Eve Ensler (author of the Vagina Monologues, activist, feminist, performer) talks about the girl cell which exists in every person but is systematically suppressed and disdained upon.  She brings up the stigmas of being a girl; how boys, men and women are taught to not be girls.  How girls are viewed negatively for being emotional, making them irrational, or as commodities, or weak.  Things that I personally feel have been attributed to me as defects.  (I’m in a gray area of confusion as far as assigning specific attributes to gender but… to continue)  Here is her talk via Ted.com and I concur that it’s an “idea worth spreading.”

http://www.ted.com/talks/eve_ensler_embrace_your_inner_girl.html

(Sorry, I’m not sure how to insert videos from Ted)

________________________________________________________________________________

Now as promised Lesley Gore…

Last night I was at a birthday celebration for a beautiful young women I know and I’ve never had many girlfriends…  So, here I am at this large dinner table with rows of gorgeous women and I can’t help but giggle at the high levels of estrogen just floating in the air or in our bodies and I considered how different female to female bonds are. (AYO!)

There is undeniable energy within a group of ladies and it made me consider and reflect upon Lesley Gore’s recordings.

Lesley Gore (produced by Quincy Jones) is probably most notable or recognized by her song, It’s My Party and a few other bubblegum pop joints but she also had bangers the likes of You Don’t Own Me which I interpret as an anthem against patriarchy and an expression of freedom in youth.  Gore’s career is also concurrent with 60s feminist activism in the form of 2nd wave radical feminists.   At the height of her celebrity rather than accept movie and television offers, Gore instead attended Sarah Lawrence College which she later attributes as where she discovered her sexual orientation and in 2005 announced publicly that she is a lesbian.  It was also in 2005 that she released “Ever Since,” her first new release since 1982, and original work since 1976′s “Love Me By Name.”  Apart from her recording success, Leslie also wrote for the film Fame, and the song Maybe I Know for the 1967 Batman television series.  Lesley also guest hosted PBS’s In the Life, a show documenting the gay experience and dealing with LGBT issues.  Here is just a small glimpse into the vast works of Lesley Gore…

Powerful live performance of You Don’t Own Me

Don’t Call Me I’ll Call You

That’s the Way Boy’s Are

Best Coast cover of That’s the Way Boy’s Are (Best Coast, a band definitely worth checking out!)

Interview with Lesley, she discusses how she got started and gives advice to those trying to make it in the music business today