Elise: I’m glad someone likes pink…and I like pink clouds, too, so I guess it’s not everything pink that I don’t like :-p And I agree, I was thinking about “tomboy” recently: shouldn’t it be “tomgirl”? or “janeboy”? something that indicates that the tomboy is, in fact, a girl…and I’m with you on the carpooling thing…I found a woman to carpool with at my old office and kept thinking, “it’s too inconvenient this month because I have things planned…I’ll start next month”. But next month always ended up a month away.

Everytime I see your name The Cure’s “Letters to Elise” gets stuck in my head. It’s a bit of a mournful song. I need a new Elise connection! And I’m not sure if that’s better or worse that the fact that everytime I see this blog title I hear Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire” in my head. lol

On a bit of a tangent, since we’re venting about such issues, who came up with the word “tomboy”? Why does a girl who likes to kick a soccer ball instead of dress a barbie have to be labeled a word that infers she is like a boy? Can’t she just be a girl who likes soccer? A man who is a good cook isn’t called a “Suegirl” or anything silly like that, is he?

That being said, I agree with the comments before me and I wish that pink wasn’t labeled a “girl” color. I wish we didn’t have to pour so much money in to marketing the cause in order to obtain funding for breast cancer research – wouldn’t it be great if we would all just give without having to be campaigned? We could devote more funding to research and less to marketing. It’s too bad that we have to be lured into legitimate charitable giving.

Despite the fact that I like pink, like soccer, hope for a cancer cure, and hate being called a tomboy, I’ve still go my own hypocrisies. I think people should carpool and drive less but I hate the inconvenience of carpooling and driving less. I wish people in other countries were paid enough and that children were in school but I’m wearing Gap jeans, too. I wish the holidays weren’t so commercialized and yet I love the mall at Christmas and look forward to shopping for that perfect gift. We really are living in a material world, eh?

One of the great tensions in my life: style v. substance. I love performance and expression and am acutely aware of my penchant for both. So part of me wants to go hippie and wear the same t-shirt and pair of jeans for weeks on end, and then the other part is out buying a pair of colorful Cons (now owned by Nike) to match my laptop bag. I’m drawn to great design, and am excited when art meets good causes. But how many great causes go unnoticed?

Miko, I’m with you on the pink-aversion. CatGirl (who has her own tomboyish ways) and I seem to share color preferences: dislike for pink, love for teal, sea-green, chartreuse. We also share a strange affinity for Emily the Strange.

I find other ways to gender-bend, through knitting (in earth tones), holding tea parties, carrying bags that look suspiciously like purses. Caroline (K.) promised to buy me a “This is what a feminist looks like” t-shirt, and I’m going to hold her to it. You listening, Caroline!?

Nee, awesome shirt! Though this one seems to sum up Miko’s post perfectly.

I just got this so while it’s not pink, I’m clearly not adverse to “girly” when it suits me (the death bow, nee? so cute!). I suppose that was really grinds my coffee is that I like this pink object. It’s not grey (which would match my decor but is boring), it comes pre-loaded with feminist music (huzzah!), and it’s super convenient (I just lost my data stick: sadness is me). So it’s pink (= hate) but totally geeky (= love) and somehow, love always wins. :-p

I’ve recently decided I need an antenne ball, the better to identify my car with (somehow, the vanity plate doesn’t do it for me until I’m super close). Trying to decide which direction to sell out: Mickey Mouse or Jack in the Box…?

I don’t like rubber bracelets for causes. Rubber bracelets from the mid 80s madonna era are fine.

I also don’t like magnetic ribbons. David Sedaris was in town recently and had this ribbon on the book signing table next to him. Amen to that.

Oh, and I’m a hypocrite too. I’m sure there’s crap I do that’s incongruent with my words.

Nonetheless, I have a really, really difficult time promoting awareness of a health issue with products that that contribute to health issues thanks to the polluted factories they’re made in and the landfills they end up in.

As for pink, this is my latest pink purchase I’m waiting on. Read the description.