Screams from the Pink Collar Ghetto: Men

Saturday, July 25, 2015

An ode from 2011 to a former love

I have fallen head over heels with a Swedish peacekeeper. He smells of sunshine and herring. We talk about curry and war and when he makes love to me, he sounds like a seal pup. I want to cling to him like a starfish on a rock but he went back to Sweden after a perfect day of sunshine and scallops.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Men to talk about during a hurricane

So I came to New York City on vacation and ended up being stranded in NYC for the giant Hurricane Sandy with my college friend , Ellen, and we have reverted back to our 18 year old selves.

Conversation:

Channing Tatum. Did you see him in Magic Mike????

Ryan Reynolds : what the hell was Scarlett Johansson thinking?

Javier Bardem: we both fell in love with him in Vicky Christina Barcelona. Even as a serial killer , he is hot.

Matt Damon. I love him! She prefers Ben Affleck. I am hot for Ben Affleck in Argo. I decided to show her the "I'm fucking Matt Damon" video. A hit.

What is a Pink-Collar Ghetto?

Pink Collar Ghetto describes women stuck in certain jobs, mostly low-paying and usually because of their sex. “Pink Collar” denotes historically female jobs like maids, secretaries, waitresses, and nurses. "Ghetto" is where marginalized people are forced to live.

I chose this title for my blog from a book I started to write when I was 22 and working in South Carolina as a bartender (barmaid according to my mother) and a receptionist/ temp. As a feminist, I was worried that I would never break out of the pink-collar ghetto. I read Barbara Kingsolver's book "The Bean Trees" and it inspired me to leave SC and go back to school.

Now I am a feminist humanitarian working on gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. It's been a long way from that pink collar ghetto in South Carolina but I never forget my roots.