On August 3rd in Hong Kong, citizens lined up to protest the 3.5 month prison sentence for a woman for assaulting a police officer with her breast.
A few months ago…
A lady walks over to me, chewing a chocolate cookie, a sneer already on her face. I know she’s about to say something I won’t like. Two young girls had just passed by, one with short purple hair, showing a bra strap, wearing tights and platforms, another rocking a crop top (maybe some cleavage) and jean shorts.
“I need to start dying my hair off colors and showing my skin to fit in,” the lady says, crumbs falling out of her mouth, “I fear for my sons in college you know. They have that to deal with, they shouldn’t show so much,” she motions to the young girls who’d strutted past.
In the next breath she tells me about how talented he is playing Halo.
So he’s an expert in virtual violent, and compassionless murder, BUT needs to shield his mind from all these revealing women, their cleavage; their lustful bodies.
FEAR the boobies.
***
What you see daily in your life and outside of it, all of it holds a perception and a filter you adhere to every situation you take in. Violence and sex right? All the good stuff. Except violence has actually become just that—good. In the news recently, Miley Cyrus labeled Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood” video unnecessarily violent. Crazy, we’ve all seen Cyrus naked and she thinks she can critique Taylor Swift?
I had a conversation with a person who shall remain nameless, (mostly because I chatted with him on a bus and I don’t remember his name) but he’d said, “How dare Cyrus judge Swift’s video when her antics are so over sexualized and promote smoking up.”
Hmmm …
Here is where my issue lies: is taking a life, or smacking someone in the face better than lighting up a joint or riding a giant hotdog (no image needed).
Now, I am a huge fan of being in charge of my faculties, and you’d think I mean not smoking up. And I do. But I’m also referring to “seeing red” as in that angry beast that rears its head resulting in people getting hurt.
I honestly thought growing up over sexualized antics were meant to be judged, and war was a political necessity. Sex was worse than war.
But is it truly? Where one takes a life and the other…makes a life?
Presently…
It was brought again to my attention in a bookstore. A mother takes a Manga 16+ (a style of Japanese comic books) from the shelf, shaking her head, complains that it should be wrapped in plastic—“There are too many boobs in here. We wouldn’t want someone who shouldn’t to find it and see the wrong thing!” I couldn’t help but notice she complained about this particular Manga, but failed to notice another to the left of the offending article—a samurai cutting the head off another samurai. THAT’S JUST FINE.
I think I actually did a double take in that moment. Is this a cultural thing? As in—were we actually brought up to believe bombs are passable and boobs are not?
Both are featured in the Manga 16+ section, and this particular person really shouldn’t have minded in the least, as what she had done was similar to walking into a forest and saying there were too many evergreen trees. Never mind the other trees. Am I right?
Here is my point fair reader…
The line no matter where you’ve drawn it—blurs. I take offense for my own personal reasons, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that both the nameless fellow on the bus, and the lady in the bookstore, has skewed ideas of what’s ok and what’s not.
I am not a fan of most of Miley’s antics, but neither am I fan of Taylor’s take on revenge. Get ready I’m about to blow your mind: Given the choice though I’d side with Miley here, I’d rather save a life. Many people perceive Taylor as safe because of the culture we were raised in, violence is always prevalent and we hear about it on the news while we spread Nutella on our toast (my breakfast), and it ain’t no thang. But hear about a teenager wearing less than nothing while walking to the grocery store, and it would seem like the world is truly ending.
Thank you and Good Morning.
~Tricia Maria