Does 'Glee' Promote Homosexuality? by Alisa Harada

‘Glee’ is a tv show that centralizes around a group of students, who are members of the so-called ‘Glee Club’. This choir group consists of various stereotypical high school students: arrogant jocks, beautiful cheerleaders, ugly nerds, unique Asians, an overweight Black American, and an effeminate gay student.

What makes this show so popular is not the clichéd scenario, but the message that the show disseminates through addressing controversial issues like homosexuality. In the current technology-oriented generation, I think the show is clearly effective in promoting gay rights because so many people are exposed to this issue at once just by watching this show, and the fact that the majority of the viewers are teens is also influential because they can grow up to think more flexibly regarding such issues.

If we start analyzing the show, we soon realize that the show is full of homosexuality. There is Kurt, who is the effeminate choir boy; Santana, who is a bisexual; Blaine, who is a gay football player; Rachel's two dads who are married, a rival choir leader who starts dating Kurt, and the list continues. I don't know any other shows that consists of so many gay characters, but I personally think the show balances other issues (like bullying, obesity, teen sex, etc.) well with the issue of homosexuality. Although Kurt is definitely one of the protagonists, the fact that the issue is subtly embedded into the plot also affects the viewers' perspective in the way that it is not forcefully changing their way of thinking, but slowly getting them accustomed to this very idea.

In order to promote homosexuality and gay rights, I think that raising the issue on shows, like Glee, is a great method of opening up people's perspectives. The more publicized homosexuality is, the greater the opportunities to advocate the issue.

Do ex-girlfriends (or boyfriends) go crazy?

Hey guys, sorry I'm late to the party. Let's talk about gender!

Sherry in class a few days ago was talking about the inherent tropes of the plot and material of "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" - a sense that the complete transition between Uma Thurman's "normal self", as this slightly mousy librarian type, into the "superhero", who is confidant, sexually alluring, but also very dangerous. The comedy of the piece itself seems to come from the logical extreme of a familiar fallacy - breaking up with a girl can cause her to go crazy. They added the element of her being a superhero as the gimmick of the movie, but moviegoers are expected to identify with the idea of the crazy ex-girlfriend. Even the preview for the story plays on a false stereotype - the text reads "It's the age old story. Boy meets girl. Boy gets girl. Girl drives boy crazy." That doesn't sound like any age old story from a woman's perceptive. That sounds like an age old story from an essentially misogynistic perspective.

There's also a really interesting scene in which Uma Therman's character (the superhero) takes her male obsession flying with her against his will. Up in the air, she begins to initiate sex with him without really any warning. It's really interesting that one she becomes this powerful woman, her desire is amped up and made strange by the context of his reaction (he feels uncomfortable, he is terrified oif the height, ect.) This idea of the unstoppable female desire in her resonates with our reading early in the semester, the medical texts about how women suffer from uncontrollable desire.

What do you guys think?

Depiction of Women in "500 Days of Summer" by Alisa Harada

"500 Days of Summer" is a romantic comedy that centralizes on the relationship of Tom and Summer. What is unique about this film is the fact that the roles of men and women are reversed.

Firstly, the film starts with a fairy-tale-like narration, "this is a story of a boy, who meets a girl". Typically, we are inclined to associate fairy-tales to girls, just because fairy-tales are often encompassed around females (princesses, queens etc), and they tend to be narrated through their point of view. However, this film depicts the plot from Tom's point of view, as if he is the 'princess' trying to look for 'prince charming', hence, 'the one'.

Secondly, it seems funny that Tom believes in true love, while Summer does not believe in love at all. Again, unlike the stereotype that are made on gender roles, it appears unusual that the guy character is the one chasing after the girl, since girls are usually the ones going after the guys.

Furthermore, the entire film demonstrates how Summer dictates their relationship; she is in full control of their love, while Tom basically just follows what she suggests. The female character is empowered throughout the film by being able to manipulate the male character and as well as their relationship.

Without spoiling the entire plot for people who have not seen this film, basically, the film depicts an interesting insight into relationship of two individuals, where the male is portrayed as the weak, emotional one, while the female is portrayed with more power and strength. It is interesting how as the story progresses, we start to sympathize with the male character where we almost start feeling sorry for him because of the way the female character treats him. But at the same time, we can sympathize with Summer because of her realistic point of view.

If you haven't seen this film, it's definitely a film that's worth watching!

Angels and Demons

Professor Sherry Velasco has talked a little bit about Angels and Demons (2009) but more specifically about Saint Teresa. After reading the book Angels and Demons (2009), I remembered that I had once wanted to watch it but never got to it. I recently watched the movie Angels and Demons (2009), and I would like to share a few themes in the movie that are related to the class. The first theme is of male dominance, which is portrayed by Robert Langdon's upper command in the investigation to capture the Illuminati murderer compared to Vittoria Vetra's inferior command of the investigation. Throughout the movie, she serves as a subordinate to Robert Langdon and follows him rather than leads him. The next theme I would like to point out is the female sexuality present in the Ecstasy of Saint Teresa. Professor Sherry Velasco suggested that it was religious pornography; however, female sexuality is also present within the statue. The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa appears to be the statue of Saint Teresa about to be pierced by a flaming spear. In my opinion, the flaming spear could represent an artificial penis about to "penetrate" Saint Teresa. Her facial expression of an orgasmic moan resulting from a "penetration" further suggests that this is more feminine than religious, masculine, or pain.

Shorter University Discriminates against LGBT's.

This is an excerpt from an article I recently read from CNN.com

(CNN) -- When Shorter University in northwest Georgia recently informed its 200 employees that they had to sign a "personal lifestyle pledge" requiring them to reject homosexuality or lose their jobs, school administrators underscored a staggering injustice: In 29 U.S. states, people can still be fired for being gay.

While same-sex marriage and other equality debates soak up political and media attention, the Employment Non-discrimination Act, a 37-year-old bill, languishes in the U.S. Congress.

Without that federal law, a majority of our states condone job, housing and other discrimination based on sexual orientation. An even larger number -- 35 -- have no protections for transgender people.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/11/16/opinion/hormel-shorter-gay-not-a-choice/index.html

Opposition to equal civil rights for gays comes in many forms. Religious conservatives are losing the argument that there is something necessarily wrong with homosexuality, so they appear to be turning to a new one: treating gays like fully equal citizens and human beings is incompatible with conservatives’ religious liberty. Since when did the preservation of religious liberty require treating members of a minority like second-class citizens? It is sad to think that although we are in a nation advancing so quickly in so many aspects, that something so minuscule is holding people back from living a normal life. Without anti discrimination laws against LGBT citizens, we really haven't gone anywhere in advancing for the better of our nation.

The Secret in Their Eyes

The Secret in Their Eyes is probably one of my favorite movies. In this Oscar-winning film, the story centers on love and hatred with respect to the effect that time causes on lives. The film shows different methods used by men to restrain with their passion and how memories can trap a man and either destroy the rest of his life or prevail the harsh judgement from reality over time. However, there are only two major named female characters in this film: one is raped and murdered at the very beginning of the movie while the other plays a key role in story and another male character's development. The lack of female characters in the film allows the audience to examine closely on male characters' development as we gain more perspective story from them. With the opportunity to understand the tragedy that affects the lives of people who got involved in male characters' point of views, we find that femininity and masculinity can coexist in one person without contradicting each other and further break the stiff idealization of law-enforcement officials that Hollywood movies present with the replacement of realism.

More thoughts on Leftover Ladies

I read a Chinese article online about the leftover ladies in China and the title can be translated as " Chinese Leftover Ladies are Popular among Foreigners." The article lists several reasons to explain why leftover ladies (who are considered failing women in Chinese society)attract western man:
1. Foreigners believe that Chinese women are very traditional and they can be the good wife and mother.
2. Chinese women usually have petite figures and they look younger than their actual age.
3. Leftover ladies are the elites of women as they are high-achieving: well educated and well-paid. They are more experienced, mature and charming in foreign men's eyes.

I found the different view on leftover ladies from western people interesting. Leftover ladies in China are usually pressured by their family and the society in China and they can also be frustrated of not finding a husband before the "ideal" age of marraige, while their counterparts in the western world are more positive than them. In fact, many women can be considered as leftover ladies in the west, but they don't think being single is a problem because it's just a kind of lifestyle.

I would like to hear your opinions about the leftover-lady phenomena in China and in the West.

Back to Teeth

I know this is a little late but I wanted to bring back the discussion of the talking parts and vagina dentata lecture we had. And more specifically the movie Teeth that was briefly talked about in class. I was able to check out the movie and even noticed that it recieved the Special Jury Prize at Sundance in 2007. Not only was this movie funny during many scenes but also a bit horrific, for a guy to see. I'm not sure how a woman would feel about this subject but I watched this with my roommate who said he was scarred for life. The movie was an interesting yet grotesque way of explaining how a girl can control her vagina. Throughout the film she encounters guys that try to take advantage of her who, in turn, lose their dicks, or essentially get them bit off. Most of these "bite" victims show a very nightmarish feel to them. And then the main character uses her "teeth" as a weapon against men she doesn't like. I'm not sure if that's a good way to take care of things; chopping other guy's dicks off. But I guess that's the view of the director and it worked well. I was surprised when I checked online that the movie had great ratings as well. Horror movies don't usually get good ratings but this was ranked one of the top Horror movies.

Here is one of those utterly disturbing scenes from the movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=435fX473Nqo&oref=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fresults%3Fsearch_query%3Dteeth%2Bscene%26oq%3Dteeth%2Bscene%26aq%3Df%26aqi%3Dg5g-m5%26aql%3D%26gs_sm%3De%26gs_upl%3D2359l3676l0l3802l11l9l0l0l0l0l270l1313l2.3.3l8l0&has_verified=1

Comparison of "The Aggressives" and "Set It Off"

As I was watching the film Set It Off this weekend, it reminded me of the women we saw in The Aggressives. The film is about four women and gives three of the four women reason to rise up against a system that treats them like criminals even before they break the law.

Frankie is coldly fired from a bank teller's job simply because she was acquainted with a participant in a robbery that went awry and left four people dead. Tisean, a gentle, frightened single mother, has her young son taken away from her after an accident lands the child in a hospital emergency room. Stony has the most reason to be enraged; in a tragic case of mistaken identity, her law-abiding brother, whom she had hoped to send to college, is shot dead by the police. The only member of the four women who isn't personally devastated by an uncaring social system is Cleo, a butch lesbian in whom bank-robbing brings out the hidden outlaw. As Cleo takes a wild anarchic pleasure in robbing banks, she also becomes the fierce mother hen of the group, a protective, self-sacrificing warrior.

“Aggressive” is a term chosen by a group of lesbians of color that might otherwise be mislabeled or overlooked by both mainstream heterosexual and gay cultures. Although the three out of the four women in Set It Off were not lesbian, they still portrayed the characteristics of the women who identified themselves as aggressives. The women in the documentary speak openly about their lack of money and how it motivates so many of their life choices (suc as drug deal). Like the Aggressives, with the lack of money, the women in Set It Off were motivated to become bank robbers.

At the end of the Aggressives documentary, when we are given the “where are they now” update on all of the women, it is impossible not to feel a real concern for their welfare and a personal connection to each one of them. In comparison, as the four women are on the run from the authorities after robbing another bank, they are shot one by one, leaving its audience heartbroken. Therefore, in a stark portrayal of the poverty and discrimination they face and their creative responses to it, the film The Aggressives is much like Set It Off.

A Thought On Transgender by Alisa Harada

As we are approaching the end of this course, it made me think: will there ever be a day in life where the world will accept homosexuals and transgenders?

I feel as though the world mandates this system of binary (either ‘female’ or ‘male’) in order to rationalize everything and keep life simple. Just as though there would be no rich if there were no poor, does the world fear that without such classifications and categorization of gender, chaos will result from this confusion of ambiguity? The society seems to prioritize physicality over mentality when it comes to gender assignment as the physical appearance of the body is what determines your sex at birth. However, clearly there needs to be a new method of assigning sex at birth that integrates psychological aspects since we know better now that there is much more to gender than one’s physicality. This will perhaps help change societal perspectives of homosexuals as it becomes more apparent that gender is far more complicated than one may think, and they may realize that this nature happens by chance, not by choice.

Personally, it just amazes me sometimes how some people could be so narrow minded (I mean this with all due respect) and unaccepting of individuals who have different sexual orientation when essentially, they are the same human beings. Especially when they go to the extent of protesting and encouraging anti-gay community, I think it's just too excessive and inappropriate.

Some thought about definition inspired by the presentation at Fisher Museum

The Fisher Museum presentation was about beauty in black culture: there is a kind of photography style that use black people as models, which challenges our perspective, not only about modeling, but also about our definition about beauty.

As for definition about beauty, I think people, especially those influenced by western culture, have the same inclination: the model should be white, and slim. Maybe nowadays the standard of perfect modeling in western culture has changed a bit--some people prefer brown skin which represents a healthy impression under sunshine. But the mainstream still stays at white skin and slim body.

I think that this phenomenon can be explained as follows. Beautiful people has a body shape and skin color different from most other people in that culture, and their impressions are close to the religious god of that culture. For western culture, their god is Jesus who represents chastity. White is a color of clean, serene, and holiness, thus people's definition of beauty become white color. In addition, a skim body also gives people an impression of clean and with out encumbrance.

This perspective has two effects. First, people's prefer models with white skin and slim body. Second, black people, giving out an impression that diverted from the one of God, was not praised, Choosing black women as models is a sign that allows people believe that beautiful things is everywhere. They praise the eyes of black people and their body curve same as that of white women's.

Sex and Gender Role

As I was driving to school this morning, the radio talked about an interview with Rhianna. Rhianna is a R&B artist who has very popular songs. In her interview, she mentioned how she was currently not seeing anyone. She further explained how if she does find a man, she wants a man who is aggressive, who can take charge, and who can play that masculine male role when she comes home from work. She doesn't want to have to care for her man because she always plays this role when she is at work-in the studio.
After hearing this, I thought it was interesting how she in some ways indentified her success as a masculine behavior and role. Because she is a women who makes decisions for her music records and must always be in control of her successful business, she is masculine. Some successful single women describe the reason they are single are because they can't find a man who can handle their success. They feel inferior to the fact that their girlfriend or wife has a more dominant personality thus making the man insecure about his own masculinity.
Despite what Rhianna may believe about sex and gender roles, I feel women who do not want to be set back due to double standards our society contributes to, we are programmed to still say things like this that contradict our beliefs. If women believe they want to be able to be successful and not be labeled as masculine, yet we contiue label ourselves (jokingly or not) as that, then maybe this is why the sex and gender role movement has slowly become implemented nationwide.

Wicthcraft

Most witches in the media are women. As discussed in class, witchcraft had an impact on the way women were percieved. Women who were witches always had a negative connotation.
For example, as a child Snow White and Hocus Pocus depicted witches as evil, unattractive women who seeked revenge on the beautfil youth surrounding them. Then came, Sabrina the teenage witch who used her powers which helped her through highschool dilemas on a daily basis lightening the negative sigma witches held before her. Also, the Charmed Ones casted a sexy triple threat as these witches battled evil in San Franciso.
As mentioned in discussion, I find it interesting how women are labeled as inferior and more suseptible to commiting sin meanwhile they hold powers which can control almost anything. Movies such as Snow White, The Wizard of Oz, and Hocus Pocus, relate more to the idea of how women were portrayed in Talking Body Parts. Here the women have limited powers used out of jealousy, revenge, and insecurities. Those three words exemplifies how women were expected to act irrational based on these emotions. In one of the first scenes in Hocus Pocus, the witches are being crucified. This eludes the misconception that all witches are bad, and the witches presented in the movie are evil.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kWJwzmTLcs
I wonder if due to the change in norms regarding sex and gender roles has any influence on movies such as Harry Potter who have men and women witches who are both good and evil. Yet, it would be an interesting concept to consider as these things change over time.

It's Okay to be Lesbian, but not to be Gay - James Oh

An interesting discussion that we had was why there were many rules and qualifications in order to be convinced that women performed sodomy as compared to it being performed by men. Why was is, and even today, more acceptable for women to be homosexuals compared to men? One reason that seemed to have mutual agreement was that women have insatiable sexual desire and curiosity and that they need a outlet for this desire. Men, although they have sexual desire as well, are supposed to be able to control themselves. Another argument is that why it is more tolerable for women to imitate sodomy was that it shows the desire of women to satisfy each other as men are able to do, showing an example of jealousy of the sexual power that men have to penetrate. In the context of this reasoning, it can then be argued that men that engage in sodomy forfeit this power to submit to penetration themselves, lowering the gender and sexual roles. It can therefore be seen why sodomy by men was so much more severe. It had to be punished so that Men keep and ensure their superiority to women in these ways.

Women with Power are Dangerous - James Oh

Last week when we were learning about Witchcraft and sex, the notion of powerful women being dangerous was brought up. A relevant example that I thought was humorous was the clip we saw from "My Super Ex-Girlfriend," which I had already seen and was surprised to see in class. But it was funny to think that if analyzed, it can show how powerful women are portrayed as neurotic, crazy, and dangerous. This comical example had a stark contrast with the example of dangerous women in the movie, "Fatal Attraction." Though I've heard of the movie, I never watched it before. But even from watching the trailer in class, I could imagine how terrifying it would be if a woman was that obsessed over something or someone.
Whether Hollywood depicts the dangers of powerful women in a comical or in a suspenseful way, it is clear that it is an interesting subject and is something that provides a good source of conflict for a plot. What's also obvious is that there is a negative depiction of powerful women in movies. Yes, even a successful business woman is labeled a "hard-ass" or a "total B****." But when it's a man, he's just seen as tough boss or maybe at the most, arrogant. Is society unwilling to accept powerful woman and discouraging women that aspire to be more influential in the world?

Intersectionality and the Aggressives - James Oh

Out of the three guest lectures we had from our class's very own TA's, I found the idea of Intersectionality the most interesting as it was something that I haven't heard of before. As we have learned, the kind of discrimination that Black women have faced has its own distinct category. Black women face a mix of discrimination felt by Black men and women in general. What was interesting was the documentary that we saw in class that showed the detailed lives of black women in jails that were the subjects and examples of "Aggressives," the black women that were seen as responsible for turning Caucasian women over to lesbianism through aggressive sexual dominance. While I was thinking about it, I wondered if Black men have ever been put under the same label. Is it the female aspect that labels them as aggressive?

It is common knowledge from television, novels, and movies that criminals confined in penitentiaries resort to homosexuality to either satisfy their sexual desires or to establish dominance over the other inmates in order to create an elevated status for themselves. So then what is it that encouraged someone to give black women in penitentiaries their own label. Was this purely another baseless observation promoted by racism or was there something more to it?

Contemporary Perceptions of Male vs. Female Sodomy

I think the idea of sodomy between women being a lesser crime than sodomy between men is an interesting because I feel like that same sort of idea can be applied to our modern culture. It seems to me that even in the twenty-first century acts similar to sodomy between women are more acceptable and prominent than acts of sodomy between men. For instance, there is a great industry for videos like Girls Gone Wild, in which girls practice promiscuous activities- many times around or with other females- that are like a diluted form of sodomy. But I’ve yet to hear of a Boys Gone Wild franchise that displays males acting overtly sexual with other males. Moreover, pornographic media like Playboy also depicts females acting sexually with each other in a nonchalant manner; however, Playboy’s counterpart, Playgirl, has a much less prominent impact in the media, and this could in part be due to our society’s greater reluctance to accept male sodomy than female sodomy. Additionally, a few years ago the pop singer Katy Perry released her song “I Kissed a Girl”, which catapulted her into mainstream success. However, if a male artist released a song called “I Kissed a Boy” that song would probably not have been as easily accepted by radio stations and other mass media because I think male sodomy is still perceived as much more serious act even in contemporary society, and it is much easier to make the act of two females kissing each other seem flippant than two males kissing each other. This difference in the way our media represents same sex sexuality demonstrates how the idea of male sodomy being a worse crime than female sodomy still has vestigial traces left in our culture.

"love ya"

I think it is very interesting how female sodomy was often “ignored” and had less restrictions compare to male sodomy. There are a few explanations that people brought up in our discussion today. Some said it is because people back then believed that women have less control on themselves whereas men know what they are doing and therefore should be punished more. Some said because they do not want to (or care about to) talk about female sodomy and just wanted it to remain as a silent issue. It is also a very interesting point that female were charged with death penalty if there are fake penises involved (physical tools) is maybe because that it was unacceptable for females to even touch on masculinity. Also, the relationships between women are considered to be playful and no one would take it seriously if a woman gets close with another. For example, even today, we can often see girls saying “love ya” as a common phrase to others whereas guys do not. I guess this is because people think that female are generally more emotional (characteristic associated with femininity) whereas guys “should not” express their feelings too often (showing sentimental sides will be considered as being feminine) in traditional stereotypes.

The Insatiable Woman

Throughout this lectures this week, I found it very interesting that the concept of "the insatiable woman" is present in various subjects ranging from pornography, talking vaginas, witchcraft, and sodomy. In all of these subjects, the woman is portrayed as inherently insatiable. Despite what she may say for instance in the lecture about talking vaginas, her body or vagina would say otherwise suggesting an innate promiscuous behavior. On the subject of witchcraft and sodomy, these women are also described to want to have sex with other women regardless of why they might such as a perverse or distorted personality. Proponents of traditional witchcraft involving sorcery and the devil may critique that witchcraft has nothing to do with insatiability because these "witches" are possessed and negatively influenced by the devil and rebuking the theory that these women are innately insatiable. However, insatiability is not only limited to connotations of lewdness but also a deeper implication of unreliability resulting from the tendency to engage in sexual activities. As a result of this connection, witches, who cannot be trusted, are then associated with the term insatiable as well. Nevertheless, although the subjects may be different superficially, the subjects' underlying, overlapping message that women are promiscuous and insatiable is clear.

Gender Neutrality in College --Ailene Huang

I came across this article talking about the new gender neutral locker room (added to the already existing gender neutral living corders, bathroom, and showers) at Iowa's Grinnell College. This being a topic we've discussed a bit in class, it was interesting to read the article and see this move in a more historical context. It mentions how it was a big deal when colleges and universities started to offer coed dorms in the 1970s (so much so that it made the cover of Life magazine) and how it was also a big deal when living corders mixed different races together. I think it's hard for us as a society, sometimes, to see what is happening in the world around us as historical moments. I mean, creating a space that allows for people who don't identify with one particular gender to reside? That's unfathomable to most people in this generation, let alone generations past! What was also an interesting note was that most of the colleges that are incorporating gender neutral dorms are private colleges, making me wonder how the process will be different for that of a public school, and if the process would take longer, years maybe. It does make me a bit confused though. Even if someone doesn't identify with a particular gender, they still have to choose, at one time or another, in order to use the services that are provided in a school, for example. So one who is transitioning, would they only stay in the gender neutral area until they have fully transitioned? If someone is straight and is comfortable with their own gender, do they have the option of staying there as well? I wonder what historians will say about this in future time. I also wonder how generations are going to further push the boundaries when it seems that all boundaries are already being pushed.

Here's the link to the article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/story/2011-11-09/gender-neutral-college/51134546/1

Here's the 1970 Life Magazine cover (image #45):
http://www.life.com/gallery/64751/1970-life-covers#index/44

Intersectionality in "Bend It Like Beckham"

I thought the documentary “The Aggressives” was interesting because it demonstrated the complexities of intersectionality. As women who challenge traditional notions of race and sexuality, these women provide a voice for women who may not typically be represented in society. These women were not easily confined into simple categories, and that was okay with them. This reminds me of the movie “Bend It Like Beckham” because in that movie, the main character Jess had a male Indian friend who was also gay. In one of the scenes, when her best friend comes out to her, Jess replies in shock, “You can’t be gay! You’re Indian!” Nevertheless, Jess’s friend defends his identity as both Indian and homosexual. This is yet another example of intersectionality because being Indian and being gay can seem like two distinct, yet defining identities. But in reality, sexuality, race, and gender are ideas that are constantly intertwining. As such, there will always be people who challenge typical beliefs about standard identities because the traits that define them are more complex than simple generalizations.

The Aggressives

I think the documentary (The Aggressives) that Jennifer showed us on Wednesday was very interesting. As many people, or at least me, might stereotypically think that the butcher woman in a homosexual relationship would want to be a man rather than being a woman. However, the documentary showed us that many of them are actually really comfortable being women and are very satisfied of who they are. One of the girls, Kisha, said in one of the interviews “just call me Kisha.” It hits right into my heart. Do we define a person with his or her gender and sexuality? Does his or her sexual orientation affect who they are? It also makes me think of a question brought up in one of the previous presentations in our discussion about whether it is society that makes these homosexual people choose to stay in the closet or stand out, and why can't they just be who they are and not choose a side. Personally, I do not think it is fair to force those people to choose which category they want to be and judge them depends on it. Some of my friends are homosexual and they are as awesome as my other friends, who they like do not affect how we interact and it should not be for everyone else.

The Ticking Biological Clock --Ailene Huang

It seems to me that in every culture there is a saying that condemns the unmarried woman. In China it's "the left-over woman", in the US it's "the old maid", and in the Persian culture there is a saying that those over 25 are a dried up grape (or prune...I can't remember), so no matter where women go, there seems to be a fear that if one is over 25 and unmarried, the female world will come to a standstill, or that the population of the world will drop because females aren't baring children. I noticed that soon after I entered into my twenties, the good ol' question of "when are you getting married?" started surfacing more and more often. What is it about the 20's that invites these questions in? And why does society formulate the idea that men only better with age while women just disintegrate with age (at least physically)? I think, looking back, that it is the first time in history that women are now getting to choose their role, since previously it has all been about being the domesticator. With new territory comes a lot of outrage simply because it's unfamiliar and no one knows quite how to deal. Choosing between a family life and a career (that often leads to the notion of "old maid") shouldn't be a choice. I mean, would you like an education and a job, or would you like to spend time with your loved ones and children? Both are important! Society needs to start seeing that marginalizing gender roles leads to scrutinizing the purpose of those roles, making it impossible to "choose" the right path.