A rant about "regular" women--don't expect anything coherent

Look.  Here's the thing about women. 

We know that models are still bone-thin.  We know they're still six feet tall.  We know that there is still pressure to have a boyfriend and get married or else be considered pitiable (basically an old maid, just without the term "old maid").

But here's the other thing.  Or maybe it's the same thing, people just for some reason don't seem to be getting it:

WE KNOW ALL OF THIS.  NOW QUIT WRITING/TALKING ABOUT IT LIKE IT'S A NEW CONCEPT. 

I'm not saying you can't bitch about.  Whatever, go ahead if that's what you want to do.  But please recognize that you're not brilliant or innovative or a new, snarky, sassy voice that for the first time truly represents women.  I mean, come on, how many times does some chick have to write this same article or book or whatever before people stop saying, "At last, someone to speak for us regular women!" and they finally realize--THIS CHICK IS JUST JUMPING ON THE DAMN BANDWAGON that everyone somehow forgets is there every freaking time.  Apparently the latest voice of the regular women is always just floating along, preaching down from a perch on an invisible wagon AND flicking the reigns over an invisible horse.  I don't blame the horse and wagon at all, though.  If I were pulling and carting this clueless crap I'd want to disappear, too.

But I digress. And am probably being incoherent, as promised. ::slapping myself in the face::  Invisible horses and wagons . . . :)

Anyway--there's another element to this I'd like to discuss.  I absolutely hate the weird solutions the "voices" of "regular" women come up with.  And, oh yeah, they're always the same, too--it's called "let's discriminate against certain characteristics of women so as to end the discrimination of other characteristics."  For example, let's say you're a female who's outspoken, bold, and academic.  Cool.  Good for you.  Let's say you're kind of a girly girl who likes pink and thinks about finding love.  I say that's cool, too.  Another "good for you" is in order.  But apparently if we are defending the first kind of woman, that means we have to condemn the second kind.  What?  Is anyone out there suddenly confused?  If you're not, you should be.  Because, honestly, why on earth would you want to promote freedom to be who you are by making another person feel like it's taboo to be the way SHE is?  And WHY on EARTH can't a woman be outspoken, bold, academic, girly, pink-loving, and soulmate-searching all at the same time?

Love is supposedly weak now, that's why.  And there always has to be something to conform to.  I find it all to be ridiculous.  If you want a boyfriend or a husband because you think that will make you look better in the eyes of society--well, that's one thing.  But if you want to connect with someone or have some type of physical intimacy with another human being because you're like every other person on the face of this earth (men included) and actually WANT these things for yourself--well, that's quite a different thing.  I really think that people need to face the facts: Most books, TV shows, and movies are not about love because society shoves it in our faces.  They're about love because this is an eternal human quest, for women and for men.  Believe it or not, there are these kinds of things about men searching for love, too.  It's just that no one thinks anything about them because we're not tied up in being horrified over men wanting relationships.  And believe it or not, people start to "wonder" about men who aren't married past a certain age as well.  Is it right?  No. Not in the least.  But again, that's something entirely different. 

We should not need to feel pressure from society to date or get married.  But if we want to?  Just plain want to?  As women or men?  Go for it.  Write a sitcom about it.  Write a 500-page novel about it.  Do it.  I don't really care.  I don't feel threatened because I'm single or because I'm not married.  I'm really still okay with all of it. 

Oh--did I not mention that I'm single and not married?  Didn't think I needed to, I guess.  Didn't think anyone would care.

Silly me.