Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label diy. Show all posts

Sunday, March 14, 2010

femivore?

do i have to add this to the ever growing list of made up phrases that are used to describe me?
according to this recently posted article on NYTimes: "Femivorism is grounded in the very principles of self-sufficiency, autonomy and personal fulfillment that drove women into the work force in the first place."
the article goes on to describe the way that i feel i have been trying to steer my life:
Given how conscious (not to say obsessive) everyone has become about the source of their food — who these days can’t wax poetic about compost? — it also confers instant legitimacy. Rather than embodying the limits of one movement, femivores expand those of another: feeding their families clean, flavorful food; reducing their carbon footprints; producing sustainably instead of consuming rampantly. What could be more vital, more gratifying, more morally defensible?

i hate that this article, and honestly, the whole idea of femivorism, is so tied up in the women's lib movement. first women were stuck at home, then we were allowed to go work (and most women strongly embraced working outside of the home), more recently feminists have argued over the decision to be a stay at home mom.
i have no desire to be a stay at home mom, but i would love to essentially run a small farm (when i say farm, i mean turn my regular sized back yard/front yard into all producing plants including fruit trees/bushes, and maybe chickens and/or goats) as well as continue to work outside the home. i realize i may be falling prey to that other feminist problem of "having it all," but most of that farming stuff is so far in the future, i am not even worried about it. since most of my femivore dreams can't come true yet, i just try to grow as much of my own food as i can from my community garden plot, get a larger portion of my food directly from farms, and supplement the rest of organic/locally produced items.
to many people, the ideas of independence and self-sufficiency seem like a step backwards in modernity. i don't agree with this, this new idea of modernity is made with a full understanding (and mostly appreciation) of technology and it's impact on the world. it is not a complete rejection of technology or civilization (these would be steps backwards), instead it is a broader viewing of the world, it's people, and how we effect nature.

Saturday, September 19, 2009

deodorant


i have this serious love/hate relationship with deodorant/antiperspirant. i was antiperspirant free for 6-8 months, only using various "natural" deodorants and at last i went back to antiperspirant because i couldnt handle my smelliness. but as a fairly aware green/eco minded person, i feel like i am betraying my own body. america has quite an obsession with being smelly that many of the european countries dont abide by. we bathe very frequently and invest a lot of money into perfumed lotions, body sprays, deodorants, cologne and millions of other products. antiperspirant is a problem because one of the main ingredients that keeps us from sweating is aluminum. there have been studies done that show aluminum (even in low levels) to be a neurotoxin. even if you question the validity of the studies for whatever reason, does it make much sense to be constantly allowing a metal to be absorbed into your skin? so, after reading about how to make your own deodorant out of very common products, it looks like i will be getting off of antiperspirant once again. here is the link to how to make your own deodorant stick, and please, give me a little bit of leeway if i am slightly stinky, my body needs time to adjust back to being more natural again!