Juicy
Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares. Proverbs
Anne over at Smells Horsey writes about her daughter dressing up her horse Buddy in horsey pajamas and all kinds of cute things. And she's relieved her daughter is spending her money on horse clothes rather than on "tight pants for herself that say 'Juicy' across the butt."
Those "Juicy" pants are right up there with the Britney Spears- and Paris Hilton-inspired Bratz Dolls and their equally annoying Petz, both of which I really dislike. To me, these Bratz are like caricatures of girls. Cartoons of the feminine. And poorly drawn to boot. They are someone else's rather uninspired idea of femininity. Not mine.
And I wonder. Why would any mother allow these kinds of societal ideas--"Juicy" and Bratz--to be visited upon her daughters?
Instead of pants that say "Juicy", how about a t-shirt that says Good at Math. A Wonderful Friend. Barrel Racer. Plays a Mean Chopin. History Fanatic. Absolutely Hilarious. Kind. Insightful. Brave Adventurer. Best Sister in the Universe. Big Spirit Inside.
And if we want to go absolutely for broke on behalf of our daughters, because girls aren't all sweetness and sunshine like some old Mother Goose rhyme claims, they do contain the full gamut of emotions, how about Cranky Sometimes. Ill-Tempered. I am Competitive. Or I Get Mad About Things.
I am a big believer in the power of horses and girls. And in the potential of the interaction between the two to help a girl build up a strong core inside of herself. Yes, it has something to do with sports and robust outdoor living. But it also has something to do with myth and spirit.
(Also, I'm like the parents of the teenagers who put in a home swimming pool so the kids will hang out a home hopefully. My thinking is that if I keep my daughter interested in and occupied with the horses, and she does have a natural love for them so I'm not forcing her into something, then I'll keep her occupied and away from some of those pop-culture, mass media influences out there.)
What if we filled up that place in girls that's currently being filled up with "Juicy" and Bratz with some big bold myths? Not necessarily the myths of the Greeks or the Romans or the native peoples, although I'm sure we could choose some powerful ones, but of myths we can tell them about our own lives. Something for girls to hang onto. Possibly then we'd see the end of "Juicy" scrawled across the rear ends of pre-pubescent little girls and new words being scrawled inside of them instead. Words of wisdom. Emblazoned on their hearts and minds. Stories that will sustain them throughout their lives. Words that would help them to be whole women in the world and in their lives?
Now don't get me wrong. I'm not against Juicy. Not. At. All.
In fact, let's be juicy by all means--juicy with life.
But I don't want my daughter (or those of others, although that's really none of my business you may be saying) to be a real life slogan for the titillation of what Anne observes in her excellent blog post to be the "Viagra-ed up old guy". She and all of the little girls deserve much better than that.
What myths sustained you as a girl? What stories/myths sustain you as a woman? (And guys, feel free to chime in. I'm not trying to be one-sided or sexist here. It's just that most of you aren't walking around in warmup pants with "Juicy" inscribed across the derrierre. I suspect I could gain some serious insight from you out there.) Are there books that you love? Poetry? Music? Artwork? I'd love to hear about it.
OK. I'll begin. This is one of my favorite pieces of wisdom literature. Decidedly very juicy stuff--
Thunder, Perfect Mind
For I am the first and the last.
I am the honored one and the scorned one.
I am the whore and the holy one.
I am the wife and the virgin.
I am and the daughter.
I am the members of my mother.
I am the barren one
and many are her sons.
I am she whose wedding is great,
and I have not taken a husband.
I am the midwife and she who does not bear.
I am the solace of my labor pains.
I am the bride and the bridegroom,
and it is my husband who begot me.
I am the mother of my father
and the sister of my husband,
and he is my offspring.
I am the slave of him who prepared me.
I am the ruler of my offspring.
But he is the one who [begot me] before the time
on a birthday.
And he is my offspring [in] (due) time,
and my power is from him.
I am the staff of his power in his youth,
[and] he is the rod of my old age.
And whatever he wills happens to me.
I am the silence that is incomprehensible
and the idea whose remembrance is frequent.
I am the voice whose sound is manifold
and the word whose appearance is multiple.
I am the utterance of my name.
