Late last week, the office manager sent around an e-mail to let us know she had a book of dicount coupons for the upcoming Women's Expo. I thought to myself "hey, I'm a woman, maybe I'll check this thing out!"
My first inkling that the lowest common denominator position of contemporary womenhood was way out of synch with my own interests was the top billing given to one Peter Reckell, "Bo Brady from Days of Our Lives". The second was that one of the big freebies that women can get at the Expo are free psychic readings. By the time I got to the fashion shows and facials, I was definitely feeling out of step. I mean, I dont' have a problem with fashion, I like to look good, and while I've never had a facial, but I wouldn't mind getting one...(but not that kind of facial, you sicko perv!), but my concerns and issues as a contemporary woman are more directed towards balancing work and home, finding a way to pay for college, maybe a workshop on how to do home repairs, or how about a political discussion - I mean, our very control over our own reproductive systems is in jeopardy right now, I bet that might be of some interest to some women.
Now, there are going to be some things that might be interesting. One of the keynote speakers is Carol Evans, who will be speaking about balancing work and motherhood - she's the CEO of Working Mother Media. But I'm willing to bet she's going to have lots of ideas that help women who are in high level, well-paid jobs. I don't have to work 60 hours a week at my job to keep up with anyone, but I also can't just leave to take my kids to a doctor's appointment or to chaperone a field trip - I have to carefully plan my time off and hope that no one gets sick when I'm not scheduled to have a vacation day. That isn't a problem for the women in my office who have Master's Degrees - they aren't paid an hourly wage, so they can come and go as they need to.
(Sidebar - when Sio was 5, I was getting calls from the school nurse on a daily basis about her - she had asthma, and she was forever overexerting herself and not taking her inhaler in time to prevent an attack. I lost my job because of all the time I had to take off to pick her up from school, and this was with Loki and I sharing the burden - I was only going every other time they called. It didn't matter that I was one of the top performers in my department - my boss, who one time actually told me that he would accept nothing less than perfection from me, didn't like the fact that I valued my child more than I valued my job. What a dick that guy was.)
Then there is this blurb about another of the speakers:
Crystal Andrus: Genuine Health USA Seminar Title: Transform Your Life from the Inside Out! Seminar Description: In this exciting workshop you'll learn all about Simply . . . Woman! A week-by-week body/mind/soul total transformation program that encompasses every facet of a woman's life. From your daily demands and frustrations to your wants, needs, and fears, this revolutionary plan elevates the experience of weight loss far beyond the physical. With steps, which are gently laid out over 12 weeks, this workshop effectively empowers you to take back control of your health, discover your passion, override your fears, and create a life filled with joy and serenity-thin thighs are just the by-product!
Silly me, I had no idea that the path to serenity lay in thin thighs!
There are going to be some good things there. A lot of health organizations are going to be there to spread information about women's health issues. They are having a lot of cute little giveaways, like a trip to Jamaica, a massage, and raffles for tai kwon do or jukido classes. Who doesn't like getting freebies? But I know these types of events are supposed to appeal to the average or typical woman, and that's just something that makes me feel out of step.
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