Ohhh they don’t like Jane

      Soooo a while back, Cat Marnell over at xoJane wrote this ill-advised piece on Plan B and a total feminist flame war erupted over it and people were piling on about how irresponsible and stupid Cat was/is and everyone in those feminist journalism/blogosphere circles has already beaten this issue to death. I however, have not because I’m new. Anyway, the issue here isn’t Cat’s post but rather the fact that I love Jane. I do. I loved Sassy magazine. Sue me (Don’t really sue me though, because I don’t have anything, at all, and you’d be wasting your time and money for nothing, at all). Anyhow, so I love Jane. Right. Yes and Cat Marnell gets under my skin and I sometimes dislike her immensely but, feel strangely jealous of her at the same time but, maybe that’s why I dislike her so much. Maybe it’s less that I dislike what she says and more that I'm jealous that she’s able to say it that I find myself so conflicted about Cat. Maybe I wish I could do the same, and get paid for it or maybe I think she’s an entitled ditz and it bothers me that people might take her seriously. I just don’t know.  UGH! Kills me.


     You see, on one hand I think she’s horrifically irresponsible by talking so freely about her super unhealthy lifestyle but, on the other hand I feel like, whatever, it’s honest and regardless of whether or not we like it or not, there are all different kinds of people in the world and we need the exposure to them. We need the exposure to different personalities and cultures because we need to be more tolerant as a society, but not just more tolerant, we need to be more educated, more compassionate, more understanding. We need to stop sweeping issues we don’t like, or don’t approve of or are afraid our kids will hear or see and be tempted by, under the rug. That’s how a lot of the shitty things that happened to me as  a kid happened to me, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to throw a blanket over shitty things so people can pretend they’re not happening and risk those things happening to someone, particularly a child, that I love. I will not be silenced, not ever again, but I digress.

      I love Jane and Sassy and people being themselves at the risk of alienating people because that’s what I do, or what I like to think I do. I don’t want to censor myself because life does that enough for us. It takes away our  voices and says this speaks for me and it labels us and says…”we are this way and not that way” but that, my friends is crap and now we come to the pay-off. Today I was researching Jane Pratt because it's International Women's Day and she is one of my feminist icons and I happened upon a rather disparaging post about Jane regarding Cat’s Plan B post.

     They don’t like Jane. Jane is apparently self-involved, self-important, ego-maniacal, etc. (I don’t personally know Jane or Cat so I can’t confirm or refute any of these allegations). Anyway, all these negative traits were suggested because she, Jane, did not apologize they way they wanted her to, for Cat’s post. What? Yes, Jane is the EIC. Yes Jane has final say on what Cat publishes, but that does not make her Cat’s momma. Even if it did, Cat is an adult. She is an adult who has a platform to share whatever it is she feels like sharing, and it is up to us as adults to take some or none of what she has to say and disseminate it how ever we choose.

     And for this, if nothing else, I love Jane. I love that there is a woman who has inspired so many women to say things, any things that make them feel any bit of any thing in a public forum. I like that she’s been able to provide women, even women who often seriously offend me (see Daisy) a place to be heard, because like it or not, Jane has an audience. I am a part of it and at the risk of alienating people myself, I’m proud of that.

Happy International Women’s Day!!!