I´m finally at home again, listening (by request) to Baccara and having a glass of red wine while our faithful houseman is preparing a smoked salmon salad. I´m a spoiled bitch. I´m not really writing this to brag (...well, maybe a little) but because I wanted to share some thoughts about the importance of words with you. I´d love it if you´d give me yours in response.
It all started with a facebook-post Tinker Bell had last week. Well, not Tinks per se but her "everyday persona". It was a very thought provoking thing about how modern men are taught by society to hate women. You can read the article here. It got me thinking, once again, how important the words we use are. Working with teenagers one without mistake (almost on a daily basis) comes in contact with foul language, name-calling and basically young people trying to portait a certain image of cool and nonchalant (trust me: I grab *every* opportunity I get to discuss the meaning of "what *exactly* do you *mean* when you call him "homo"????!!! They hate me but point gets across).
So no, I´m not talking about that. I´m talking about guys calling each other "bitches" and the girl who does well "having balls". Actually, also the fact that guys call each other "homo" and "gay" when somebody acts "out of the heterosexual man role" fits here.
We live in a society where people still laugh and snicker when a guy wears a dress - unless he´s Scottish. I don´t mean stage wear, I mean that I´ve seldomly (apart from my own partner) seen a straight man wear a skirt instead of a pair of pants. And it doesn´t have to be frilly dresses, there are actually skirts designed for men, they are called skorts. You should see the raised eyebrows :)
A dress, as anything else that is conceived "feminine" is perceived as lowering your status, that´s why it is funny. I very seldomly hear anyone call anybody else "a bitch" meaning something positive, strong or "ballsy". Sometimes we women might use that as a word when talking about ourselves (I do, at least. Because sometimes I *am* a bitch and there´s nothing really nice about it) but using it about someone else...rarely a good thing. "Balls", on the other hand, means something strong, someone who can take his/her space and doesn´t make excuses about stuff. It really made me wonder.
I want to live in a world where guys can show emotions, hug each other and be "soft" without being labeled as "feminine" as it´s a bad thing. I want girls to be able to sleep around ("like guys"- the old whore/player thing and YES- it still exist I´m sorry to say. Ask any teen), be loud and smash that glass roof without being labeled ugly, unattractive or "unfeminine". I want to live in a world where the label of feminine/masculine is equal. And where , if you don´t want to: YOU DON´T HAVE TO USE THEM. Things are not black and white. Anyone over 20 should know this.
Words matter. Don´t say shit you don´t mean. It´s real simple even if you would not be any kind of a believer: Do to others as you´d like to be done to you. Same goes with words: don´t say shit you don´t fully understand and please think before you speak. The word is more powerful than the sword. They hurt, they mend and most of all: they can carry on centuries worth of norms and traditions that most of us shrug about but we still use.
P.s I´ll still call you bitch Jac. Because both you and I know what we mean with it <3
P.p.s here are some pictures from last nights gig!
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| Pepper amongst our stuff. |
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| Baccara + green :) |
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| Sandy getting ready. |
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| Pepper training for her upcoming number (don´t miss it! Boom Boom Burlesque!) |
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| A very funny arts mag I found backstage. My kinda read (the pic). |
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| I got this bag so I could "be organized". Very good joke. |
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| "I don´t think we´re in Kansas anymore, Sandy!" |
