100 Songs for 100 Moods

Okay. I know I've already posted one Tori Amos, but this one comes with a story.

While listening to my voices during my week of media silence, I noticed my animosity towards women. It surprised me, because I like to call myself a humanist/feminist, someone pro-women and pro-human. I don't think of myself as nasty or rude, but my tendency to call out (sometimes in my head, sometimes out loud) "slut!", "bitch!", "too fat for those shorts!"--it's become such a habit it's almost involuntary.

Since when is it okay to call a girl a skank when she's really just ballsy enough to enjoy a healthy sex life? When is it okay to decide there's rules for how skinny a girl has to be to pull off a haircut, an outfit, an attitude? Girl on girl crime is so rampant, so common--how many of us stop to realize if we're being honestly critical, just like you have the right to be with other humans--or if we're being just plain... bitchy?

I totally get the tendency to tear other women down to build yourself up. It gives you an instant self-esteem boost to think, "Ha, look at how ugly she is, I'm prettier than her." It gives you an even quicker drop if you have a conscience, like me, that tells you, "Wow, you're pathetic, you have to put her down to make yourself pretty. How about being pretty just on your own accord, and you find something nice about her on her own merits as well?"

How about, "Good for her, rocking that blonde hair!" "Wow, she's with him? Awesome. Hope they're happy." "Go, sister!"

From an evolutionary standpoint, women are meant to band together. It protects us against cavemen, who are physically stronger than we are. It's why we're emotionally able to bond. It's why our communication centers in our brains are twice as large as men's. It's why we go to the bathroom in groups. We just gotta connect so our sisters will have our backs when the caveman tries to drag us by our hair to the lava pit.

So, here's a much-needed shout-out to some serious sisterhood. Not I'm-pretending-to-love-your-fetching-skirt-because-then-you'll-wear-it-more-and-I'll-be-better-by-proxy sisterhood. Not I'm-a-boy's-girl tomboy sisterhood. Just plain old-fashioned sisterhood. Sister love. I'm going to work on it harder than my ACTs. I think it's even more important.

If you're feeling like making a change...

Cornflake Girl by Tori Amos

This song was written after Tori read an Alice Walker book which talked about female genital mutilation, where the mothers who had been circumcised would mourn their removed clitorises, cry and weep that they were subjected to such cruelty... And then send their daughters right to the butchers because it was "tradition." It's a song about girl on girl crime. The "cornflake girls" won't break from tradition, won't stand up for the females in their lives, and the "raisin girls" are willing to make the change because their integrity demands it.

Enjoy! And girl power, okay?