Why Peppermint Patty Is the Best Peanuts Character

Peppermint PattyDo you have a favorite Peanuts character, friends? That’s an age-old question, I know, and there are so many possible choices for a favorite. There’s Charlie Brown, with his lovable innocence. There’s Lucy, with her bossy attitude, which I can admit to identifying with. But when all is said and done, there’s one character that towers above the rest. She’s the one, the only one — Peppermint Patty.

First of all, yes, I’m aware that this seems like an incredibly random post on a completely random Tuesday in February. But I’ve been saving this idea since November — over Thanksgiving weekend, to be exact. You see, I was SO sad to see everyone dragging Peppermint Patty on Twitter. It was the night that A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving was on TV. Maybe you’ve seen it; in fact, you’ve probably seen it! It’s the classic where Peppermint Patty invites herself to Charlie Brown’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. I mean, OK, so maybe it wasn’t exactly nice to invite yourself, but people on Twitter were coming for her like there was no tomorrow!

And that’s when I realized just how much I love that shirt-and-sandals lady! She’s fierce and strong and outspoken and powerful. Plus, she’s not afraid to be herself, even when her friend Marcie is constantly calling her “sir.” Like, that doesn’t even seem to faze her in the slightest and, well, I AM HERE FOR THAT. I’m here for her bucking conventions and saying “this is who I am.”

Isn’t that a beautiful thing?

Peppermint PattyPlus, she had such a huge crush on Charlie Brown and he was oblivious!! He totally friend-zoned her!!! Honestly, I’ve never identified more with a cartoon character in my entire life and I can’t emphasize that enough, people!!!! Friend. Zoned.

Seeing Peppermint Patty trending also reminded me of that time those internet trolls compared me to her, so I’d just like to end this post with one more important question: Who wears green better?? And, we both have that Big Hair Energy that is just wild and phenomenal — in cartoons and in real life, of course!!

Peppermint PattyI’d love to hear all about your favorite Peanuts character and why you love them! Their adventures never get old, do they? I particularly love the one where they all go to Europe as exchange students and have all sorts of wild adventures!! xoxo

In Which I Become Obsessed With the Dolly Parton Challenge

Dolly Parton ChallengeVery important question on this Thursday afternoon, friends: Did you do the Dolly Parton Challenge?? I’m pretty sure you did, considering everyone from your neighbor to celebrities were glued to their phones selecting just the right photos of themselves…

I’m totally guilty of being utterly obsessed with this fun internet sensation!! You all already know that I do tend to become obsessed with things pretty easily — lip balm, dinosaurs, Matthew Gray Gubler. You get the idea! So when I heard about this new-fangled challenge all the cool kids online were doing, well, I just couldn’t resist joining in all the merriment and fun and shenanigans. Of course, leave it to the Lady of Cool herself, Ms. Dolly Parton, to be the one to start the trend. Last month, she posted the memorable meme, which contained four “versions” of Dolly — LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and Tinder — complete with the caption “Get you a woman who can do it all.”

It was such a clever nod to the different versions of ourselves that we present to the world. We humans are a complex creature and there are so many sides to our personality, you know? All it takes is a few swipes through your camera roll to see just how versatile and unique you really are — there’s your professional side, your family side, your fun side. All those sides add up to make you, well, YOU. I love that we have places online where we’re able to show off those many sides and be who we are.

Dolly Parton ChallengeIt took me awhile to decide on the right photo for each “version” of myself, but I’m pretty in love with how mine turned out. What can I say?? I’m a very versatile lady!!! Which version of me do you like best?? Keep in mind that I’m drinking Mountain Dew in the Tinder photo, so you know I’m WILD.

Plus, here’s something extra to make you smile: I did the Dolly Parton Challenge for my mom!! Personally, her carefree Instagram look is my favorite!! And, yes, as you can see, I’m having way too much fun with these!!! Somebody stop me!!

Dolly Parton ChallengeYour turn: Did you do the Dolly Parton Challenge? What is your favorite aspect of your personality? Are you more Instagram? More Tinder? Or somewhere in the middle?? I’d love to see your photos, so drop them in the comments! xoxo

Super Bowl Halftime Show: Can We Please Stop With The Super Double Standard?

Super Bowl Halftime ShowWe need to have a serious talk! And by serious, I mean super serious! Maybe I was naive to think that my blog post last year would be enough, but apparently, it’s not. Not nearly enough. How do I know this, you ask?? Well, it’s pretty obvious: We’re still applying such blatant double standards when it comes to the Super Bowl Halftime Show!!

The social media vitriol started shortly after Jennifer Lopez and Shakira took the stage at halftime for a rousing performance full of power and purpose. They commanded and owned that stadium — two strong women who were confident, electric and fierce. That’s exactly what their performance was, but judging from so many of the comments, not everyone saw it that way. I saw so many people complaining about how the Super Bowl Halftime Show was “not appropriate” and “needed more clothes.” Maybe there’s a rampant case of amnesia going around? Because people seemed fine with Adam Levine strutting on that stage with his shirt off last year. I mean, y’all were practically salivating at his toned abs! Y’all couldn’t get enough! I see you, soccer mom Karen from Nebraska — not a real person, though I’m sure there are plenty of Karens from Nebraska!

Super Bowl Halftime ShowBut I digress. I suppose my point is this: Why are we still having this conversation in 2020…? Why do we think we have any kind of say over women, their bodies and how they choose to live (and dance! and sing! and be all-around fabulous!) in those bodies? There was SO much pearl clutching and the hypocrisy was off the charts! Did y’all get carpal tunnel from all that pearl clutching? Here’s what you missed while you were too busy clutching those pearls and being uncomfortable — things like a beautiful statement about inclusion, complete with the Puerto Rico’s flag, and a not-so-subtle message about the border crisis, which, Karen from Nebraska, I bet you don’t even give much thought to, do you??

This is what the performance was actually about. It wasn’t about trying to be as overtly sexual as possible. It wasn’t about the shock value. Y’all made it about those things with your internalized misogyny. In fact, J.Lo herself shared these words about the show…

All I want my girls, the little girls on stage with me and all over the world to know is how to use their voices and be proud of everything they are. We are proud to recognize that all of us together are what makes this beautiful country truly great.

That’s why I was really disappointed to see so many women saying this after the Halftime Show yesterday. Why do women continue to be so unnecessarily cruel to each other? And why do we keep sending them these disgusting mixed messages?

We want women to love their bodies…just as long as they’re covered.

We want women to be anything they want to be…just as long as it’s acceptable.

We want women to be powerful and fierce…just as long as it doesn’t make us uncomfortable.

Super Bowl Halftime ShowIn another Instagram post, J.Lo gave this shout-out to Shakira: “Let’s show the world what two little Latin girls can do.”

J.Lo and Shakira brought the 2020 energy. THAT is what two little Latin girls did and I’m here for it. You should be too!

Did you watch the Super Bowl Halftime Show this year, friends?? What were your thoughts?? xoxo

Yes! Lizzo Is Making Us All Feel “Good As Hell”

LizzoApparently, not everyone thinks Lizzo should feel good as hell — hi, Twitter trolls…we see you! It doesn’t matter, though, because she’s too busy feeling good as hell on the cover of Rolling Stone to even notice!

Oooooh, and don’t forget about those shiny Grammy trophies she won last night!

Following the singer tweeting that she was leaving the social media platform for awhile because of trolls, she isn’t holding anything back in her interview with the venerable music magazine. I’ve been thinking about the powerful meaning behind that Rolling Stone cover. It’s sending a message and one that the world needs to hear.

The message? That she’s #sorrynotsorry. That she’s going to exist and thrive whether you (read: trolls) like it or not. It’s as if she’s telling off the entire world and I’m here for all of it.

LizzoWe live in a world that loves to comment on people’s weight, especially when it comes to women’s bodies. And not just comment — judge, criticize, rip apart, dissect, shame and insult. And yet, we don’t criticize men’s bodies in the same way — or even at all. In fact, we openly praise the Dad Bod trend. We love Dad Bods — we’ve even said how “hot” they are on celebrities.

The double standards and hypocrisy is never-ending, it seems. I’ve been called all the names, so I feel for Lizzo. The world isn’t kind to people who live outside the lines, who don’t fit society’s definition of pretty and who dare to be unapologetically themselves. And when those people are women? Society is extra vicious, especially online.

The body-shaming that women experience just for existing is harmful and doesn’t belong in 2020. Can this please be the year that we stop with the fatphobia? Better yet, let’s stop commenting on women’s bodies altogether. Let’s stop policing their very existence.

Because here’s the thing: People like Lizzo and myself…we don’t need your approval to feel good as hell about ourselves. We didn’t ask for your approval and we don’t want it. We love our bodies and we’re proud of our bodies. And we’re going to keep loving them whether you like it or not.

LizzoWomen have the right to feel good as hell about themselves. Women have the right to celebrate their bodies. And women have the right to love themselves — just as they are. Lizzo is telling us that on the cover of Rolling Stone. Are we finally going to listen? Living well really is the best revenge and I’m here for all of Lizzo’s revenge!!!

The Oscars, Greta Gerwig and Why Little Women Is Still More Relevant Than Ever

Greta GerwigThey say that art imitates life and is a reflection of the time period in which it is created. If that’s true, then the same can certainly be said of this year’s Oscars nominations! By now, I’m sure you’ve all seen the distressing headlines about Greta Gerwig getting snubbed for Best Director in favor of all male nominees. And, as I’m sure you can also imagine, I’m not too happy about. In fact, I’m flabbergasted at the sheer irony of it all.

The snub underscores the exact themes of the movie — things like women, money and power. How women are struggling to gain footing, power and recognition in a male-dominated world. How women have to fight a million times harder just to be seen and heard. Basically, it illustrates precisely why Gerwig made Little Women in the first place.

There’s a double twist of cruel irony in the Oscars snubbing Greta Gerwig for Best Director in favor of all male nominees. Little Women itself is a film about empowered women carving out a life for themselves and pushing back against the patriarchy. Gerwig has done just that and yet she’s not being recognized for it.

Even the actors in Little Women were shocked by the snub. For example, Florence Pugh, who plays Amy, gave a brilliant quote in response…

“She’s [Greta Gerwig] literally made a film about this,” Pugh explained. “She made a film about women working and their relationship with money and their relationship with working in a man’s world. That’s literally what Little Women is about, so [this] only underlines how important it is — because it’s happening.”

Also ironically, the snub underscores the importance of Little Women’s Jo March, who is arguably the most outspoken and independent of the four March sisters

Like the rest of civilization, I sat glued to my phone to watch the much-anticipated trailer for Little Women, the latest big screen adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic story of four spirited sisters. While I’ve always identified with each sister’s spunky resolve, I found myself practically shouting “YES” when Jo gave her impassioned speech…

“Women, they have minds, and they have souls, as well as just hearts. And they’ve got ambition, and they’ve got talent, as well as beauty, and I’m so sick of people saying that love is just all a woman is fit for. I’m so sick of it!”

Why? Because, simply put, Jo March is the feminist hero that we need in 2020. She’s NOT HERE for any type of mansplaining nonsense!!! Yessss, Little Women couldn’t be more relevant right now!! Especially in light of things like #MeToo and women speaking up and speaking out, Little Women is shaping up to be a powerful film — far more deeper and important than the picturesque scenery and cinematography that we were treated to in the roughly two-minute trailer. She’s fierce and tough and, dare I say it, ready to unapologetically take on the patriarchy.

Greta Gerwig“Jo is a rebel, but she’s also loving and loved,” says Monica Rico, assistant professor in women’s and gender history at Wisconsin’s Lawrence University. “She shows that you can be yourself and still be accepted by those who know you best, even if you don’t fit in with social expectations.”

Indeed, as a writer, I’ve always admired Jo; in a profession where women sometimes aren’t taken seriously — this was especially true during Jo’s time — women writers are having to fight harder than men for the same jobs and accolades. But Jo dreamed of becoming a writer and wouldn’t let anything get in her way – not even a boy’s advances.

In the end, Greta Gerwig being shut out of the Best Director category shows us all how little progress we’ve made when it comes to equality and how far we still need to go. So we’ll celebrate powerful women as long as they’re just characters on film and not in real life?? Does it send the message that strong women are OK as long as they’re on film and not in real life? That’s not the message we need to be hearing in 2020. Or ever.