Women, Media, and Power... or lack there of

A friend of mine posted this video on her Facebook and I immediately felt the need to share it with you. What do you think about media and the social perceptions of women? Did you feel pressure growing up and do you think that girls these days feel it even more?

Personally I think that Brazil has the same issue and then some. Hell, 4 yr old girls at my sons' school bring in make up to play with. 4 yr olds with make up at school?!

Your thoughts?

What Carioca Women Like?

Mr. Rant and I were joking around about our little city of love here in Rio de Janeiro. I mean, let's just be honest, no single person comes to Rio de Janeiro and doesn't hope to get laid.

So we came up with the perfect tourism logo for the citizens of Rio de Janeiro: Take one for the Team.  Are you single? Brazilian? Enjoy sex? Well, take one for the team. If you meat (pun intended) a lonely tourist cruising the streets in search of love, provide it.

Now the funny part is that I said that they already do. One thing Brazilians give out readily is the lovin'. My husband disagreed. As he put it, I'm a woman. I can/will find that kind of attention anywhere in the world.  And you know, I see his point.

Carioca women are not always the easiest creatures to get into a horizontal position, that is unless you are on the beach and they feel their ass is a bit white for summer.

What to do? Honestly, I can't tell you. I'm sure Mr. Rant has a few tips but, shockingly, he's hesitant to share them with his gringa wife.

This all came up after I told my husband about running into some single American men. No offense to the men of my country, but sometimes you lack a little of a thing I like to call "smooth game."  These 2 men had only managed to make out with women.

Considering it was Carnaval, that's like shaking hands any other time of the year. Kisses are exchanged like beer for money or urine to the toilet during that holiday.  And that can be confusing to some bright-eyed and bushy tailed tourists.

So my question is to those who know, what does the Carioca woman like? What qualities are attractive? What aren't?

Vaginas, Brazilian Waxes, and a Thing they Call Feminism

I've been reading a lot about Vaginas these days. Let's just blame Facebook and Vagina enthusiasts.

Acutally, it all started with a piece about vaginoplasty. Some crazy thing where women go to get their Vages all cut up and made "normal." Personally, I don't find this shocking at all as we live in a culture that wants to physical perfect everything. It was only a matter of time until the Vag became the next victim of the endless search for perfection and the use of material/physical means to give emotional satisfaction.

What I found shocking was the blatant attack against the Brazilian Bikini wax! I mean, sure we all like to find scape goats but leave my wax alone! Take this for example:

"And so it is that for a woman, to Brazilian wax or not to Brazilian wax becomes a feminist question. “If you wax, you pull [feminism] out by the roots, and therefore you’re no longer a feminist and you have to turn in your Feminist Membership Card,” one blogger wrote on Feministe.us."

Sorry to disappoint you but my feminism is not located in my pubic hair, nor am I making a statement by getting my anus waxed. And it gets worse.

“That leads to the key point any feminist -- card-carrying or otherwise -- must consider when deciding whether waxing is for her: For every Brazilian you get, another woman might feel more pressured to do so. Symbolically speaking, you’re not alone on that salon table, with your ankles up around your ears as you exhale with each rip of the wax strip. And that takes sisterhood to a whole new level. That’s what makes waxing such a slippery-slope of a feminist question -- it’s never going to be a feminist act, but, should you decide to get one, you need to ask yourself some tough questions to make your salon visit at least a little kinder to the sisterhood.”

Now I'm really going to call BULLSHIT on this one! Be kinder to sisterhood? Why doesn't sisterhood go take a nap and give this girl a little break. When did my Vagina become your billboard for your feminism? It's my vagina and so what if she prefers to sport a runway style. Do I give you crap if you wear old birkenstocks and armpit hair? No. To each their own.

As for the wax, personally, I do it for myself. Sure, Mr. Rant is now accustomed to a tamed bush but he would never say anything if I went retro, and I have.  I like a good Brazilian wax. It allows my Vag to freely breath, letting in the open air. I feel I'm giving her a skylight to the world.

And why does getting a wax have to be considered removing your femininity?  I feel it's quite the opposite. It's putting your femininity right out onto the table. I dare you to start comparing vaginas and you'll see a whole lot more on a waxed one, that's for sure.

So leave my Brazilian wax alone and figure something else to overly analyse and use as an excuse for shocking things happening in the world. If we keep this up, Brazilian waxes could be blamed for Afghanistan and there'd be no turning back then.

My standpoint, get it waxed and show the girl off!

As for vaginoplasty, I will let that one stand on it's own.  I can't imagine feeling such disgust for my Vaggie Girl that I would want to get her cut up.  I bet those women are coming from an interesting place and I ask you to not negate their feelings about their Vaginas by blaming society for their decisions.

On a side note, check this documentary on the search for the perfect vagina when you have a chance. It's very interesting, sad, and shocking at the same time. The Perfect Vagina 

The Tall and the Short of it: What's Sexy to You?

I've been wandering around the web looking at information on height. I have no idea what awoke this current curiosity. Then again, who knows why I wrote an entire post about penis size.  I guess the mind just wants the information it wants.

Anyway, I'm a fairly tall girl, about 5' 10" (1.78m), and I have only dated a man that was significantly taller than me on 1 occasion.  The second occasion does not count.  Seriously, 2 dates and I had to sneak in a shot to get me through the last one. Nothing to be posting about on my blog.

So, height isn't necessarily a trait I consider when deciding the level of attractiveness.  It just never has been.  Don't get me wrong, a tall-drink-of-water of a man does get almost automatic points for the aw factor.  Those 2 dates are proof of it.  But I'd never refuse to consider someone just because he was my height.

But it really is a thing for some of you out there. The idea of your man not being taller is unacceptable.  You just don't feel like a woman, or so I've heard from some friends.

And apparently it goes both ways, only the opposite.  Men like their ladies a little smaller than them.  While that sounds obvious, I can't really say I'm buying it.

In my experience, I get a lot of short men barking up these legs.  I don't know, maybe short men have larger balls, future post, and thus hit on women more openly.  Maybe I'm not as attractive from up high. Maybe I should pay more attention to how I part my hair.

Who knows, but I found a little ditty of a graph I liked. Heights men find more attractive:

5.41% (4) 17.57% (13) 55.41% (41) 21.62% (16) 6.76% (5) 1.35% (1) 0% (0) 12.16% (9) 4.05% (3) 1.35% (1) Significantly shorter than me Shorter than me A little shorter than me About my height A little taller than me Taller than me Significantly taller than me Don't usually pay much attention to height in this context Have never thought about it It's hard to say

Shocker.  Thank goodness I'm already married because my dating pool in Brazil just dropped to about 3 men.  Then again, I think a Brazilian man will do just about anyone.  Do not date... At least it's something.

And another shocker, we women have our preferences too:

0% (0)	0% (0)	1.01% (1)	12.12% (12)	37.37% (37)	46.46% (46)	10.1% (10)	11.11% (11)	8.08% (8)	1.01% (1)
Significantly shorter than me	Shorter than me	A little shorter than me	About my height	A little taller than me	Taller than me	Significantly taller than me	Don't usually pay much attention to height in this context	Have never thought about it	It's hard to say

In my personal statistical opinion, we ladies are still giving you men a little more wiggle room.  A little taller than me could be pulled off with a pair of Tom Cruise pump/loafers purchased at about any shoe store.  But to play fair, both sexes seem to prefer the obvious woman shorter than man, and not in a dramatic way.  

Personally, my husband is about my height, maybe an inch or so taller.  Of course, he counts that inch and I really don't care.  When I put my big girl shoes on, I win, so there. But it's not a contest, and I do find him very sexy at the exact height he is.  But out of curiosity... (you guys so saw this coming)  

Where do you stand?  How important is height for feeling the ZA ZA ZOOM?