The Siren

May 31, 2010 - 7:00 PM

In the journalism school, there are a bunch of newsstands sitting at the doors. If you get there early enough in the morning, you can actually pick up a free copy of the New York Times, courtesy of the Associated Students of the University of Oregon (ASUO).

There are a few other regulars there as well like Ethos Magazine, which is produced every term independent from the school by the students in the School of Journalism and Communication. Too, there are off-beat publications like The Insurgent and The Commentator.

But the other day as I was ‘relaxedly' walking out the doors of the j-school and heading home to do not much of anything, I saw a publication that seemed out of the ordinary. My phone rang, so I answered and picked up a free copy without looking at it first.

As I walked through the doors and acknowledged the things the person on the line was saying, I realized that I had picked up The Siren: Feminist Magazine of the ASUO Women's Center. I kind of rolled my eyes because, while I am all about equality, I feel that many feminists dream of taking it beyond equality and into the unrealistic realm of an "ideal" maleless society that fill angry coffee houses covered in LGBTQA paraphernalia.

Now, please don't get me wrong. I love everyone, and I truly believe that everyone has the right to love whomever they want, and that it is a horrendous crime to rob people of their right to pursue happiness as long as doing so doesn't hurt others. (In a nutshell, I love gay people). But just like most other things, too much feminism in a concentrated space is not necessarily a good thing. Like Kool-Aid and frat boys. Too much is too much. I am an over-zealous grammarian and I am sure that people wish I would leave them alone.

That was a pretty long disclaimer, but I wanted to make my intentions clear.

Anyway, I took a class in Women's Studies about the History of Women in the 20th century. It was fascinating. I loved it! It was so interesting to look at the evolution of women's roles in society over the last hundred or so years. So when I saw an article called "I don't love you, but I will make you breakfast," in The Siren describing how to throw the perfect cocktail party, complete with snarky commentary on what is considered polite, I couldn't resist.

I am a career-driven student housewife. I LOVE to decorate, cook, clean, pamper my boyfriend (who is the man I am going to marry) and snuggle the animals in my house. However, I am constantly working toward an occupation that will *hopefully* pay me six figures.

It is kind of a strange place to be, but I want to be here. I love both things, and the thing about modern women is that they can bake their cakes and sell them too.