Women’s Sexual Rights – America’s Going Backwards

by Linda Franklin

In 2012 the spotlight is once again focused on women’s rights. Is all the news out there bad or  is there a bright side?  You decide.
•Mitt Romney now says he doesn’t want to close Planned Parenthood, just strip it of federal money.

•A proposed new law in Arizona would require women to prove they’re taking birth control for non-sexual reasons before they get reimbursed through their health plan hasn’t passed … yet.

•Virginia and Texas now require women to have ultrasounds before they can obtain an abortion. 

Let’s face it the United States has become a scary place for sexually active women.  Even Hillary Clinton, has been forced to turn her attention to gender abuses in our backyard. Addressing the Women in the World Summit last week, she marveled that extremists who strive to control women aren’t confined to foreign lands.

“It is hard to believe that even here at home, we have to stand up for women’s rights and reject efforts to marginalize any one of us, because America needs to set an example for the entire world,” she said.

But a crackdown on women’s rights, once mainly confined to the crazy Southern states, is now under way all over the place, with many locales vying for the “State That Can Best Demean Women”. Idaho, for example, has proposed an ultrasound bill that would effectively trick women into visiting those creepy crisis pregnancy centers that try to shock them out of having abortions. Under the proposed law, a woman would have to have an ultrasound before terminating a pregnancy. But she’d be provided with a list of places that provide them for free, and guess where they are? Yup, those deceptive organizations that harass pregnant women.

Elsewhere, Kansas is considering a provision of a bill that would protect a doctor who discovers that a baby will be born with a devastating condition and withholds that information from his patient. So if the bill passes, an anti-abortion doctor could lie about the results of blood tests and ultrasounds. God forbid that a woman be trusted with decisions about her future.

This national Father-Knows-Best flashback is inspired by the Rev. Santorum, and its consequences go beyond proposed legislation and laws. It’s created an atmosphere in which even birth control advocates now frame the matter as a health issue, rather than admit that women like to have sex, just as men do. Otherwise, they’re taking the Slut Pill. 

Many women enjoy sex, and they sometimes enjoy sex with different partners, just as men do. Many use some form of birth control. This does not make them sluts. It makes them responsible. Sex without consequences is what women fought for.

That’s why any effort to determine which women “deserve” birth control is dangerous. All women do. And it’s absolutely crazy that this point must be made in 2012, and that the systematic dismantling of women’s rights continues to unfold in broad daylight.

Let’s hope we can soon look back on these dark days with a shudder, and shake our heads at the inanity.

 

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality. Linda Franklin says,”there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible”. Linda’s book, Don’t Ever Call Me Ma’am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Tim Gunn Says Hillary Clinton Confused About Her Gender

by Linda Franklin The Real Cougar Woman

With her pink jacket and pearls, Hillary Clinton looked both feminine and professional when she visited the Norwegian Embassy this week.

And while fashion was likely the last thing on her mind, her choice of outfit could not have been more well-timed given that she was the subject of cutting criticism from Project Runway judge Tim Gunn.

In an interview with George Lopez, the fashion guru, accused Mrs Clinton of favouring unflattering mannish clothes, and that she should use her position to send a more positive message about American fashion.

He said: 'She's the Secretary of State, she's a former senator from New York, she's a former first lady. Why must she dress that way? 

'I think she's confused about her gender. Tim, maybe she's not the only one.

The Real Cougar Woman is a 5-carat diamond who knows the importance of taking care of her health, beauty, relationships, finances and spirituality.  Linda Franklin says,"there is no stopping a woman who has a strong belief system, passion and a dream. All things are possible". Linda's book, Don't Ever Call Me Ma'am helps women of all ages tap into their power and live life to the fullest.

Sarah Palin – Mama Grizzly vs The Cougars

This blog, by no stretch of the imagination, is a politcal blog but one of my Real Cougars, Marla Miller, wrote an article that I think you might enjoy.  I am going to extract the things I liked about it but please take a moment to read the entire article by clicking here.

When Sarah Palin was introduced as McCain’s running mate less than 24 hours after Barack Obama accepted the nomination, this staunch Obama supporter (who took lots of grief for not joining the 18 million women who supported Hillary) said out loud to my TV, “Oh shit.”

Almost two years later, the phrase still applies.

So what is it about her that’s made other women — smart ones, not so smart ones, old, young, middle-aged, moms and women who aren’t — fall in line behind this woman who abandons jobs, makes up words and calls the press “sick puppies?”

At the time of her nomination, everyone told me I was nuts to be worried. However, no amount of encouraging words would soothe for this reason: we live in a tabloid news-loving culture and Sarah Palin had ‘Tabloid Queen’ written all over her.

I consider myself a “thinking woman’s” woman. I figured women like me — women who don’t exercise knee-jerk responses every time some guy says something stupid about women –would not, could not, be taken in with Palin’s obvious “playing to crowd” rhetoric.

I was wrong. They love their Mama Grizzly.

So how dumb is Sarah Palin? Probably not so. She was a Communications major who wanted to anchor the news but had five kids instead. If she has ‘brilliance’ it’s found in her instincts. She spotted something in this culture much like the founder of another women’s movement, The Real Cougar Woman, spotted something–a whole lot of ticked off women. As polar opposites as these two movements might appear, the Cougars and the Mama Grizzlies share this: they speak directly to women.  There are no middle men in these all-girl groups. Palin’s pack include many of Hillary’s 18 million who believe our President is not hearing them. Cougar founder Linda Franklin attracted the "Women Over 40" told to turn ‘invisible’ by our anti-aging culture. Franklin wasn’t about to fade away just because she reached an age where women are expected to give up their groove. Sexy women don’t want to give grooves up and now they don’t have to. Now they become Cougars; hot gals that make for hot topics in tabloid news. Is it a coincidence that both movements branded dangerous animals to their image? I don’t think so.

My guess is, the Mama Grizzlies and Cougar movements are here to stay. Women in this culture are hungry for heroes. In this era where tabloid news is now the mainstream, competition for the sexiest headlines is fierce. Like the Cougars, who now have the added status of a TV series, the Mama Grizzlies create provocative headlines because Palin knows how to masterfully manipulate tabloid news. That’s the brilliance of this Communications Major and mom of five.

Thanks Marla for telling it your way.  What do you guys think?  

Cougar Women OwnThe Seductive Advantage

Every woman knows that looking good helps you get what you want, but in today's cut-throat world, beauty isn't enough. That's why after observing many successful women I have come up with that special something that they all possess. The common denominator that really is their secret weapon.  It took  some time for me to define it, but now I have.  

It's something I call  'the seductive advantage'. It encompasses your social skills, your financial independence, your sexuality, your lifestyle and your spiritual awareness.  Make no mistake all of those qualities are an important part of the mix.

We all know women who aren't conventionally attractive, but exude huge appeal, charm and sexual power. Madonna, Hillary Clinton, Oprah, Meryl Streep  - not all raving beauties, but they've all achieved amazing success by using their innate social intelligence to build on what they were born with.  They have found out that with 'the seductive advantage' they can turn ordinary into extraordinary. 

Studies have shown that women who adapt themselves to prosper, by being appealing to look at, socially aware, easy-going, and sexually attractive, are inevitably more likely to succeed than those who don't.  

Basically, it comes down this.  Make the most off what you've got.  It's a dog-eat-dog world, and according to natural selection, those best equipped for the fight will rise to the top.

Hillary Clinton Shows She Is A Real Cougar

I've always knew Hillary Clinton was a Real Cougar Woman.  She is smart, confident, independent and goes after what she wants.  Age has never stopped her.  But, now she's taking her cougar instincts to a whole new level.

Mrs Clinton owned up to an unlikely crush on the 'vibrant, vital, attractive, smart' British Foreign Secretary last month.

Speaking in Vogue magazine, Mrs Clinton, 62, joked with an interviewer about Mr Miliband's accent. 'Well, if you saw him it would be a BIG crush,' she said. 'I mean, he is so vibrant, vital, attractive, smart. He's really a good guy. And he's so young!'

Mr Miliband also seems taken with his American counterpart.  At a NATO meeting yesterday he seemed to take delight in teasing the former First Lady.

Hey, if I was Mr. Miliband I would be fascinated with Mrs. Clinton.  She is one smart, resourceful and extremely talented woman.  

Hillary Clinton Taking Women’s Issues Out Of The Pink Ghetto

Hillary Clinton was interviewed in Sunday's New York Times.  The subject of this article was "A New Gender Agenda".  Hillary believes the transformation of women's issues is the last impediment to universal progress.  I couldn't agree more. 

The reporter, Mark Lander told Hillary, "I’ve been at more than a few women’s events with you where the men in the audience drift off to their BlackBerrys or into a snooze after a few minutes. How do you change the mind-set, that tends to view women’s issues as a pink ghetto?

Hillary replied, "By making the arguments that so-called women’s issues are stability issues, security issues, equity issues. How we take hard power and soft power and use it to advance not just American ends but, in advancing global progress.

Are women, especially women over 40, still the target of the old double standard?  You bet we are.  But, the sad fact of the matter is the majority of women don't seem to care.  Public figures seem more outraged at being called a "cougar" than using their voice to talk about the real issues we all face.  There is much more on our minds than the latest trend, facial filler or ridiculous label.  Let's get REAL!  

So come on Candace Bushnell and Michelle Pfeiffer - stop whining about being a strong, sexy independent woman over 40 and use your public voice for something useful.  God only knows women have more serious issues that need to be resolved.