Walking Tall

After hearing her story, I began to dig a little deeper into the issue at hand. Coming from a Brazilian background, women generally don’t mind to be catcalled and in fact, take it as a compliment. However in North America we feel harassed and oggled at. It disgusts us and embarrasses us! However, Cilla shamefully admitted, Maybe it was the heels Mel, but somehow, I kind of liked it. There amongst a sweaty pack of hammer-wielding men, my sister felt a boost of confidence, even though it was partially in the closet.

Is it possible that maybe we can see it as something positive? Can we take it as a compliment, hold our head up high and walk tall?

Whistling men have been around for centuries you see. Dating as far back as the Seven Dwarfs, those little men whistled as they jollied through the magical forest, even when Snow White was present. Granted, they weren’t whistling in a salacious manner, but it was still whistling. It’s even reported that the “little people” who played the Munchkins in the Wizard of Oz were famously horny during the production of the movie. Go figure, men (even little ones) have been vocally expressing their horniness for centuries. So then what about women?

Was it the dawn of women’s lib that made us feel so objectified? Can we for just a second possibly see it in a positive light versus feeling victimized by the whistles from a passing car? Granted, there are times when I just don’t have a moment or patience for it. Walking down the street filled with piss and vinegar several months back, I was on a mission. Being told to just smile baby was certainly the last thing I wanted to hear. So yes, I get it, sometimes, we’re just not in the mood. But sometimes, I will admit, that it does make me feel sexy too.

So in the spirit of sexy and given that I’ve had a hard week, I treated myself to a little Coco-Carob Pudding which is hardly anything to feel guilty about. The calcium rich treat is smooth and creamy that I can enjoy eating emotionally without the guilt. I began to think about the food connection to all of this. That granted, sometimes we rely on others to make us feel or tell us that we’re sexy, but few of us actually take the initiative to do the things that create sexiness from the inside out. One of which is food. By eating dirty food (a.k.a. processed, junk food), we don’t allow for real food (particularly an abundance of greens) to give us the vitality we need to feel sexy. Instead, we walk around feeling tired and sluggish getting coffee after coffee to keep us awake, and get take-out from the nearest place on our lunch. The result? Depression, weight gain, headaches, hormone imbalances and the inability to manage stress. So just when a construction worker hollers at us, we’re irritated. Is it fair to say that maybe we’re even to some some degree irritated with ourselves?

Maybe if we just treat ourselves with sexy, whole foods we will gain the confidence to slip on those strappy heels and walk along side that construction site. At that point we can either make the decision to walk away without being appalled and yelling back profanity, or allow our sexy selves to confidently smile from the inside out.

[This message brought to you by These Boots Are Made For Walking by Nancy Sinatra]