i am hatching an evil feminist plot

mwahahaha. Oh yes. I am hatching a plot. It is very exciting. The first stage of this plot is this:

To my friends who read this:
I have decided to do a personal boycott of the beauty industry. By that, I mean the vast majority of women's magazines such as Cosmo, Elle, YM, Seventeen, Marie-Claire, Redbook, etc etc etc. I will also include all beauty products that use advertisements to tell women that they can "change" or "lose weight" or "look sexier." I include such products that have no medical basis for improving skin care or "firming cellulite." or otherwise in my boycott. I include diet drugs, diet programs and exercise fads. Cosmetic surgery. Clothing companies that only cater to one body type and season after season reduce their sizes and designs. Movies that portray stereotyped and typical women's roles. That hire anorexic actresses. That promote myths about men's "aggressiveness" and women's "submissiveness." Pornography.

I promise to support financially and vocally the counters to these items: magazines that promote positive self-image and achievement, such as Bitch, Bust, and Ms. There are many others, and they deserve support. I promise to promote a healthy sexual outlook in people whenever I get the opportunity, to never deny a teenager the right to knowledge or advice. I promise to let stores that cater to the Beauty Myth know that there needs to be a standard of measurement for women's clothes that includes body types of all shapes. I will support the erotica industry, which promotes loving sexual relationships, or at least equal and non-violent sexual relationships, instead of the violence and misogyny of the pornography industry.

This list could go on and on. Most of you who know me understand that I have been doing this anyway. So why make the statement now? The answer is this: What I am asking my dear Buddha Stew readers is that you join me. I ask that you, too, decline from participating in the beauty myth and make your own personal statement. I know that most of you have a positive outlook on body image, so even if you read a women's magazine for kicks, or just to look, please consider the damage that they do to others and remove your money from their pockets. If you enjoy pornography, perhaps you would consider looking for something that is less violent or unrealistic. Refrain from judging a person on their appearance or clothing until you get a glimpse of their mind and personality. See the beauty in humanity. Realize that in our consumer culture these industries depend on the insecurities they create to keep the money pouring in. The best way to make a stand here to is to take away financial support. Perhaps then they'll take notice.

There are so many things I'd like to be active in protesting: sexism, ageism, heterosexism, racism, sizeism, the list goes on. I feel that in making my stand against the beauty industry I can cover all of these. For example:

The beauty industry is sexist: it targets women and creates a consumer culture that keeps many from developing their minds beyond worries of weight and appearance. That puts woman at the mercy of how man sees her.

The beauty industry is ageist: it promotes cosmetic surgery of all kinds that reduces the natural effects of aging and denies it a beauty of its own. It denies women a life after 30.

The beauty industry is heterosexist: it feeds on images of "how to please your man" and "the best sexual positions" (read: intercourse). It denies information on alternate sexual experiences.

The beauty industry is racist: consistently white actresses and models appear as cover girls, black models are reserved for months when magazines don't generally "sell as well." Blonde and blue-eyed are beautiful and ideal.

The beauty industry is sizeist: it relies on an ever decreasing waist size to model its fashions. It denies women with curves the right to enjoy their bodies and feel sexy.

I believe in a feminism that allows you the right to choose your path. Of course great progress has been made in allowing women access to public spheres. You don't have to be a housewife if you don't want to. You can be a housewife if you want to. You can be sexually active, lesbian, bisexual, virgin or just plain asexual. But don't be fooled into thinking that feminism is done, that it's served its purpose and retired into history. The beauty industry is part of an intense backlash against women's liberation, an effort to block social change and keep the money pouring into the right pockets. Someone is afraid that women can change the world-and they're right, they can. Whatever version of inequality you look into, be it racial or gendered, classist or sexual, you'll notice this similarity: inequality requires a system of control. Control can translate into capitalism (go ahead, call me a crazy socialist psychopath :), warfare, religious fundamentalism. Control is important to those people who benefit from it, and in our society it happens to be white men. Thus these interests that I express are dangerous to them, because it means change. It means giving up power and admitting to wrongs and having to explain their actions for the past thousands of years. It means admiring all people as people first and ethnic and gender groups last. And losing money.

This is probably, at first read, a complex tangle of every theory I've ever had or read about and assimilated. I want to explain that I consider every action of inequality to be of equal importance and equally deserving of action. I want to do my part, and this is it. I am taking a small step: the personal is political. Change on the national level is hardly worth dreaming about, but with a few small actions multiplied-well, maybe you can dream. So, if you've made it this far without falling asleep or getting pissed off at me, please consider what I am asking, and send me an email if you support it (please no hate mail, although I will gladly take suggestions or concerns). I want both women and men to take a stand on this. I'm not a man-hater; you all know this. That's not feminism. Don't be afraid to challenge the system. All of this depends on money-you have it, and you get to choose where it goes. Please choose wisely.

Readings that have influenced my thinking (only a sample and all I have the energy to cite):
The Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf
SLUT! Growing up Female with a Bad Reputation Leora Tanenbaum
The Gender Knot: Unraveling our Patriarchal Legacy Alan G Johnson
Women, Race, and Class Angela Y. Davis