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No school tomorrow, everyone!
Anyways, "Fighting Natural" is very evocative, I thought. It got me thinking that we women have such an intense--almost fetish-like--relationship with clothes, accessories, makeup, and anything else that can help us concoct an certain appearance and thus project a certain image to the world. I think that women are naturally more iconic than men--legend is that we can instigate events just by looking a certain way--be the face that launched a thousand ships without so much as saying a word. This goes hand-in-hand with the myth that women are innately more passive than men and thus more easily objectified, I think. Anyways, I can definitely relate to Lynne Taetzsch's hair color fetish. I have a friend who's like her, and another friend who manipulates her image with different perfumes. I personally have a shoe fetish.

I agree with Wei wei. most women clearly have a some sort of thing or ritual that they feel makes them more acceptable for themselves and others. it is funny and some times scarey the lenghts we will go to for a beauty ritual with out even considering the danger it may incur. An artist, Janine Antoni, had a performance piece in which she drench her hair in hair dye then mopped the floor of the gallery with her hair. It was called Loving Care, that was the name of the dye she used and the same dye her mother had been using since she could remember.
I found something else interesting that has come up in several of the essays. The authors often write about not being aware of a physical flaw until it is brought to their attention. That raises interesting questions of personal perception and how much of what we thing we know and feel is really the result of other peoples influences.

does anyone else dye thier hair to help snap them out of a funk. I'm lucky in that i have very short hair so if it looks like hell i can just shave it off.
Also, i guess i don't have a lot of sympathy for this woman's whineing about her self conciousness- i think that as a mature concious adult you really can just say Fuck It and CHOOSE to be comfortable in yourself. people choose what opinions to have all the time for stupid reasons so why not good ones? I think it is posible for everyone to get over thier highschool trauma by simply realizing that all that shit from a bunch of obnoxious children doesn't have to have any impact on your life anymore. People can bullheadedly plow forward into stupid harmfull things that they know are bad so why can't they be a little stubborn trying to make themselves happy.

I can definitely relate to the hair-dying experience in "Fighting Natural." I hate the process of getting it done, and I hate the hair-pulling and poking, it hurts like hell! Yet each time I do it I think it's worth it for the transformation. I always feel different when I get a drastic change in color, I always feel like I look like a different person and that somehow this color makes me look the best. I don't know if other women feel the same when they change their hair color, or something else about themself for that matter, but I suspect at least a few do. I think it has to do with the fact that many women like to be noticed, and if we are only as daring as to dye our hair then that's what we'll do. I don't think anyone is born with an awful hair color, I just think that by dying our hair we feel like we're bringing ourself one step closer to looking better, and we usually associate "better" with looking like someone else.

HMMMM WHERE SHOULD I BEGIN?? I LOVED BOTH OF THE ESSAYS BECAUSE NOT ONLY DID THEY MAKE ME REFELCT ABOUT PAST INSTANCES IN MY LIFE, BUT IT WAS REFRESHING TO SEE THAT OTHER PEOPLE GO THROUGH SIMILAR SITUATIONS. "FIGHTING NATURAL"- ALTHOUGH I WOULD NEVER DYE MY HAIR BLOND I COULD RELATE TO THIS ESSAY IN THE SENSE THAT EVERYONE WOMEN UNFORTUNATELY HAS A PARTICULAR HANG UP WITH THE WAY THEY LOOK. IT WAS AMUSING YET SAD AT THE SAME TIME THAT SHE WAS SO ADDICTED TO DYING HER HAIR NO MATTER HOW MUCH DAMAGE IT DID TO HER HEAD. I THINK IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT MANY BLACK WOMEN GO THROUGH THE SAME TYPE OF SELF-TORTURE WHEN WE PUT RELAXER ON OUR HAIR TO MAKE IT STRAIGHT. IT CAN BE SO DAMAGING TO OUR HAIR THAT IT HAS BEEN NICK NAMED "CREAMY CRACK" 'IVE SAT IN THE BEAUTY SHOP FOR THE LAST EIGHT YEARS EVERY SIX WEEKS PUTTING THIS CHEMICAL IN MY HAIR THAT BURNS MY SCALP AND MY POCKET BOOK (LITERALLY) AND LEAVES SCABS IN MY HEAD JUST SO MY HAIR CAN BE :LONG, SLIKY STRAIGHT, MANAGABLE, BUT MOST OF ALL BEAUTIFUL." IN THE END ITS ALL ABOUT US WOMEN (BLACK, WHITE, LATINA, WHATEVER) BEING CONDITIONED TO THINK WE HAVE TO OR SHOULD FIT A CERTAIN MOLD OR LOOK A CERTAIN WAY TO BE ACCEPTED. I THINK KRISTEN BROUGHT UP A GREAT POINT WHEN SHE COMMENTED ABOUT HOW MANY OF US DO NOT NOTICE A FLAW UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE POINTS IT OUT. I SAT AND THOUGHT ABOUT HOW TRUE THAT STATEMENT WAS. IF NO ONE HAD EVER COMMENTED ON BLACK HAIR BEING "NAPPY" OR "UGLY" OR SAID THAT BLONDS HAVE MORE FUN OR THAT THIN= BEAUTIFUL I CAN PRETTY MUCH GAURUNTEE THAT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN DYEING RELAXIN, OR DIETING WOULD BE REMARKABLY LOW.

I could totally relate to the 'Fighting Natural' essay, I have never dyed my hair, but I do get electrolysis done on my eyebrows and it is the most painful experience. As I am sitting in the chair and the lady is poking me with a needle then heating it up I have to say to myself "pain is beauty" and grip the side of the chair tightly. I have no idea why I go through this painful process, yet I keep going back. I know it's because I feel as though I have to keep my eyebrows trimmed and looking good, but I also do not have to get electrolysis I just kind of like to and I am really not sure why. This story reminded me of my electrolysis experience and I could relate to it.

ITS ME AGAIN.... I'M SURE MANY OF YOU ARE THRILLED! OK I'LL STOP BEING AN ASSHOLE. ANYWAY, I HAVE A COMMENT ABOUT " THE STORY OF MY BODY" THIS PIECE WAS DEFINTELY ONE OF MY FAVORITES. MAN OH MAN... THIS ESSAY HIT HOME HARD. TALK ABOUT RELATING.... THE WRITER STARTS HER FIRST SENTENCE WITH- SKIN:" I WAS A BORN A WHITE GIRL IN PUERTO RICO, BUT BECAME A BROWN GIRL WHEN I MOVED TO THE UNITED STATES" I WILL NEVER HAVE THE LUXUARY OF WRITING THAT STATMENT( NOT THAT I WOULD WANT TO WRITE THAT STATEMENT.)DO ANY OF YOU ALL HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PRIVILIDGED YOU ARE BECAUSE OF SOMETHING AS MINISCULE AS YOUR COLOR? I'D LIKE ALL OF YOU TO REALLY SIT AND CONTEMPLATE THAT SENTENCE. YOU SEE, IF I WERE BORN IN PR I'D BE BLACK, IF I WERE BORN IN AFRICA I'D BE BLACK, AND IN THE US I AM UNDOUBTEDLY A BLACK GIRL LOST. THEN SHE MOVES TO COLOR: WHAT COMES TO MIND WHEN YOU ALL READ THE FIRST THREE SENTECNES UNDER COLOR? ARE YOUR THOUGHTS PEACEFUL, SERERNE, HAPPY, BLANK EVEN? MY THOGUHTS WENT BACK TO JAMES BRYD. JR. IN JASPER TEXAS WHO WAS TIED TO THE BACK OF A TRUCK AND DRAGGED, MR . DIALLO WHO WAS SHOT 27 TIMES BY RACIST COPS IN NEW YORK, AND ME WHO IS OFTEN CALL TOO SENSTIVE OR PREOCCUPIED WITH RACE; ARE THOUGHTS MY BRAIN TRANSMITTED WHEN I READ THE SENTENCE "IN THE HUAMN WORLD COLOR TRIGGERS MANY MORE COMPLEX AND OFTEN DEADLY REACTIONS." "COLOR IS A WAY TO ATTRACT AND SEDUCE A MATE" SHE WRITES. SAD BUT TRUE, GUESS MY PEOPLE ARE OUT OF LUCK HUH. BECAUSE AS SHE SO BODLY STATES THE COLOR TO BE IS WHITE. THAT IS THE WAY IT WAS WHEN SHE SHE WAS YOUNG AND NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY NOW AND HOW MUCH THINGS HAVE "CHANGED" THATS THE WAY IT IS TODAY, AND CALL ME A PESSIMIST ( I PREFER REALIST) THAT IS THE WAY IT WILL BE WHEN I HAVE A CHILD. SURE WE HAVE INTERACIAL DATING, MARRAIGES, FRIENDSHIPS ETC. BUT WHEN I GO INTO KROGERS AND GLANCE AT THE MAGAZINE RACK I SEE WHITE PEOPLE( WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TOKEN LATINA AND BLACK WOMEN- JENNIFER LOPEZ AND HALLE BERRY)WHEN I GO UPTOWN I SEE BLACK MEN (NOT ALL) OGLING OVER WHITE WOMEN AND DISMISSING BLACK ONES ***DISCLIAMER!!!( I'M NOT SAYING THAT IT IS WRONG FOR A BLACK MEN TO LIKE WHITE WOMEN) (I AM SAYING THAT IT IS HURTFUL WHEN BLACK MEN PUT WHITE WOMEN ON A HIGHER PEDASTAL) YOU PROBABLY CAN'T IMAGINE THE NUMBER OF TIMES I'VE HEARD BLACK WOMEN SAY " I HOPE MY DAUGHTER DOESN'T TURN OUT DARK SKINNED." THE NUMBER OF TIMES A MAN HAS "COMPLIMENTED" ME ON BEING PRETTY FOR A DARK SKINNED GIRLS"AS IF IT WERE ABNORMAL FOR SOMEONE MY COLOR TO BE PRETTY. THE LIST CAN GO ON & ON. SO IF HER "THEORY" IS TRUE THAT COLOR HELPS ATTRACT A MATE THEN BLACK GIRLS ARE SHIT OUT OF LUCK IN AMERICA. LAST BUT NOT LEAST THERE IS "LOOKS" IN COLLGE SHE BECAME "EXOTIC-" AS SO DO MANY WOMEN OF COLOR. SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT IS EXOTIC SUPPOSED TO MEAN? EVER NOTICE WHEN THERER ARE MODELS OF COLOR IN THE RUNWAY- SHE IS LABELED AS BEING EXOTIC.JUST AS SKIN COLOR AND APPEAREANCE ARE THE CONSTANT VARIABLES THAT I AM JUDGED BY SO IS JUDITH COFER. SO THE NEXT TIME SOMEONE THINKS I AM BEING TOO SENSITIVE, OR I HAVE RACE ISSUES, OR THAT I HAVE A CHIP ON MY SHOULDER; TAKE A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND LET THESE LAST FEW WORDS MARINATE IN YOUR MIND. WHEN THE TIME COMES THAT A WHITE WOMEN IS NOT HELD AS THE STANDARD OF BEAUTY, THE NEXT TIME ONE OF YOU WALKS INTO A STORE AND YOUR CALLED "DIRTY" THE NEXT TIME YOU ARE TOLD THAT BECAUSE OF YOUR COLOR IT MAY TRIGGER A DEADLY REACTION, THEN I WILL PUT ASIDE MY MILITANCY AND RACE ISSUES UNTIL THAT DAY COMES, I WILL BE A BLACK GIRL LOST- JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT.:)