I Pandered to Male Stereotypes of Women and I Liked It

The following is a bit of a rant about Katy Perry.

Now, don't get me wrong, I've nothing against the girl. She's attractive, talented and very good at what she does. It's the 'what she does' I'm not too keen on though. I'm not, and never have been, a bra-burning advocate of wimmin's rights and feminism - indeed, I think the Millie Tant stereotype of a feminist is a total and utter fabrication invented by those who feel threatened by or uncomfortable with women being assertive for whatever reason.

Which is where Ms Perry comes in. She's the sort of artist tabloids like to refer to using adjectives such as 'feisty', implying she's some kind of 'no-nonsense, don't mess with me' type laydee. Yet the lyrics to some of her songs are the biggest load of misogynist arsewipe I've ever had the misfortune to hear spill from the lips of a woman. All that 'I kissed a girl and I liked it, oooh aren't I sooooo naughty?? Bet you boys would like to give me a right good telling off for that sort of display of sexuality, know what I mean, nudge nudge, wink wink' crap just annoyed me at first. I'm not doubting she did kiss a girl and like it, but it just plays up to the almost universal male girl-on-girl fantasy, whilst set to a tune that means 10 year old girls will like it.

And then there's her current release, praising 'California Girls' as if they were some kind of separate race from the rest of womankind. They were little shorts! And bikinis! They're hot, hot, hot! You KNOW you wanna be one or with one! This kind of crap is bad enough from male artists, but from a woman it just plain vexes me. Kids are impressionable wee creatures, and this kind of anti-feminist crud being shat out of the airwaves worries me. Her 'feisty' image just makes it even worse - she's either a record company puppet doing whatever she can to make her 15 minutes last as long as possible, or even worse, she actually buys into the crap she peddles and really DOES think that women are here solely for the titillation of the opposite sex. I know it's only music, but it saddens me that in this day and age, it's still not only acceptable to portray women in this light, but that the majority of people don't even bat an eyelid.

*sighs*

Mabel has Arrived!

And I love her already!

Yes, we finally collected our new muppetamobile on Friday, and I'm smitten. Flump adores riding upfront with Mama & Papa, pointing at all and sundry, playing kick the driver's arm when they change gear, and generally enjoying not having to look at the rear of a Mondeo's passenger seat anymore.

And after only two whole days of ownership, we have already taken her to London and back, filled her capacious boot (sans rear seats) with stock for our Emporium of Lovely Things, pootled Flump to our local RSPB reserve and had a picnic in the back due to the inevitable dampness of a June day in Yorkshire, and visited the Grandparents, who made suitably impressed 'oohing and aahing' noises at her. And on top of being practical and economical, she's also ace fun to drive!

So welcome to the family, Mabel Multipla :).

Farewell, Lovely Lottie

Today was supposed to be the day that we bade a fond farewell to our lovely little SportKa, Lottie, however, the new Muppetamobile for which we are swapping her requires a part that has to be ordered (don't they all? I wasn't aware of any mechanical components that just materialised when you click your heels together three times... aaaaaanyway...).

So, we have Lottie for a few more days yet, until the part-fairies pay a visit to the dealer. Much as I try not to get attached to lumps of metal and mechanical doings, I am rather fond of this car. Not only is she cute, but she's dead fun to drive, and goes faster than dickheads in BMWs think she can, which is always amusing when you overtake one on the motorway which then IMMEDIATELY revs past you angrily, as if you have somehow suggested the driver has a small penis by having the audacity to a)drive faster than them b) in an ickle car and c) when you're a a mere female.

But, as we are now three, Lottie no longer meets our needs. As fun as she is, it's time for her to make way for an as yet un-named Fiat Multipla. Yes, you're right, that is one of those fugly ones that look like metal aliens. When I first got pregnant, Mr M joked that he would divorce me if we had triplets and therefore had to buy a car such as a 'pla. Now, nearly 2 years on from those two pink lines that changed our life forever, here we are bursting with excitement at the prospect of owning one. Why, I imagine I can hear you ask? Well, firstly, Flump will be able to ride up front inbetween Mama & Papa, something she very much enjoyed on the test drive, as it has 3 front seats. Which, secondly, leaves the whole of the back free for loading up full of camping goodies and bikes (or Ikea goodies!). Thirdly, it's a diesel - the same engine as Mr M's late lamented Alfa Romeo, and so solid it will clock up 250K no bother, not to mention doing in the region of 10 MPG more than Lottie. And last, but by no means least, the 'pla will run on biodiesel! Our local BD producer makes it entirely from waste provided by local restaurants, making it totally carbon neutral, as well as costing significantly less than normal diesel - yay for environmentally friendly car ownership!

Where Have You Been?

So, let me sum up the last four years as briefly as I can - started business with other half, got pregnant, got married, had the gorgeous, amazing, incomparable, adorable bundle of madness that is our daughter Florence, gave up all hope of ever sleeping properly ever again, re-started blogging. Brief enough? Excellent! Now that's over with, let the blogging commence...

The Return of Muppeta!

Wow - it's been the best part of four years since this blog last saw the light of day - and given the kerfuffle I've had to endure in order to reactive el mundo de muppeta, I'm beginning to understand why. A hard drive incident way back when, saw many long-forgotten-but-stored-in-my-keychain login details, resigned to the place in the world known as 'I can't be arsed to try and recover those'. But my life has moved on apace since last we met, and I am once again seized by the writing urge, and so recover the login details for a) my gmail account, b) the recovery email account for my gmail account and c) this blog, I have indeed done.

Still with me? Well done!

Anyway, hello again, blogosphere!