Everyone, you are invited to join this essay-writing competition:
"The Ateneo Human Rights Center in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is sponsoring an essay-writing competition on the question: Does the universality of human rights require a particular type of democracy?"
That is a very interesting and tricky question, isn't it? Should I give my real answer or the answer wanted of me? Hehe. Join tayo.
View details.
24 July 2006
Template of Beauty
I watched the replay of Ms. Universe 2006, held in the global hegemonic USA, in Los Angeles. All beautiful women, fitting the standards of the 'thankyou doc' beauty industry. The small waistline that was rare before --and owned by a select few like wonder woman Linda Carter-- is now a common thing; high noses, cheeks-skin-legs in wood varnish finish, most candidates speaking in English with accents spiced up with native tongue slur. Different nations but same built and walk and poise.
Ms. Universe is supposed to be about representing one's country and nationality but here we are watching a bunch of beauties with relatively different origins but something tells you they all went through the same beauty global business machinery. Wide smile lips, eyes wide open, long -thin arms and legs.
It is bothering that candidates are too thin for comfort. I think I saw someone about to faint! Where were the Gloria Diaz days when contestants were genuinely bubly and alive?!
Where were the days beauties were representative of their people's natural features? More than half of the contestants have obviously mixed with the conquistadores bloods. Ms. India, Ms. Argentina and the likes look more like Farah Fawcett than native beauties!
Carson of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, features as one of the hosts, overshadowing his partner host, a former Ms. Universe-USA. Carson, noticing the the contestants' hairs even commented that there are so many contestants with blond hair. Lots of Farah Fawcetts in the bunch.
Bikini hypno
Okay, the bikini portion parade of bodies with only the suso and pekpek covered was so hypnotic it made me stop thinking. Top that with a barrage of corporate sponsors-- Skin White (especially for black and brown skins!), Fitness (or thinness) from Nestle, Xenical weight loss, Cover Girl make up.
Bland
The stage design and the evening gown colors are just so bland, like food without garnish. Kulang sa asin, sili at bawang! Tastes of the shwe-shwe ruled the night. Boring... Hmm.. no wonder, my friend just told me the gowns, just like the swimwears, come from one designer. Monopoly spares no design.
Origins
I decided to look up Ms. Universe's origins and it says, shortly in one paragraph, that the beauty contest originated from a "bathing suit" contest in Long Beach, California spearheaded by Catalina Swimwear. Ms. Universe is all about swimwear and bodies, that fuzz about humanitarian service is an add on to give the contest a diplomatic flavor. The one-para history did not indicate the year of that Long Beach contest. It did not trace how this bathing suit contest became a global addiction.
Q andA
Eventually, the top five finalists were USA, Switzerland, Japan, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Japan. Each contestant plus Ms U 2005 wrote a question in pieces of paper raffled in bowl.
Switzerland answered something about the importance of not losing one's family. USA answered that her desire to always do something, to help, correct and get disappointed with herself if she fails is perhaps one of her biggest flaws. Japan said something very intelligent, she spoke against violence and the male tendency for it. I forgot what Paraguay said. Puerto Rico, whose question was from Ms U 2005, defined success as achieving one's goals and that obstacles make you stronger.
Puerto Rico bagged the prize. The girl with the overused answer to the simpleton question won. So that is it. Do not expect something deeper in purpose. Latina beauty pageant schools know this. Ms U is a parade of women vying to be the ideal that the beauty and glamour mega industries dictate. Do not go for deeper transformative service, especially now that nation-states are in war. Do not even speak against any sort of violence. You can be beautiful and self-mutilate all you want, but never be too intelligently provocative. That is the way to win the pageant.
Duh- duh- duh- dumb.
---------
P.s. Our very own Ms Philippines won Ms Photogenic. Thanks so much to online voting that empowers us text and internet savvy Filipinos. Trunezz!
Ms. Universe is supposed to be about representing one's country and nationality but here we are watching a bunch of beauties with relatively different origins but something tells you they all went through the same beauty global business machinery. Wide smile lips, eyes wide open, long -thin arms and legs.
It is bothering that candidates are too thin for comfort. I think I saw someone about to faint! Where were the Gloria Diaz days when contestants were genuinely bubly and alive?!
Where were the days beauties were representative of their people's natural features? More than half of the contestants have obviously mixed with the conquistadores bloods. Ms. India, Ms. Argentina and the likes look more like Farah Fawcett than native beauties!
Carson of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, features as one of the hosts, overshadowing his partner host, a former Ms. Universe-USA. Carson, noticing the the contestants' hairs even commented that there are so many contestants with blond hair. Lots of Farah Fawcetts in the bunch.
Bikini hypno
Okay, the bikini portion parade of bodies with only the suso and pekpek covered was so hypnotic it made me stop thinking. Top that with a barrage of corporate sponsors-- Skin White (especially for black and brown skins!), Fitness (or thinness) from Nestle, Xenical weight loss, Cover Girl make up.
Bland
The stage design and the evening gown colors are just so bland, like food without garnish. Kulang sa asin, sili at bawang! Tastes of the shwe-shwe ruled the night. Boring... Hmm.. no wonder, my friend just told me the gowns, just like the swimwears, come from one designer. Monopoly spares no design.
Origins
I decided to look up Ms. Universe's origins and it says, shortly in one paragraph, that the beauty contest originated from a "bathing suit" contest in Long Beach, California spearheaded by Catalina Swimwear. Ms. Universe is all about swimwear and bodies, that fuzz about humanitarian service is an add on to give the contest a diplomatic flavor. The one-para history did not indicate the year of that Long Beach contest. It did not trace how this bathing suit contest became a global addiction.
Q andA
Eventually, the top five finalists were USA, Switzerland, Japan, Paraguay, Puerto Rico and Japan. Each contestant plus Ms U 2005 wrote a question in pieces of paper raffled in bowl.
Switzerland answered something about the importance of not losing one's family. USA answered that her desire to always do something, to help, correct and get disappointed with herself if she fails is perhaps one of her biggest flaws. Japan said something very intelligent, she spoke against violence and the male tendency for it. I forgot what Paraguay said. Puerto Rico, whose question was from Ms U 2005, defined success as achieving one's goals and that obstacles make you stronger.
Puerto Rico bagged the prize. The girl with the overused answer to the simpleton question won. So that is it. Do not expect something deeper in purpose. Latina beauty pageant schools know this. Ms U is a parade of women vying to be the ideal that the beauty and glamour mega industries dictate. Do not go for deeper transformative service, especially now that nation-states are in war. Do not even speak against any sort of violence. You can be beautiful and self-mutilate all you want, but never be too intelligently provocative. That is the way to win the pageant.
Duh- duh- duh- dumb.
---------
P.s. Our very own Ms Philippines won Ms Photogenic. Thanks so much to online voting that empowers us text and internet savvy Filipinos. Trunezz!
Bench sitter
Government has declared a state of war, the rebels refuse to yield. Hopes for peace talks are unsure. The President is scheduled to deliver a state of the nation address today. I fear watching another confrontation between anti-Gloria rallyists and police. In the streets and in the mountains, the scent of bloodshed haunts us. When will all these fighting stop? Up to when do we just watch the government troops and the left kill each other in a war of propaganda, guns and pride? Where are throngs of feminists who always have something to say? Where are the non-violence advocates? Where are the anti-war advocates? Where are we? Where am I?
12 July 2006
asserting feminism
One reason why we should go to womyn's nights is the reality that patriarchy is very much alive and feminism in being declared dead.
If feminism is dead, we do CPR and revive it. If it is stuck along with the oldies who won't let go of their privileged feminist privileges, we grab our duties and continue working towards a world where respect for different genders is not a privilege, not just a right, but a natural state of mind.
Have you ever experienced being ignored by two men talking and exchanging toasts and boasts even if you had something important to say and what you say actually determines the two's conversation? Have you ever been assessed based solely on how your hair looked, what make-up you put on and what dress you wore that day? Did you have to be offensive just so you could defend yourself? Did you have to be twice as good so you could be treated as an equal?
No matter what frustations we have with Feminism-- in its many contradicting variations-- we still need it. It is still relevant. We have to hang on to it.
If feminism is dead, we do CPR and revive it. If it is stuck along with the oldies who won't let go of their privileged feminist privileges, we grab our duties and continue working towards a world where respect for different genders is not a privilege, not just a right, but a natural state of mind.
Have you ever experienced being ignored by two men talking and exchanging toasts and boasts even if you had something important to say and what you say actually determines the two's conversation? Have you ever been assessed based solely on how your hair looked, what make-up you put on and what dress you wore that day? Did you have to be offensive just so you could defend yourself? Did you have to be twice as good so you could be treated as an equal?
No matter what frustations we have with Feminism-- in its many contradicting variations-- we still need it. It is still relevant. We have to hang on to it.
08 July 2006
Womyn's Night @ Penguin on 19th July
19th of July is another night of womyn's music and poetry. Isha, homegrown talent mix of Tori Amos and Madonna (ayus ba Peach? hehe=) with a Pinay angst, sings and plays the keyboard with a guiarist in tow, and Carol Bello Bandidas, an all womn group of Carol--cute vocalist of Pinikpikan (hihi! kapalmuks), famed low-profile guitarist Teta, and other girrls Divine, Kwami, Frances, Jhen (used to be with U.P. Kontragapi), and Malou (percussionist na kasa-kasama ni Cynthia Alexander, dati rin with Joey A.), perform original and cover songs with a set of percussions and guitars.
Amidst all the violence in this world and this country, there are womn who would like to have time to just sit back, relax, have wine or beer or tequila and just be with other womn and friendly people and men.
Not just referring to the violence such as the bombings and the never ending internal and international conflicts powered by arms trade, we also refer to rude stereotypes against certain genders such as that grimy liar Heads and Shoulders commercial 'Uy, Ay--Uy ang ganda, Ay hindi pala (Oh Beautiful, Oh Not)--packed in a whole music video with all male members Brown Man Revival and Sugar Free singing about women who are beautiful but aren't because they have dandruff. After the tiring clips about women with dandruff, Angel Locsin of Darna comes in with dandruff free hair. The commercial was so f*#@ing long. .. the advertisers failed this time. "Because far more men than women have dandruff, some researchers think male hormones may play a role in dandruff. Men also have larger sebaceous glands that produce an oil called sebum." (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00456.html)
Of course, we protest the political killings in this country that is supposed to be democratic and respectful of people's right to their own opinion and persuasions.
Why Bandidas.., because we rebel against all forms of discrimination, violence against women, negative stereotypes, double standards, objectification, and commodification of womn's bodies. But that does not mean we don't like sex or men or dykes or femmes or bis or trannies, baby.
Yeah. I like my own pussy but dominant images such as the Pussy Cat Dolls are a confused bunch of hot felines. I like to be confused sometimes but not be swallowed by it and stuck my pussy into it. The lead singer Fil-Am's lips look like very much like a vagina without pride. But then again, we are not against sexual freedoms. We love sex, we love freedom. In a world where speech and suppression of it is power, I want my lips to look like my vagina and also be a wellspring of thoughts, insights and aspirations too.
Okay, so much for this juicy angst. See you on the 19th of July, 9 p.m. --girl boy bakla tomboy tomgirl tomtom tung and so on. Penguin, also known as Rock Ola Cafe is near Remedios Circle in Malate, along the corner of Changko Khuya Restaurant (or a name that sounds like this).
Bring 150 pesos entrance fee and you get one drink free; bring a poem/song or two or just speak what-have-you.
---
P.S. I have been trying to post the event poster to no avail...will try to post it again later.
Amidst all the violence in this world and this country, there are womn who would like to have time to just sit back, relax, have wine or beer or tequila and just be with other womn and friendly people and men.
Not just referring to the violence such as the bombings and the never ending internal and international conflicts powered by arms trade, we also refer to rude stereotypes against certain genders such as that grimy liar Heads and Shoulders commercial 'Uy, Ay--Uy ang ganda, Ay hindi pala (Oh Beautiful, Oh Not)--packed in a whole music video with all male members Brown Man Revival and Sugar Free singing about women who are beautiful but aren't because they have dandruff. After the tiring clips about women with dandruff, Angel Locsin of Darna comes in with dandruff free hair. The commercial was so f*#@ing long. .. the advertisers failed this time. "Because far more men than women have dandruff, some researchers think male hormones may play a role in dandruff. Men also have larger sebaceous glands that produce an oil called sebum." (http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/DS/00456.html)
Of course, we protest the political killings in this country that is supposed to be democratic and respectful of people's right to their own opinion and persuasions.
Why Bandidas.., because we rebel against all forms of discrimination, violence against women, negative stereotypes, double standards, objectification, and commodification of womn's bodies. But that does not mean we don't like sex or men or dykes or femmes or bis or trannies, baby.
Yeah. I like my own pussy but dominant images such as the Pussy Cat Dolls are a confused bunch of hot felines. I like to be confused sometimes but not be swallowed by it and stuck my pussy into it. The lead singer Fil-Am's lips look like very much like a vagina without pride. But then again, we are not against sexual freedoms. We love sex, we love freedom. In a world where speech and suppression of it is power, I want my lips to look like my vagina and also be a wellspring of thoughts, insights and aspirations too.
Okay, so much for this juicy angst. See you on the 19th of July, 9 p.m. --girl boy bakla tomboy tomgirl tomtom tung and so on. Penguin, also known as Rock Ola Cafe is near Remedios Circle in Malate, along the corner of Changko Khuya Restaurant (or a name that sounds like this).
Bring 150 pesos entrance fee and you get one drink free; bring a poem/song or two or just speak what-have-you.
---
P.S. I have been trying to post the event poster to no avail...will try to post it again later.
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