ff

this week i got into a little facebookfight with a stranger.

a friend of mine posted a link about a clothing company in the UK which printed men's trouser labels that read something along the lines of:

washing instructions [ ...blah blah... ] - or - give it to your woman. it's her job.

so, my reaction was 'seeeeeeriously?! burn the store to the ground.'

and to be fair, advocating the store be burned down isn't the best action. true. i'll give you that. but, you know. i meant metaphorically. like. burn down their profits. destroy their reputation. expose their dickbagery and shame them for it. i probably should've been more specific.

but then someone i didn't know got all 'oh yeah, grab your torch ladies, am i right?! learn to take a joke.'

so i had to explain that, actually, yes. DO grab your torch. for god's sake, do! because a joke isn't a joke if its punchline is the repression of women that is still a reality for many in our 'dignified' part of the world, not even beginning to mention the rest of the world where women may not be so lucky as to be attacked quietly and insidiously... they're attacked loudly and proudly. AND. a joke isn't a joke if its punchline was a complete reality a generation ago. if the punchline is our mothers and our grandmothers.

blah blah.

i won. anyways.

but!

*here's a great thing! to back up my argument.

about how feminists of yonder year fought tooth and nail for us women now. and how we should not take our liberties for granted. and how we should not be complacent and let those liberties slip away. because what equality we have now? it is imperfect but it is a LOT better than none. and none is not so far away. so. be grateful. and be aware. and grab your torch, goddamn! scream it from the goddamn mountaintops!!!

 {photo from myparentswereawesome}

(ah shoot. i meant to write about 'unlearning' this week, but i've got too many words already. so. next week! exciting! teaser!!!)