2016 in a Nut Shell man

Alrighty.

Quick Rant: It's a bit frustrating that we live or lived in such a society that masculinity and femininity is sorely based upon your gender. A man can't get his eyebrows done without it being seen as gay, a female can't play football or be as strong as that big buff dude in your local gym... Even in a corporate instance, men and women sometimes aren't even paid the same, but, that is beside the point, and a whole different rant that's been done before. Like, little girls can't even play with action figures and get stuck playing with barbies, or maybe a little boy wants to dress up a baby doll... but that's not man enough.

We, and oh yes I mean WE as a society have created bizarre ideals of masculinity, femininity, and what the human body should look like  for no reason... It's like a set of rules meant to be broken and not to be followed. A man should be slim and muscular, and a women should be slim with large assets to accompany her hourglass figure. Its explicitly stated nowadays that "everyone is beautiful, but not everyone". And if the fact that every women was or felt beautiful "Could this account for the popularity of breast implant surgery?(Prager)". To make the point that cosmetic surgery is meant to enhance but it's of question as to why enhance it.  In Emily Prager's Our Barbies, Ourselves, she uses rhetoric by incorporating questions that lead you to keep reading her piece to find out their answers. She uses humor, and creates an atmosphere of comfort when talking about a sensitive topic.

To which i'd end this... Conformity is lame. Be you.

a Socially Withered Fanstasy

Obviously by the title, there's a disconnect between my infatuation between the union of lovers. Not a hater, I love love. But my gosh, love and relationships are so overly fantasized on social media it makes me gag. The amount of pages on social media, and Pinterest boards catering to the perfect gifts for him or her, honestly by this time lack originality and thought... Especially since some are doing the same thing. 

The few  that are in relationships will glance at the pictures and will either relate or scroll right past them. Scrolling is what I prefer to do, it is all, repetitive. But, by that time, one will grow tired of those preaching on what a relationship is supposed to be like... If it is not according to society and all its social standards, it's wrong. Not only are relationships a trend, but have become exploited so far beyond what they are, they have so many rules attached to them. 

1. Post him or her everywhere so everyone knows you care about them

2. Throw a VSCO filter over your cute times together 

3. Bring them material things so they know you appreciate them

The list could continue. Being in a relationship sounds like a chore rather then exchanging smiles, exotic laughter, and enjoying one's company. One's love is immeasurable to any Instagram post or any gift they could purchase or craft out of thought. I could never stress it enough that accompanying someone should speak loud enough for itself. But, who am I to speak on what love is, or what a relationship should be like. I'm young, especially in a time period where you learn to love, and to share loss; so I guess I'm entitled. "Sing together and talk story" (Hong Kingston 45) of the times you share, and laugh as you continue to make your own memories, not according to others I'd hope. 

Maus

In this panel of Maus, written by Art Spiegelman, it displays the mice living their daily lives and eating with their family. While all of that sounds normal of course... Yanno' mice eating dinner with their family at a table n' stuff; from the prospective this panel is drawn, it shows that the mice are being watched through the window. During the time period of the Holocaust, Jewish people were confined to curfews and other harsh rules by the German reign powered by the fist of Hitler. I feel as if the fact that the mice are being monitored by Nazi's, emphasizes the controlling and demeaning ways the Nazi's exercised their power over the Jews. Speigelman even takes the liberty of drawing curtains in this panel,  but the fact that the curtains are not in use, shows the amount of privacy the mice have.
Spiegelman's use of anthropomorphism refers to the Jewish people as mice and the Germans as cats. Meaning, the Jewish people are minor prey that the cat's will taunt before zoning in on their meal.  Spiegelman wrote " When first I came home it looked exactly so as before I went away...(Maus vol.1 pg 74)". Explaining that Vladek's life before he went away to war looked as if he never left, the dynamic of his family was something the Germans could not take away, even under constant surveillance.  

Childhood

You'll be born as a child thinking you want to grow up and be a princess, an astronaut, a famous athlete, and a fire fighter. Or even in my sisters ex-boyfriends case... The fire truck. You'll color outside of the lines in the first few years as you learn to write, and learn to form opinions about things you didn't think you'd even care about in the first place. But, a few years later, you'll be corrected, and conformed to the lines of your own coloring book. Then, you'll start to demolish old norms and find new ones as the suspense of your life continues to build. Figuring out who you are and what you want to be are already in question as you become a snaggle-tooth child with pig tails, rosy cheeks, or an awkward haircut. 
Ever since kindergarten, or even daycare, you grow up learning the basic principles of how to be a human being. Sharing your animal crackers becomes consideration, pushing little johnny on the swing becomes caring, and finger painting with your bestie becomes team work. The epitome of childhood forms you into an adult on your own reality show with a never ending season finale. Things will become less interesting, and will feel forced as you'll kiss your childhood goodbye as it disappears into distant memories, and maybe some day you'll retell it as a memoir, or if you're that into it, maybe a novel... 
Gee, as much fun as adulting sounds, it won't bring you as much joy as the monkey bars, or going to fifth grade camp as your first time trip away from home, but... Who wants to grow up? "Some day you will be old enough to read fairy tales again
" (C.S Lewis) , and you'll remember how appreciative you were to be a child in your adult years as you experience what the future promises.   

Long May You Reign.

Unrealistic norms have become your goals and when you don't achieve them, the cracks below your nose begin to set. Double-tap and screenshot as you wish, of  course... It'll all go in the trash eventually. Silently, you'll scroll, pin, and tweet whatever looks appetizing. 

How okay are you being you?

Quietly you'll scroll and retweet whatever looks great to you, and later you'll become the latest retweet. Essentially, what everybody else is doing, or wearing concerns you the most. Where's the individuality? Not to mention that, that cute couple you'll like and tag your friends in will become your standard of what your next or current relationship will be like. All of the false pretenses of love are mistaken for lust. 

 Man, medias got you by your laces huh? Next, you'll need your eyebrows to be as thick as hers, and you'll be encouraged to get in the gym to have a body like theirs. 

You'll take pictures naked.

 Not in the literal sense of course; but naked and baring it all. Will you smile or straight face it? Because your smile won't seem as beautiful as the last. Naked in terms of baring the fact that you are a product of what you've seen in the media and that you as yourself has disappeared behind a door you don't remember how to unlock. "Everybody worships" (Wallace 237), something of course. Whether it be a god, or just be idea that you're great. 

You'll then realize that you can create your own societal norms and won't have to follow a manual that was written for somebody else.