Tuesday Too # 12

1.) The "ideal" body image has changed over time. During the last 50 years, not only has the image changed; the image is in your face in a way it's never was before (i.e. television). I remember the skinny guy on the back of the comic books, watching forlornly as the muscle boy got the girl, who BTW was not skinny as she would be today (an advertisement for pumping iron). Is it important to you, or your partner that you resemble the current ideal image? Why or why not?

No, I find such obsessions irritating, although of course just being a member of society forces (or at least encourages) one to conform to some norms (shaving, showering, dressing, etc.) and the attention on "healthy living" that is everywhere also creates pressure to embrace a certain lifestyle (low fat, exercise, no smoking, etc.) even among those of us who shun silly, popular advertised images. But this question makes me remember about 15 years ago, when at work someone asked, "if you could be either smarter or prettier, which would you choose?" The office was on campus, and the staff was all 20-something women, mostly graduate students, as a group already bright and attractive. Everyone, and I mean everyone, said without hesitation: prettier. Why? Because all felt they were smart enough, and that becoming any smarter would be a barrier to dating, and maybe even to getting through life!


2.) The Boston Avon 3 Day Walk for Breast Cancer (60 miles) starts on May 17th. My sister and her daughter are going on this trek across generations and gender; it can strike at any age, and while it is uncommon, men also can get breast cancer. Why is it important to give up your time unselfishly for others? Is there an issue or circumstance in your life/family that you would be willing to give up 3 days for? Is there an organization or community action that you are part of, or support that we should know about?

I don't know about three straight days - but history is very important to me, and so I volunteer at two museums; I was a tour guide, and now I am the gardener at Historic Cherry Hill, I am a docent at the Bishop Museum, and I serve on the boards of the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery and the Town of Olive Historical Society. I financially support many organizations; since I love animals, they are primarily those devoted to animal welfare (ie, Mohawk and Hudson Humane Society and the ASPCA), and to hunger, literacy, and historic preservation. I have done some short-term volunteer work for a few other non-profits on occasion.


3.) Are you the black sheep, or prodigal son/daughter of your family? How come?, and If not tell us who is and why?

My family is large, and very close. My immediate family lives in the same geographical area. I live about 65 miles away, and ever since I left my hometown in 1978 to attend college, I had a plan for when I would return, after my formal education was complete. It took a lot of years to get there; in 2000 I got a PhD. Being a small town, the job opportunities back home are not a perfect match for my skills or my husband's, and commuting is out of the question. But, we managed a somewhat revised version of my plan, in that we have a weekend house there, and this way I get to spend time with them, and participate in most family activities, while still maintaining a tie to the university, and to the conveniences of a weekday life nearer to a city. It has worked out perfectly. I guess in a way this is kind of like being the prodigal daughter, but everyone in my family has some special charms and thankfully, there are no outcasts.