2nd Post Today: Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline

Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline

Guys, this isn't just about oil
It's about water
It's about Human Rights

The Dakota Access Pipeline is a huge controversy right now, with fierce proponent and fierce opponents.

And each side has valid points.

The proponents say that it will create tons of jobs and bring revenue to the nation.

But opponents have cited both environmental problems and human rights violations that the pipeline would bring about.

The pipeline is slated to run through sacred indigenous lands and burial grounds, as well as under the Missouri River, which is a major river in the United States and provides drinking water to a large portion of individuals in the surrounding areas. The implications of this include that if there is any sort of problem with the pipeline somewhere down the road, it could contaminate the Missouri River (which is a tributary of the Mississippi River, which flows into the Gulf of Mexico which connects to the Atlantic Ocean). And I know that that might sound like a big "if," but there have been so many oil spills and leaks and things in the past couple of decades that even the possibility of this should be a major turn-off for those in support of the pipeline. Not to mention that our dependence on fossil fuels is already causing awful harm to the environment and this will only allow that to get worse.

There's also the matter that the pipeline didn't undergo all of the reviews that are supposed to happen before something like this is allowed to be constructed.

So, in a nutshell, the arguments are "more jobs and revenue" vs. "more harm to the environment and indigenous rights violations, which are also human rights violations"

So why is this a controversial topic?

Like, why do people think that it's more important to increase our dependence on fossil fuels and get some extra revenue than to respect the rights and culture of actual human beings?

More information on the DAPL and Protests against it:

Huffington Post

Common Dreams

The Hill

Rainforest Action Network

UPDATE: A Handy website with 10 ways you can stand in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux to fight the DAPL: click here

Fight on,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

Two Posts Today: Post 1: #ManCrushMonday

Happy Monday! And Happy Halloween!

Today, my #ManCrushMonday is Tim Gunn, who recently posted a video calling out the fashion industry for not catering to women of all sizes 

This is super important because the average clothing size of women in the US is currently 16-18, and women at this size are buying more clothes than the women that the fashion industry is working to cater to, and it's a big problem and it has been for a while now.

If you haven't seen it yet, here it is (this is the PBS News Hour coverage):

So, Tim Gunn made a super important video about it, and you should check it out! Five for you, Tim Gunn. You go, Tim Gunn.

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#OutInTheSunDay AND/OR #SundayRunDay

Happy Sunday!

If you couldn't tell from the title, I did a #SundayRunDay for my #OutintheSunday

Also, today was the Marine Corps Marathon in DC/Alexandria, VA so to anyone and everyone who went and did that: Rock. On. You're a star!

I, personally, did not run the Marine Corps Marathon, because my body is not ready for a marathon at this point. Maybe next time. Or maybe not. I'm still not sure marathons are something I'm interested enough in to dedicate the amount of time and effort it takes to train for one.

But I know one of my former professors did the MCM and she inspires me with her motivation and commitment to running, as well as her superior intellect in her field and just being a generally great person.

Instead of the marathon, today I ran 5.36 miles in an hour and 10 minutes (okay, I walked a little bit, but that's still on the high end for me for both distance and time when actually running in the real world--my indoor machine runs are generally much more mileage, though every machine I've been on makes me stop running and cool down at an hour). It was a beautiful day and I'm glad I got to spend some time outside in it instead of inside doing work and stuff the whole day.

That being said, since my run, I have done half of a puzzle (the puzzle is a van Gogh self portrait and very difficult because, you know, it's like half blue with blue speckles) and I've been reading some of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow. I'm trying to get caught up on my reading goal because I did not keep up this weekend. I'm only like a day behind now though (with yesterday's and today's pages to read).

So I'm gonna get back to that. Enjoy this image of the van Gogh self-portrait that I am trying to piece together from 400 little bits of speckly color.

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist

#SelfCareSaturday: The NightTime Edition

Happy #SelfCareSaturday, y'all!

So it's a bit later than usual for me to be posting, but I wanted to get one up 

My self-care plans today were interrupted by work, but it wasn't too bad. We were pretty busy so the 5.5 hours passed pretty quickly.

Anyway, my day more or less looked like this:

Woke up at 6 am because I thought I had work from 8:00-12:15

Looked at my calendar and realized I had work from 12:00-5:30, not 8:00-12:15

Went back to bed until 8

Woke up again and fed my mom's cats and ate my own breakfast and watched Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy

Went for a short run outside. A little less than half an hour because I had time constraints with my work shift.

Came back inside for a shower

Made rice and a little package of Bombay Potatoes (which you can buy in like pre-made microwaveable packages and it's life) for my lunch

Watched more television that I didn't get to watch when it was on but was on the DVR

Went to work from 12-5:30

Came home and made tiny [vegan] pizzas on homemade bread made my mom's friend Mike

And I've been pretty much just chilling since then. I did a puzzle on my iPad and have been watching a tv show called "Murder Made Me Famous," which talks about famous murder cases. Right now I'm watching the one about Drew Peterson. I've also done a load of laundry which just finished drying so I'll probably grab that out of the dryer and put it away once I'm done watching this episode of murder made me famous then go to bed.

Yeah, that was pretty much my day. I hope everyone out there got a good self-care Saturday!

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist

#FoodForThoughtFriday: Plant-Based Living

Happy Friday!

Today's #FoodForThought Topic: Plant-based lifestyles 

(which, in case you don't know, means being vegan, though I support people who choose vegetarianism over veganism because the latter is a major life change that takes time and commitment)

Recently, the WWF came out stating that the world is likely to lose 2/3 of its wildlife by 2020. Need another article about it? 

That's in 4 years. Closer to 3 actually, because 2016 is waning quickly and will soon give way to 2017. 3. Years.

And they're not just saying this as a scare tactic. For a long time, humanity has had good ole mother earth on the fast track to an early death. We recently passed the point of no return for CO2 in our atmosphere, meaning that we will never see CO2 levels in our atmosphere lower than 400 ppm (ideally, we want levels below 350 ppm)

And while making a massive change in the way that we fuel our lives (i.e. moving away from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy resources such as solar and wind) is a step in the right direction, we need to do more to stop global climate change where it is and work to reverse it. This is where converting to a plant-based lifestyle comes in.

I know, I know, how does eating plants help get rid of Carbon Dioxide? Don't they take in the Carbon Dioxide and turn it into Oxygen?

Well, yes, they do, and you can always plant trees to contribute in that way, but livestock production (the raising of animals for slaughter--a questionable practice in many ways) is one of the biggest greenhouse gas contributors. 

At every stage of livestock production, there's a massive amount of greenhouse gases:

A handy graphic that shows all the parts of livestock production that create GHG emissions.

Livestock farming is just a really problematic practice.

To start with, the grains that are used to feed livestock in the United States alone could feed 800 million people. To put that in perspective, about 795 million people don't get enough to eat worldwide. We could literally solve world hunger if instead of giving these grains to livestock, we distributed them worldwide to those who do not have enough to eat.

Then there's the amount of greenhouse gases that livestock animals emit (this is just fancy-talk for these animals doing what they do at the end of the digestive process, i.e. pooping), which actually makes up about 37% of GHG emissions (scroll down to "Sources of GHG in Livestock farms" section in this article). 

And don't forget the inhumane practices that go into livestock production. These animals are usually given growth hormones from birth to ensure that they get nice and big to produce plenty of meat, and often their size and/or rate of growth is unhealthy for them (read about chickens here). Not to mention the cruelty that goes into farming these animals (I hesitate to use the word "raising" when it comes to factory farming because raising implies caring for) whom are given too little space, and generally treated badly. After all, why be kind to an animal that you're just going to kill in a few months anyway?

And no matter what your argument for eating meat is, there are more reasons not to consume animal protein.

1. But where are you getting your protein? You HAVE to have protein!!

Yes, protein is a necessary part of a balanced diet. However, at least in the United States, people eat waaaaaay more protein than they actually need (we're talking like double the recommended amount here) (in case the Huffington Post isn't a good enough source for you, here's the CDC diet/nutrition guidelines page). I seriously get this question like anytime I mention the fact that I don't consume meat. And not in a concerned person kind of way, it's like a defensive "WHERE YOU GETTIN' YOUR PROTEIN, HUH? MEAT HAS PROTEIN" like I'm not attacking you for eating meat, why are you attacking me for not? 

2. But human beings EVOLVED to eat meat! That's why our teeth are the way they are.

Yes, in a way. Way, way, way back in the day, when humans were mostly hunter-gatherers, they needed to eat meat to get their appropriate caloric intake. The vegetables and fruits and other plant-life that were gathered by the gatherers simply didn't provide enough calories for these societies to move around and do all the things that they had to do to survive from day to day. As we moved away from hunter-gatherer societies and toward agricultural societies, it still made sense to eat meat because when the entire family was out working on the farm all day, they still needed all those calories. But once the Industrial revolution hit, and the majority of people started working jobs where they were stationary all day and using less calories, the need for eating meat kind of decreased a little. And now we're a post-industrial society in which a large quantity of people work in offices or retail and basically sit or stand around all day and live sedentary lifestyles unless they make a point of getting active.

So yeah, people ate meat and their teeth had to be suited to do that, but as we surpassed the hunter-gatherer, agricultural, and industrial stages of society, we didn't need to eat meat as much. And now people who eat meat are largely doing so by choice, rather than out of necessity.

3. But meat tastes good.

I mean, I disagree with that statement. Like I think meat tastes nasty. I can't convince you to not like the taste of meat. But that's a pretty weak argument.

Because a lot of meat that's on the market is a result of animal cruelty. Even companies that produce "free-range" meat aren't really taking care of their livestock the way that every living creature deserves. We love our pets; cats and dogs and small mammals and reptiles and birds, so why not promote loving ALL animals? Why does a cat's cuteness get it a free pass from this horrible life and into your home to be fed, loved, and cuddled but a cow doesn't? Cows are pretty darn cute, I mean, look at this face:

But we're okay with eating the animal that is attached to it?

4. But plants are living things, too.

Okay, yeah. Plants are living things. But, like, what else are we supposed to eat? Rocks? Dirt? Air?

Plants are the only sustainable option for human consumption. Livestock is unsustainable. 

5. What about hunting?

Are you hunting animals that are approved to be hunted? And following all of the laws surrounding hunting them? Are you doing it humanely? Are you planning on doing something with the animal?

I mean, animals that are hunted (deer, rabbits, turkeys) are cute and I love them, but I can vaguely understand the arguments for hunting. Like overpopulation of these animals can cause major issues in ecosystems that support them. So if you insist on hunting animals, just make sure that you're doing so in a humane way (like, please don't make them suffer--it only takes one good shot to the head to kill most critters) and in the correct time of year (there are apparently "seasons" for hunting-I don't know much about that) and without harming the environment in which the animals you hunt live.

Just be mindful about that kind of stuff, okay?

And please, for the love of all that is good in the world, stop posting pictures of yourself with a dead deer. Like, that's gross.

Okay, so now that we've gotten through your arguments for eating meat and my counter-arguments against 4/5 of those, let's move on to other things.

Simply changing to a plant-based lifestyle isn't inherently good.
There are plenty of unsustainable things out there which are totally plant-based.
I think most people know this, but palm oil is harvested in an unsustainable way that harms local ecosystems and kills primates (orangutans, more specifically, which are like super cute ginger primates like King Louis in the cartoon jungle book) and violates human rights in a lot of cases (because the people who harvest it often force indigenous people from their home lands) and contributes to deforestation. So watch out for palm oil and try to avoid buying things which contain it (it's a challenge, for real, more than half of products on the shelves in American grocery stores contain palm oil--and not just foods, it's in everything).

And I'm not saying that everyone needs to stop living their life the way they've been doing for years right now and go vegan (though I'd love if they did). What I'm trying to get across here is that the meat industry is a big problem for the world, and everyone can do their part to help.

Ways you can help (from least change to most change from a standard American meat-eating diet):

1. Start participating in #MeatlessMondays. This is actually a great step in the right direction. It's only one day of the week and gives lots of people a chance to see how easy it is to just not eat meat. There's even a whole website about it.
2. Cut red meat from your diet. This is another good step. Red meat (like beef) is not only unsustainable, but also unhealthy. Harvard Health offers a great take on this.
3. Try going pescetarian (this is a fancy word for a person who doesn't eat meat except for fish). It's not really the most sustainable because overfishing is a big problem, but if you're looking to keep some animal protein in your diet, this might be the answer. I started out as a pescetarian, and it worked for me for a while, until the awful stomachaches I was getting clued me in that maybe fish was not something I should eat (with a slight possibility that I could have developed an allergy to fish like my mom did--seafood is among the top allergens, so allergies can happen). Information on pescetarianism is available here and many other places online.
4. Become a vegetarian. Meaning you do not eat the flesh of dead animals. There are different types of vegetarians. You could be a lacto-ovo, lacto, or ovo vegetarian (eating dairy and eggs, dairy but no eggs, or eggs but no dairy, respectively) depending on your preference/allergies you may have (dairy and eggs are among the top allergens). The Vegetarian Resource Group has resources for vegetarians (as the name suggests).
5. Go vegan. Now, technically speaking, a vegan does not consume anything that is made with any animal product, meaning no dairy or eggs or honey or wool or leather or anything that was part of an animal ever. I adhere to a notion that veganism is not so much a binary (you are or you aren't) as a spectrum, like gender. I think of there as being many different kinds of vegan. You're definitely not vegan if you consume dairy or eggs or both, though. Resources from International Vegan.
   
   I consider myself a low-key vegan. I don't go out of my way to avoid honey because honey isn't inherently bad. Now, I'm not that into honey, so I also don't really go out of my way to eat it. It's just like if it's there, then okay, but if not, then great! I also don't avoid wool. Wool can be, and often is, sheared from sheep in a healthy and humane way; and sheep and other woolly animals need to be sheared yearly in the spring so that they do not overheat. Allowing these animals to continue growing their wool year-round is inhumane to them. (That being said, Uggs are created by skinning sheep which is 1000% NOT okay). I avoid leather and other fabrics that are made of something that requires the death of an animal. A good rule of thumb is that if it kills an animal, don't consume it. And if the treatment of the animals that create it is inhumane, don't consume it. (this is where the eggs and dairy comes in--comb honey is also something that we should be wary of, as the bees need the comb to survive the winter). A lot of vegans are also anti-fig because sometimes a wasp will like climb into the wrong kind of fig (they lay their eggs in figs and the babies hatch and escape, but this only works with the male figs, the ones we don't eat--sometimes a female wasp will climb into a female fig and then she's completely screwed and the fig breaks her body down and she becomes part of the fig which later is consumed by a human or other animal). I personally think it's a little silly to be upset about the possibility of consuming a wasp that made a mistake, but to each their own.
   
   You can see how this gets a little shady, right? So if you're all about veganism in the not consuming dairy and eggs way, but still like honey in your tea, then rock on. You're an admirable person for coming this far.

Now, there are more intense diets, like the high-carb raw vegan diet, which involves not cooking any of your food, and as far as I can tell people who have this diet eat mostly fruit. I don't know enough about it to put my seal of approval on it or not, but if this intrigues you, you can do research on it.

So, in a nutshell, what I'm trying to say is: eat less meat. You're probably eating too much anyway.

Wild animals worldwide are counting on you.

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

Hamilton Characters are so Relatable

Y'all. I really love the musical Hamilton.

Like. I listen to it basically all the time. (Like I'm listening to it right now)

Like. If my cat hadn't come with the name Lucy (and already known that her name was Lucy--she seriously responds when I call her name it's adorable) I might've named her Angelica. As in Angelica Schuyler Church. Because she's sassy and smart. It wouldn't be the first time I've named a cat after a character I love (my other cat is named Luna, like Luna Lovegood).

Like, Alexander Hamilton's line "There's a million things I haven't done, but just you wait, just you wait" is so relatable. Like, there ARE a million things I haven't done. And if you wait, you'll see me do them. And he's a bit short-tempered which is v. relatable (for me, at least). So, basically, I am Hamilton. Favorite line: "Passionately smashing every expectation"

But there's also Aaron Burr, who is always biding his time: "I am not standing still, I am lying in wait." Like. WOW. Like, he's looking at the places he can go, and he knows that there are so many options, so instead of rushing into the first one that pops up, he's paying attention and weighing these options. Which if you read yesterday's post, you know is also me. I am Aaron Burr, too. Favorite line: "I am inimitable, I am an original."

But that's also super contradictory because they're basically polar opposites of one another. Which shows how great at writing Lin Manuel Miranda is, because he's making two people who are completely different from one another relatable to the same person (and I'm not the only one).

And we can't forget about the ladies. I recently took a really long quiz on "which character from Hamilton are you?" and my result was Eliza Schuyler Hamilton. And, like, yeah. I'm Eliza. She's fantastic. So caring and loving and she's selfless almost to a fault, but she also knows when to take a step back and be like "whoah, that hurt. You hurt me. I can't be a part of this anymore." But when she takes that step back, it's not necessarily permanent, like she also knows how to forgive and put herself back into the narrative when it's for the better. Like when Philip dies and she knows that Alex needs her and she needs him and they find a way to heal better together. Like wow that's some powerful forgiveness right there. So yeah. Eliza. Favorite line: "I hope that you burn."

But Angelica! She's so powerful! She's intelligent and selfless and she's the only woman in the show who can match Alex rhyme for rhyme, which isn't an accident. LMM talks about how he wrote her as the only woman who raps for a reason. And it has to do with the witticisms that she and Alex exchanged. Like, yeah the other Schuyler sisters are great, but Angelica is on the next level. And you can't even act like that's her only good quality. Like, she gives up the possibility of being satisfied to see her sister, Eliza, happy with Alexander. And when Alexander goofs up with Maria Reynolds, despite how close the two of them are, she chooses Eliza over Alex. Which can't be easy. But she's basically loyal af and it's great. So give it up for the Maid of Honor, Angelica Schuyler! Favorite line: "I love my sister more than anything in this life, I will choose her happiness over mine every time."

And poor Peggy. She only shows up in one song. But her part in that one song is relatable AF. Like she's just in the background piping in with the occasional "And Peggy." and somehow, we are all Peggy. Favorite line: "And Peggy."

But we can't forget that she (her actor) comes back later as Maria Reynolds. And kills it. She has some of the best melodies in the show, IMO. And I think we can all relate, at least a little bit, to being the other woman. Even if we've never actually been the other woman. Favorite line: 

And while it's sad that there are only four women with their own parts in the show (really, three because Peggy and Maria are played by the same person; actually, really two because Peggy and Maria are both minor characters but also they're major players because Peggy's death [in case you didn't know, that's why she's missing from most of the show] is a major occurrence in Eliza's life [she died shortly before Philip Hamilton "Philip, your mother can't take another heartbreak" is not in reference to Alexander's affair, but to Peggy's death and it was kind of the start of all the things going wrong for Eliza] and obviously Maria is a major player in the story as well because she was Hamilton's mistress for a long time [in real life, they met before he met Eliza and their affair lasted over a year, but everything had to be shortened and reorganized a bit to fit into a musical, even one as long as Hamilton ended up being]) we have to remember that that's got a lot to do with the society that our founding fathers lived in.

So, moving on to everyone else:

John Laurens: Hamilton's BFFL and possibly more (no proof but they did get pretty flirty in some of the letters we still have). Fiercely loyal and among the first major abolitionists; fighting for abolition before it was cool, like a real hipster. Favorite line: "But, yo, we'll never be truly free until those in bondage have the same rights as you and me."

Marquis de Lafayette: Another very close friend to Hamilton, and an important figure in the war and in American History. He was a major link between the colonies and France when the colonies needed help from a powerful nation to succeed in the revolution against King George's fully armed battalion (which he only sent to remind them of his love). Favorite line: "I'm taking this horse by the reins, making redcoats redder with bloodstains"

Hercules Mulligan: Probably my favorite of the crew. Like, he's fantastic. Favorite line: "When you knock me down, I get the f*** back up again."

George Washington: The father Hamilton didn't know he needed. Also the father of our nation. I didn't like him much until this musical because he always seemed overrated to me, but through this musical I came to understand and appreciate the flaws that are usually skipped over in discussion about him. Favorite line: "Dying is easy, young man, living is harder."

King George III: How can you not like this guy. He chimes in at the most perfect times with hilarious little songs. Favorite line: "When push comes to shove I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love."

Charles Lee: All I have to say about Lee is: "I'm a general, wheeeeee!!"

Samuel Seabury: What a downer. Favorite line: "I pray the king shows you his mercy, for shame, for shame"

Philip Hamilton: His life was too short. A super precious human who reminds me a lot of my friend from College, Jake. Favorite line: "My daddy's trying to start America's bank. UN DEUX TROIS QUATRE CINQ!" ties with "The scholars say I've got the same virtuosity and brains as my pops; the ladies say my brain's not where the resemblance stops ;)"

Thomas Jefferson: What a meanie. But also, he has a legitimate point like 99% of the time. Favorite line: "I've been in Paris meetin' lots of different ladies, I guess I basically missed the late '80s"

James Madison: Thomas Jefferson's right-hand man. Favorite line: ["Look back on the Bill of Rights"] "Which I wrote!!!" (bc people always forget that HE wrote the constitution and Bill of Rights, not Jefferson (bc he was in France, meetin' lots of different ladies). I see you, boo.

James Reynolds: You know there's trouble when your mistress' husband comes knocking (or, rather, writes you a letter). Favorite line: "Dear sir, I hope this letter finds you in good health and in a prosperous enough position to put wealth in the pockets of people like me, down on their luck. You see, that was my wife who you decided to--" (yes the whole portion of the letter that gets air time)

George Eacker: What a nasty man. Favorite line: "I know where to find you, piss off, I'm watching this show now." Because the only good he did was to be respectful of the actors in whatever play he was watching.

Philip Schuyler: I don't think he really has any lines, but he is definitely an important figure in the show. Favorite line that he actually doesn't have: "Be true." 

Anyway. That's everyone.

And I bet you're wondering why I've written about this today.

Well, today is the day I'm going to start reading Ron Chernow's Alexander Hamilton, the biography of Hamilton that got LMM thinking about writing hip-hop songs about our ten-dollar founding father.

Also because Hamilton is probably my favorite musical of all time. (closely followed by Anything Goes and If/Then and Violet)

Which character in Hamilton do you most relate to? Let everyone (me) know in the comments!

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

"What are you going to do with THAT?"

So, I majored in both Mathematics and History.

And when I say this, I inevitably hear "that's an odd combination, what are you going to do with it?" (along with the occasional "Ew, why?")

To which I always respond "Whatever I want" (or "because I like these subjects")

Because that's true. 

I can do or learn to do pretty much anything with the skills I acquired in this major combination; a combination of two subjects that I'm totally and irrevocably in love with.

I also hear a lot of "Ugh I hate math, good for you" (wow thanks for pointing out that I chose to do something you think of as torture for four years??) and the occasional "love math, hate history" (how can you even??)

Of course, I'm probably a little bit biased because I love both of these subjects.

But even when I hear someone say they majored in a subject I'm not all about, I have a deep respect for their love of that subject (and chances are, I don't hate that subject, or maybe I even like it, but there was a limit on how many things I could major in and math and history got me the deepest).

But, to be honest, the question of "What are you going to do with that" is such a harmful question. And it's a loaded question, like if I say I want to spend my life working on an elephant rescue, that's not gonna get the same positive response as if I say I'm planning on doing math for the federal government, or that I'm hoping to get into Armor Co., a big corporation that builds teflon armor or whatever (I just made that up, can you tell?)

Also, like, you don't need to know. What gives you the right to know what I want to do with my future? Chances are, I've just met you. Why would I divulge that information to a person who I don't know if they're going to be in my life for 5 minutes or 5 years or forever?

Now, if the person asking is, like, interviewing me for a job, then obviously that's reasonable. Like, "what do you want to do with that?" "well, I'd really like to work here!" Sure, okay, yeah.

And if the person asking is like a family member or close friend or professor who has contributed to you getting to where you are at the point of the question, it makes sense that they want to know. Like, yeah, my professors probably want to know how I'm going to use the vast sea of knowledge that they've introduced me to. And I would love to tell them. But I don't know what I'm going to do with my life. I'm literally 22. Like, I've just gotten out of the craziest 4 years of my life so far and my whole world is completely different. I don't know what I'm doing right now, let alone for the next few decades.

I appreciate and understand my professors' and family's desire to know, really. But I can't tell anyone something that I don't know yet.

And it's not that I haven't given it any thought, either. My problem is that there are so many things that I want to do and could do, that I can't pick just one. So far since graduation, I have applied to (1) the federal government (2) an IT job in the private sector (3) teach for america (4) a math learning center called mathnasium. Sure, I've only actually been offered one of these positions, which made it easier to decide which was my next step, but these are 4 pretty different things. And that's not even considering the other things I've been thinking about, such as:

(1) going to work for an animal sanctuary
(2) entering the nonprofit sector in a way that can help:
           a. kids in need
           b. humans with mental illnesses
           c. LGBTQ+ individuals
           d. all of the animals
           e. the environment
           f. any combination or all of the above
(3) going to grad school for a master's or doctorate in math
(4) going to grad school for a master's in history
(5) going back to undergrad for another Bachelor's
(6) leaving society as we know it and becoming a hermit who lives off the land (though I hear this is frowned upon)
(7) going into public service (e.g. police, military, local government [aka becoming Leslie Knope])
(8) law school/lawyer (?? idk because I get emotional when I argue and lawyering involves a lot of arguing)

Like, there are so many possibilities that it's overwhelming to think about all of them and think about making a choice to do just one.

So, I'm spending some time trying to appreciate the now. I'm working two part-time jobs, which amounts to working almost every day, but that's how I thrive. And when I'm not working, I'm taking pictures of my cat and writing blog posts and building a social media presence because being able to operate social media is something that I can put on my resume when it comes time to actually apply for full-time careers. And I'm working on getting ready to apply to grad schools.

And for now, that's what I'm doing with "that."

(I also want to note that people always talk like math and history are two completely unrelated topics, but they're really not that different. You analyze stuff when you do math, and you analyze stuff when you do history. You're just analyzing different stuff in different ways. But a mathematical proof and a historical essay are pretty similar: they're both arguments on a point--the major difference being that if you're doing it right, a mathematical proof is 100% indisputable facts and a historical essay is just one point of view that is disputable and it's your job to convince your reader that your point of view is the right one. And it's really important to have both of those skills, because being able to further an argument whether it's backed up with indisputable evidence or disputable evidence that you can to your advantage makes you a force to be reckoned with. Also, neither is harder than the other; they just take different skills.)

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist

Happy #MondayRunDay!

Happy Monday!

Since I missed #SundayRunDay I decided to do #MondayRunDay instead.

I only got in 2.5 miles, but it's 2.5 miles more than I got yesterday, so it work for me! Today I ran for the ASPCA as a part of CharityMiles' Shelter Dog Challenge. The challenge is just to get moving for 30 minutes or more, since you're supposed to walk a dog for 30 minutes a day. You get a challenge badge just for moving for 30 minutes, but if you walk a dog and post a picture, you get a cooler badge.

So if you don't have CharityMiles already, you should definitely download it so that you can help charities while also helping yourself by walking, jogging, running, or biking inside or outside; and it encourages you to move every day which is really good for you!

Also, I have a brief #ManCrushMonday to feature:

My former professor from Hood and a good friend of mine, Andy Nichols is nominated for the Blue Ridge Outdoors Magazine Outdoor Legend/Pioneer award for his awesome work founding/directing the Shenandoah Mountain Guides, an organization that guides all kinds of fun outdoor activities like hiking, rock climbing, backpacking, and teaches outdoor skills to all kinds of people. He's basically the greatest ever at teaching these skills to all kinds of people of all ages. So if you have a second, please click here to vote for him. You can vote once a day, every day until the end of the month, so get those votes in!

That's it for today; now it's time for me to get on my reading, since I've fallen behind again.

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

Happy #SelfCareSaturday!

Happy Saturday, y'all!

I hope your weekend's off to a great start!

Mine's a little wonky because I'm starting a new position as an instructor at the local Mathnasium centers and also working at Target, but I'm hoping to make the best of the busy weekend (and make some bank when payday comes next week).

My schedule is doing a weird thing today where I'm free until I work 11-2:15ish and then I'm home for a few hours before I work at 5:45, so I'm trying to figure out the best way to practice self-care in the hours I have free.

So far, I've spent an extra hour in bed before getting up and cleaned Lucy's litter box (because it was a huge mess since the other cats have discovered it and decided they want to be able to use it as well and they're super messy and make big piles of litter outside the box) and fed myself, Lucy, and Dale (not in that order).

I'm also putting off changing from my comfy elephant pants into my khakis for work, so that's a good thing for me. But I don't think I'll get to do much before I have to leave to get to work by 10 'til 11 (since it's my first day, I'm going to be early to familiarize myself with the center since I've never been to this particular one).

I think in between work shifts, I'll probably go for a short run since I missed the last two days because on Thursday I was also super busy, and on Friday I ended up spending the morning doing not a lot and then going to the grocery store. 

I'll also try to do my daily reading in Don Quixote so I can stay caught up, but I'm not sure if I'll have time because if I run, I'll have to shower and I need to have dinner before I go to Target at 5:45 because my shift is only 4.25 hours which means no meal break (I usually eat an apple or granola bar or both in my 15 minute breaks, but it's never enough time for a meal).

So hopefully, I'll have time to do all the things I want to do in between my work shifts, but if not, then it's okay because I have all morning tomorrow since I only work at one place and not until 12:45 which gives me like 4.5 hours to do things!

So, yeah. That's about it. Have a good day, everyone!

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#FoodForThoughtFriday

Happy Friday and TGIF and whatever

For today's #FoodForThoughtFriday, I've been inspired by Instagram

The Topic: Mental Health

For those of you who haven't read about it, Instagram just launched a new feature that allows you to anonymously flag a user's post if you think they might need help with these issues. There's an article about it on Hello Giggles if you want to learn more.

Mental Health Disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and the  ways in which an individual can seek help for these, have been stigmatized in our society for a while now, and this stigma does so much harm and no good, so Instagram is working with organizations like the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA) and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (The Lifeline) to help reduce this stigma.

In a society where there is an unprecedented amount of pressure on our youth and young adults anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in every 5 Americans aged 18 and older, and as many as 1 in 4 children aged 13-18, and mood disorders (such as depression and bipolar disorder) affect nearly 10% of adults 18+ and 14% of children aged 13-18. 

That's a lot of people. And you probably know at least one of them.

But these mental health disorders are largely ignored and stigmatized in our society for some reason. And despite the fact that these disorders are relatively treatable through therapy, medication, or a combination of the two, not many people who have them actually get treatment; this is largely because of the stigma surrounding the disorders themselves and what is perceived as "weakness" when one seeks treatment for them. 

Speaking from my own experience, it can be very scary to get help for these disorders; it requires research to find the right counseling center, and then you have to find the right counselor, which can be a struggle (there are a lot of counselors out there, so there's bound to be one who's right for you) and deciding (with your counselor and someone licensed to prescribe medications for mental disorders) if medication is a viable option for you can be difficult, but once you find the right combination of counseling and/or medication (and sometimes some people might need to go to a treatment center, which is okay too), it becomes possible to live your life in a healthier, happier way.

Anxiety and Depression, of course, are not the only two mental health disorders affecting our populations today, and I encourage everyone to learn about all different types of disorders and their symptoms to help those around them who may be suffering. A good place to start might be at the National Institute of Mental Health and branch off into organizations that focus on specific disorders--such as NEDA, the Lifeline, and the Anxiety and Depression Association of American (ADAA)--from there to learn more about them.

And, most importantly, if you suspect someone in your life might have a mental health disorder of any sort, reach out to them in a gentle, supportive way and let them know that you're there for them. And if someone talks to you about their experience with any of these disorders, make sure that they know you're there for them if they need to talk and support them, rather than reacting in a negative way. A positive, supportive response when someone tells you about their struggle with mental health disorders can make a world of difference in that person's life, but a negative response can hurt them very deeply and cause them to lose their trust in you permanently.

And if you are dealing with any sort of mental disorder, don't be afraid to seek help. There are so many resources available to you and you deserve a chance to feel better and live your best life.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Friday and finds the things they need. <3

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#ThankfulThursday

#ThankfulThursday

The Women's Suffrage Movement

Today, I am thankful for all of the suffragists who fought for my right and every woman's right to vote.

The women's suffrage movement took place in the early 1900s and included many notable women, such as Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Clara Barton (my personal favorite woman of that time period--she even fought for women's rights AFTER rights for African-Americans which is like 10 for you, Clara Barton. You go, Clara Barton. More on her later, I'm sure.) as well as hundreds of women who didn't make it into the pages of our History books, like my friend Claire's great-great-grandmother (who I just recently learned about and got super excited).

I personally don't know enough about my lineage to know if someone was fighting for my right to vote 100 years ago, but I hope there was. Do you have a suffragist in your family tree? Let everyone (me) know in the comments if you do, I'd love to hear stories about actual people in the women's suffrage movement.

Anyway, with those thoughts down, I'm going to sign off, since I've got a busy day ahead of me!

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#WomanCrushWednesday AND #WildWednesday AND #UnityDay2016 AND #HappyHumpDay

Happy Wednesday!!

Today is a big day everyone! To make it more digestable, I'll break it down into a few sections.

#WomanCrushWednesday

Rose McGowan!

She's an awesome actor/producer/director/singer and she recently posted an "Open Letter to Hollywood" following her report of being raped by an unnamed Hollywood Executive. She did so under the hashtag #WhyWomenDontReport which has seen a huge increase in activity since 13 October (probably having something to do with the recent allegations against one of our presidential candidates *coughTRUMPcough* and his response that they must be lying otherwise they would have reported it when it happened)

You can read the letter here. (TW: sexual assault)

The letter basically encourages people in Hollywood NOT to work with known offenders, because by working with them, you become complicit in their getting away with doing horrible things. She similarly encourages everyone else to not support the work of offenders for the same reasons.

By writing this article, McGowan is helping to fight against the double standard regarding sexual assault cases, in which the offender often gets to continue living their life free of serious consequences while the victim is highly scrutinized because of their claims. 

Yes, our legal system is supposed to be based on the concept of "innocent until proven guilty," but that doesn't mean victims and survivors should be treated as liars until they are proven to be telling the truth.

I first learned of this story via email from THINX underwear, in their weekly pop culture periodical. Read their post about this story here.

#WildWednesday

Did you know you can donate fur items to animal rescues to help orphaned and injured animals recover?

Neither did I. Until today.

A lot of people have inherited old fur coats and other items from the past when fur was a thing that people wanted to wear, and they don't want to wear them, or really even keep them, but they also don't want to throw them away because of ~sentimental value~ if they come from lost loved ones.

So, Born Free USA, a nonprofit dedicated to allowing wild animals to stay wild or get back to the wild after being injured, started collecting these furs to donate to animal rescues through their Fur for the Animals drive, which is happening now. It starts in September and goes through 31 December, so if you happen to have any old furs laying around that you don't know what to do with, consider donating them to this great cause, where they will go to helping animals that are injured or orphaned to recover and live happy lives again.

I learned about this through a post on Upworthy, which is available here. (You wanna read this because it comes with SUPER ADORABLE pictures of animals benefiting from the program)

#UnityDay2016

A part of National Bullying Prevention Month

Today is Unity Day 2016, a day to come together against bullying. The campaign for Unity Day centers around wearing the color orange to show support for and solidarity with victims of bullying. If you didn't already know about this, I encourage you to go to the website and learn more about it and participate in any way that you can. 

They even have a specific poster for the campaign:

(If you can't see the image, try clicking here)

Also here's a great instagram pic posted by Sara Ramirez for Unity Day!

Last, but not least (okay, maybe kind of least)

Happy Hump Day!

Since it's afternoon now, you're probably halfway through your work week (if you work a standard M-F 9-5 work week--if not, then I hope you're having a great Wednesday anyway) so that's something to celebrate!

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#TransformationTuesday

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

#TransformationTuesday: Bedroom Edition

So at the beginning of September, I moved back home to Richmond, and when I got here, I decided that it would be a great idea to completely ((kind of)) re-do my room. Largely because the walls were like pink, pink, green, and orange and I suddenly had a lot more stuff to fit in the room, since you know, when I was away at school most of the stuff I actually use was with me, rather than here.

To get the whole process started (actually happened prior to when I moved, had to prepare the room to accept all my stuff) I sorted through all the stuff in the weird storage cubbies that are built into the wall (which are a godsend tbh like I have no clue what I would do without them they're so wonderful all rooms in all houses should have built-in storage cubbies) which left me with 3 bags of stuff to donate to the people who leave bags in your mailbox then come pick them up once a month (though they haven't come to pick them up the past 2 times they were supposed to) as well as a suitcase full of stuff to donate and only 1 bag of stuff that was actually completely useless which, unfortunately went to trash. I mean, I still have a lot of stuff; but everything that got kept was pretty much stuff I could either see myself using or stuff that was in good enough condition to sell on letgo or amazon or wherever. And the stuff I imagine myself possibly using is back in the cubbies, including the twin ikea mattress (because I had a bed when I was away, but there was also a bed already here for me, and so the bed that was already here is the one I'm using and my ikea twin is in storage throughout my room (some in the closet, some in the lower cubby that is inaccessible because of my record player, and the mattress in the other)).

So anyway, this is what my room looked like before:

Yes, I took a panorama of my room.

 

 

So, it was a bit of a mess. And you know what they say about your room? Neither do I, but I feel like a room reflects on the person living in it, which means I was a mess. So I decided to get my ish together.

I started by painting the walls beige. Maybe this means I want to be boring, but I like to think of it more like beige walls are very adult, and I'm entering the adult stages of my life. Plus I had this GREAT tapestry from one of my favorite companies that care, The Elephant Pants (click to shop, and save 10% with my code, SIENNABRONSON10).

You can vaguely see the beige walls behind my tapestry and naked bed.
Also, note the location of the bed is different than in the before and the after shots.
For a while I was going to have it facing that way, but when I got Lucy's giant cat tree, I had to rotate it back to the original position because that was the only way it would fit.

Then I moved the furniture in, and did a bunch of other stuff to get it all set up, and had to get a new clothing containment unit (the three-drawer chest couldn't hold all my clothes, and the 5-drawer chest I used to have broke during the original move 4 years ago, so I got a wardrobe, and by "I got a wardrobe," I mean my mom got a wardrobe for the room which will stay behind when I eventually move out again).

I also put a bunch of stuff I won't be using until I move (i.e. pieces of my ikea twin bed and target room essentials working/writing/computer desk and bedding for the twin bed) into the small cubby which is inaccessible behind my little cart with my record played on it. And a bunch of stuff is in the bigger cubby, but it's mostly the same stuff as before that passed the "will I potentially use this within the next year" test because the "have I used this in the last year" test would be an immediate fail for most of these things since I was in a different state. (Though one could say that since I didn't deem it useful enough to take to school, I should just get rid of all of it--the hoarder in my just isn't ready for that).

And I put stuff I'm more likely to decide to use within the next year in the bigger cubby, but then I shoved my ikea mattress in there, so now it's pretty much all inaccessible.

And I re-organized my closet so that it will be functional as a place to store stuff that I need to be able to get to and clothes.

And now my room is pretty organized and I feel like a real adult, which is nice. So, some after pictures:

Another panorama! (I love the panorama feature on cell phone cameras) 

    

So anyway, that's my room #transformed. It's still a work in progress, but everything that's left to do falls more in the minor details category.

I think I did a pretty good job of making it an adult room, but still with some touches of my personality (like, there are prints of scenes from Finding Nemo and I have no less than 3 piggy banks visible in the room) and, of course, it's not just my room, it's also Lucy's room, which is evident when you see the giant cat tree (it's almost as tall as me--when she sits on the top perch, she is above me and she knows it).

Are you registered to vote?

Hey!
I just wanted to make sure everyone is registered to vote in the upcoming election!

Find out if you're already registered here!

If you live in Virginia, like me, today is the  LAST DAY to register, so you should do that.

Register here if you aren't already registered!

And don't forget to learn about what's on your ballot. There's a handy website for that, too!

Learn about your ballot here!

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday, y'all!

I've decided that doing weekly #mancrushmonday and #womancrushwednesday isn't going to happen because I would have to do a better job of keeping up with what's happening in pop culture and the news and stuff, so those are going to be more of an occasional thing when it's relevant.

Like, seriously, I was so at a loss for whom to feature today that I actually considered featuring Sancho Panza from Don Quixote. I mean, he's a pretty great character. He sticks around for Don Quixote and takes him seriously and loves him even when he's doing super ridiculous stuff and some of that stuff leads to injury for Sancho. Like, what a guy! (insert heart-eyes emoji) And Sancho is the only person who is like actually looking out for Don Quixote and not mocking him relentlessly. Sure, sometimes he does things that are mildly unkind (like tricking DQ into believing his lady-love Dulcinea has been enchanted to look like a peasant girl instead of going to try and find her) but it's usually for a good purpose (Dulcinea may be a figment of DQ's imagination and Sancho certainly doesn't know where to find her, but he can lead DQ to happiness in believing that she favors him. Really, he's just such a bro.

But I feel like it's weird to feature a fictional character that is hundreds of years old as my #mancrushmonday. (Although that didn't stop me from going on a paragraph-long rant about how awesome Sancho Panza is)

So I think I'll just do the #mancrushmonday and #womancrushwednesday when there is someone I really feel should be featured.

Anyway. Moving on.

My day so far has been weirdly productive but also unproductive. Like I exercised and showered and I'm running some laundry, but also that took me until noon so eehh?

And I still have to read my 30 pages in Don Quixote and I really need to work on getting my stuff out of the spare bedroom and into my own. So I still have a lot to do. It's just a weird feeling to feel like you've done a lot, but still have a lot to do. So I'm going to go do those things now instead of writing about it.

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist

Out in the Sunday!

Happy Sunday!!
#OutintheSunday

I hope everyone's having a great day so far!

I got my day started out by going to work for a few hours, but now I'm home and hanging out for the rest of the day.

For my #outintheSunday activity, I took my cat, Lucy outside to sit in the sun because it's a beautiful day! Unfortunately, we were only out there for a few minutes before someone nearby decided it was a good time to cut their grass; Lucy had a very strong opinion on this matter and she NOPE'd right out of there (except that she was attached to my wrist by a 3 foot long leash, so she NOPE'd 3 feet away and then couldn't go any farther despite her best efforts).

So, we came back inside and I cuddled her and gave her some treats to calm her down, and now I'm probably going to spend the rest of the afternoon reading in the window, since the mosquitoes are very active today (I got like 8 bites in so short a time it's not even funny!) and I really need to get caught up on my reading (I was so close yesterday, but the sun went down so I had to stop--non-natural light just doesn't work as well for me).

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist

Happy Self-Care Saturday!

Good morning!

Happy #SelfCareSaturday!

I hope everyone's weekend is off to a great start! I got mine started off with a nice hour run/walk outside using CharityMiles to raise money for Girl Up!, an organization dedicated to empowering girls worldwide. Who says self-care can't also be helping others?

Anyway, other than that, today is looking like it'll be a pretty relaxing day for the most part. I mean, I have to go to the grocery store and get a few things, and I need to go pick up some cat litter and mouse food, but other than that, I will probably mostly be reading and getting cat snuggles.

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but I'm currently reading Don Quixote  by Miguel de Cervantes, translated to English by Edith Grossman and it's going pretty well, but it's just such a long book that sometimes I get overwhelmed by reading it. My goal for today is to catch up on my scheduled reading, because I've fallen a few days behind (I think I've got Monday-today's pages to get through, so about 180 pages maybe, I'm trying to do an average of 30 pages per day this year to get through the 10,000-some pages in the 14 books I've selected to read throughout the year (though I've already surpassed the page goal and the total book count in books that I got sidetracked by)

I also plan to stop by the local library and try to get a library card. I'm not sure if I'll be able to, because my driver's license doesn't have my current address, and neither does my passport, so I have to locate some piece of mail I've received at the address in order to prove I'm residing in the city of Richmond. But hopefully if I can't get one today, I'll be able to get one within the next couple of weeks, because most of the rest of my books for 2016 are ones I don't have and will need to borrow from a library or else buy (I do have one of the books I planned to read this year on my bookshelf, so if not I can do that one next).

So yeah, that's about it for my plans today. I'm looking forward to a relaxing day off!

xx,

Sienna

The Fierce Feminist

#FoodforThoughtFriday

Happy Food for Thought Friday!

Today's Topic: Shaving (or not shaving)

So in the past few years, there's been a lot about the weird societal expectation that women need to shave their legs and armpits, and shaving is something I've been thinking a lot about lately because razors are expensive and because shaving legs takes AGES, making the whole thing seem like a waste.

My thoughts on the matter are difficult to express, but I'm going to do the best I can.

So, for the last few years, I've only shaved my legs when the hair gets so long that skinny jeans or leggings or other tight pants start to get uncomfortable to wear (except for a period of about 4 months when I did it once a week for some reason), and even then I only do from the knee down. My leg hair is currently at maximum length and I've been wearing skinny pants and leggings on a regular enough basis that I'm surprised it hasn't started getting uncomfortable, but I'm going with it because my shower time gets cut super short when I'm not shaving (SERIOUSLY it takes so freakin' long to shave even just my calves it's completely ridiculous like it triples my shower time).

And while I don't believe in shaving as a societal expectation because like why do people care if other people have hair ?? I do find that when I shave my legs, I feel good about it. Like, they're so smooth and rubbing them together feels so nice. But then as soon as the hair gets prickly, I'm back to thinking it's ridiculous. Because it is ridiculous.

But, really, I support people who, like, want to shave. Like if having smooth legs on a regular basis makes you happy, then rock on with it! 

My real issue with shaving is just that people act like choosing not to shave for whatever reason is wrong for some reason. Which leads people who don't really want to shave to feel like they have to, and I'm not a fan of that. If someone doesn't want to shave, but does it anyway because society says they should, then they're losing their bodily autonomy, their right to decide what they want to do with their body.

Now I'm not going to tell people who do shave because society says to that they need to stop now, because then that would imply I'm trying to take away their bodily autonomy, which I'm not about. But I do want to put a message out there for everyone:

If you do not want to shave your legs, armpits, face, pubes, or various other body parts, you do not have to. If you do want to shave any or all of these parts, then you go ahead (but be careful because hair is there for a legit reason in most cases). But do not feel like you have to shave any part of your body for anybody other than you. This is your body and you're the only person who has to live with it 24/7, so if someone doesn't like it, that's their problem, not yours.

And I want to encourage people to make the choice that's right for them when it comes to shaving/not shaving. If you like the smooth leg feeling and don't mind the time it takes to keep your leg hair down, then rock on with those smooth legs! If you like having hair because it keeps you warm, great! If you want to dye your armpit hair purple and braid it, you do you.

And I'll do me.

Election 2016

Election 2016

So, since I started this to be able to share my opinions without everyone on my facebook feed having to see it all, I'm going to talk about the election for a hot second.

Yes, election 2016 has been completely ridiculous in many ways.

We have a clown for the GOP nominee and a highly-qualified Democratic nominee with one major underlying issue in our society (she's a woman *gasp!*). And before you go off about how the fact that she is a woman is not why she's unpopular or whatever, don't.

Yes, 33,000 emails that were kept on a private server instead of a secure server disappeared, but millions of emails disappeared during the George W. Bush administration, and that's not the only example of misusing email. 

But please note that this is a relatively trivial matter in the big picture. Honestly, it looks a lot like the American people are grasping at straws in trying to find a real reason not to like Clinton, because no one wants to acknowledge the ugly truth. I think the real reason people don't like Clinton is because she's a woman. And people don't want to admit to that because they're afraid to admit to their own sexism. And I think this happened in 2008 with Obama, except that it was his race (see the birther scandal, which was totally ludicrous and think about the reasons people used for not wanting to elect Obama. My personal favorite was the one I heard the most: "he's too young and inexperienced." Like, what?) I think that the biggest problem in both of these elections has been that the candidates were not white men.

But that's not what I'm here about.
Because I know that Clinton is a woman and that a lot of why people don't like her is probably rooted in the sexism and patriarchal constructs that run deep in America's collective bloodstream.

Okay, well I am here to talk about sexism. But not that sexism. A different sexism. A very subtle sexism. One that most people seemingly haven't noticed.

What I'm here to talk about is the names we call our presidential candidates by:

Donald Trump, an ignorant, bigoted, sexist fool is referred to by his last name, the way that we refer to people we respect (there's a reason we call teachers and professors and doctors and whatever by Mr./Ms./Mrs./Dr./Prof. Lastname and that reason stems from respect of these individuals).

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a savvy, qualified political candidate who has dedicated decades to public service, is referred to by her first name.

I know that this seems small and trivial, and maybe it is, but generally when we stop referring to someone by their title and last name (for Clinton, this would look like Secretary Clinton, try that on for size) it is someone who we have gotten to know pretty well.

I would love to think that people are referring to Sec. Clinton by her first name because they find her personable and likable and wouldn't mind sitting down to have coffee and talk about their love life with her, but this is so clearly not true. 

Secretary Clinton is perceived as aloof and cold by a lot of people. Which isn't her fault. Because if she expressed her emotions the way that male candidates do, she would be seen as over-emotional.

Behold: the double-edged sword of being a woman who feels things in the public eye.

Which leads me back to my question: Why do people refer to Trump by his last name, but Clinton by her first, if not that they find her personable, relatable, and likable?

I also don't think it's because her husband is another important figure, because they could easily differentiate by referring to him as President (former President) Clinton and her as Secretary (former Secretary of State) Clinton and confusion really wouldn't be that much of an issue if everyone did this. (Not to mention the fact that we don't really need to be talking about Pres. Clinton right now, except to wonder what he will be called when Sec. Clinton is the new President)

I think that it's because she's a woman and people don't know how to handle a woman in this kind of position. 

It's really kind of simple: Clinton is a woman, so people don't like her. Clinton is a woman, so people don't respect her. Clinton is a woman, so people don't trust her.

All of the reasons people don't want Clinton as our next President can be traced back to her gender.

And the worst part about it?
It's so deeply embedded in our society that people don't even realize that this is it.

But, really, if a white man with the exact same credentials as Clinton were running in her place, he would have every vote. There would be no question about who our next president would be.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not Secretary Clinton's number one fan. I voted Sanders in the primary because I'm a little tired with the way the government has been run for the last 240 years, and I really believe we need someone like Sanders near the white house to effect some of those changes (not sure he's the man for the Presidency; upon further review of his credentials, I think he'd be a great VP candidate, but we can think about that during another election) and there are other candidates who I would love to see running.

But we can't keep wishing for something that we don't have. It is way, way, way too late to bring someone else into this election.

And Clinton really, truly is the most qualified candidate running this election.

(I mean, she's already spent 8 years in the White House. How many other candidates can say that??)

So you know, just think about it.

xx,

Sienna
The Fierce Feminist