Tag: females

Requisite Post and Other Assorted Thoughts

~ K ~ 1 Comment

I haven’t posted on this blog in a long time, and it’s mainly because I haven’t had anything of consequence to say. I like to post when I have profound things to spout, and that hasn’t been the case in the past few weeks/months. Elections have come and gone (I knew Obama would win re-election), disasters have come and gone (Sandy hit NY and NJ hard), and places have come and gone (I’m no longer at the library where I first began my library job).

I’ve taken to writing nearly daily in a bound journal. I don’t know that it’s always cathartic, but it is very helpful to my ability to sort my feelings out about different matters. Take, for instance, God.

I received Anne Lamott’s Help, Thanks, Wow book from Barnes & Noble today. Yay! I read it in just over an hour. She refers to God as some sort of maternal deity but I like the paternal-ness of the Bible. That might be because I miss my own father.

What did I learn? There are three essential prayers: help, thanks, and wow. I’d agree with this, if for nothing else, in the texting age, it is much easier and more succinct to communicate those three words than to write out the entire Lord’s Prayer. I believe “wow” acknowledges the greatness and awesomeness of God while “thanks” expresses our gratitude. Then “help” is our supplication. We are asking—maybe even begging—for an answer to our request.

Perhaps I’ve written about this before—probably likely on a blog—but God answers all prayers with the following answers: Yes, No, Not Yet. Not Yes is where [my husband] and I are in our prayer for a child. No is God’s answer to me becoming a successful, let alone GOOD singer. Yes is God’s answer to me being able to freelance.

Not Yet is the most common answer from God, I believe, because He rarely answers prayer definitively right away. Our prayer for a child isn’t necessarily “no,” it’s “not yet.” For four years, God’s answer to [a friend] who sought a full-time position of employment was “not yet.” Clearly His answer was not “no” or [he] would not be gainly employed right now. But not yet can feel a lot like “no.” And in some ways, it is “no”—for the time being. God has said no to J and I for the time being about having a child. But it’s a synonym for not yet. This I believe.

I kinda went on a tangent about prayer and getting it answered, but I’ve probably said before, I’m not as orthodox about God as I used to be. … But is it OK to think that God is maternal? Like an Aunt Jemima, pancake-flippin’ black lady with an apron on as depicted in The Shack? I guess so. Why not right? Male and female he created them (Genesis 1:27). God’s got to have some maternal in him to create females, right? And all humans are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). 

[Next entry]

I don’t think I got around to writing about what I wanted to write about yesterday: how I feel about God. I do believe Jesus is the only way to heaven but apart from that, all hell could break loose. I believe in love. Whether it’s Adam and Eve or Adam and Steve. I don’t believe Catholicism is a one-way ticket to hell. Female ministers are not the worse things in Christendom. And go ahead and baptize little babies if that’s your fancy. I’m a liberal. Oh noes! I believe in developing one’s spirituality. Jesus Christ and him glorified. But at what cost? I don’t believe in beating my coworkers over the head with proselytizing (like I used to).

I’ve come so far from my emergent church posts. Maybe I’m Rob Bell-ish now. Maybe Love Wins. Maybe I can refer to God as her. (Although I probably won’t.)

All I really know for certain is love is all there is. —Sheryl Crow

5 High-Profile Women I Adore and Admire

~ K ~ Leave a comment

Disclaimer: I recognize all of these women have significant flaws and foibles but for one reason or another, I have chosen to highlight the positive characteristics about each woman that inspires me.

1. Tina Turner
Since I was a toddler uttering “Tina Turn-ner-ner,” I have always adored Ms. Turner’s sass and sultry raspy singing. When I grew older, I dragged my mother to the movie theater to see “What’s Love Got to Do with It” a dramatized version of Ms. Turner’s biography. I watched how she rose to fame and fortune alongside her drug-addled husband Ike, battled against him, and fought poverty as a result of leaving him only to emerge successful on her own yet again. Her sheer inner strength and optimism inspired me as a teenager and continues to inspire me now.

2. Madonna
Back in the early 80s when American Bandstand’s Dick Clark asked a young Madonna what she wanted to do, she declared, “I want to rule the world.” Indeed, Ms. Ciccone has done pretty much that. People debate her talent but no one can debate her shrewdness and clever marketing ability. (Lady Gaga watched a master at work here.) Madonna, now well into her 50s, has shown consistent dedication and discipline in evolving, not only as a fashion and pop music icon, but also as a woman with staying power. She may not enjoy all the success she once enjoyed in her prime but she’s managed to remain relevant—something very few of her peers have been able to successfully do.

3. Hillary Clinton
During the early 90s, I remember Ms. Clinton taking tons of heat for trying to introduce universal health care legislation to Congress because it wasn’t what a First Lady was “supposed” to do. Republicans may have hated her from that point on, but the former First Lady garnered my respect ever since. I admired Ms. Clinton’s ability to use her high-profile position to lobby for health care reform and watched her become vilified and forced into the traditional meek First Lady role. During my brief internship, I was able to see what the former New York Senator did first-hand as she brought grants for firefighters and policemen to various towns in the state of New York (including my hometown!), fought to keep military bases open so that cities wouldn’t be shut down and hundreds of people would be put out of work, and championed hard for SCHIP (State Children’s Health Insurance Program). As Secretary of State, Ms. Clinton has represented America with a gentle yet firm hand, handling her mistakes with the grace befitting a former First Lady. Her strength and dedication to serve Americans inspires me again and again.

4. Michelle Obama
I’ll admit, I had my doubts about Barack Obama’s wife as she stood by his side on the campaign trail before he was elected president but she has pleasantly surprised me by stepping into her role as First Lady with grace and ease I never saw before. She has become a tireless champion in getting America to eat healthier, advocating for communities to eat fresh and eat local by way of connection with local farmers, and encouraging children to exercise more and eat right in the battle against obesity. While I don’t always agree with her stance on everything, she is encouraging Black communities to take ownership of their lives and their future—and I cannot begrudge that at all.

5. Tyra Banks
Ms. Banks has navigated the modeling arena with a down-to-earth attitude, incredible business savvy, and bright enthusiasm in a world that can be bleak with drugs and eating disorders. Her success is a generational mirror reflecting that of another female pioneer, Oprah Winfrey. Ms. Banks’s talk show, Tyra, has proven that she is not a dumb, air-headed woman—that she is, in fact, just like the rest of us with body insecurities, crazy moments, and tons of generosity. She has been beaten down for her fluctuating weight by tabloids and fought back by encouraging women to embrace their bodies and develop a positive body image.

What Lilith has to do if it hopes to stay alive for next year…

~ K ~ 5 Comments
Sarah McLachlan, Lilith Fair organizer and main headliner

One of the fondest memories of my teenage years was attending Lilith Fair.

At Jones Beach, NY about 12 years ago, I attended the festival in celebration of women in music. Lilith Fair couldn’t have been timed any better. At this time in 1998, women like Brandy, Madonna, Sarah McLachlan, Mariah Carey, and Shania Twain dominated the charts. Alternative and folksy female artists like Paula Cole, Shawn Colvin, Jewel, and Alanis Morissette also proved to be a powerhouse during this time paving the way for more current artists like Colbie Caillat, Sara Bareilles, and Michelle Branch. At the fair, I had the privilege of discovering artists like Antigone Rising, Sixpence None The Richer, and Heather Nova.

But perhaps the time of women wearing Birkenstocks and bopping to 4 Non Blondes has come and gone.

Amid a poor economic climate and struggling sales, Lilith Fair was forced to cancel the last leg of its tour and other poorly selling dates. Some media outlets are reporting that the tour is suffering from “embarrassingly low attendance.” Names like Norah Jones, Kelly Clarkson, The Go-Gos, Mary J. Blige, Rihanna, Sheryl Crow proved to be an initial draw but many of those artists were only performing in select regions and have since dropped out due to various reasons (in the case of Jones, Clarkson, The Go-Gos, and Rihanna). While it’s not unusual for acts to drop out of a tour this massive, it’s unfortunate many of them had to be some of the bigger names.

At this time, the pop music charts are dominated mostly by men and of the three women currently there (Katy Perry, Ke$ha, and Lady Gaga), only one was originally booked to perform at Lilith (Ke$ha) — and even she was relegated to being a supporting act instead of a main headliner.

The appeal of Lilith Fair has always been discovering some of the smaller, lesser-known acts while being able to connect with familiar favorites. When familiar favorites aren’t available, the smaller acts suffer as well. So what does Lilith Fair need to revamp in the hopes of continuing this next year?

1. Obtain several current, big names for each city.

Sure, Sarah McLachlan is considered a big name , performs in each city, and is the largest reason people attend the tour, but let’s face it: Ms. McLachlan hasn’t had a Top 10 hit since Lilith Fair ended in the last decade. When people pay money for multiple acts, they want to see several acts they’re interested in. Booking artists like Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Lady Gaga, Lady Antebellum, or Miley Cyrus would draw in a mix of old and young, generating significant sales and, in turn, revenue. Upon the initial Lilith Fair lineup announcement, I was disappointed to discover that Sheryl Crow was only performing in Northwest America (Canada and US), Rihanna and Ke$ha were relegated to Salt Lake City, and Mary J. Blige was doing a Midwest circuit. The biggest name for the Philly area (apart from Ms. McLachlan) was Kelly Clarkson. For the NYC area (one of the largest music markets), no one on the lineup has a current Top 10 hit. That needs to be rectified for Lilith Fair to be successful next year.

2. Keep up with the diversity.

I’ll give Lilith Fair credit — it’s done an amazing job of getting acts spanning all races for the 2010 reboot and it needs to do it again. My only complaint from the original Lilith Fair was the lack of diversity in the lineup. Like Jessica Herman said in Slate’s “Why Do We Need Lilith Fair Anymore?”, the festival indeed felt like “a bunch of white chicks strumming their acoustic guitars.” For Lilith 2011, I’d like to see acts that draw a multiracial audience rather than just mostly white women. Lilith needs to continue reflecting the changing landscape among women in North America.

3. Make itself relevant again.

Possibly a restatement of #1 above but Lilith Fair in the 90s had the mission of breaking down barriers for women in music. In Sarah’s absence, women have indeed proven they can do just that. Twelve years later, the mission statement can’t be the same and the big draws of the 90s (eg, Indigo Girls, Suzanne Vega) can’t continue to be relied upon now. What’s Lilith’s goal now? Simply celebrating female talent? Honoring legends and showcasing future acts? Whatever it is, Lilith needs to find its footing and make that clear.

2010 has proven to be a difficult concert sales climate with everyone from the Jonas Brothers to The Eagles cancelling shows. Perhaps Lilith Fair is simply a victim of a struggling music industry. But if it hopes to remain around next year, organizer McLachlan will have some serious tinkering to do.