Some HOT Reflections

This summer, I decided to force myself to practice Bikram Yoga at least 3 times a week. Some call the practice masochistic; others call it absolutely insane; I simply like to call it wonderful. Anyways, sitting in a 105 degree room for 100 minutes at a time provides more than enough time for deep introspection and meditation. Often, I try to not think [it's very hard] and just recognize the harmony within my body [sometimes it's more just reminding myself to breathe and not pass out...kind of the same thing I suppose]. Other times, I don't consciously do anything and let thoughts arise whenever, but I usually wind up dismissing them because I'm too exhausted to pay them any attention. This past class, though, I could not stop thinking about the manly lady who was practicing yoga next to me.

She was older [like 40ish maybe] and was completely ripped. That is, she had a 6-pack similar to that of a GI-Joe figurine. And, boy, did she think she was hot stuff. I, on the other hand, thought she was absolutely disgusting looking...she reminded me of a scrawny, über-fit guy, with breast implants [based on the look on the guy behind me's face, he thought she was pretty bizarre looking, too].

Basically, she definitely distracted my yoga meditation time [not cool]. In fact, she even distracted me after the yoga class, because I couldn't stop thinking about how gross she looked. The more I thought about it, though, I realized that I've seen several women with that kind of more masculine-body builder physique at Bikram [thank God I've avoided having them practice anywhere near me]. So, what's up with this? Why on earth would these ladies want to look super-buff and manly? I don't even know many GUYS who want to look that fit.

There is definitely a line between acceptable and unacceptable fitness. I, for one, never think that a totally ripped figure is attractive OR, more importantly, NATURAL on a woman...EVER. It looks funny and clothes simply don't lay properly on such women [plus, such women have a tendency to think that they can wear super-tight clothing to show off their hideously muscle-ridden bodies---gross]. A nice, trim, figure is certainly preferable and more pleasing to the eye. One can be healthy without being overly-muscly.

After much thought, I have decided that physical fitness has become a way for women to demonstrate their capabilities. It is the most basic way for them to show their strength in an easy-to-understand fashion. I mean, who wouldn't be slightly intimidated by an individual with a woman's head and a body-builder man's body? [Such an appearance is at-least off-putting, if not absolutely terrifying.]

Ultimately, though, I feel like an intimidating exterior never really achieves what it intends, especially if these women are striving to create an impression of power. Confusing people by looking half-man, in my opinion, will never work. It just looks stupid. Developing extreme muscle-mass to establish power is parallel to women abandoning their intrinsic femininity in hopes of being more well-respected amidst a seemingly male-dominated environment. This is yet another simple example of how women are abandoning their femininity when they really need not do so. I imagine that it is easier to gain respect when you embrace yourself [that is, as a woman] and behave in a fashion that yields respect than when you try to be something you're not.


So, maybe next time I see a manly woman at Yoga, I'll kindly tell her that she must have a hard time finding pearls to fit around her bulging neck...and then run.

Bad Taste

So, I was waiting for a meeting to begin at work the other day, and I couldn't help but listen to the conversation two ladies were having behind me [to help you better visualize the situation: They both had teased hair, wore light blue sparkly eye shadow, donned gaudy costume-y jewelry, and had shoulder pads underneath their oversized skirt suits]. They were discussing how much they like the few-year-old policy that requires at least one woman to serve on all hiring boards. Each lady mentioned instances where she was selected to serve on such a board simply because of her gender; furthermore, both suggested that they had no problem with this appointment system.

Perhaps these women didn't think twice of their gender-based role on hiring committees, because they really feel that they actually deserved such positions based on workplace accomplishments; but their tones of voice suggested otherwise. In fact, their discussion implied that they had almost "beat the system" undeservingly because of their gender.

I have found that, in the work environment, some women feel that they are immediately deserving of certain positions and job perks [these ladies could very well be in the minority, but they have certainly stuck out to me]. It seems that their mindset is, "Hey! I'm a woman. We haven't always been equal to men, so now you have to make up for it and give me all this stuff, even if I really haven't earned it. And if you don't give me these perks, I'm just going to say you didn't give it to me because I'm a woman...so there."

I kind of...sort of...[but don't really] get this mindset. It may be true that women haven't always been allowed to hold high positions in business environments, but this modern actuality does not entitle them to certain perks without the necessary qualifications. I, for one, would much rather have a hiring board of qualified gentlemen than one that consists of unqualified women.

Of course, I do think that there are qualified ladies to participate on these hiring boards, and I do understand that at least one woman is required to partake to prevent bias from unknowingly influencing decisions. I just don't think that the people making these appointment decisions are working hard enough to seek out these deserving ladies, which is a problem in itself---it is as though these decision makers are assuming that all women are "equal" [that is, equally deserving and able...so dumb and not true] and that their inherent sexuality is of greater importance than their workplace accomplishments and intellectual abilities.

Basically, if these aforementioned women really want to achieve anything in the real world that will yield true respect, they need to stop using their historical disadvantages to gain unearned workplace rewards. Women need to step up and do a good job; they must stop resting on their gender. If women don't stop doing so, they will simply be perpetuating gender stereotypes.

I beg of ladies to step up, respect themselves, respect all womankind, and respect their coworkers by working hard [and not wearing shoulder pads or pastel eyeshadow].