I'm happy to be a woman

Happy December!

This post has nothing to do with December. I just wanted to tell you why it's great to be a woman. I mean, a human.

This thought process started when I read one Finnish online article. A Finnish "popular lifestyle" website asked some women to list aspects of life where that they think men have it better. And because I tend to take these funny things seriously, I decided to write a very long blog post about it, talking about all of these 34 points. Are you ready? 

Picture from makeupandbeauty.com.

Apparently these women are jealous about the following things:

1. No need to suffer from menstruation.

Itsestäänselvyys: ei tarvitse kärsiä menkoista.

Well, obviously it can be painful which sucks, but after I discovered menstrual cups it has become the only bad thing about it. No need to wear uncomfortable bleached plastic nappies (also known as menstrual pads) in my underpants or to push chemical-infused cotton sticks (also known as tampons) inside me. Periods are not stopping me from doing anything. I've spent a week menstruating on an uninhabited island without toilets, running water or electricity. I survived.

Plus by having periods you can make sure that there's no unexpected babies in their way. Men don't have that benefit.

2. No need to shave your legs.

Ei tarvitse ajella sääriä.

Honestly, I don't even remember when was the last time I shaved my legs. I go swimming at the local pool a couple of times a week though. No one has stopped me. No one has even looked at my legs that I've noticed. Why do women feel they have to shave their legs? Last summer my legs were very fluffy until I went swimming with my little sister. I removed some of the hair before that trip just because I didn't feel fluffy legs were appropriate at a Finnish beach site, but it was my choice. No one should force you to shave your legs.

If you want to read more about this, I've written a whole blog post about feminine hairiness before.

3. You become more charming the older you get.

Charmikkuus vain lisääntyy iän myötä.

Some men may become more charming with age, but so do some women. It's up to you what you want to become in the future. You can become charming when you want to and then you can develop your charm. It doesn't just happen to people — no matter what your gender is.

4. Your not embarrassed when you grow a moustache.

Ei hävetä, jos viikset kasvaa.

Maybe more women should be proud of their moustaches. Those huge bushy eyebrows are already in fashion, why won't we do the same with moustaches? Women do have hair in that area too, it's just often very fair. Some grow darker hair and then get it bleached or waxed. It's seen as a very embarrassing and taboo topic. I don't see a reason why it couldn't be seen as cute. We need to stop being embarrassed about our looks.

Alex K. Picture from Effing Dykes Blog.

5. Barber costs less than a hairdresser, and you don't need to waste money on hairproducts anyway.

Parturi maksaa vähemmän kuin kampaaja, eikä rahaa tarvitse tuhlata hiustuotteisiin muutenkaan.

Do these women really think that men don't use hair styling products? I'm guessing that it's around the same percentage of men and women who do style their hair almost daily. I'm getting closer to some hippie-look with my hair and will just happily brush it. I don't even know what I would do with it. I tried to learn to straighten it, but then didn't see the point. It's naturally wavy, what's wrong with that?

I actually do find it unfair though, that men's haircuts are cheaper than women's. Even if it is exactly the same haircut. Why would your gender matter there? Shouldn't the hairstyle you want be the main factor deciding the price?

6. No need to blow-dry your hair in the mornings, style your hair or put make-up on

Ei tarvitse föönata tukkaa aamuisin ja väkertää hiuksia kampauksille, eikä meikata.

I've never felt a need to blow-dry my hair in the morning or make my life that difficult anyway. Everyone needs to get ready in the morning and what you need to do probably depends more on whether you're just popping to the corner shop or going to someone's wedding. It doesn't really have anything to do with your gender. There are many men who take longer than me straightening their hair and putting their make-up on than I do.

7. You can have children without streching your stomach or ripping your genitals.

Voi saada lapsia ilman, että vatsanahka leviää ja sukuelimet repeää.

Giving birth does have those aspects, yes. But it's not something all women have to do. Of course, some men are able to give birth as well. Adoption is a fair option available for everyone too though. But in general it is more difficult to have children as a single man than it is as a single woman.

8. Naturally smaller percentage of fat. No cellulite. Not fair.

Luonnostaan pienempi rasvaprosentti, ei selluliittiä. Ei ole reilua.

And none of those fantastic feminine shapes either. 

Boobs. Curves. Fun.

Marilyn Monroe.

9. Small phone bills. You don't have to waste time talking about nonsense.

Pienet puhelinlaskut. Omaa aikaa ei tarvitse tuhlata turhuuksista pälättämiseen.

Seriously? These women need to rethink their priorities. If you need to spend hours on phone talking about stupid things without enjoying it, it has nothing to do with gender. It's just your own stupidity.

10. Men can pee almost everywhere. It's also less embarrassing for men to go to the toilet.

Miehet voi pissiä melkein mihin tahansa. Vessassa käyminen ei muutenkaan aiheuta niin noloja tilanteita kuin naiselle.

What? Why is it embarrassing to go to the toilet if your a woman? And I think it shouldn't be acceptable to pee in public for men either. It's also possible for all genders to go and pee in a bush.

11. A man doesn't get upset or end up in pointless fights if he's not invited to a party or a shopping trip.

Mies ei loukkaannu tai joudu turhiin riitoihin, jos häntä ei ole kutsuttu juhliin tai shoppailemaan.

I think it would be upsetting to anyone to have everyone else invited except you.

12. Shopping doesn't take up much time.

Shoppailu sujuu nopeasti.

I think this depends more on the type of person you are. If you enjoy browsing shops it will take longer no matter what your gender is. And if you just want to go in and get what you need it will be faster. Unless you're me and shopping in Sainsbury's. Then it will take hours, but it's not because I'm a girl — it's because I don't know where anything I need is.

From Sex and the City.

13. You can wear comfortable shoes even in festive events.

Voi käyttää mukavia kenkiä juhlissakin.

I would never go to a party in uncomfortable shoes. Women don't have to wear high heels. I like high heels, but always prefer to wear comfortable high heels.

14. It's easy to get dressed to a party. Even to your own wedding a good quality suit is enough and you can wear that same suit to all the future festive events.

Juhlapukeutuminen on helppoa: omiin häihinkin riittää laadukas puku, jota voi pitää tulevissakin kekkereissä.

As far as I'm aware many women do dream of choosing their white dress, so I don't think that's something they are really jealous about. Also one good quality black dress will keep you covered to most festive events if you don't prefer to choose something different.

15. It's easier to make a career as a fighter pilot or a fireman.

Helpompaa toteuttaa haave vaikka urasta hävittäjälentäjänä tai palomiehenä.

I couldn't make a career as a fighter pilot because of my bad eye sight. I'm sure my brother would have the same problem. It is true that in the job market it is more difficult as a woman, but there's also a problem that many women don't pursue these careers.

16. Saving money! You don't have to spend money on menstrual pads or tampons. Or bras. Or make-up and other cosmetics.

Rahansäästö! Ei tarvitse laittaa rahaa kuukautissiteisiin ja tamponeihin. Eikä rintaliiveihin. Eikä meikkeihin ja muuhun kosmetiikkaan.

Lady, guess what? You don't have to spend money on any of those things either. I bought a £20 mooncup that will keep me sorted for the next 10 years on the menstrual front. I do like to buy bras though, because I like to feel supported. I've also spent most of my money that didn't go into food or rent on cosmetics, not because I felt I had to but because they made me happy. I'm starting to question my values on this and am planning on stopping buying so much. 

17. Life without tights.

Elämä ilman sukkahousuja.

I can't imagine a life without tights. I don't wear trousers so tights are kind of necessary for me. I just wish they were cheaper and wouldn't break as easily. Women are allowed to wear trousers though if they don't like tights. It's unfortunately a bit socially questionable for men to wear tights today. 

Robin Hood: Men in tighs is a very good film though, if you need some entertainment in your life.

18. You survive with fewer clothes when travelling.

Pärjää vähemmällä vaatemäärällä reissussa.

I have a funny feeling that if I went travelling with a guy, my clothes would take up less space. First, most guys boxers appear to take more space than my tops. And what I have seen of many men's packing skills, they have a lot of unnecessary space in their bags. When I was travelling with my brother, I had some things that didn't fit in my suitcase anymore, and asked him if I could put them into his bigger suitcase. He said that there was no space but that I was allowed to try anyway. And then I put a blanket, 3 jumpers and several pairs of shoes into his suitcase without any problems.

19. Men are likely to get an orgasm more easily.

Saa todennäköisesti helpommin orgasmin.

But apparently those orgasms are not as amazing as those fantastic female-orgasms you can read about.

20. Sports news.  As a man you're more likely to be interested in sports and sports news are often well-covered amongst the most important news in the country. Also, if you're a male athlete you get to enjoy bigger audiences, reputation and pay, than as female athlete.

Urheilu-uutiset. Miehenä on naista todennäköisemmin kiinnostunut urheilusta, ja siitä kerrotaankin kattavasti joka päivä valtakunnan tärkeimpien uutisaiheiden joukossa. Lisäksi mikäli olet itse miesurheilija, saat nauttia paljon suuremmista katsojamääristä, maineesta ja palkkiorahoista kuin naisena.

The latter is true. But maybe sports news shouldn't be something to be jealous about. Not all men are interested in sports anyway.

21. As a man it's easier to carry your shopping bags and you're able to throw a ball further.

Miehenä jaksaaa kantaa kauppakassit ja heittää palloa pidemmälle.

Testosterone is great.

22. You can hold your drink better. And people have more tolerance for drunken men than drunken women.

Parempi viinapää. Eivätkä ihmiset katso kännistä miestä yhtä pahalla kuin viinanhuuruista naista.

It's to do with that body fat percentage thing. But I'm not sure about the social tolerance thing, because drunken idiot is a drunken idiot no matter what the gender is. Or what do you think? 

23. You don't have to suffer with uncomfortable bras that are the wrong size.

Ei tarvitse kärsiä hiertävistä/vääränkokoisista rintaliiveistä.

No one has to. Go and buy one that fits. I wrote a blog post about this.

From Freya Lingerie.

24. You don't have to take the contraceptive pill.

Ei tarvitse syödä e-pillereitä.

No one has to. They are given to women as if they were candy or some miracle drug that everyone should take. It is not. It is one effective method of contraception but it's not the only option out there. It's also possible to make a male contraception pill but no one is going to fund that project because testing would take so long that it's not worth it for any pharmaceutical company to do that because the female contraceptive pill already exists. It was barely tested before they gave it to women — now there are more strict regulations in place.

I mentioned a little bit about my experiences with the pill in this post.

25. It's taken for granted that your last name will always remain the same.

On itsestäänselvyys, että sukunimi säilyy aina omana.

In many countries, including Finland, men can choose to take their wives last name when they get married. It's all optional, families are not forced to have the same last name.

26. Thicker skin that doesn't age as fast.

Paksumpi iho, joka ei ikäänny yhtä nopeasti.

I don't understand this argument. Surely the skin ages no matter how thick it is? Hormones do affect the skin, so often men do have thicker skin and women have softer skin. But women tend to make aging a huge deal and spend loads of money on different serums and creams that promise anti-aging properties. Maybe it's just another pressure on women needing to look perfect and young always, so it's something they want to feel jealous about? I don't think any of those women want to have a thicker skin though.

27. Army stories.

Armeijatarinat.

In Finland, it's compulsory for all men to take part in military service (or civil service, or go to prison). For women it is optional. I met one of my best friends, Jonna, in the army, when we had a one-weekend introductory camp there. We do still look back to those times and think about all the good memories, when having a fika. I can understand that men who have spent 6-12 months in the military service would do that to even a greater extent. But women, we have nothing to feel jealous about — we have an option to join the army!

28. You are able to order a giantic meal in a restaurant without needing to worry what your dinner partner will think about it.

Voit tilata ravintolassa hirmuiset jättiannokset eteesi ilman, että alat pohtia sitä miltä mässäilysi näyttää illalliskumppanisi silmissä.

If I'm hungry and I want to order something, I will not care what anyone else will think about it. Seriously.

29. A high number of sex partners is only a positive thing.

Seksikumppaneiden korkea määrä on vain positiivinen asia kanssaihmisten silmissä.

If you're a straight man and your mates think it's cool and you really care about that, then maybe? But maybe your future girlfriend won't find it any cooler than you would find it if she had the same number of sex partners.

30. Your voice has more auhtority. 

Äänessä on enemmän auktoriteettia.

It's more up to your personality than your gender.

31. A man, who can't dance can be adorable, but a woman who can't dance is only embarrassing.

Mies, joka ei osaa tanssia, voi olla hellyyttävä näky, mutta huonosti tanssiva nainen on vain noloa.

Why are the women who made up this list so convinced that being a woman is embarrassing?

Personally, I only like to go to night clubs where everyone is happy to dance badly and "embarrassingly". It's only for fun! At many straight clubs the dance floor is only meant for people who are skilled dancers and if some one looks like Ross and Monica from The Friends it's only embarrassing. Lighten up people, have more fun! Being skilled at laughing at yourself and having fun will earn you more life time happiness points than laughing at other people will.

32. Apparently you dare to ask for a pay rise more easily.

Kuulemma kehtaa pyytää palkankorotusta helpommin.

You cannot really be jealous about something that you start with the word "apparently".

33. Men's clothes last longer: in the sense of quality and fashion.
Miesten vaatteet kestävät paremmin aikaa sekä laatunsa että tyylinsä puolesta.

Maybe men only buy better quality clothes and prefer classic styles? As a woman you're just as allowed to buy good quality clothes that represent classic styles.

34. Men have balls: in their attitude and also literally.
Miehissä on munaa: sekä asenteessa että ihan konkreettisesti.

Women can have balls too. In their attitude and also literally.

Any thoughts? Do you think other genders have it easier?

The space theme is back!

Well, hello there!

Remember when my blog background had a TARDIS floating in space? 

From wattpad.

I thought it was awesome, but then I wanted to use a more personal photo. So I chose this New York City background that I took myself. There was a disastrous accident though, and I had lost the original photo. Fortunately, I had uploaded my New York holiday photos on Facebook. I decided not to care about the worsened quality and changed my background photo. Laura was lovely and spent ages changing it into a form that would be suitable for a background. She told me that I wouldn't be allowed to change my background for a half a year after all that work.

But I missed the space theme! And the TARDIS. 

So TA-DAH! I made myself a fantastic space themed banner where I'm checking out the strange planet of Stockholm and wearing my new TARDIS earrings. Isn't this genius? And completely appropriate for a 24-year old.

How do you find this new appearance? Do you like it?

Why don't I have tattoos?

Dear blog,

Today, I wanted to write about tattoos. They are art that we carry on our skin. I myself am not very artistic, and maybe that's the reason why I don't have one. But I've been secretly jealous for people who have beautiful tattoos that are now a part of who they are.

Ira Chernova.

Tattoos are a way to make friends. It's like a code: if you see someone who has a tattoo, you know they share at least one aspect of their worldview with you. It's a conversation starter. You can share stories and talk about the pictures, text and symbols you and they have tattooed on your bodies and where and why.

Via Overd0z.

I really like Ira Chernova's tattoos. I think she's beautiful. Her tattoo choices seem somehow unusual. It's fascinating.

I think it's just as fine to have writing tattooed on you as it is to have a picture, as long as you can read your tattoo yourself. There's no worse tattoo than ones that are grammatically incorrect or say something that you didn't want written on you.

My favourite type of tattoo is something like this:

Tattoo Design Live.

I guess I find that there's something magical about big tattoos on small people. Especially when none of it seems like it's too much. I like the tree, the compass and the owl. It gives me a feeling that she's part of nature. People sometimes argue against tattoos by saying that it's changing our bodies in an unnatural way. But if tattoo makes you seem natural, then it's just beautiful, right?

There are people who find tattoos really cool. You get respect from them if you have tattoos. They probably find me boring, because I don't have any. I'm trying to figure out whether I find myself boring.

I'm actually don't think there's anything wrong with my skin. It seems fine without ink.

I feel like if you're going to get a tattoo, there needs to be a good reason why you're going to get that tattoo. Perhaps people who are covered in tattoos get pictures just because they think it might go with the rest of their tattooing, or maybe they just have a lot of meaningful stories. We all have a lot of stories. But maybe it's easier to tell them if they are tattooed on you? Or maybe then there's no need to tell them. But I feel like if you're going to get your first tattoo - there definitely needs to be a good story or reason behind it.

Jonna Äyhö.

My friend, Jonna, got her daughter's name tattooed on her shoulder. I think that is definitely a meaningful tattoo you wouldn't regret.

Probably the biggest reason why I don't have a tattoo is that I don't have a clue what sort of picture would be meaningful enough for me to tattoo it to my body. Not to mention that I would also have to know where I want the tattoo. And it costs and probably hurts as well.

Until now, I've always been quite sad that I don't have a tattoo. Nothing to talk about with those cool kids.

But now I am quite happy being tattooless! I've been looking into Japanese culture recently, and turns out that tattoos are not cool in Japan. In recent past, tattoos used to be illegal and they are still associated with criminals. In Japan, tattooes are not seen as something respectable. Apparently many places may refuse to serve tattooed customers. And in some places such as gyms and onsens they are banned. Onsens are places where you go to bathe and relax. You use them naked because it's easier to relax when you don't wear a swimming costume. And that's why everyone would see your tattoos, and it might cause problems.

And after I have learned Japanese, I want to go and visit Japan. And it would be sad if I couldn't visit an onsen.

Hakuba Happo Hot Springs.  白馬八方温泉。

Onsens are "hot springs" that are located in hot spring area where you get to bathe and relax in really hot water. There are a lot of different ones. There are public ones where men and women are separate. Some are run by the muncipilaty and might even be free. Then there are some private ones that are meant for families or couples. At the moment they are something that I definitely want to  experience when I go to visit Japan. They are on the activity list already!

My Japanese vocabulary is still fairly limited. I can say hello, introduce myself and say onsen. I haven't even learned many kanjis* yet. I know the kanji for an onsen and for a book.

温泉　　　本

     Onsen                                          Book

* Kanjis are the Chinese characters that are used when writing Japanese.

I feel like I have now learned very essential things. I also know that a book is pronounced "hon".

So, because I am this excited about the possibility of visiting an onsen, I am not even worried about not having any tattoos anymore. Oh, and no - I wouldn't get a kanji tattoo even if I could go to an onsen with one.

After feeling lame for so many years because I didn't have any, I don't feel that way anymore. I like this feeling. I celebrated it by buying a new dress.

New dress.

What kind of tattoos do you like?

Feminine problem: hairiness!

A long time ago I wrote a blog post about surviving womanhood, and all the things I have needed to face after I realised that I'm a woman and that my life is filled with feminine challenges.

These challenges included bras, periods, and hairiness - which is today's topic.

This is an important topic, because it is something that can make people feel very insecure about themselves. It is also something that is very embarrassing to talk about. And because I should face my fears of being embarrassed about everything –  I'm going to write about it!

Hair is a funny thing. Compared to our close relatives, apes, we're not really that hairy.

© Liran Samuni.

But our society likes to make us look even less hairy than we really are. I grew up seeing ads of all sorts of different hair removal products. The hairless female body image was all over the media. No wonder most men believe that women are practically hairless (that's probably the point of all this hair removal business we're engaging ourselves in) and most women believe that they are naturally hairier than other women.

Fortunately, I was never her biggest fan in the first place.

It was all very stressful, when I first hit puberty and thought that I have to shave. In fact, it was so traumatic that I didn't touch a shaver for 10 years after my first shaving attempt. In the meantime I tried out all sorts of different hair removal methods available. I tried waxing which mostly resulted in pain, mess, wax stuck everywhere and hairs still attached to my skin. I tried hair removal mousses that would allow you to scrub the hair of with a sponge or a "bladeless" shaver made out of plastic. Basically the mousse would first somehow corrode the hair so that it would just come of when you wash yourself. Needless to say, it's quite irritating for your skin - especially if you're not quick enough to get it off your skin. In the end, I discovered an epilator which works! It really hurts a couple of the first times you try to plug your hairs off with it, but it's easy after you get used to it. And mostly I enjoy the money I save when I don't have to spend it all on sticky waxes and corrosive mousses.

Hurray, archaeology! (I'm in the photo) © Charlotta Hillerdal.

My interests sometimes take me to places where I get the opportunity to get as hairy as I like and no one will know. It's fantastic.

WARNING! Please do not read any further if you get easily upset about personal things such as hairiness.

After I had grown back all of my body hair, I realised all the benefits this hair had. Well, mostly it kept me warmer in freezing wind and rain. Extra layer of something on: always useful in cold conditions. Suddenly, getting hairy didn't seem so bad at all.

Haisuli!

But I have a secret to tell you: the hair that had started growing on my body was a lot more impressive than it was when I had started hair removal. I don't think it's because I had been removing it, but simply because I am now older. My legs, for example, were hairier than some of my male friends. After that experience, I feel that women are almost as hairy as men. Men have a tendency to get hairier and to grow stronger hair in places that women rarely get that strong hair growth – such as face, back and chest. But women do have hair in those places too. Did you know that threading* places almost always offer an upper lip hair removal service when you get your eyebrows shaped?

 * threading is a method of plugging hair with thread. It's often used for shaping eyebrows.

Last spring, I actually stopped removing my hair for several months. And surprisingly the world didn't end. I had classmates who occasionally talked about hair removal, and for instance, about how disgusting arm pit hair is. I very consciously wore sleeved tops and coloured tights around those people because my self-confidence wasn't quite strong enough to hear anymore about how disgusting they find me than I already had to. 

But apart from that I had no problems doing anything I wanted. I even went to a public swimming pool. And let me tell you: I didn't get kicked out of the pool. No one even looked at my hairly legs or armpits any longer than they did when there was no hair there.

There are actually several posts written by women who have stopped shaving completely. One good one was written by Emer O'Toole in theguardian.com.

This was my favourite bit:

A scene from my life:

Small child: Why do you have hair under your arms?

Me: Because when girls and boys grow up into women and men they grow hair under their arms.

Small child: My mum doesn't have hair under her arms.

Me: She shaves it off.

Small child: She doesn't.

Me: She does. Ask her.

Small child: Mum, do you?

Mother of small child: Yes.

Small child: Why?

Exactly, small child. Exactly.

Should you remove hair? Why?

If you feel like you have good reasons, feel free. But I think it would do our society a lot of good if people who secretly want to be hairy, would just be hairy. It's not disgusting. Being a man increases person's chances of being hairier, but women have the same right to be as hairy as they like. It's also acceptable for men to shave their legs if they want to  –  people should really stop being shocked by it.

Oh, and since I've now talked about hair removal, I want to mention hair in one particular body area that no one ever talks about.

Please stop reading now if you do not want to read about the hair we normally tend to keep in our pants.

Individuality, equality and diversity!

Big words, guys. But if I'm going to start talking about things without censoring most of my thoughts, this might be a good topic to start with. And I will without a doubt be coming back to this. I'll just write about individuality today, but all three of these topics are interlinked.

When I was at school we had a photo competition which theme was “individually together”. The concept made sense to me then, and it still does. But unfortunately it does not make sense to everyone and it's very sad. So many people are trying to “fit the crowd” and look “normal”. Do what “society thinks is right” instead of being who they are.

Okay, I must admit that I was never the coolest of kids. And still am not. I mean, I look like this in my holiday photos:

It was a holiday in Lewis in 2010!

And surprise, surprise! I was bullied at school. I never really understood why I got bullied. I didn't really think of it at the time, I just did my best at ignoring it. But then I came across a news paper article where the journalist had interviewed a class and found out what kind of reasons will be used as excuses for bullying.

Here are the reasons they listed:

Wrong clothes. Clothes that are five years old, discount store clothes, charity shop clothes, cartoon character -tops, Gothic style, Lolita style, heavy rocker style, or anything that might make you look gay.

Wrong music. Anything ancient or classical. Church music. Anything that the majority doesn't listen to. Basically you have to listen to bands that are on top10 lists.

Wrong hobbies. Guides, computer games, larping, archery, violin, golf, church clubs, fantasy books, Irish dance, martial arts if you're a girl and ballet, riding or piano if you're a boy. Basically you're not “allowed to” have any “weird” or different hobbies – such as dance if you're a boy.

Wrong ideologies. Religiousness, vegetarianism, or accepting gay rights. Basically you're not allowed to enjoy reading or fantasy. Or have much opinions about anything.

Thank goodness I'm not at school anymore. This explains why I got bullied. I could post pictures of myself doing all of those things “wrong”, but I probably don't have to. And I'm glad I did. I never wanted to be a robot who wore what the other girls told me to wear, listened to crappy top10 lists and had no opinions. I had a lot more fun wearing Tinker Bell -tops, going to church clubs and camps, listening to emo music, playing computer games, reading fantasy books and generally just being a weird, opinionated homosexual.

This is how "amazing" the picture quality was in older camera phones.

It was way more fun being weird! My freetime activities were amazing. Here, for instance, I went to a clothes store with my friend and we both chose each other the most awful outfits and then took photos in the changing room. This is what teenagers should do, instead of learning how to became a robot.

And this topic is not only relevant to those who are at school and going through those horrible teenager years trying to figure out who they are while being under constant pressure of not doing anything that wouldn't be accepted by their peers. This is relevant to anyone! No matter what your age is, you can still discover new things about yourself and new ways to express yourself. Start a new hobby, explore new hairstyles or get into motorcycles. There are mums out there who are afraid to get tattoos and piercings or other mums wouldn't let their children to play with their kids. There are grandmas who wonder what their friends might say if they got a purple mohawk*. There are men who really want to wear skirts instead of trousers because it's hot outside. Such things won't change their ability to function as members of society. Those little things that would be a part of their individual appearance would only make them happier and more lively. And happy people can do anything! Those who judge should go home and think about what makes them so angry.

One of my favourite bands, PMMP, released this song 4 years ago.

It is amazing. Here are some bits of the lyrics in English**:

They shout furiously: “No! Men don't behave like that!”

I guess beauty offends them

But although they make fun of my body

They can never touch my soul

My clothes that people make fun of

and my feather boa that is so despised here

need more glitter when I get there

or otherwise I will be unnoticed in the eclectic crowd

There, family cars are not the only cars stuck in the traffic jam

There are buses and limousines side by side

I will not swallow tears but champagne instead

I will dress up in sequins from head to toe

The mouths don't mock and not a single finger rises

I'm not afraid that I won't find anyone

And like a bird I will rise up

I was never a prisoner of my body after all

Seriously it's the best song ever. It's all about equality and being accepted as who you are. Sadly in this song, the person had to leave somewhere else, but that's just something you need to do if you're surroundings are poisonous. But we are all gorgeous as who we are! And all of us are allowed to wear whatever we like, whatever makes us confident and happy. And that's the beauty of it. Life would be boring if everyone just wore hoodies and jeans.

So, who wants to dress up in sequins and come and drink champagne with me?

Featuring Scottish countryside.

I have muffins.

* True story! She came in to book an appointment when I was at the hairdressers.
** I'm sorry, but my translation skills suck. Please let me know if you know how to translate this song better.