LGBTAitp - Part Nineteen

[Astrella]

What.

Considering who said it, I'm sure she's being sarcastic.

Also joining the "Lix is a pretty awesome gall" crowd.

[Reluctance]

Did a bit of digging on Working It to see how the show tried to spin itself as funny. If you really want to be depressed, read about the next episode. In Shake Your Money Maker, the guys get their sales figures up to par by flirting with the clients.

I can feel confident writing off your average sitcom as silly and simplistic. There's something about "ha ha, this is something gets people killed" that turns it into a russian doll stack of nested wrong.

[Coidzor]

Did a bit of digging on Working It to see how the show tried to spin itself as funny. If you really want to be depressed, read about the next episode. In Shake Your Money Maker, the guys get their sales figures up to par by flirting with the clients.

I can feel confident writing off your average sitcom as silly and simplistic. There's something about "ha ha, this is something gets people killed" that turns it into a russian doll stack of nested wrong.

It's times like these I wish there was some way to petition that someone's christmas bonus be a live honey badger.

Considering who said it, I'm sure she's being sarcastic.

Also joining the "Lix is a pretty awesome gall" crowd.

Corr, can't be that, she didn't use blue!

International GITP symbol of sarcasm, don't'cher'know.

Can't recall if it signifies tongue-in-cheekness though.

[noparlpf]

I'm going to have to assume she was being sarcastic. And I agree wholeheartedly with the honey badger idea. Speaking of which, I kind of want one. Where can I find one?

[Coidzor]

I'm going to have to assume she was being sarcastic. And I agree wholeheartedly with the honey badger idea. Speaking of which, I kind of want one. Where can I find one?

Well, apparently they range from Africa to India and in between as well. They even seem to exhibit longer life spans than frat boys in captivity (give or take 24-25 years), though no one has been crazy enough to catalog how long they live in the wild.

[noparlpf]

Well, apparently they range from Africa to India and in between as well. They even seem to exhibit longer life spans than frat boys in captivity (give or take 24-25 years), though no one has been crazy enough to catalog how long they live in the wild.

Is that specifically frat boys, or just boys in general? I've never been in a frat and my mother has a bet going against my survival to eighteen.

[Arachu]

I've always been the type to just climb to the top of the walls and go from there. If it's underground, I guess I'd have to do it your way.

I thought about doing that, but if I did the walls would still be there. Now I only have the ankle-high foundations to hop over (though I haven't quite gotten all of the walls yet... *glances at wall labelled "voice control"*)

Reading Natalie's review that I linked would give you a good idea I think. I think the main issue with it is that it really cheapens the problems trans* people have to face on a daily basis.

And women, and men, and people without jobs, and people who work in fast-food places, and anyone who's dimly aware of anti-sexism laws.

...I got enough out of the IGN review to justify avoiding it like the plague.

Also joining the "Lix is a pretty awesome gall" crowd.

What she said.

International GITP symbol of sarcasm, don't'cher'know.

I hope not... *nervously glances around*

[Lady Serpentine]

Lix Lorn's Harem is open!

Anyone may join!

Please form an orderly queue!

It is? I'd been assuming that she had to invite you. I mean, generally one would wish to select those in their harem pretty carefully.

(hides under desk)
When did blushcomplimenting Lixie become a favourite pasttime again? XD

I think it's probably just that more people have started interacting with you on here, and thus discovering you're an awesome person.

You're universally liked, and why not? You always have something nice and positive to say, and it never seems forced. You are a very likeable person. Accept.

Asta, you're making me have flashbacks to when I was 12 and just discovering the internet.

Why would that statement be triggering such flashbacks?

Seconded and thirded.

(We won't mention the secret forum-wide experiment to see if we can get someone to spontaneously combust through blushing. )

Aw... Why'd you have to pick Lix for that? She's nice. Can't you try to set someone we don't like on fire?

[Coidzor]

Why would that statement be triggering such flashbacks?

That statement wasn't made in a vacuum, nor was mine necessarily solely or in part a response to that last statement of his.

[ORione]

Is that specifically frat boys, or just boys in general? I've never been in a frat and my mother has a bet going against my survival to eighteen.

Your mother's betting against your survival? I hope she doesn't... take steps to ensure her victory.

[golentan]

To answer the earlier question, I work in retail.

[Pika...]

Hi,

I have a good friend who is a transgender who today I found out has been wanting to know other transgenders, and talk with them. I guess to have people to relate to, and to discuss what you all go through and such.

If possible, would any of the transgenders here consider emailing with my friend and such? If you are please PM me and I can send you the email (I have approval to do so).


Thank you kindly, and many Pikas in advance!


ps. I told my friend about the site, and we might get a new member.

[Lady Serpentine]

That statement wasn't made in a vacuum, nor was mine necessarily solely or in part a response to that last statement of his.

Yes... Which was why I was asking for clarification as to why he was doing so...

[The Succubus]

Aw... Why'd you have to pick Lix for that? She's nice. Can't you try to set someone we don't like on fire?

Because she's adorable when she blushes.

[Asta Kask]

Asta, you're making me have flashbacks to when I was 12 and just discovering the internet.

I'm afraid you'll have to elucidate? Are you saying I'm trying to into her pants? She's young enough to be my daughter, ffs...

But FYI, I'm saying it because I think it's true. Nothing more, nothing less.

[Serpentine]

Two, it does tie into something I've noticed. Women are far more likely to get hired in public relations situations (though there's still a male bias in so many other fields that complaining about reverse gender inequality is ridiculous).

Interestingly, men are in particularly high demand as medical receptionists, as well as primary school teachers. These are positions very heavily dominated by women, but where a greater presence of men would be highly appreciated. There's probably others, too.
But basically, from what I understand, if you're a male medical receptionist or primary school teacher, you're pretty much guaranteed a job.

[The Succubus]

Same is true of Audiology as well. I think it's a 10:1 ratio of women to men in this field. Not really sure why that's the case - maybe it's just random chance.

[KenderWizard]

Considering who said it, I'm sure she's being sarcastic.

No, I never use sarcasm.*

It's times like these I wish there was some way to petition that someone's christmas bonus be a live honey badger.

We could go all xkcd on the situation and post them a bobcat. I bet we could find an address. But why would we? The show is clearly great. Institutional misogyny is the new ... I actually can't think of anything to put here that wouldn't be going too far.

Corr, can't be that, she didn't use blue!

International GITP symbol of sarcasm, don't'cher'know.

Can't recall if it signifies tongue-in-cheekness though.

... OH MY GOSH THIS IS THE SOLUTION TO THE AGE-OLD TONE PROBLEM OF THE INTERNET! Everything's better colour coded.

Interestingly, men are in particularly high demand as medical receptionists, as well as primary school teachers. These are positions very heavily dominated by women, but where a greater presence of men would be highly appreciated. There's probably others, too.
But basically, from what I understand, if you're a male medical receptionist or primary school teacher, you're pretty much guaranteed a job.

That's generally the case whenever there's a gender imbalance. It's not the best way to fix it, but there might not exist a perfect way to fix it, so I suppose it's good if it works. The idea is that if it's a basically guaranteed job, people who are more sensible than they are invested in tight gender restrictions will go for it and once plenty of people of whichever gender needs more representation have got jobs there, it'll be normal for men/women to hold that job, so the next generation won't have the restriction. Only it works really slowly for some jobs (like nurses - people still say "nurse" and "male nurse", and still think nursing is a "woman's job"). Men are likely to get jobs in caring and teaching professions, and certain medical and related fields, like occupational therapy. But they still face things like parents saying they can't have their baby being minded by a great big man brute. (They don't get this to the same extent as gay people, though ). Women are likely to be sought after for construction and mining and such, but they still get bullied and harassed by their overwhelmingly male coworkers. (Apparently if I took my geology degree to Kansas, I could be rolling in money and job offers and institutional sexism!) Both kinds of sexism are worth fighting against, and both are coming from exactly the same place. Men's jobs are big tough manly jobs and men who do girly jobs are in for ridicule and suspicion. Women should stay at home, but if they insist on working, they should have nice girly caring jobs.

*

[H Birchgrove]

Hmm. Over here in turnipland, we say "sjuksköterska" and "sjuksyster" (= literally "sick sister" ), both are feminine. You *could* make the former masculine or neutral by saying "sjukskötare" but that's not official. (Swede or Swedes who are more experienced in healthcare can modify my statement.)

This reminds me of the latest Stig-Helmer Olsson film I saw on TV, Hälsoresan - En smal film av stor vikt (= "Health journey - A thin film* of great weight**"). In the early part of the film, Stig-Helmer is suffering from obesity while his Norwegian friend Ole finds himself to have heart problems, despite having an active life. He gets a check-up at a heart specialist. The funny thing is that he thinks the middle-aged male he meets is the doctor, but he is actually the nurse and the doctor is actually a black woman (who also speaks perfect Swedish). More smiles as she asks Ole if he's not Swedish.

Stig-Helmer and Ole later travels to a previously old school health institution (similar to Shrublands in the James Bond novel and film Thunderball, at least in philosophy), which is getting reformed with "modern" and "Eastern" influences and some New Age for good measure.

One thing I found to be a bit odd is that a "minor" character, a woman with weight issues, is told by the Indian guru guy that she looks great as she is, which makes her satisfied with herself and her body. Which I suppose is great, but why then did Stig-Helmer need to loose weight then?

* Double entendre, can also mean film that not many are going to watch, a film which is very high brow.
** Another double entendre, as it can mean "of great importance".

PS. This was the latest film in the series I saw, not the one most recently made. That would be The Stig-Helmer Story, part sequel and part prequel since it's about the main character re-calling his youth.

[Mystic Muse]

Curse this lanky body!

In other words, I'd like to look a little curvier and I'm not really in a situation where I can get hormone treatment any time soon. Anybody know of some good foods to eat? I'm a little too thin as is, so I'm not opposed to being fattened up a bit.

Also, when I shave, it tends to leave behind a five o' clock shadow. Is this just because it's been a while since I've shaved, and it'll go away so long as I keep my shaving consistent?

[Callista]

Re. gaining weight: It may not be possible for some body types; some people are just built skinny and will tend to drift back down to the lower weight. Anyway, if you want to gain weight and get some curves, then gain it on healthy stuff, not on junk food. There are plenty of nutritious but calorie-dense foods--meat, nuts, bread, milk and cheese, for example.

Five o'clock shadows come from the bit of hair still below your skin when you shave. If you're dark-haired, it's most noticeable. I guess you could try a different method of hair removal. Waxing, epilators, and other methods that remove the whole hair won't leave a five o'clock shadow.

[Astrella]

Curse this lanky body!

In other words, I'd like to look a little curvier and I'm not really in a situation where I can get hormone treatment any time soon. Anybody know of some good foods to eat? I'm a little too thin as is, so I'm not opposed to being fattened up a bit.

I'm not sure if gaining some weight will really help, since you'll gain "male" weight, and not "female" weight, so not in the right places anyway. I think just clothing might be a good thing to look into though, since you can emphasize and de-emphasize parts of your body through that. (My favourite hoodie for example really downplays my shoulders, which I like a lot.) I don't really have much advice on hows and whats though.

Also, when I shave, it tends to leave behind a five o' clock shadow. Is this just because it's been a while since I've shaved, and it'll go away so long as I keep my shaving consistent?

I don't really think there is a way except for waxing and other, more permanent methods like electrolysis and the like. You can use foundation to camouflage it though.

[Mystic Muse]

I'm not sure if gaining some weight will really help, since you'll gain "male" weight, and not "female" weight, so not in the right places anyway. I think just clothing might be a good thing to look into though, since you can emphasize and de-emphasize parts of your body through that. (My favourite hoodie for example really downplays my shoulders, which I like a lot.) I don't really have much advice on hows and whats though.

Alright. Thanks anyway.

Re. gaining weight: It may not be possible for some body types; some people are just built skinny and will tend to drift back down to the lower weight. Anyway, if you want to gain weight and get some curves, then gain it on healthy stuff, not on junk food. There are plenty of nutritious but calorie-dense foods--meat, nuts, bread, milk and cheese, for example.

Alright.

I don't really think there is a way except for waxing and other, more permanent methods like electrolysis and the like. You can use foundation to camouflage it though.

Five o'clock shadows come from the bit of hair still below your skin when you shave. If you're dark-haired, it's most noticeable. I guess you could try a different method of hair removal. Waxing, epilators, and other methods that remove the whole hair won't leave a five o'clock shadow.

I'll give removing the whole hair a shot. Sounds painful, but I may just hate the way this looks enough to go through with it.

[KenderWizard]

Curse this lanky body!

In other words, I'd like to look a little curvier and I'm not really in a situation where I can get hormone treatment any time soon. Anybody know of some good foods to eat? I'm a little too thin as is, so I'm not opposed to being fattened up a bit.

I was going to give you a list of really fattening foods, but Callista's right, binging on junk food is really bad for you (that said, crisps are like nothing else for putting weight on!). Cheese, nuts, potatoes, chicken with the skin on, lamb... Another thing that might help is if you do some kind of exercise that fits with your goals. Because exercise is a good way to be healthy at whatever weight, so if you put on a bunch of weight without exercising, it's bad. But different kinds of exercise give rise to different body shapes, so you might want to pick one that tends towards androgyny or has the same effect on male and female bodies. Rather than, say, weightlifting, which will give you big manly muscles.

Definitely look into clothes, though. Flattering clothes can do wonders for non-curvy women who want curves. I've seen shirts that move women up a bra size and give them hips they don't have. Flattering clothes can do wonders for non-adjective people who want to look adjective in general!

[H Birchgrove]

Is it that why some training techniques, like pilates, are more commonly used by women than by men?

I need to google pilates because I don't really know what it is...

[Coidzor]

Curse this lanky body!

In other words, I'd like to look a little curvier and I'm not really in a situation where I can get hormone treatment any time soon. Anybody know of some good foods to eat? I'm a little too thin as is, so I'm not opposed to being fattened up a bit.

Also, when I shave, it tends to leave behind a five o' clock shadow. Is this just because it's been a while since I've shaved, and it'll go away so long as I keep my shaving consistent?

Have...Have you tried to work the legs?

Fruit with phytoestrogens are sometimes brought up as a way to use diet to effect some minor changes before hormone therapy is an option. It's slightly disputed as to whether it's a good idea or bad idea last I read up on it, and I have no idea what foods have elevated levels of such things. My basic biology knowledge leads me to believe that edible fruits and flowers containing elevated levels would be a hypothesis that wouldn't completely embarrass one forever in seeking out knowledge.

Alcohol doesn't really lend itself to curves, but it is one of those things that convert directly to fat, but that tends to lead to concentrated belly fat which you obviously don't want in this case, and is grossly unhealthy to make a habit of consuming enough of it to effect a noticeable change.

Have you considered substituting lard for butter and as shortening in baked goods instead of things like crisco?

In general though, a good general practicioner that you've been with for awhile should be able to make you some more informed recommendations, or if they didn't feel comfortable, they usually will have contacts with a dietician or nutritionalist or whatever they're called now.

Sounds like you need to use shorter strokes, more of them, and clean out your razor. You may need to shave with the grain until you've got it as smooth as you can, then shave against the grain, and then shave with the grain once more in order to get what's left to set right.

Of course, that middle step is the tricky part because you want it as down as possible and to take as short of strokes as possible so that you don't do anything untoward or get an ingrown hair or anything of that nature.

[KenderWizard]

Is it that why some training techniques, like pilates, are more commonly used by women than by men?

I need to google pilates because I don't really know what it is...

I think that one might be because it became popular among women as a low-impact stretching work-out and things that originally become popular among women get branded as feminine and therefore men shouldn't do them because they lose man-points if they do. Or something.

But yeah, I think some people do pick sports based on what kind of body shape you end up with, particularly if they're doing them for weight loss or muscle gain and not because they're really into that sport. Swimming makes you triangular! Wide shoulders and small waist.

[Coidzor]

Is it that why some training techniques, like pilates, are more commonly used by women than by men?

I need to google pilates because I don't really know what it is...

Pilates are development of the core. They're used more by women than men because most men are not interested in a healthy core, they're interested in bulking up or slimming down, not forming a healthy core from which to do lots of things.

Whereas IIRC, women are interested in pilates, but generally for the wrong reasons as well, being that it's something that burns calories and helps one feel stronger and more limber but isn't really going to cause them to get muscley or anything, although some of the exercises will provide increased muscle in the chest, with attendant breast aesthetic benefits, it's mostly abs, sides, and back, the core of the human being.

[Delusion]

I have heard of people using green tea (or something) as sort of poor woman's estrogen. Dunno if it works or not.

[H Birchgrove]

I think that one might be because it became popular among women as a low-impact stretching work-out and things that originally become popular among women get branded as feminine and therefore men shouldn't do them because they lose man-points if they do. Or something.

Could be. Explains why they had so fun in Jay Leno (IIRC) when a guy from the show tried it.

But yeah, I think some people do pick sports based on what kind of body shape you end up with, particularly if they're doing them for weight loss or muscle gain and not because they're really into that sport. Swimming makes you triangular! Wide shoulders and small waist.

I heard that those who do alpine skiing, at least on a competive level, get very muscular legs, which makes sense. (For what it's worth, I don't find female skiiers and swimmers unattractive. Personally, if I had been able to swim on a pro-level, my greatest concern would be the shaving. I like my body hair!)

Drat, now you remind me that I need to start training! *looks at belly*

Pilates are development of the core. They're used more by women than men because most men are not interested in a healthy core, they're interested in bulking up or slimming down, not forming a healthy core from which to do lots of things.

Whereas IIRC, women are interested in pilates, but generally for the wrong reasons as well, being that it's something that burns calories and helps one feel stronger and more limber but isn't really going to cause them to get muscley or anything, although some of the exercises will provide increased muscle in the chest, with attendant breast aesthetic benefits, it's mostly abs, sides, and back, the core of the human being.

That's very informative, thanks Coidzor! I could use some training of my back!

I have heard of people using green tea (or something) as sort of poor woman's estrogen. Dunno if it works or not.

A girl/young lady I know on deviantART claims she has gotten somewhat larger breasts through drinking soy milk. I can't tell whether she speaks the truth or if she's delusional (as in, wishful thinking) or something, but it makes sense: soy beans contain phytoestrogens, hormones that are similar to estrogen, and amongst many things can help men to slow down growth of the prostate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytoestrogens

PS. I suspect if soy beans were effective enough to make breasts considerably larger, it would be known by far more women and used, for example, by transwomen. I mean, Asian cismen don't have "manboobs" in greater quantity than European cismen, AFAIK.