My corner of the world

It never fails to amaze me.

When I'm at my workplace or with my friends and graduate cohort or at coalition, I feel like me. I can talk openly about my love for feminist theory and activism, go to Occupy Chicago and really feel good about it (the teach-in's are terrific), feel content in my singlehood and with my anti-normative relationship views, and not feel as though I have to fit some sort of precut mold of what a woman should be.

When I'm in Union Station heading home from class or at the Amtrak station heading home from coalition, I can't help but notice all the magazines detailing how to catch/keep/maintain a man, plan your wedding so it's like THE best day of your life (how scary for things to go downhill after that!), prevent your bio clock from ticking out, or do your hair, clothes, and makeup so you look like a clone of all the other women on the covers of all the magazines.

And I realize that either I am immune to mainstream society's messages or in a truly special corner of the world. Or both.