…we are the lucky ones…
to all of the phenomenal women who have come before us, taught us, loved us, and shown us how to be a mother figure to another human being… whether you have birthed us, adopted us, saved us, hugged us, survived us… we thank you for your wisdom and unconditional love.
oh nevada… you’re not doing yourself any favors
i am biased. entirely biased. and that bias is not going to change.
i am passionate. very passionate. and i highly doubt that will change either.
***feel free to click on the little “x” to close your browser. no hard feelings.***
yesterday, i came across this piece of information via huffingtonpost.com with regards to a potential nevada senator… a potential female senator for the state of nevada… a woman.
Since winning the Republican nomination in the Nevada Senate race Sharron Angle has drawn attention and controversy for a host of conservative policy prescriptions that seem well outside the political mainstream. Now, a Democratic source has passed along a radio interview she did back in January 2010 that could end up topping the list.
In an segment that has gone unnoticed since it first aired, the Tea Party-backed candidate told the Bill Manders show — a favorable platform for Republican candidates — that she opposed abortion even in cases of rape and incest. A pregnancy under those circumstances, she said, was “God’s plan.”
it should be noted that i’m not making this about the republican party v. the democratic party. my personal disgust with this woman and her public stance with regards to abortion has nothing to do with her political party. to be fair to each party however, i did visit both the nevada state democratic and republican party websites. the “top story” on the nevada republican party website does involve sharron angle, however, it does not address her opposition to abortion, so i chose not to quote it.
my issue has to do with the subject matter that is being addressed. rape. incest. abortion. god.
***again, feel free to click the little “x” to close your browser. still, no hard feelings.***
upon visiting the nevada state democratic party website, i came across this piece of information with regards to the same potential nevada senator and the same radio interview mentioned above…
When asked by conservative radio talk host Bill Manders whether she would support banning abortion even in cases of rape or incest Angle said there was no acceptable reason for an abortion because “God has a plan.”
Manders: Is there any reason at all for an abortion?
Angle: Not in my book.
Manders: So, in other words, rape and incest would not be something?
Angle: You know, I’m a Christian and I believe that God has a plan and a purpose for each one of our lives and that he can intercede in all kinds of situations and we need to have a little faith in many things.”
suffice to say, this makes me ill. absolutely ill.
so, for those of you who stuck around and did not click on the “x” and close your browser… thoughts?
aprons, advertising, and asshats
upon checking my inbox this morning, i came across an email from an ad agency (which shall remain nameless) making me aware that williams sonoma inc., owner of pottery barn and PBteen, requests that i remove their ad for bedding by pottery barn kids from my sidebar due to the content of the other ads that are currently running (and will continue to run) on my sidebar.
i emailed back, making the agency aware that my webmaster will remove the link as soon as possible. i added in this email that i couldn’t help but laugh at how ludicrous a situation this was, but, no harm no foul. the ad will be removed.
having that text ad was literally “pocket change,” so this was never about the money… though i now fully intend on using that $30 on wine, thankyouverymuch.
once i had a chance to marinate on this, it dawned on me that this action, asking me to remove their ad due to my content was perhaps… insulting?
the feminist in me kicked in… i began to wonder “what would betty say” about this debacle? “what would gloria do” with this tasty information?
the ad agency and i have emailed back and forth for a good part of this morning. the representative of the ad agency who initiated the pitch was profusely apologetic and cordial. i emailed back, making it clear that i found no fault with their agency, but was extremely curious about williams sonoma (as the agency’s client) and what this request of theirs meant for myself and for my readers (mainly women, mainly mothers).
dudes, i’m not discounting you. ladies without kidlets, i’m not discounting you either. i’m calling it what it is and it, my blog, is a mom blog. there, i said it… begin casting your stones.
i emailed the ad agency numerous questions…
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do these “certain words” that are “not to be associated with their brand” include “rape”?? i am an (almost) 10 year survivor and discuss sexual assault frequently on my blog.
do these “certain words” include “alcohol”?? because i really enjoy my wine, have written wine reviews, and discuss that on my blog as well.
and what about expletives? i drop a curse word in nearly every one of my posts.
**********
suffice to say, i have come to my own conclusions about what has taken place today… these conclusions are mine and mine alone and do not represent the ad agency that originally contacted me.
it is my personal belief that williams sonoma inc. is neglecting the fact that mothers are sexual beings. guess what? moms buy sex toys. some of these same women also buy children’s bedding from your store.
where on earth do you think children come from? let me answer that for you… SEX!!!!!!!
it is also my personal belief that williams sonoma inc. is negligent in educating themselves on the bloggers they pitch to… case in point, me. this is why i do not blame the ad agency. i believe the agency was the middle-person in all of this and that it is the responsibility of the company who is desiring ad space to be aware of the content of the blogger they are pitching to.
in all honesty, i don’t give two shits about my ad space. the two ads i currently run belong to two amazing women who have befriended me and i am proud to support their companies and their work.
**********
in the last hour, i took a quick twitter poll and asked the following question…
twitter poll: any moms out there who shop at williams sonoma or the companies they own, in addition to shopping for sex toys for yourself?
nic
MyBottlesUp
within seconds i received A LOT of responses, some of my faves including…
@MyBottlesUp I hide my sex toys under some Pottery Barn Furniture. #justsaying
Kimberly Wright
beautifulwreck2
@MyBottlesUp Well, I cannot afford to shop at Pottery Barn because I spend all my money on sex toys #Howyalikemenow
Sunday Stilwell
xtremeparnthood
@MyBottlesUp I am completely nonsexual and my daughter was obviously dropped off by the Stork!!!! How ridiculous!
Emma
emmylouvic
i then summed things up with the following tweet…
disclaimer: i am in no way suggesting a williams sonoma boycott or pottery barn boycott. but i am suggesting the purchase of sex toys.nic
MyBottlesUp
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according to my webmaster and dear friend who runs the same ads on her blog that i do, “you totally should write a post on ‘advertisers knowing their audience’ and how not all mommy blogger are created equal – some of us give better blowjobs.“
so basically that is what this all boils down to, i suppose.
that, and williams sonoma inc. needs to realize that it is currently 2010… people buy sex toys AND some of these people are parents.
now please excuse me while i go into the kitchen and bake some cookies while wearing my williams sonoma apron… and nothing else.
UPDATE 1: holy cripes ya’ll… treat yourselves…
In honor of @MyBottlesUp for the rest of the week, receive 20% off your entire order at http://bit.ly/QrP54 use the code SonomaPottery
Maniacal Mom
maniacalmom
THANKS TO THE EVER-SO-AWESOME @maniacalmom for this kickass discount!!!
also, make sure to check out the latest BlogherAtHome post and enter to win a basket of goodies from the uber generous @maniacalmom.
(why do i feel like so many will be starting a collection of toys, if not adding their already existing one??? enjoy!!!)
UPDATE 2: thanks to my fantastic sponsor @nipplecharms!!!
In honor of @MyBottlesUp for the rest of June, receive 12% off your order at http://bit.ly/dl8YaW use the code WilliamsSonoma
nipplecharms
nipplecharms
ladies what are you waiting for? go! shop! then… well, you know what to do.
An open letter to Roger David
***UPDATED MON. JAN. 25***
click here for the latest info with regards to the t-shirt outrage that started last week and hopefully will not cease until these shirts are pulled off the shelves.
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Dear Mr. David,
It should be noted that I am writing this post using proper grammar and capitalization. This does not happen often. In fact, I much prefer writing using all lowercase letters as I am a lazy ass.
Now that we have that business out of the way, it has come to my attention that you have designed and created what I can only hope does not become the latest fashion trend for men.
The t-shirts you are currently selling in which women are blindfolded and gagged are disgraceful.
It is not uncommon for me, a 9 year rape survivor, to address offensive messages that ignorant individuals verbalize with regards to rape.
I am personally grateful to Melinda Tankard Reist for her blog and advocacy, otherwise I would not be writing this post and suggesting to you what I see to be the only way to rectify this situation.
Mr. David, I recommend you remove these t-shirts from the shelves of your store immediately. Take the proceeds you have made from the sale of these t-shirts, and donate them to a women’s crisis center.
Be a man… a good one… one your mother would be proud of.
Unsure how to sign this as I am repulsed by you,
Nic
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You can visit Melinda Tankard Reist’s site here.
You can visit Roger David’s website here to contact him and let him know your own thoughts.
Have a Sip
