My Abridged Expectations of My Future Pregnancy

I will start with this simple statement: I. Love. Babies. Every time I see a little nugget running around I can't help but stare, and feel my lips curl into a grin or sometimes, a full on cheesy smile. Just the other day at the boy's basketball game I saw quite possibly one of the cutest babies I've ever seen (which I say pretty much every time I see a tiny human.) He was running around in his tiny Jordan's and he ran off with my heart. At one point when I was sitting down (adjacent to the baby) he saw my chapstick and was reaching out for it and it took everything in me to refrain from giving it to him. He deserved it! I'd be lying if I said I'd never cried at the sight of a baby before. I can't help it! They're just too cute. All of this to say I'm excited to have my own someday. In my head I've created a hard limit of two, because it's important to know your limits. I hope I have a pretty easy couple of pregnancies, like everyone I'm sure. One thing I don't want: twins. Twins are my NIGHTMARE (sorry to anyone who may be a twin.) Twins to me are just a double whammy of newborns, two at once??!!? I'm not down for it. I want to space my babies apart like my sister and I, about two years. It's a good age gap and my body will have time to recover. I also really really want a boy first, boy babies just seem so fun! They're goofs! A couple years ago I babysat for a little boy named Ethan and he's truly my favorite child I've ever met. Before I get to the cute squishing babies part of having children, I have to go through pregnancy which is only mildly terrifying. It amazes me how women's bodies can change so much, but it's part of what they're built to do (not implying women's only purpose is mothering children.) Part of me is nervous because, like Poehler mentioned in her "Laughing to Crying to Laughing" chapter, I'm small and I want to push babies out of me. It didn't really hit me until Poehler mentioned her height of 5'2" and I realized, I am also that height. I'm notorious for not realizing how small I am. Maybe I'm in denial but no one lets me forget how short I am. Thinking about how big I'll be when I'm pregnant is only mildly terrifying, but it'll be worth it. Also, I'm a stomach sleeper, so how am I going to go about that with a bowling ball attached to my stomach???
I think Poehler gives a very good view of a "real" pregnancy in this piece. I like how she intertwines aspects of her pregnancy with her real life. Real life stops for no one, even if you're pregnant. So often I get lost in imagining a pregnancy like ones I see on Instagram: cute maternity outfits, perfectly planned baby showers, and just chilling waiting for your baby to finish incubating. I know all of these things are realistic, but it's easy to forget that pregnancy is hard (I'm sure.) One time I asked my mom what contractions feel like and she described them as, "period cramps on steroids," super not excited for that feeling. My body will be working double time! I think in addition to my expectations of pregnancy, society has a lot of expectations for expectant mothers as well. It's easy to forget how hard your body works to grow an entire baby. Society expects women to have babies, as if it's as easy as getting a driver's license. My body will literally deteriorate to produce a child, but at least I'll have that pregnant glow. 

Let’s Build a World Series Championship

        My favorite part of the Amy Poehler section is how she relates her experience with making Parks and Recreation into a hit TV show to Leslie Knope’s hard work and determination toward building her park. In the chapter “Let’s Build a Park” Poehler brings the show’s cocreator, Michael Schur, in to comment on some of the early ideas that went into the creation of the show. While explaining his hard work and dedication, Poehler explains that it is, “demonstrated [by his] love for the Boston Red Sox” (246). That year, he had every message sent to him about the Boston Red Sox by friends and family printed and sent it out to them as a holiday gift. As of 2019, the Washington Nationals are the most recent World Series Champions. Winning a World series is like building a park; it takes hard work and you have to want it the most, as Leslie Knope did.

            Unlike most Nationals fans my family and I watched National’s throughout both the regular season and the playoffs. Their season started out pretty rough. Though they had possibly the best starting pitching staff in the league and the offense was sloid, their bull pen (backup pitchers) was just awful. They would go up by four runs and consistently in the last two innings, one of the closers from the bull pen would come in and blow the game. I remember many times over the course of the summer screaming at the TV screen. My brother Matt would ask, “Why are you so upset, it’s just a regular season game? One game means almost nothing.” He was right, but it was still hard to watch. The team’s luck began to turn when they brought on Gerardo Parra. He is a good player, but his contribution to the team was more than simply physical. He lightened the very serious mood that the Nationals were playing with. It is hard to win a baseball game when you are very aware that your career depends on it. Parra’s walk-up music was “Baby Shark” and he influence the team to start dancing after every home-run. The celebration of the small victories led the team to a chance at the playoffs.

            After this, the team started to go on ten-game winning streaks, and they were having fun while doing it. You could visibly see how much they love the sport during the games, which is so rare in any sports these days. The bull pen started pitching like they were completely different people and the offense were cranking out four home runs a game like it was nothing. This entire time, my brothers and I are patiently waiting for a chance at the World Series (which we weren’t at all expecting, they had never made it past the first round of the playoffs before). I have been watching Washington sports for twenty years now with little reward. This has only made the victories of the last few years that much sweeter.

            By the time they had made it to the world series, the Nationals had already played in four games which could have knocked them out of the playoffs, but they wanted it and never gave up until the game was over. In the World Series (best of seven games), the Nationals went down 3-2 in the first five games, none of these victories were on the home field for either team. Things were not looking great for the Washington Nationals. The Astros needed to win won of the last two which were both on their home field. Sure, enough though, through the combined strength of some of the biggest names in baseball right now, The Nationals beat the Houston Astros in a seven-game series. This was a huge upset. The odds Vegas had stacked against them were staggering. Anyone who had bet on the Nats was getting rewarded quite handsomely. I went into my psychology class the next day and my teacher, Dr. Merz (who is a Yankees fan) took the first ten minutes of class to talk about the World Series and just how impressive it was that this team had won it. He said it was the most important thing he would talk about with us all week, but his job required him to teach or he could get fired, so we moved on. But my family and I still haven’t as we stayed loyal to our favorite team the in their losses and certainly in their victories.

This Leslie Knope meme exemplifies both the Washington Nationals’ 2019 season and myself while watching the early parts of their regular season.

Works Cited

Poehler, Amy. Yes, Please. Dey St., an Imprint of William Morrow Publishers, 2018.

“10 Things Every Boss Lady Can Learn From Leslie Knope.” Accion, us.accion.org/resource/10-                things-every-boss-lady-can-learn-leslie-knope/.

#GirlDad

This one's for Kobe.
And for my dad.
And for all the parents who smiled proudly when people asked, "another girl?"

It's easy to miss all the small ways our world tries to inaccurately define girls and women--always depicting us as too much or not enough. As I've been watching interviews and reading quotes from people who were affected by the death of Kobe Bryant, I've come across multiple statements of people saying that he and Vanessa needed to have a boy to carry on the legacy. Many people also said that when statements like this were made, Kobe's thirteen-year-old daughter, Gigi, was quick to jump in with an, "excuse me...I got that." Kobe always believed that his daughters were powerful and capable, and he made sure to instill that confidence in them. He knew that he didn't need to have a son to carry on his athletic legacy; Gigi had that taken care of. Many of his fans weren't so sure about that.

Another example I want to point out is something I hear all the time. It's said casually and often followed by some sort of laughter, although I know it's not a joke. If you're familiar with Instagram, you know that a feature was recently added where you can choose a filter that will randomly ask you a question, and you can post your reply on your story for your followers to see. Someone I follow was using this a few days ago and was asked the question, "how many kids do you want?" Her answer:

"Hmmm...I don't really know. Maybe 3? I'm not really sure about the number, I just hope I'm a boy mom. Because, you know, boys are so fun and adventurous, and I just don't wanna deal with girl drama. I know how high maintenance I am, so I don't want to have to deal with that. So, I'm not really sure about a number, but I hope I have all boys!"

Now, before we band together for a collective roast session, I have a confession. I, too, have said this. I have said the words, "I hope I'm a boy mom." Mainly because during my babysitting days, there was one family I worked for that had four boys and they were so fun--my favorite family I ever worked with. But why did I equate those boys being fun to mean that all little girls must not be? I didn't realize how utterly stupid my thought process had been until I saw this girl's answer on her Instagram. The System that's working against women, that's working against me, the one I thought I was actively fighting against? Yeah, it got me too.

How absurd is it for someone to say that Kobe's legacy would have been lost because he didn't have a son, when he had a daughter who was a beast at basketball? (That was hard to type. I know she would've been on all kinds of headlines and sports networks and talk shows. And I'm so sad.) How ignorant to assume that to have a care-free, adventurous life, your family must be made up entirely of sons? I hope as people continue to make these claims out loud, they realize how awful they are the minute they leave their tongue. I hope people listening hear how backwards it is, like I did. I hope I continue to see and change the pieces of myself that have fallen into the ways of the System.

Week 3: The "Myth" of "Never Enough"

It is hard to feel "enough" when subjected to constant competition. I am reminded of this simple, yet devastating fact every time I unlock my phone. As I scroll through the seemingly effortless, calculated glamour shots of every woman I wish I could be, I tell myself that I will never be enough. Yet somehow "I will never be enough" rings throughout the beautiful heads of the women I envy as they envy others "more beautiful" than them. To be a woman is to be sucked deeper and deeper into an endless whirlpool of competition. Sadly, some of us struggle to stay afloat and disappear into the abyss of loneliness and shame born of something we ultimately cannot control. Through examining Tina Fey's Bossypants and Amy Poehler's Yes, Please, I hope to make a statement about the harmful effects of social media on the presence of "not enough" in women's minds today. 

In Tina Fey's Bossypants, she briefly discusses the concept of "not enough" and coins the term, "The Myth of Not Enough," to describe her feelings toward it (87). She claims that competition between women, which is encouraged by society, is actually a myth. Furthermore, she suggests that the true competition lies between "everyone" (Fey 88). While that statement contains a nice sentiment and is valid, I would argue that women are pitted against other women more often than they are seen "in competition" with men. In other words, society has yet to progress enough for competition to be a completely genderless concept. Even if it is not direct, women are competing with each other constantly, and this issue can especially be seen through social media. 

Along with Fey's ideas of "not enough" and competition, Amy Poehler's ending remarks against technology, particularly cell phones, adds another layer to this argument. Specifically, Poehler mentions that one of the numerous reasons she despises technology is that "my phone wants me to feel bad about how I look" (319). That statement directly correlates with this idea that social media aggravates "not being enough." We are constantly being exposed to "things [we] shouldn't see" that make us feel less than (Poehler 320). Personally, I do not need to see picture after picture highlighting extreme wealth and perfectly chiseled bodies. I would like to say, "Good for her! Not for me," but I find myself wishing, "How about for me too?" (Poehler 32). This dialogue is incredibly dangerous, however, as I am comparing my current life and physique to something I will possibly never attain. It is not only being "not enough" in this situation but forever being "never enough" that is so disheartening and harmful to my self-esteem.  

Social media affects women negatively in a multitude of ways, which predominantly include low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. However, we may not understand just how much social media makes us feel "not enough." Numerous experiments and studies mentioned in an article from Sex Roles, a feminist, scientific journal, claim that "exposure to thin-ideal media images increases women's dissatisfaction with their bodies" which leads to "eating disorder symptomatology among preadolescent girls and young women" (Perloff 363). Along with unhealthy body image, women remain exposed to out-of-date, stereotypical gender roles "despite decades-long social activism designed to increase gender equality" (Perloff 364). This unfortunate fact relates to Fey's point about competition. It remains a gendered aspect of our society, and the media continues to reinforce this division between genders. Thus, it is "not enough" to say that us women are in competition with men as well as women, because we are still expected to compete with only each other. To argue otherwise is only feeding the "delusion" that we are anything more than "not enough." 

Works Cited 

Fey, Tina. “The Windy City, Full of Meat.” Bossypants, Little, Brown and Company, 2013, pp. 87–88. 

Perloff, Richard M. “Social Media Effects on Young Women’s Body Image Concerns: Theoretical Perspectives and an Agenda for Research.” Sex Roles, vol. 71, no. 11–12, Dec. 2014, pp. 363–364, EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s11199-014-0384-6. 

Poehler, Amy. Yes Please, Dey St., an Imprint of William Morrow Publishers, 2014, pp. 32–320. 

Read: 11:56 pm

My resolution for 2020 is to set more healthy boundaries between myself and the people I surround myself with. When I read "treat your career like a bad boyfriend" from Yes, Please I found the inspiration I needed to make that happen. I particularly loved the section in which she describes all the ways she unapologetically tells people to back off (218). It started with the man who dropped a script on her lap (incredibly rude, by the way). There is something strange about the way strangers feel entitled to my personal time and space, which is why I'd like to share a story that made me angry. 

A few months ago, there was a post that went viral (only because of the large amounts of people calling this guy out) written by a man who claimed to be a "nice guy." His argument was that if he messages a woman and she doesn't answer him, she's a bitch. Most people replying to this post were on the same page: that his idea was bogus. Until we came to a guy I'll call Jack. 

Jack is a guy who decided to mansplain why he was entitled to a response. Over and over he stated that there was no harm in just replying "no thanks, I'm not interested." Over and over I explained to him that yes, there is harm! I sent him a link to a list of news articles of all the women who have been assaulted or murdered after saying "no" to a man's advances. I explained how usually in response to my "I'm not interested" messages, I'd get something back that said "that's fine, you're ugly anyways." Ignoring the message saves time and self esteem. Jack seemed to think I should still risk being insulted, assaulted, or murdered in order to not hurt his feelings. Jack is still single, if you were wondering.

Back to Amy Poehler. What I loved about this section in Yes, Please is the fact that she did not just say "no," but she called them out. She said "No, you do not value my time." "No, you're not respecting my personal space." "No, you're putting your needs before mine." I think for the most part we are all uncomfortable with this idea of being so straight forward, even though it could benefit us. I have been learning to be more selfish with my time and energy. When I get an unwanted message from a guy like Jack, maybe next time instead of ignoring it, I'll answer it. "No, you seem creepy-stalkerish and I value my life and safety." How do you think that would go over?

Why are we so uncomfortable setting boundaries for ourselves? Why do we feel the need to give and give to everyone around us? Why do we get so nervous to say "no" to even our closest friends? These are all questions that I'm sure have some kind of psychological answer, but I'd like to hear what you all have to say. For me, I think I am just hard-wired to want to help everyone before I help myself, but I realize that I cannot dip from an empty well. I have to take care of myself before I can help others. Even knowing this, it is still hard to actually practice because conveniently, I am also hard-wired to believe that putting my own needs first is selfish. I love that for me!

A rant about technology causing me issues when it’s really my own fault that I can’t control myself

When I set out to write this blog post, I had this grand idea of comparing the relationships Amy Poehler has with my own. I was going to talk about how she is communicating with her friends with technology without necessarily relying on it, and I was going to critique my own methods of communication with my friends and family. 

However, I recently downloaded TikTok, and I think most of us know what happens when you visit TikTok.

(Spoiler for those of you without TikTok: you have good intentions of looking at one video, but you tend to lose track of time, and by that I mean you find yourself watching videos of cats hitting the “woah” two hours after you started.)

In summary, I’ve decided not to pursue my original topic. Instead, I will be ranting about how technology has caused me to become a procrastinator, much like Poehler discussed in her book Yes, Please.

You see, before I had an iPhone or a tablet, I was able to get my work done without a hitch, and still have time to watch The Incredibles yet again. Now, I can waste hours on Youtube and by the time I’m aware of myself and the time, I’ve already watched “Top 10 Saturday Night Live Members Who Always Break Character” (shoutout to WatchMojo) and had time to start writing in the comments section (not that I have, although really? Jimmy Fallon is number one? I’ve got to support my main man, Bill Hader!

But I digress.)

Amy Poehler and I both have a relationship with modern technology that’s almost toxic in a way. Not just when it comes to body image or emotions, but also bringing down our work ethics. Her first item of proof  from the chapter “The Robots Will Kill Us All: A Conclusion” is literally “My phone does not want me to finish this book or do any work in general” (317). It seems as if writing this book was just as difficult for her as it is for some students to write five-hundred words (cough cough me). If you go back and read everything under that heading, that happens every time I take a break from doing homework or studying. It starts with searching for something useful, like a synonym for the word “scatter” (like “shower”); it turns into remembering you wanted a new shower curtain, so you go to Amazon and look at artsy shower curtains; then you remember that you liked the shower curtain back home that your brother got while you were gone; for some reason, you realize you talked with him in almost three weeks and decide to give him a call; he proceeds to not answer, so you panic and think somethings wrong, so you call you’re mom thinking she might know what’s wrong; that’s when she answers and asks “Elana, why are you calling me at 11:40 at night?”

And that’s when you realize you screwed up. It’s been four hours since you touched your homework. Thanks, Apple.

I’ve come to realize just how obsessed I am about what I can see on my phone. The phone itself is only important because of everything stored on it. All of my photos, contacts, memories-everything is on this device that has a screen the height of my face. I know that there was a time when I wasn’t obsessed with stuff on a small screen. I know that there was a time when I was obsessed instead with The Incredibles, Batman (1966) and Toy Story 2. Poehler used to be obsessed with movies on the big screen, like The Omen, Caddyshack, and The Jerk (315-316). All of a sudden, we both turned our attentions to smaller screens with even more power.

That makes me wonder about my obsession. Why did it start? I didn’t just watch fictional movies-I read a lot of fiction books. I would be transported to other worlds and my imagination would run wild. Am I transported to the worlds of other people, and so transfixed with the creations of others that can’t bring myself to leave? Am I anxious about my own reality, so I use the work of others to distract myself? Do I need to focus on why I want to escape my reality? How much of this can I actually control?

Do I even want to stop?

*Here’s what the shower curtain kind of looks like back in Morgantown. Yes, it’s a bunch of saxophones-my brother is a band geek.

**Here are a couple of the videos I’ve saved from that recent Tik Tok trip:

"I don't like you!" "I don't remember asking for your fucking opinion."

Why is it that people are so worried about how others think of them and if others “Like” them? In the reading “Why Not Me?” by Mindy Kaling, the introduction especially struck a chord with me with this idea of people caring about what others think of them. Us as individuals, especially women, are raised into thinking that we need to get people to like us based primarily on our looks. Our society has so effectively brain-washed everyone that a good portion of the population doesn’t even realize anything is wrong with telling girls “you would look prettier in that skirt/dress instead of pants and a t-shirt. This concept of being judged on looks and caring about what others think is not even a thing in man’s world, since they are raised that this isn’t important.

The quote “…And these days, I find I’m caring less and less about what people think of me…” (4) I feel is really relevant for college students and for me in particular. Once you enter college, that feeling of wondering of others like you and caring so much about what others think fades to non-existence after only a few weeks. This feeling being so relevant in middle and high school is so tough since this is already a tough time for kids since they’re developing and figuring out who they are. The last thing hey need is worrying about what others think of them.

With all of this being said, of course I was a victim to this mindset for a year or two in middle school when it always seems to be so important if the popular kids like you! However, I was lucky in the regard that since I was nice to everyone, I was friends with almost everyone I would talk too. Once I hit high school though, the mindset of, “I don’t give a fuck, I’m going to be me and I don’t give a shit if others don’t like it,” started to become stronger. It helped that I had a group of friends that loved me for who I was, and I didn’t have to hide any part of myself in fear of not being liked. This made me start to realize that I really loved being me and not caring what others thought and having friends that loved me for me, so my journey to “Not give a shit” began.

I’m happy to say that at this point in my college career, I honestly couldn’t care less what others think of me, which includes a small as my hairstyle or my outfit to as complex as my personality and how I interact with others. This culture of not discouraging kids from thinking that they should care what everything thinks of them is toxic and causing untold mental problems later down the road. I do my best in encouraging this mindset of just being you and not caring what others think in everyone around me, and it has had its varying levels of success since everyone is different in their “brainwashing.” I love how I am now, and I wouldn’t change a single thing.

Eeyore is my spirit animal, thanks for coming to my TED talk

I was trying all week to come up with a humorous, yet semi-uplifting while also eye opening blog. However, every time I sat down to write I. just. couldn’t. Unlike Amy Poehler I don’t blame my phone for not cranking out a post earlier. Although I believe pinterest is like meth for the pre-planner in me. I was being more stumped by my mood. I didn’t want to write a blog while I was feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, because I wouldn’t be in the head space to be funny. I mean who wants to read a blog written by someone who sounds like they just hit their pre-quarter life crisis (yes it does exist). I just wanted to bring something more. Then I realized, I could just be overwhelmed and exhausted.


I mean who doesn’t find Eeyore to be an absolute gem, people can still respect and appreciate you when you’re not okay. Right? Wrong. Unless you’re a genuinely depressed donkey, with a detachable tail, society does not find melancholy endearing. But you know what, who cares? I’m going to take a lesson from Amy Poehler and Tina Fey “I don’t care if you like it “(145). I mean you all seem like very enjoyable people, so I am sure you will endure this blog, post-breakdown rant I am about to see through. But to everyone else I DON”T CARE IF YOU LIKE IT!


Except I do, I very much do, shh don’t tell anyone. I have to look strong and empowered to pretend that I am not letting the idea, that everyone else has cranked out beautiful blogs get to me. Yes i’m fine, don’t ask me again or I’ll cry. In our life sometimes it feels like too much will not be enough. Like Tina Fey said in Bossy Pants “there are an infinite number of things that can be “incorrect ``''(20). While she mostly was exploring and ridiculing the impossible standards of beauty placed on women, I believe it also applies to our personalities and actions.


Its very hard to be upset or angry as a woman. I could pay for my overpriced education if I got a quarter every time I was asked if I was ‘pms-ing’ cause I was irritated. No Billy, I am irritated because your societal expectations of me have pushed me to a limit where I feel I have to prove myself in every aspect of my life, and don’t ever get told anything other than I am not enough. Breathe. DOES THAT SOUND LIKE PMS TO YOU.


I didn’t think so, even the most talented women in our society must be smiling at all times so they can be accepted. Mindy Kaling discussed in Why not me how people expect her to be smiling and happy all the time. Now that expectations has rubbed off on her so she can’t even feel overwhelmed by herself without feeling guilty. That makes no sense. Just cause you’re successful doesn’t mean you have to be happy. Just because we are women doesn’t mean we have to be happy. Just cause I am young does not mean I have to be happy.


I have gotten to the point where my shower head hears most of my innermost thoughts and feelings cause that's the only safe place to convey them. We have built a society that expects us to just be fine. None of us are, especially not me, should I write that...too late, yet we are expected to put on a facade. I would connect all these emotions to Fanny Fern and her ideas about roles, and Barreca with her ideas on the Good girl and Bad girl. Every person in society has a facade they put on for something.


Women wear them for everything, because they have been told they will never be enough, so they may as well be nice and easy on the eyes. Cat people also wear them cause admit it, we are the minority *stay strong*. But I’m gonna defy that. I am tired, busy and doing a lot of emotional eating. I am gonna tell you all that right here. I am not always happy and funny, and neither is my writing. Women are allowed to be off, everyone is allowed to be off. That is just something our world has to accept, and learn to show compassion towards rather than contempt.

My Team *inster heart here*

I honestly loved everything that Phoeler wrote. Even though I had never seen Parks and Rec, I really like the chapter where she described all of her coworkers. After reading this chapter I thought about all the great moments with the great people I have met. Particularly on my softball team and the job I had as a camp counselor, these last two years. This post is going to look pretty much look just like that chapter in her book, for the softball team here at Shepherd.

Softball:

Sophomores:

Daisy (Daisy Girl): Hey that’s me!

Position: Outfielder

Haley (Hailes): Haley is my best friend for life. I have no idea what I would do without this girl in my life. She is my roommate here at Shepherd, and anyone you ask from the team says we are inseparable. Haley and I will fight for 5 minutes, and the next minute its do you want to go eat or talking about how our days were. Haley is not afraid to tell me how it is, and I love that. If I’m acting like a bitch, she will let me know. There are also times we had morning classes at the same time last semester, we would get up, get ready, and get on the EPTA together, but we wouldn’t say a single word to each other until after that class was over.

Position: Catcher

Favorite moment: “Haley I’m taking this from your closet, also I’m wearing your jeans. Oh, and do you have any no-show socks?”

I laughed the hardest: When we spend the entirety of practice hyping each other up.

Nicole (Coley): Nicole is probably the one of the biggest riders on the team. Meaning she will do anything for anyone of us. If someone needs something, she is going to be the first person to be there helping them out. Nicole is also one of the funniest people you will ever meet. Not only that but this girl is a BADASS on the field. She came here as a freshman and started. Not only did she start she was also our leadoff batter in some games. She is an amazing softball player and an even better friend/teammate.

Position: 3^rd Base

Favorite moment: Watching Nicole play at any time.

I laughed the hardest: “You already know the vibes” “You already know what the fuck is up guys.”

Sarah (Sar): Sarah is the mom of the team. You need something, ibuprofen, a band aid, tissue, you name it she has it. If you are leaving to go somewhere, she is the first person to say, “Be safe” or “Let me know if you need anything.” Sarah is the biggest sweetheart; she would do anything for someone she cares about.She is also the most enthusiastic person on the team, at all times.

Position: Pitcher

Favorite moment: When we were doing a team conditioning coach incorporated this thing where anytime she said, “We are” we had to slap the floor and yell “Shepherd” and the only person you heard was Sarah.

I laughed the hardest: Same thing.

Tori (Tor): Tori is quite amazing. Her and I can butt heads sometimes, because we are both so competitive. But honestly that’s my favorite trait from her. Her competitiveness and refusal to give up, makes her a better player and a better person. Even though her and I don’t get alone 100% of the time, she is still one of my closest friends and I wouldn’t trade her for anyone else in the world.

Position: 1^st base

Favorite moment: Hitting with her today when Ashley wasn’t there.

I laughed the hardest: When she kept miss hitting balls off the tee and she just said “Fuck” in a really annoyed but joking voice.

Cameron (Cam): Cam just transferred here this semester, but she got here, and she was herself. I was so proud of her for that because that can be so hard to do in new places with new people. She fits in great with the team, and already I love this girl so much! I can tell her, and I are going to be really close in these coming years.

Position: 1^st base

Favorite moment: Singing together/to each other.

I laughed the hardest: same thing.

Lindsey (Linds): Linds is very shy at first. But once you get to know her, she is quite an amazing person. She is always hyping everyone up. Linds is probably one of the most country girls I know. She goes hunting, and finishing. She really likes that country music.

Position: Catcher

Favorite moment: When she walked out to hit last year, and Hannah Montana came on because she chose it as her walk up song.

I laughed the hardest: Anytime she says maybe to hanging out but she really means no.

Freshman: These will probably be shorter because I just met them this year.

Ashley M (Ash): Man, this girl, she’s my throwing and hitting partner. That means I spend a lot of time with her. Ashley always means well; she is also one of the most coachable players on the team. We have a special little way we end our throwing together, if I had known the last time we threw I was going to write my blog on this I would have gotten permission from coach to record it for class and attached it to my post.

Position: Outfield/Pitcher

Favorite moment: When she sent me a Tik Tok about throwing partners who throw too hard. 

I laughed the hardest: When she fell twice at the same practice.

Kylie (Ky): Ahhhhhhh Kylie. I love this girl. She is one of the biggest sweethearts. If you seem upset, she is one of the first people to check on you. This girl always knows how to make you laugh. Kylie she is also a BADASS on the field, some of the things she is able to do surprise me all the time.

Position: 3^rd Base

Favorite moment: Watching her play 3^rd during scrimmages

I laughed the hardest: When she showed us her room at the town house and since she doesn’t have a door she had two curtains hanging up.

Alex: Alex and I butt heads all the time too, but that’s only because our personalities. When Alex and I aren’t butting heads, we get along really well. She is really sarcastic and loving all at the same time. She takes jokes really well. She’s a super amazing loving person all the time, even when we aren’t getting along.

Position: Catcher

Favorite moment: Giving her the secret Santa gift I got her.

I laughed the hardest: Anytime her and I decide to get sarcastic and mess with each other.

Katie: Katie was another one who was shy at first. But man, once you get to know her, she is a world of fun. Katie is also a big sweetheart; I have never seen this girl mad.

Position: Pitcher

Favorite moment: Hearing her curse for the first time

I laughed the hardest: When we made a softball Tik Tok with “no right answers” and she was asked “What’s your biggest fear” and her response was “Rubber ducky,”

Hannah (Han): Hannah is kind of shy too. She is a very nice humble person, but she can get mad too. Hannah is extremely competitive.

Position: Outfield

Favorite moment: Any time her and I run next to each other.

I laughed the hardest: When I heard her yell for the first time in the outfield.

Juniors:

Ashley B (Smashley): Ashley is one of the funniest people. She doesn’t care what anyone thinks about her, and I love that about her. She is always going to be herself and tell people how it is and that is truly amazing. Ashley is another one of those BADASSES on the field. I mean this girl can do it all.

Position: Short Stop

Favorite moment: Watching her play.

I laughed the hardest: On her 21^st birthday when we were tailgating.

Leann (Lee): Leann is one of the humblest people I have ever met. She is an amazing ball player. She is also very confident on the field, and that’s one of the most important things you can be as a softball player.

Position: 2^nd Base

Favorite moment: Watching her play.

I laughed the hardest: She might kill me if she ever sees this, but last year at a game she dove for a ball and made the play, but when she dove, she peed and had to change her pants in the dugout.

Cheyenne (Chey): Chey is a BADASS on and off the field. The amount of confidence this girl has is amazing. I aspire to have as much confidence as she has. She is one of the sweetest girls on this team, but she is also not afraid to tell you how it is.

Position: Pitcher

Favorite moment: Any time she finds out someone is “talking” to someone.

I laughed the hardest: When she found out I was talking to someone and she said “Damn okay daisy, He’s lowkey ripped.”

Seniors:

Allison (Al or Ally B): Allison is the best friend of everyone on the team. You can talk to Allison about anything that going on in your life. Allison is the definition of there is no I in TEAM. She is so selfless.

Position: Outfield

Favorite moment: When she plays sad country music while we are lifting.

I laughed the hardest: Last year on the bus when I realized I put my deodorant under the bus, and I asked if I could use hers and she threw it at me.

Kayla (Kay): Kayla is so funny. She is also one of the strongest girls on the team, mentally and physically. She tore her ACL last year and that was tough for her but here she is bouncing right back. Today at lifting we were doing single arm dumbbell bench press. When I say this girl using a 60-pound dumbbell, that is not an exaggeration.

Position: Outfield

Favorite moment: When I found out she was finally coming back after tearing her ACL.

I laughed the hardest: Anytime she talks about how dumb her fiancé is.

Week 3: Fashion. WTF is it?

Fashion. A single societal concept that has taken control of how we value others. Fanny Fern mentions in her article, “A Law More Nice Than Just”, that she had read that a girl, “Emma Wilson was arrested for wearing pants” (2105).  Gina Barreca discusses in her piece, “ Good Girls Don’t Get It”, that “Good Girls wear miniskirts but not hot pants. Good Girls wore patterned tights but not fishnets,” (Barreca 3).

In Fern’s piece, she is addressing the misogynistic view that society has on fashion. Women shouldn’t wear pants, and at that point, it was illegal to wear pants as a woman. As time went on, you would have expected that this viewpoint would’ve changed, however, the only thing that has seemed to change is the law. I love thrift shopping, it’s my favorite way to get clothes because there is so much history behind items. With that being said, I shop the entire store. I don’t shop based on the gender specific sides. I just look for clothes I like and if they fit, I buy them. All of this is relevant because it never fails, that when I bring my new clothes home, one of my family members make a comment on the items being “men’s” clothing. What the hell does that even mean? How can you classify a piece of clothing as masculine or feminine? To me, it’s neither. Like Fanny Fern and Amy Poehler, I know there is this stigma around women wearing “masculine” clothes, therefore I always feel even more empowered when I get dressed because my mindset is, “I don’t care if you fucking like it!”

Now, let’s talk about the Barreca piece. Barreca does such an important job at truly highlighting the idea of stylistic approaches to achieve the desired persona. Due to society’s need to label everything as a justification of why someone’s dressing the way they are, or acting the way they are when she talks about the Bad Girls, I immediately thought of the “grunge, rebellious, hipster” style. However, how do we group someone’s behavior with their style? We shouldn’t. For instance, I am an example of someone who dresses the complete opposite of her personality. However, when I wear outfits that fit into this “bad girl” category, I immediately become a target for stares and negativity from strangers. For example, I was once wearing these awesome navy green corduroy pants, with my classic Guns N Roses t-shirt, because I thought they looked cool together. I had gone out with my sister-in-law to shop for some things, and while we were out, I caught 2 older women staring at me in disgust. The one even came up to me and told me, “ You should be ashamed of yourself dressing like that, pretty girls like you should be more pure, and nice” and just walked away. Like, EXCUSE ME?! I genuinely took a step back and had to evaluate the situation that just happened. I couldn’t understand how this random lady, who doesn’t even know me, had the audacity to tell me I needed to be nicer, based on how I was dressed!

With my experiences with clothing and stereotypes (trust me I have a lot more, but that would turn into an actual book), I raise the question, how the hell do we break these stereotypes that society has placed on fashion? Or are we just stuck in this never-ending loop of exhaustion?

https://media.giphy.com/media/lkdH8FmImcGoylv3t3/giphy.gif

https://media2.giphy.com/media/3oEduEHWLW6UiPA1Ww/giphy.gif