view trans people as legitimate. This political effort has been paired with a cultural and rhetorical effort to dehumanize and villainize us and target institutions that support us, whether going after a beer company for featuring a trans woman in an ad or calling in bomb threats to children’s hospitals that work with trans youth.



Why are trans people the target of so much hate right now?

The first sphere fueling this moral panic is ideological. A large section of the American right, in particular white Christian nationalists, have an extremely rigid understanding of not just what makes somebody a man or woman, but what men and women are for. The core of their worldview is complementary gender roles, rooted in male dominance and female subservience. Men are breadwinners and women are caregivers. The ability of trans people to thrive in society is a mortal danger to that ideology. Transphobia occupies so much of the mindset of the right because we defy expectations. When trans people are being attacked, self-determination and freedom of expression are being attacked.