The Secret Life of the American Teenager

So there I was, relaxing after school flipping channels, and I come across The Secret Life of the American Teenager on Much.

At first I was so turned off by the clearly Christian influence (created by the same women who wrote 7th Heaven), promoting abstinence and highlighting all the terrible things that you have to deal with if you get pregnant out of wedlock when you are young. But then I became intrigued...this is what youth watch on TV; and apparently this is how youth react around sex and think about it. Worse than that, it's this type of programming that is no doubt impacting how some kids view sex, love and all those other hormonal time bombs. To top that off, the stereotyping throughout the program is horrifying. The religious cheerleader who has a purity ring and plans on abstaining until marriage, her boyfriend who kisses the 'slutty' sexually open girl, the badass drummer who knocks up the innocent quiet band geek...throw in a smart Asian girl who recites sex statistics at the drop of a pin and you have your high school student body.

I think what bothers me most is the idea of love and how in North American cultures we condone having sex with someone by putting the label of love on it. "I love him, so it's ok." "It's only been two weeks, but I love him." What does love have to do with it? That's called lust and infatuation kiddies. Not love.

Actually, who am I to say what one person calls love isn't love? All I'm trying to get at is that I think for many young people nowadays we try to justify something so utterly natural as the act of sexual intercourse as an act of love, and that it can only be an act of love. If there isn't love attached to it, then it is a sin and wrong.

I think what I'm getting at is best described by the article "Sex, Sin and Social Policy" by Susan Rose, which focuses on the practices of abstinence-until-marriage programs versus comprehensive-sex-education programs and discusses with students and teachers from Denmark (pro sex-ed) and the United States (anti sex-ed) the impact and views on both. One of the passages I remember most clearly from that article was an observation made by a Danish teen along the lines of, "Sure I have sex with my boyfriend, sure I like him. But I don't love him. Love is something I attribute to people I've known for many years, like my family and good friends...I've only known my boyfriend for a few months in comparison."

Really you should probably read the article for yourself. I wish I had a link for you, but I read in it my Sociology of Sexuality text (Stombler, Mindy et al. 2006. Sex Matters: The Sexuality and Society Reader (2nd ed).) I wish I hadn't sold it back...

25 good reasons to dress up

Note: I wear what is comfortable and aim to look well put together, and enjoy not looking like everyone else. If that means being dressy, fine. Although I do have some issues with the girls at school who are dressed like they're going out to a club; but hey, to each their own.

*Because life’s too short to blend in. Don’t settle for average.

*Because you’re only young once. You’re way more gorgeous than you know & have a fabulous body you’ll one day look back on and wish you had! Take advantage now and show off how fabulous you can be.

*Because fashion is a method of self expression. What are you trying to say?

*Because you never know who you’ll run into. Brad Pitt at the grocery store? Hey, stranger things have happened.

*Because it obviously annoys some people (like the guy who asks why YOU are so dressed up). The fact that it annoys them so much is all the more reason to keep doing it.

*Because you never know, there’s always a chance you could get snapped by The Sartorialist (or maybe the girls over at Street Spotted)!

*Because you deserve to look your best at all times.

*Because you’ll never improve your sense of style if your default look is “I give up”. Yes, that was a Seinfeld reference. But it’s true!

*Because dressing up helps you weed out friends who don’t love you for you. If they have a problem with the way you dress, they’re not the kind of friends you want around.

*Because cute clothes and accessories are a great conversation starter. Wear something fabulous and people will ask you where you got it.

*Because parties aren’t the only time to celebrate.

*Because that fabulous party dress in your closet cost too much to only be worn once. Remember cost per wear?

*Because it’s fun!

*Because even if you live in an “unstylish” city & are scared to dress up, cities don’t become stylish without someone going first. I know it sounds cheesy, but be the change you want to see in the world. Everyone else can follow your fabulous lead.

*Because dressing up helps you make fashion mistakes and get past them. Mistakes happen to everyone and that’s how you learn what not to do – get them out of the way now!

*Because it’s a test of your confidence. Dressing unconventionally forces you to develop the self-assurance necessary to stand out from everyone else.

*Because fashion is one of the rare instances where art comes alive. What artistic statement do you want to make?

*Because if you’ve got it (great style, killer confidence, amazing legs), it’s just wrong not to flaunt it.

*Because someday when you have a 9-5 corporate job and are required to wear business suits, you’re going to miss the freedom of dress you had in college. Experiment now! There’s no better time.

*Because glamour isn’t only reserved for the rich and famous, even though maybe they’d like you to believe it is.

*Because if conspiracy theorists are to be believed, the world might end on 12/31/2012 – that’s only 1211 days from now! Even though we all worried about Y2K too, why not be on the safe side? Don’t spend the theoretical 1211 days you have left in sweats.

*Because Carrie Bradshaw would not approve of your sweatpants and UGG boots. You can do better than that. And deep down, you know I’m right.

*Because dressing well means you don’t have to do your hair at all – you’ll have that ultra fabulous, slightly disheveled Kate Moss look.

*Because nothing beats the rush you feel when you look in the mirror and LOVE what you see.

*Because you want to. That’s the only reason that matters.

quitecheeky: where-nobody-knows:strawberryswisher:alexalalala:oroxine

leaves

To add to the shit that is occurring in my life right now, the neighbors whose lot backs onto ours (panhandle) are dumping leaves and throwing twigs that fell from our tree over our fence (they stopped for a brief moment when they saw me watching them, while on the phone).

They've always held a sore spot regarding that tree (it's a heritage tree that they wanted us to cut down), and have now resorted to childish antics. Have I mentioned that they're in their 60's? And that they now have their 40 something son in on it too?

Fuck. I have very little respect for these people, and it boggles my mind that they think this is a good way to deal with the situation. Because you know...they did all that raking, and now they are in a neat pile on our side of the fence.

Grow up.

falling

This is indicative of how I've been feeling lately, due to a number of reasons. Boy, school, projects, extracurricular activities...you name it. Some good, some bad.

Regardless of how I've been feeling, I think this is a beautiful photograph and will continue to allow it to represent my current feelings.

terrorvision

goddamn

Just when I think I was being somewhat original, I find a pretty girl who basically has the same tattoo that I would like to get at some point in my life.

via facehunter

I can't tell what is written underneath the feather, but when I do get around to adding this tattoo idea to my body, I will also have something written.

Dating a boy with lots of tattoo's is making me itch to get some new work done.

Natalia

Anyone else want to go for a hike with me and Natalia? We can wear pretty and totally inappropriate hiking clothes if you'd like:)

fashiongonerogue

Or we could just recreate this photo-shoot.

period sex

This article makes some good points, whether or not you agree with them.

I’ll admit that stained sheets are an annoyance, but getting menstrual blood on oneself is a monthly occurrence for women, and yet we somehow manage to avoid PTSD. Understanding this, and accepting that the vagina is part of the female reproductive system and not just a sterile hole for your dick, is an important step toward becoming a man worthy of fucking.

...if boys and girls and men and women would all stop treating menstruation like some ultra-private phenomenon, the world — and the vagina — would be a happier place.

Why Men Should Learn To Like Period Sex - Jezebel via sexisnottheenemy