Being the Kelly Clarkson fan I am, I follow her Facebook news feed. On February 8th, her team posted her two upcoming People Magazine covers (week of February 18th) in which the headline was “I Found Love At Last!...Finding Mr. Right.” I was flabbergasted for a few reasons. In 2010, I wrote an article about how magazines with a mostly female audience over-emphasize sex and romance as opposed to self-accomplishment and growth. Being the girl-power singer Clarkson is, I’m surprised she would feed into such a bad media habit (granted there may be more to her feature than the headline indicates). Secondly, I wonder why she would do that type of cover story as if an engagement break or divorce can’t happen. How foolish would she feel if they split or had a bitter ending? She would’ve publicly declared that she figured dating out and found “Mr. Right,” only to appear to be really wrong. Once footballer Roy Williams became singer Kelly Rowland’s ex-fiancé, Rowland said she felt “embarrassed” for repeatedly publicly gushing about her engagement and covering Modern Bride, vowing to keep her future rmoantic relationships private. I’ve never understood why celebrities advertise their relationships with cover stories and joint interviews. What’s the story there? So what, you’re in love. I thought they didn’t like everyone being in their business. I find it especially obnoxious when they arrogantly imply they have invincible, eternal love or make the same declarations about their current partner that they did about the last three. Maybe you should stop falling in love like a high-school student, but that’s another article. Actors Nicole Kidman & Tom Cruise reportedly claimed to People Magazine that they would “be on their honeymoon for the rest of their lives.” Are they dead, because I’m pretty sure their honeymoon is over. As a matter of fact, isn’t Cruise ending is third honeymoon with Katie Holmes, whom he notoriously giddily jumped on Oprah’s couch about? Unless you’re shipping a project or overcame some hurdle together, like a severe illness, why are you promoting your relationship again? Considering the buzz it creates, you would think celebrities would be the ones to publicize their romantic entanglements the most, but they have nothing on everyday people. It’s crazy how many of our loved ones make shrines to their relationships out of their social media pages. I know one person who every other status or photo is about or of their boyfriend. The boyfriend comments on every post and they actually go back and forth having conversations that everyone can see. It makes me wonder…"Is your relationship for you or me?" The way some people plaster it, you would think their relationship was a product or service. I also want to ask “Do you have an identity outside of your relationship?" Most people use sites like Tumblr or Facebook to show their interests. You can learn a lot by looking at someone’s social media page. If you look at my Tumblr, you’ll learn that I battle with depression, love music (especially Beyonce` & Demi Lovato), voted for Obama, watch General Hospital (recast Jason!) and love High School Musical. If I look at some other people’s pages, all I’ll learn is that they’re in a relationship. Guess that’s who they are. And of course, if they break up with their beloved, all of the sudden they’ll be hush-hush. The moral to this story, kids, is that when you publicize your relationship, not only are you inviting everyone into your business, but you look foolish and like you’re defining yourself by your mate.
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Kelly Rowland as "Rosie the Riveter" So, after getting pissed at someone who tried to tell me what feelings and opinions I should have as a woman, it made me want to uncharacteristically curse and quote Madonna's "Human Nature": "I'm not your bitch, don't put your shit on me." I then began to ponder on all of the pro-female songs I enjoy. Here are the lyrics from a FEW of them off the top of my head. I'm sure I'll add to this list as time goes on. Below are music video clips. What are some of your favorite pro-female lyrics? "You didn't want to see life through my eyes…silence me with bitterness and lies…You punished me for telling you my fantasies, I'm breakin' all the rules I didn't make… I’m not sorry…I’m not your bitch, don’t put your shit on me...Did I have a point of view? Oops, I didn’t know I couldn’t speak my mind." –Madonna (Human Nature) “So take me as I am…This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man.”-Meredith Brooks (Bitch) "When I'm on a mission, I rebuke my condition. If you're a strong female, you don't need permission. I wish I could be strong without somebody there…I wish I could be strong without the scheiße (shit)."- Lady Gaga (Scheisse) “Don't tell me to behave, 'Cause I'll never play that game, Don't tell me what to do…Don't look at me that way, 'Cause I ain't never gonna change, And if you're talking about my life You're only wasting your own time.” –Christina Aguilera, (Still Dirrty) “Call me a bitch ‘cause I speak what's on my mind, guess it's easier for you to swallow if I sat and smiled. When a female fires back, suddenly big talker don't know how to act, so he does what any little boy would do, making up a few false rumors or two…This is for my girls all around the world who've come across a man who don't respect your worth, thinking all women should be seen, not heard, so what do we do girls? Shout out loud!”-Christina Aguilera, (Can’t Hold Us Down) “To all the men that respect what I do, please accept my shine…You know you love it how we’re smart enough to make these millions, strong enough to bear your children-then get back to business.” -Beyonce`(Run the World) “Tell me how you feel about this, try to control me boy you get dismissed, pay my own fun, oh and I pay my own bills, always 50/50 in relationships. If you're gonna brag make sure it's your money you flaunt, depend on no one else to give you what you want…I am my number one priority.”-Destiny’s Child (Independent Woman Pt1&2) "I don't need somebody to complete me; I complete myself. Nobody's got to belong to somebody else. I belong to me, I don't belong to you. My heart is my possession; I'll be my own reflection. I belong to me; I'm not one half of two, and if you're gonna love me, you should know this baby…I belong to me”- Jessica Simpson (I Belong to Me) "Take this pink ribbon off my eyes, I'm exposed and it's no big surprise. Don't you think I know exactly where I stand? This world is forcing me to hold your hand 'cause I'm just a girl, little 'ol me, don't let me out of your sight. I'm just a girl, all pretty and petite, so don't let me have any rights…Oh, I've had it up to here!"-No Doubt (Just a Girl) "I am a superwoman, yes I am. Even when I'm a mess, I still put on a vest with a "S" on my chest, oh yes, I'm a superwoman."-Alicia Keys (Superwoman) In my post “The Person You Become When You Die”, which I wrote in November 2009 (check it out), I talked about my issues with grief, particularly with the deaths of singers Aaliyah and Michael Jackson. With Aaliyah, I was briefly consumed with grieving her and eventually avoided anything that reminded me of her. With Michael, I almost let the pain of the loss overshadow and transform the positive memories I had of him. Fast forward 7 months later, I’m in a different, better place. I’ve gotten to a point where I can be reminded of Aaliyah or Michael, and not fall into sadness thinking about their death. I focused on what their siblings, Rashad and Janet, had to say:
“…she is with me; if I allow her to be. I can smile again if I let the memory of her presence on this earth exist as a gift, and not a loss.”- Rashad Haughton, 2001 “You don’t have to hold on to the pain to hold on to the memory.”-Janet Jackson It took me awhile to really understand and apply their concepts. After years of avoiding any Aaliyah material, I started watching old Aaliyah interviews on YouTube. I couldn’t help but laugh and smile at a lot of it; it reminded me of why I liked her so much. I was thinking “Man, she was hilarious and cool as heck. I remember seeing this and wanting to hang out with her.” With watching anything Michael- related, all of it took me back to a specific childhood memory. I was that 7-year-old kid again who didn’t have a care in the world. It all made feel so warm and happy inside. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. It dawned on me at that point, that because of both of them, I had all these happy memories to go back to that you can’t buy, take away or replace. There’s this safe place in my mind and heart that I can escape to whenever I just want to smile. Yes, I had them and lost them, but if I had to choose between having/losing them vs. never having them at all, I choose having/losing. I feel so grateful to have been a part of the generation that was there when their music was made. As Rashad noted, having them present was such a wonderful gift, and to remember that gift now as only a symbol of loss wouldn’t do them justice. It takes time to get to this point, I think. At the beginning, it’s indescribably hard to NOT focus on the loss. Some people don’t get passed focusing on the loss. But part of the reason why the loss hurts like it does is because of the beautiful things that person gave you. You miss having that. The loss itself will never stop being painful or sad, but you can choose what to focus on. It takes a lot of emotional energy and work, but you CAN choose. I hope this helps someone out there. So my mother calls me on September 3rd, 2009 to let me know that Michael Jackson was finally buried. I get on MSN’s homepage and there they were: links to photos and video from the burial. With my iPod ironically on depressing music, I browsed through the photos. You could feel the somber mood through every photograph. Everything felt so still. Frozen. Quiet. Pictures of brothers, sisters, friends and children whose slew of happy memories must now always end with this moment. The golden casket, the white flowers, the green “grass” carpet, eulogies, tears and tombstones.
I saw more burial news footage on YouTube. Associated videos were clips of other celebrities who had passed, like the R&B singer and actress, Aaliyah. I hadn’t seen footage of Aaliyah alive in years, and there were several videos of her being interviewed. I watched one interview that was few minutes long and, for those few minutes, I literally forgot she was gone. I got so wrapped up in the interview; just like I would if she was alive and I was seeing it for the first time. She was alluring, witty, sassy, coy, cool, and beautiful; just like I knew her to be before she died and I met the “new version” of Aaliyah: the “version” of her that’s no longer here. Minutes after reacquainting myself with the “old” Aaliyah, I got confronted with “new” one in a hard, cold, icy way. There was footage of someone visiting her burial site. They were completely silent as they walked into the mausoleum and arrived at her gravesite. It’s been 8 years, and I had never seen her gravesite. Pain hit my stomach and I instantly burst into tears. I cried on and off for hours. I just got her back. It was the 1st time in 8 years that I had seen (or remembered) her out of the context of her death; the 1st time I ever FORGOT she was gone. For a moment she was alive, well and here with us, and seeing that gravesite was like someone ripped her away from me all over again. Like she turned into dust and fell through my fingers. It was a sudden, harsh reminder that she was DEAD. GONE. That interview wasn’t current. All that’s left of her is a marble wall, encased by a golden gate with her name on it, with a bunch of pretty flowers in front. I started to cry even harder as I thought about Michael. I was angry; so upset –I didn’t want to know Michael in “that way.” I didn’t want to know this “new” version of Michael. The Person You Become When You Die. Michael was a symbol of something true and special to me: the magic, the wonderment, the innocence and the bright rose-colored glow that was the happier memories of my childhood. Once a symbol of the aforementioned, he was now a symbol of loss, sadness and hurt. He was now one of those “gone” people. One of those people who would now be memorialized every time he’s mentioned or thought about. One of those people who would be featured in a “gone, but not forgotten” painting. It’s a fascinating thing, the person you become when you die. No matter how eventful and full your life was, all that matters is the fact that you’re gone. You’re a tombstone now. How you died is the most notable or memorable thing you did, or what anybody talks about. Even if people reflect on the highlights of your life, it’s always gotta end with some depressing statement like “they were gone too soon”, “I can’t believe their gone”, “too bad they’re not here anymore, or “where were you when you got the news?” Perfect example: when I saw “This Is It”, I was on a high. He felt so alive to me. I thought I’d be depressed, but instead I felt uplifted. The movie reminded me of why I love music so much in the 1st place, and why Michael Jackson is the blueprint for how to be a consummate artist and a master of your craft. The Michael I knew- the 1st and only version I ever knew before June 25, 2009-was with me. That “new” version didn’t exist. And just when I got comfortable in my high, my friend says “It’s so sad that talent isn’t here anymore.” There was the reminder. The 2nd example: I was watching the “Dangerous” tour DVD with my mom, and just as my heart smiled and my eyes glimmered with awe, she says “It’s just hard to believe he’s gone.” Just as I said before, the sweet memories keep ending with this “new” version of him. It hurts so bad. I don’t want to get to know this “new” version, the person he became when he died. I want to keep my friend Michael just the way he was. I don’t want all my happy memories to turn into reasons why it’s sad he’s gone. I want my memories to stay as reasons why I love him. My friends keep telling me that my memories and everything else can stay as they were, and that a person’s death does not define them. Sometimes this makes me feel better. Other times, I feel like I have no choice but to accept and think about the “new” version. It’s like I don’t have an option. How can I NOT think about their death? If I were reading a book about their life, the book would always end with their death. That’s where it all stops, where it all ends. IT’S NOT FAIR! I don’t want to have to think about this. I don’t want to read that chapter. Why does that even have to be a part of the book? Why do we ever have to die in the 1st place? To avoid pain and preserve a person’s memory (and their place in my heart) the way it should be, I won’t read that last chapter. I’ll just read the chapter before it and stop. Call it denial if you want. It’s how I’m going to survive this. Oh, but wait. Denial doesn’t work. Denial is what got me crying for hours once I saw Aaliyah’s gravesite to begin with (I avoided ever seeing it, and frankly, avoided thoughts of her as much as possible). You apparently have to “deal” with the death and address it to cope successfully. My problem is that I don’t know HOW to “deal” or “cope” with it in a way that’s “healthy.” Either I’m in stone denial and I avoid thinking of the person altogether (Aaliyah), or I let my grief and the memory of the death overtake my joyous memories (Michael). Grief is even harder when it involves something or someone that has ALWAYS been there. I came out of the womb knowing Michael Jackson. A world without him is an unfamiliar world to me. It’s a world I have a difficult time adapting to because I don’t know how to be here. It doesn’t feel good. It’s a new, different world, with a new, different life. A life that runs the risk of being consumed with grieving him and keeping his memory respectfully and lovingly intact. For a second, my life was consumed with grieving Aaliyah. It was like “How do I go back to the life I had before this? How do you come back from hurting so bad, or losing something that feels so essential to your life?” I don’t like all of these “new” issues. I obviously have a hard time reconciling the 2 versions of people that have passed away. Maybe I shouldn’t be trying to reconcile them at all. Maybe the problem is that I think they become a different person when they die. Does anyone have “healthy” grieving down to a science or have it figured out? Please let me know what your theory is if you do. Maybe I’ll figure out something that works for me as I go through process of grieving Michael. Perhaps when it’s the 8th anniversary of his death (Aaliyah’s was August 25, 2009), I won’t see his gravesite and burst into tears because of denial. Maybe it won’t take me 8 years to look at the gravesite. For now, I’m going to focus on the words of Aaliyah and Michael’s siblings, Rashad and Janet. Rashad and Janet both testified to be extremely close to their siblings; perhaps I’ll find my way to solace by listening to them. “…she is with me; if I allow her to be. I can smile again if I let the memory of her presence on this earth exist as a gift, and not a loss.”- Rashad Haughton, 2001 “You don’t have to hold on to the pain to hold on to the memory.”-Janet Jackson |
J.Says Daily
My dump area for all my random thoughts, observations and advice that don't fit into the other categories. Archives
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