Only Boys are Scientists

Posted on October 26, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

A young girl in my Sunday school class asked me:

Slightly horrified, I gaped as all her friends looked at each other sullenly and agreed. They sadly nodded to one another and sat in quiet contemplation. Being as they were in my classroom and about a foot away from me, I felt it was my duty to pick up these poor disillusioned younglings.

Of course, in my mind, my intervention was almost divine and third-eye-opening. Unfortunately for me, it came out as a garbled mess of rushed words:

“Nothey’renot!”

Flustered, I looked the four fourth graders dead in their eyes and waited with bated breath as to view their reactions. One said:

To which, I replied:

And let me tell you, the wonder in these young girls’ eyes was almost too much to handle. It was as if, for as long as they’d been alive (approximately nine years) it hadn’t occurred to them that they had such power even as woman in such a male-oriented world.

Nine years is a long time!

Why do we systematically tell such precious souls that they can’t achieve what they wish to achieve? These little beans had no idea that they could be whatever they set their mind to and worked hard for! Insecure women stem from these little girls who are constantly told that only men can do certain jobs and that women should take on occupations of the “gentler” notion.

But we can change this, y’all!

We can educate these young girls that they can be engineers, surgeons, doctors, astronauts, construction workers, boss ladies! They should never have the wonder that I saw in the eyes of my students last Sunday because they should have it instilled in them that they can do it all. It should not be a surprise but a normal everyday thing: Girls are amazing, and we can do anything!

The truth has to take root from childhood and these young ladies need more than their Sunday school teacher to teach them that. We need to bring this kind of encouragement not only into classrooms, but into family homes, playgrounds and anywhere we go. A future of strong female leaders are waiting for their time to bloom. We owe it to them to start nurturing that seed.

Why?

Because scientists aren’t just boys.

All artwork by Pebbles.

A Lil’ Poetry For Your Friday

Posted on October 20, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

I wrote a poem for National Day of Writing, y’all! There were many mistakes and retakes, here’s the best of those.

Process!

Posted on October 19, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

It’s midterms, so I decided I would show you my process. I am no professional, so please bear this in mind. This is the process that works for me!

I’m not sure what you might want to do with this information, but enjoy!

All by artwork by Pebbles!

Pink

Posted on October 12, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

The other night, I was scrolling through my social media and I stumbled upon this video. It’s a clip from The Ellen Show where Ellen Degeneres uses her opening monologue to discuss the absurdity of a product from the company Bic. It’s a set of pens just for women, customized to fit women’s hands. As if all women are the same?

This kind of marketing, separating men and women by changing the color of a product and nothing more and selling it at a different (and often higher) price bothers me. Or, perhaps, bother is too forgiving. This brand of advertising irks me. So much so, I spent a whole English I paper pointing out the sort of social oppression this advertising delivers.

Yes, there are some products that can be branded directly to women, such as period related things. But for simple objects such as office supplies, razors, deodorant, soap, snacks, children’s toys and so much more… Why must there be a delineation?

Often times, these products are some pastel coloring that not all women enjoy and they aren’t taken as seriously as their male-marketed counterparts. My post-its do the same job as regular not-for-her post-its and so do my soap, pens, razors, snacks and so forth.

What bugs me most is that they start this division of sexes at such a young age. Little girls are pushed to their own frilly, watered down version of a LEGO set that has little to no building capability. A little girl is taught early on that she should only like certain activities and certain colors. She is socialized to become this fictional “weaker sex,” even in our “progressive” times.

If this were truly truly the case, we shouldn’t be branding our products in such a way. When we do, we create barriers that prevent our movement to equality, no matter how simple.

What’s the stupidest “FOR HER” product you’ve ever seen?

All artwork by Pebbles.

Julie Andrews

Posted on October 5, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

Many people look to the likes of Maya Angelou, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Eleanor Roosevelt, Alice Walker or Shirley Chisholm as their feminist heroes. But as a young girl, I never knew of these women or their heroic roles in America. Most of them I only know little of; mainly a brief knowledge of their largest achievements and nothing more.

American poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist.

American politician.

Late former First Lady of the United States.

American novelist, writer, poet, and activist.

American politician, educator, author and the first black woman to be elected to the US Congress.

As a young girl, the strong women in my life were my grandmothers, my mother, my aunts and… Julie Andrews.

Dane Julia Elizabeth Andrews:
Born October 1, 1935.
English actress, singer, and dancer.

Dane Julie Andrews is, well, the BOMB.

She was Queen Clarisse Rinaldi, Mary Poppins, Maria Von Trapp and basically just the most magical woman– Nay! HUMAN– to exist in my lifetime. I watched The Sound of Music and wanted to be as reckless and filled with the life that Andrews’ Maria was and is. I wanted to be as in control as Mary Poppins and just as straight up fire as the queen she portrayed in The Princess Diaries.

Her fictional roles, however, pale in comparison to a woman who has had a career that spans over seven decades and a multitude of awards. Julie Andrews may have lost some of her range vocally, but she continues as a cultural icon. She perseveres and remains one of my favorite of my role models.

As I continue to discover myself as a woman, I will, of course, find new heroes and new goals. However, Julie Andrews was one of the first public women I ever looked up to and I still admire her as such.

All artwork by Pebbles.

(Happy belated birthday, Dane Julie Andrews!)

Group Chat

Posted on September 28, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

I had quite some writer’s block since last week’s post so I decided to hit up my fellow The Buzz bloggers for some advice. Sam, author of Virtues from Motherhood suggested (if I were pressed for time) to look at older material in a new light and see if I could repurpose it. Or, I could try something new and maybe try out a different environment. I realized belatedly that I had done the latter.

Usually, when I’m creatively blocked, I dig myself into a hole of frustration and I will easily quit on the task at hand. (Ask my siblings about all the stories and comics I started and failed to finish!)

However, this time around, I had sought help from the other ladies on The Buzz group chat we share and it got me thinking:

Out of pure coincidence, this year’s team of bloggers all happened to be women. Females get a bad reputation for being “catty” amongst themselves and society has innately pitted woman against woman. Because of this rhetoric, instead of automatically uplifting our sisters, our default becomes wariness and a side eye at any other female in the room.

But the beautiful thing about the kick ass ladies on The Buzz, I’ve found, is that we’ve all come together to offer support and love for one another.

In the short time I’ve had the privilege of knowing these women and having them as a group message on my phone, I’ve seen nothing but positivity. Our conversations are filled with academic advice, birthday greetings, Beyonce GIFs, prayers for any families affected by current natural disasters, moral support, tattoo parlor suggestions and a hope for some snacks at the next meeting. It’s all wholesome goodness!

Honestly, this should be how we treat all women, regardless of whether or not it is in the flesh or online. The amazing environment I experience interacting with my team at The Buzz shouldn’t be the only place where I feel the love. We as women should be united together in a collective spirit of up lifting.

As a united front of positivity women can achieve equality, especially a win towards creating a world of equality.

As individuals, the ladies of The Buzz are amazing:

But together? We create something worth Buzzing about!

Hahaha… Puns… Get it?

Throw some fun puns my way, muchachos, and I hope you enjoyed this week’s installment of Lady Business! Oh! One more thing! Send these other ladies some love, send the women in your life some compliments and I’ll see you all next week!

All artwork by Pebbles.

Embroidery

Posted on September 21, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

All artwork by Pebbles!

What’s your favorite old lady activity?

All artwork by Pebbles!

Body Confidence

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Denise Claire (Pebbles)

Feminism is a movement that calls for the equality of all men and women, the value of each individual and their place in the world. However, it is often so hard to fight for these ideals when you, yourself, do not know your own worth.

Body confidence and self love is a step towards knowing your own value. It is something I still struggle with and I sometimes falter in terms of self-esteem. This is not just a problem of mine… Everyone has at least one insecurity– Man or woman and in between.

This post is a message to all: