In which I rant about FEMINISM

As I was busily procrastinating this afternoon, I happened upon a Twitter slam of Shailene Woodley. The Tweetosphere was mad about her claims in TIME that she is "not a feminist" and the fact that she generally sounded kind of like a moron. Also that as a "role model for teen girls," she ought not to sound so stupid.

Well, folks, according to Wikipedia, our adorable Shailene at 22, "attended" (does not say she graduated) Simi Valley High School, started modeling at the age of four and, in her teens, played a knocked-up teenager on a popular but achingly poorly written Family Channel television series (the script of which may have been her most consistent reading matter for those years).

I don't have a Wikipedia entry but I'll tell you now that my two eldest sons are 19 and 17, not much younger than Shailene herself and they are, each in his own inimitable way, naive, pompous, self-righteous and judgmental from time to time. They are also loving, hopeful and fans of some of the worst, stupidest movies you will ever see. And, good or bad, the reasons they choose things are hilarious. They've both watched THE NOTEBOOK because they thought it'd help them get girls to kiss them. They read Twilight for the same reason. These are kids who get As in school. One is in college, the other is taking two honors and two AP courses in high school right now. But, they, even with their stable family life and (possibly) superior education, are fit to be ROLE MODELS for NOBODY!

So, yeah, I get it, Shailene came off as a dumb bunny, anti-feminist in TIME. But she's 22 and, despite navigating an impressive career trajectory, what we SHOULD BE TELLING OUR DAUGHTERS (and sons) is this:

Celebrities, athletes and (some? many?) politicians 

SHOULD NOT BE LOOKED UP TO AS ROLE MODELS.

These are people whose LIFE GOAL is FAME and/or POWER. 

They live strange, atypical existences surrounded by people whose own livelihoods depend on flattering and agreeing with them.

Choose better role models than the people you see on television. 

Even if they are pretty, buff or wearing a well-cut suit. Even if they act in a movie version of a book by John Green. For that matter, he's a better role model (even if I, as a midlist writer, am wildly jealous of his success) (and even if he is a dude--it's not like he chose to be born with that Y chromosome)!

I say, cheers to Shailene for trying and SOMEBODY GET THAT GIRL SOME BOOKS (along with more education and life experience in general).

PS: With respect to the term FEMINISM itself, I'm not even gonna GO there because whatever I say will certainly get me in Twitter trouble. However, I believe in dignity and equality for ALL people regardless of race, gender, sexual preference and unfortunate quotes in Time magazine.

The Poetry Oscars!

Okay, not exactly, but don’t you wish you could be at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center, NYC tonight for this…

Yes, you see Tina Fey, Patrick Stewart and Julianna Margulies on that GUEST READER LIST OF AWESOME! Here's what I'd wear if I were going...

Heck yeah, why not red? (It's J. Crew, btw)

Now you're curious, right? Here's the link for more info: http://www.poets.org/page.php/prmID/92

Some thoughts about Miley Cyrus

Swinging naked on a wrecking ball? "Twerking" (whatever) up against Robin Thicke? People are rolling their eyes, saying Miley is embarrassing herself.

Honestly? I rolled my eyes when it was reported the kid was engaged at the ripe old age of nineteen. Rolled 'em again when I caught wind of her parents on-again, off-again divorce. Rolled 'em a little way back when I saw her dad playing a role on her Disney show. Ew.

The other day, my sixteen-year-old son was playing a new Miley tune. I mentioned she might be losing her mind and he said that he saw her as still trying to break free from her "Disney brand" childhood. I was about to argue back when I realized that maybe I, like my kid, should cut her some slack because growing up in the spotlight seems to be super-hard.

My teenagers have done some way-stupid things to proclaim their emerging adulthood. And none of them were squeezed into blonde wigs and sparkly outfits to sell lunchboxes and CDs before they hit puberty. I have friends whose teenagers have misbehaved like Miley, just on much smaller stages. I have friends who took eight years to graduate college. I have friends who had babies before they got their driver's licenses and have lived the rest of their lives with that reality. And no one's been filming them.

So...maybe we should just cross our fingers and realize that, if she weren't famous, Miley Cyrus might still be a rebel child. Maybe the answer isn't to keep bashing her but to hope that IF, under all the ridiculous, "Girls Gone Wild" acting up she's done before the cameras, she's got a real problem with alcohol or drugs or depression, there is someone in her life who cares more about her than her money or her fame and isn't afraid to offer her the help she may need.

Rant over.

Want some great fiction to go with these ramblings? Here are two cool YA titles (one available, one coming in 2014) that deal with young celebrities trying to figure out life and love...

THIS IS WHAT HAPPY LOOKS LIKE by Jennifer E. Smith (Poppy/Little, Brown 2013)

If fate sent you an email, would you answer?

When teenage movie star Graham Larkin accidentally sends small town girl Ellie O'Neill an email about his pet pig, the two seventeen-year-olds strike up a witty and unforgettable correspondence, discussing everything under the sun, except for their names or backgrounds.

Then Graham finds out that Ellie's Maine hometown is the perfect location for his latest film, and he decides to take their relationship from online to in-person. But can a star as famous as Graham really start a relationship with an ordinary girl like Ellie? And why does Ellie want to avoid the media's spotlight at all costs?  (Summary from Amazon)

 

NOT IN THE SCRIPT by Amy Finnegan (Bloomsbury, coming 2014)

 

Millions of people witnessed Emma Taylor’s first kiss—a single kiss that needed twelve takes and four camera angles to get right. After spending nearly all of her teen years performing on cue, Emma wonders how much of her own life is even real anymore. But her new co-star, Jake Elliott, couldn’t care less... about how many scenes he has to fake his way through; he needs the money. Toss in a reckless heartthrob, desperate for a comeback, and a resident diva who may or may not be as evil as she seems, and the production of Coyote Hills heats up in unexpected—and romantic—ways.

Along with offering front row seats to the real life drama that often unfolds within the entertainment industry, NOT IN THE SCRIPT is a story about two not-so-typical teens who are searching for themselves, and just happen to find each other. (Summary from Amy's fb author page)