Homesmutting at it's finest.
Don't get enough attention with the dark rimmed glasses Harry potter look?
Ditch it.
Don't get enough attention in the kilt clan look?
Ditch it.
Don't get enough attention pulling the dwarf hobbit card?
Ditch it.
Solution?
Prey on men's visually sexual nature by pouring her tits out for all to see...and commenting on her bust in the event someone might have glossed over.
I can just picture this photo op...hold on...let me pull my shirt down further and lean over a bit more.
What's next? A nip slip?
An oops I leaked a sex tape vlog?
How desperate for attention can one be?
The comments are disgusting and she totally asked for them.
I'm tempted to delete anything Jenna on this blog. This cry for attention is just too much.
I mean...this is really too far.
If one is this desperate and deranged I fear she might be suicidal. Its obvious she hates her life, is not accepted in any circles, and feels like she lives on the fringe of society.
Ew, those comments are gross.
ReplyDeleteIs this the behavior of a homesteader or a Kardashian?
ReplyDeleteThe worst
ReplyDelete" Ed Balzer
How do you feel about riding the... oh nevermind.
More · Friday at 3:21pm"
Another
ReplyDelete"Adam McGhan
Another reason why I shouldn't have my iPhone with me while in the deer stand... LOL #Distracting
#LookingDownNotOut"
As a woman farmer I am disappointed and disgusted. She was apparently just highlighted as one of country woman magazines 45 "amazing" woman.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly manipulative, exploitive, and hurtful to woman farmers everywhere.
Even Merlin looks embarrassed.
ReplyDeleteGuess she reached the if all else fails sex sells stage.
ReplyDeleteUgh...this makes my blood boil. You can be a woman without exploiting your body. Diminishing ones features by calling attention to them like a newsie is shameless.
Anyway, since when does having a bust mean your a dwarf or innately something to over the top.make sure people know you are proud of.
Being obsessed with boobs is so "poodle" of her.
I had the same reactions as you did. Plus, it makes me think there are even more levels of her dishonesty than I thought.
DeleteShe's sunk to new lows... errr, so to speak. Sad.
ReplyDeleteI'd much rather she pose for cheesecake shots of herself than collect more animals she won't care for, produce more vlogs, or attempt to represent herself as a farmer. She has not represented "woman farmers" in a very long time anyway, if ever. If you are a slightly unstable woman who lacks life skills and has an unquenchable thirst for attention, your boobs will make a public appearance at some point, I'd reckon.
ReplyDeleteD.
Wow, those are some icky comments. :\
ReplyDeleteI am rather enjoying watching her degrade herself more every day. It shows that her lies about being a farmer/hard worker just aren't getting her the attention she needs. And, oh, I bet her mother is impressed.
ReplyDeleteOK, last straw.
ReplyDeleteAs a female farmer who's supported myself solely off of my working farm for 10 years now, who has put up with endless shit from the "good old boys" who dominate this business, who's been belittled and humiliated by both male and female customers who assume I'm just the pretty female face at the sales table...this pisses me right the fuck off and then some.
She's no farmer at all, she can't even produce enough food/income to sustain herself, she plays at homesteading and thinks she lives in a goddamn Braveheart/Tolkein movie.
Jenna, you can do all that if you want to. But honey DO NOT attempt to pass yourself off as an actual farmer. Don't even call yourself a "word farmer." You are a blogger and a con artist. That's it. Own that if you want to, but don't disgrace the rest of us by pretending otherwise. To call yourself any kind of farmer puts an disgusting stain on everything that REAL farmers of any gender work and fight so hard for.
<< stands up and applauds >>
DeleteDitto
DeleteWow - you sound like you've achieved a lot. Maybe you should write about it and make some money (as Kristin Kimball has with "The Dirty Life"). I think you have the credentials, and people could learn from you.
DeleteBtw...everybody knows when it comes to.fantasy land nothing beats a good hearted gnome. They live in the forest protecting the land and animals while protecting against hobgoblins, trolls, and bad influences.
ReplyDeleteWow. She seriously freaks me out - on so many levels. I had just started to wonder if she was the one killing all her animals for attention's sake, now this. She really does need to keep doing things for attention, doesn't she? Would someone who lives near her please get her the help she needs? Before she, or someone else, gets hurt? Is there a way to report someone that you think might be having serious mental health issues?
ReplyDelete~ V
I imagine one of the reasons she does not visit with her family at the holidays, is because this sort of stuff would come up. Not just this trashy post, but coldantlersham, this blog, you know, all of it. She would have to hear her parents share their opinions. But, maybe her parents have already given up on her, who knows.
ReplyDeleteI can relate to that. My mom can't "handle" discussing my life. The things I'm working on and towards are too upsetting to her. Hard for me to understand but it is what it is. Basically I do a lot of listening and very little sharing.
DeleteJenna's parents are hard working middle class people in PA. Her mom may be a school teacher or some other respectable professional, I forget. I know that her mom is embarrassed that she begs for money on her website after she graduated from college with a respectable degree that could earn someone quite a bit of money. They have tried to deal with her to no avail.
ReplyDeleteI was just watching football and figured it out. She's trying to be Kate Upton in the "Game of War" commercial.
ReplyDeleteAw, guys... let her play on the one thing she has. Boobs. What I'm embarrassed by is that anyone found them appealing enough to write about.
ReplyDeleteShe hardly gardens, Cold Antler Farm is more like a feedlot than a farm, and she gets money they way many online schemers have before her - with well-crafted sob stories. But she does have boobs.
In ironic style, the picture of her from Country Woman is with Jasper, the inconvenient pony.
Dev
...and in another too low cut for farming shirt.
DeleteWhy should breast size matter? Has big boobs, has small boobs, had no boobs, perky droopy etc...who cares! No one should second guess themselves or be judged based on mounds of fat and tissue on your chest.
DeleteThat photo from the Country Woman magazine makes it look like 1. she actually used that poor pony instead of it just standing in the field and 2. that she actually DOES something on her....cough....*farm*. Little do they know she's all about the show. It annoys me that she's listed among women that probably WORK their farms not just use them as a means for panhandling. Don't magazines do some research before publishing?
DeleteDenise
I remember a comment here about obesity....obvious.
ReplyDeleteGlobal warming has yet another unintended consequence!
ReplyDeleteWhat issue? Is it online somewhere? Country Woman? Just wondering...
ReplyDeleteFYI for Meredith, posted on Jenna's Facebook this morning:
ReplyDelete"So I changed my Facebook status from public to friends only, because I am freaked out. Scared of people online who have been slandering me for years and taking their shit to whole new levels recently. Because anyone who has obsessed over this farm like this, and one person, for years can not be mentally healthy. Anyone who chooses to wake up every day and focus on degrading a stranger, messing with their private life, their livelihood, spewing gossip and assumptions, talking about my body, relationships, and family.... creeps me out. It doesn't just creep me out, it make me feel unsafe in my own home. Speaking with lawyers today about libel and slander and possibly restraining orders/order of protection."
I am on her friends list so I'll let you know if she says anything else.
Good. Friends only is less publicity for her fraudulent business.
DeleteAgain people...check out the cold antler sham website to update your status of payment.
...and if she can afford a lawyer because she can't control these comments...well, that speaks to her financial situation. Paying a lawyer over the discussion of facts before ponying up and paying off dozens of individuals over years of ripping them off?! Hmmmm
DeleteWon't be holding my breath for a cease and desist letter.
Lawyer if you are being paid to read the many posts and comments please do something to help the animals at cold antler farm. If what Jenna woginrich has written in true, a site visit may be in order. Animals don't up and die like This when provided proper care.
Odd, I've never seen any hint of a threat against her person, her property or her blog, so how do you get a restraining order against nothing? I don't think anyone has messed with her life in any way, but I think several people have tried in the past to steer her into a more sustainable lifestyle.
DeleteIn all fairness, the Animal Liberation Front folks have written things that, were they written about me, would make me feel unsafe.
DeleteIn the comments on that post she said she and her family are all filing police reports against you and Julie from the Cold Antler Sham website...you don't have anything to be afraid of but I wanted you to be aware. She seems to think you are going to physically harm her or her family. Delusional is right!
ReplyDeleteHuh. If she supposedly feels unsafe in her own home due to comments on a website, imagine how terrified her animals must feel seeing those around them sicken a die from neglect.
ReplyDeleteFrom the Nolo website:
ReplyDelete"3. A defamatory statement must be false -- otherwise it's not considered damaging. Even terribly mean or disparaging things are not defamatory if the shoe fits. Most opinions don't count as defamation because they can't be proved to be objectively false. For instance, when a reviewer says, "That was the worst book I've read all year," she's not defaming the author, because the statement can't be proven to be false."
Wait til they all get laughed out of the police station and lawyers office. The comments here and on other sites are merely people voicing personal opinion and retort based on what she has written on her PUBLIC space. It's no different than someone writing a comment in response to a Huffpo or NBC article.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if she'll tell the police and attorney how SHE encouraged her followers to mob other sites she felt were against CAF, with truly threatening comments. Bet not.
Is this her way of trying to scare people into silence? It's laughable.
If this is the kind of thing that scares her she needs to buck up. Not everyone buys into the thinking that WE are not allowed to have our own opinions if they are contrary to everyone elses.
Maybe she's going into victim mode for the sympathy vote. Maybe a kickstarter campaign to pay the lawyer.
~j~
I wrote to the editors of Country Woman magazine, asking them to reconsider choosing Jenna as an "Amazing" woman. I pointed out the Cold Antler Sham website and mentioned other concerns about her farming practices, and simply said she wasn't the type of person their magazine should be holding up as an example to others. Maybe if enough people write in they will do something? She's done enough damage, touting her half-assed "farming" knowledge, without having a magazine give her unearned credit.
DeleteI think you hit the nail on the head, J--I think she knows full well that all the talk of lawyers and police reports is just that--talk--but that it will score her mucho bonus points (and moolah!) from her followers. If this website and Cold Antler Sham actually counted as libel or slander, then websites like TMZ, Perez Hilton, and GOMI would have been sued into oblivion long ago. And the funniest part is that Cold Antler Sham is populated by actual people who have lost actual money to her shady business practices! Some of whom have actually filed suit against HER! I would love seeing her try to explain that to a lawyer.
DeleteI'm not worried. She's of no concern to me. I'm commenting on a blogger who volunteers information and pictures...and has defrauded many many people and under her watch many many animals have died prematurely.
ReplyDeleteI'd be shocked if she actually reaches out to law enforcement or a lawyer, especially about the sham website. She will be bringing attention to actual unlawful activities.
I'll let you all know If I hear of anything and post it here.
For now I have 2 VERY important tasks to.focus one that I can't wait to share with you all in the somewhat near future. Karma people...starting to believe in her!
Good luck with your upcoming projects, Meredith, and as for JW, do not lose a minute of sleep over it. Anyone who can construe physical threats to her and her family's well-being from the comments here is either paranoid or just looking for drama and attention. You and the posters here are all well-informed, literate and level-headed, and I have not seen one comment I'd deem threatening. I don't think that kind of thing would be tolerated by anyone here anyway, especially not you.
ReplyDeleteD.
More lies Jenna. Please, please please get help, counseling, whatever you need. As to unsafe? Maybe if you did not post pictures of your breasts falling out of a shirt and basically sold yourself as meat.. maybe there would be less interest by the miscreants. The people on this blog and coldantlersham are all legit people, speaking the truth, and sharing stories of being ripped off by you, over and over. I feel bad for your family, now you are dragging them into your bed of lies.
ReplyDeleteOkay time to play fair. I find it pretty ridiculous that both this blog and coldantlersham are operated by two individuals who used to post such inflammatory remarks on CAF that you both got yourselves banned. Kelpie and Collie's blog operates under the guise of helping point out that Jenna fails to meet her financial obligations which would at least be reasonable if I thought for one minute they'd actually invested in CAS but we all know that isn't the case. So maybe pretending to be concerned about others so you can badmouth Jenna is a bit of a sham too. As for this blog, Meredith you've been spewing hate for so long I suspect you may have some mental health issues you need to address yourself- it can't be healthy to have this much rage against another human being. And before you write me off as a member of the CAF clan, I assure you you couldn't be more wrong. I've been following all of your blogs for some time and there are some things I even agree with you on but you cross too many lines to be taken seriously. That said, both cyber stalking and cyber bullying are consider criminal offenses and you are dangerously close to both. And I'm posting under my own account, I hope you have the courage to leave this comment up.
ReplyDeleteI disagree with your referring to the remarks left on CAF as "inflammatory." They were questioning Jenna's farming practices, which, as someone who as set herself up as an expert, she should expect. Had Jenna listened and responded to these questions she would have certainly given herself some much-needed credibility, instead she shuts down anyone who doesn't follow her blindly (I've seen these types of people referred to as "Amen Charlies"). The fact that both individuals refer to Jenna's public offerings on their own sites is the cost of someone making a living by putting her life online. As many people have said, having these outlets for our concerns is helpful, since Jenna won't allow any nay-saying. While the comments and posts do sometimes get sharper than others might be comfortable with, this community has self-policed fairly well in comparison to other online communities. Our concerns are a) the health of the creatures Jenna has under her "care," b) the poor farming skills she is teaching to the public, which in turn, could harm the creatures they care for, and c) the large number of individuals who have been scammed by her. She makes a living by putting her life online, so she cannot claim people are invading her privacy by commenting on her own productions.
DeleteHear! Hear!
ReplyDeleteAs I said I don't disagree with everything that's discussed here, but slut shaming over a picture of a low cut shirt is waay out of line.
ReplyDeleteHey, you're the first one who said slut, and it wasn't the shirt, but the comments that we found creepy.
DeleteWill you please go read the definition of slut shaming?
DeleteNo. No one but you used the word slut.
DeleteCallieK, it is very nice of you to support Jenna, perhaps, in your support, you could lend her some money to pay back the people she owes? Callie, why do you follow this blog and the other, if in fact, you do not support their premises? Cyberstalking and bullying, yes, I happen to know quite a bit about it, as I am an attorney. If you post something on a public page on Facebook and it is regurgitated and made fun of, that is considered "opinion", not stalking or bullying. Even with a private face book page, it is *NOT* considered private information. Coldantlersham has very little traffic, pretty much ONLY those that are owed money. Jenna COMMENTED on that blog, saying that she would surely pay everyone back.. but the owner did not believe her, and guess what? She still has not done so. She is currently being sued in small claims court, and I have just this week actually, contacted the DEC regarding the Hawk she keeps in the house, as well as the NYAG's office, regarding her fraud. Being that this is the internet, her stealing using it, is considered wire fraud... that's bad, in case you did not know.
ReplyDeleteDear anon Lawyer,
ReplyDeleteI don't fund anyone on the internet ( I personally detest kickstarter, indiegogo and all other forms of internet begging, but that's my choice). And if people have reason to believe she has defrauded them, they have every right to follow up using legal channels and leave internet reviews- my point was that K&C doesn't have a dog in this fight so it seems convenient for that to be the premise for a blog.
As for what I chose to read, just because i don't agree with everything anyone stands for doesn't mean I can't read and get things out of it- do you only read things you agree with? Must be awfully dull...
As for cyberbullying, you've pretty much described it -
Cyber-bullying Legal Definition:
Using the Internet to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour by an individual or group that is intended to harm someone else.
Sound familiar?
How is anyone here intending to harm her? From what I've read, everyone here wants her and her animals to be taken care of and helped and cared for?
DeleteReally? Posting a picture of her in a v neck top and commenting things like "The comments are disgusting and she totally asked for them." is helping her animals?
DeleteCalling to attention her sometimes odd and unsavory behavior helps her see how can be perceived by the public.
DeleteSee slut shaming.
DeleteCallie, did you not read the post with the picture?
DeleteI'm a busty gal on a thousand pounds of horse and damn proud of it?
how is me commenting on HER POST MADE TO SPECIFICALLY DRAW ATTENTION TO HER CHEST slut shaming?
please enlighten us!
I didn't post a picture of her in a v neck.
I simply took a screen shot of information on a public facebook profile. I didn't post a picture or add anything. I posted a SCREEN SHOT
I didn't accuse you of taking the photo personally, whether you copied her photo or took a screen shot of her facebook page makes no difference. You placed a photo of her on your blog and wrote derogatory and insinuating comments about her for what she was wearing. And if you don't understand what you did was wrong, if you don't realize that is the definition of slut shaming I can't help you. But I find it very hypocritical that you think it's awful to mistreat animals and think that justifies doing this to another human being.
DeleteOkay, maybe I was obtuse. Bullying requires the bully to actually bully the person they are accused of bullying, and that means they contact her, post on her blog, or facebook page, and actually bully her. No one here does that :) As for talking about her here and anywhere else, it's called freedom of speech, sound familiar?
ReplyDeleteI think you need to restudy the laws surrounding cyberbullying. According to U.S. Legal Definitions, Cyber-bullying could be limited to posting rumors or gossips about a person in the internet, bringing about hatred in other’s minds; or it may go to the extent of personally identifying victims and publishing materials severely defaming and humiliating them. Oddly it doesn't say anything about having to be in direct contact.
DeleteCallieK, Get a GRIP, seriously. There is NO ONE here who is listening to you- Jennafan. Go help Jenna provide care to her animals, k?
DeleteMust be someone listening since you're replying ( or are you all the same anonymous, hard to tell) At least I own my comments.
DeleteI'm posting anonymously as I don't want to be subjected to ridicule either here or on my own blog/writings however I agree with CallieK's approach and comments. This blog seems based on hatred for another woman farmer. It says more about its author than it might about Jenna, no matter how failed she might be as a farm woman or a human (and we are all ultimately struggling with various things, some less publicly than others).
ReplyDeleteI realize that as a writer she puts herself out there and I am not privy to her true life, just her writings (which in the farm book pantheon are largely unimpressive and she is very naive and maybe even narcissistic in her approaches). However, I am upset that she would seek money from others to support these ventures (and she's published many books, which I realize does not make you wealthy, either -- I've published one with a large publisher so I know of what I speak). If she can't make a go of farming, she shouldn't be doing it. Either that or get a job in town.
My husband and I are both farmers: I supplement with freelance writing and he with a job off farm (part time). We chose this life in recent years (but he had farmed before and I grew up on a semi-working farm) and it is not easy. However we raise grass-fed animals humanely and they are eventually sold slaughtered (off farm). We have other animals that have become pets and will not be killed. Hypocritical? Perhaps (like having some dogs to eat and some as pets which we certainly don't do).
However, it's not up to me to criticize other farmers incessantly when I have enough going on at our own farm on a daily basis to worry about. I find it sad when other women, especially, bash each other online. Take the high road and realize that karma does occur when least expected -- and its a two way street. My advice is to focus on this blog about your farming or wisdom or input and not dragging another one through the virtual mud or slag heap.
And if you want to read the works of a real farmer, start with Wendell Berry and other newer voices. There is the romance of a farm and then there is real farming: gritty, hard, fickle, and incredibly difficult. But rewarding none the less.
While I agree with some of your points, please consider that this blog, as well as the Sham blog, exist so there is some outlet to voice concerns over an individual with a fairly well-established platform, who does not allow criticism or questioning of her methods. There is some danger in allowing someone to spout harmful, false information without pointing out the flaws, particularly when there are innocent creatures involved. These blogs exist, I believe, in some way to warn others about the effects of following Jenna's way of life. In other ways, it's a bit like group therapy - most commenters have found their way here after being disillusioned by what they found on Jenna's blog, and it is a relief to know others feel the same way about a troubling situation. If Jenna existed in a vacuum, and her work seen as the incoherent ravings of a narcissist with a non-existent attention span, then we could all collectively shrug and roll our eyes and move on. But, as the "Country Woman" magazine article shows, her work is being taken seriously by an unsuspecting public, and therefore needs to be carefully scrutinized and called into question when necessary.
Deletesorry, not a fan of the do nothing approach. when you do nothing nothing gets done.
Deletewhy bother having police officers or animal control officers...lawyers or judges? just let karma sort it out?
CK
DeleteI believe this is a take on "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke
And no, I'm not saying JW is evil. But, where do we draw the line on when to get involved? How bad does something have to be before we speak up? Everyone has their individual line in the sand. Don't blame people if their line is in a different spot than yours.
Jenn
Well...this thread got a rise out of CAF.
ReplyDeleteA renewed offer to refund scammed wool CSA members has been posted, with a backhanded accusation that its your fault for not dogging her.
No class.
YES! That is absolutely ALL she has to do, and the $$ complaints will go away, of course, she has offered to refund before... that's the hard part for her, actually doing it.
DeleteHas to clean up her mess before talking to the police or lawyer, or she may be the one facing charges.
ReplyDeleteAnon 3:37, so that's your approach. No one is going to argue with you. I've read plenty of Wendell Berry's writings, and Joel Salatin's. No one has to come here and read any of this. We aren't trying to get attention or cause her any problems. This site doesn't require that anyone hates her. It would be helpful if she honored her commitments.
ReplyDeleteSorry Redhorse I see plenty of hate here. If all this site did was express concerns about the welfare of her animals I'd have stayed out of it. But it continually attacks in ways that are unbecoming at best and downright mean at times. Call Jenna on her shit when it's deserved but don't be surprised when you get called on your own.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind being called out. actually when warranted I very much appreciate it. I had someone recently school me on tact over an issue I am VERY emotionally involved it. something I have put my life on the line to stand up and support.
DeleteI'm passionate about people taking care of their animals.
I'm passionate about business owners not screwing over their customers.
I'm passionate about accountability and doing the right thing not because you're called out but because its simply the right thing to do and the wrong thing shouldn't be an option.
it would be one thing if I contacted her through her blog or email, showed up at her house, etc. what am I doing? providing a forum where I and others can post, respond, and talk about whatever it is we want to talk about. if a blogger or public figure is discussed based on information they make public to the world...shame on us?
It's unfortunate that many people nowadays see and read "hate" everywhere, in something that is just a difference of opinion and the right to express that opinion.
DeleteDisagreeing with viewpoints or actions is not hate speech, no matter what the liberal media wants you to think.
~j~
What's next? A nip slip?
ReplyDeleteAn oops I leaked a sex tape vlog?
How desperate for attention can one be?
The comments are disgusting and she totally asked for them.
Meredith is what you have written above. It's the definition of Slut Shaming and has nothing to do with animal care or business. It's has a lot to do with the lows you'll go to in your nobel quest. You guys are a fucking joke.
Being passionate about things doesn't excuse bad behaviour- it's like saying I'm not in control of my emotions so I bear no responsibility for my actions. Jenna's passionate about a lot of things too, does that justify everything she does? All I'm suggesting is that you're wasting so much energy on someone you don't like and it seems so pointless! If you want to correct what you perceive as misinformation, that's great. I don't see how copying a photo from her facebook page and mocking her for it accomplishes that.
ReplyDeletemocking her? she wants people to discuss the traits she is damn proud of...but doesn't like how its discussed when she doesn't have control of the delete comment button.
DeleteThis is from your blog Meredith. You want to judge someone for a photo of themselves with cleavage showing but you feel you are empowering women farmers by putting blogs out there with this type of inappropriate detail? Don't throw stones when you live in a glass house!
ReplyDeleteTuesday January 7th 2014
12:47 am
5 degrees F
Bundled up in layers:
1. Strapless VS bra, purchased with a gift card given to me after my September 21st 2012 house fire. I was asked by a coworker what would really help me, help achieve normalcy. my response surprised me as it was truly the 'bare minimum' of comforts...bra and underwear. In the blink of an eye I received a card from and in it a $100 gift certificate to Victoria's Secret. I purchased 2 strapless bras. My previous strapless staples were partially burnt or melted beyond use. I use 'use' loosely as my bust hardly demands *cue Otto Titsling* the need to be kept high and dry. Said bras mold to my body and because I always layer my beyond modest chest can enjoy bras of the strapless variety. The wires in the bra poked through the fabric, stabbing me in the chest. the left wire has been exhiled and completely removed, the right cup wire is about to meet the same fate.
2. Yoga VS bralette (That's a real thing right? My phone didn't recognize it). I pair this with above strapless bra to create my perfect breast coverage concoction. Ta da!
3. XL undies (tmi - thong if you must know. Jeans = thongs...it works for me). XL you ask? Yes. I'm 5'6" and weigh 145lbs. I HATE feeling cinched in my own clothes. If there's an indentation on my skin, whatever it is...its too tight. So, XL it is. I have no idea what adult woman can squeeze (ok, fit) into smalls or mediums. Oh your generous 'genes'! Jk, all our genes are generous, from S to XL to XXXL. We are woman! Rocking our jeans!
you forgot the rest of my post...as in 4-15 of my 5 degree F roll call. i'll fill in the blanks for you....
Delete4. Men's sleeveless undershirt. Aka wifebeaters...hate that term. For over a decade, Jan-Dec, these undershirts have been second skin.
5. Converse jeans from Target. Purchased years ago and frivolously put on the back burner for not being perfect. Now, post fire, they're perfect enough, except for the fact I'm allergic to the button and metal studs on the pockets. I thought maybe I had ringworm until I realized the correlation.
6. One pair of socks
7. boots (will write a Columbia boot update soon - dissatisfied though)
8. Grey GAP sweater I found when sorting through prefire wardrobe. (rolling eyes at previous purchases)
9. Random pink light zipper jacket (broken center zipper and right pocket zipper, zippers...always the first to go)
10. American Eagle vest, purchased my junior year of high school...circa 2002?
11. Jacket from previous job (ZED - Zoning Evaluation Division) for a nearby county government.
12. Berne jacket. Christmas present from a lifetime ago.
13. Black Carhartt hand me down bibs
14. Fingerless gloves locally made from Alpaca/llama fiber and purchased at the Bluemont Fair fall of 2012. Best gloves ever.
15. Random scarf turned head wrap scarf combo. Need to find my go to hat!
Headlamp
On your mark, get set....GO (check on piglets)!
Ahh, Meredith. I remember you from your early days of CAF trolling. I've been out of pocket for (literally) years, and lo and behold, I come back to find that you're just as sad and juvenile as ever. You're about as fine an example of poor sportsmanship as I've ever seen. I can only imagine how sad it must be to be you, that this is how you spend your time.
ReplyDeleteAlso, don't flatter yourself - YOU are not the voice of women farmers. There are many of us, each doing things our own way. If I want to farm bare-breasted in a thong it's really none of your business. Don't you dare presume to speak for me. You're not qualified to decide what I should or shouldn't find acceptable.
You "anonymous" readers that are trolling the CAF page - use your f-ing name. Really, grow a pair.
I've never seen Meredith claim to be the voice of women farmers.
DeleteAnd sure, I'm definitely going to give people who are name-calling and rude access to my personal info - that makes perfect sense!
We don't go on her blog and call anyone f--ing anything. You and she can farm any way you want, but if you want to post pictures of it on a public site, be prepared. One of the commenters posted "I would take you in a manly way." I know it's a harmless joke, but it should be a private comment, not a public one.
ReplyDeleteI don't troll, Jenna spews her crap anywhere she can! On youtube (that is a whole new level of disgustingness), her myriad posts on FB, her blog, she WANTS this attention, don't you get it?? She is NOT afraid of anything except for her gravy train to stop.
ReplyDeleteWait! Is someone here calling her a slut who then got shamed? I don't get it. The picture by itself could be commented on or not, much like a Kate Upton commercial. Heck, it was posted online by a person who makes her money online.
ReplyDeleteThe ridiculous thing was her pointing them out, in case you missed it. I don't know, maybe it's normal for some of you people to talk about how your breasts are featured in a publicly (more than one time) posted picture.
When you make a living by sharing what you represent as your personal life story in a blog, is there a law that says only approbation is permitted? Only positive reviews for restaurants are allowed? Because that's all that happens here, comments on what has been shared publicly (and usually for commerce).
Misrepresenting farming and animal care, and supporting yourself by the kindness of strangers flies in the face of the warrior/farming/one-woman-farm feminist façade, and people are allowed to talk about it. Now, if someone hacked her computer and got ahold of personal emails, that would be another story... but as it stands, these are just comments about her public product.
BTW, I've never seen statements in this blog that sound as threatening and rage-filled as the "amen-Charlies" that have just visited. A person who has benefited so much in authorship, endorsements, and just plain-old financial benefactors seems astonished that not absolutely everybody thinks her every move is golden.
If any of you would like to know why so many feel this way, just ask and we'll list the reasons.
Dev
Very well said, Dev. Does anyone here think she's a slut? I know I don't. I also don't think anyone spends more time thinking about her than they did when they were fans of her blog. So she can feel safe in her home, there is no threat.
ReplyDeleteHer reaction to criticism is strange. I remember taking art classes in college and everyone would have their work critiqued. Sometimes it was tough, but it was meant to teach you how to better achieve your visions and how to objectively look at your own work. I would think a design student would go through that many times.
Well I'm so happy to hear you don't think she's a slut Red Horse, but for me this debate isn't even about Jenna anymore. Its about a photo of a woman who used the word "busty" to describe herself (OMG, so pornographic!) and a bunch of people think that gives them the right to say terrible things about her.
ReplyDeletePersonally if I were a guy, I'd be more offended by Merdith's comments, since she seems to think that men might be swayed to overlook Jenna's other failings because they are mesmorized by the sight of breasts. Guess she has a high opinion of men.
But you're not a guy, and now you're just making up bizarre reasons to continue wallowing in your false outrage. Do you have a point? A goal? An actual reason for being here? You vented your spleen, no one really cares, so why stick around?
DeleteNo I'm done here for now. I'm pretty sure some of you recognize that this particular post is hate speech and if the rest of you don't then nothing I say is going to change anything. I'm sad for that.
ReplyDeleteOutrage, yes. Hate, no.
ReplyDeleteBye
ReplyDeleteIt's so funny that J-robots come here looking for something to whine about. Like tilting at windmills. They do the very thing they accuse us of doing. But we aren't over there starting fights. But if you believe in fantasies, guess you aren't rational or fair.
ReplyDeleteWow- a lot of really intense discussion here. I have to say, I'm in two minds on this one.
ReplyDeleteFirst, as a woman working in a male-dominated field, I completely empathize with the frustrations expressed so well by Anon1/4/15,12:52. Many of us deal with the sexual harassment and discrimination we encounter in the "man's world" of farming by specifically not drawing attention to ourselves as women and our bodies as female. When a woman does these things, it can frequently result in the people who witness the behavior taking all women less seriously. I've experienced this first hand (and I expect many of you have, too) and it's very, very frustrating. That said, the deplorable behavior in this situation is that of the individuals who assume that just because a person is a woman she is less competent than a man- and that behavior isn't any one else's fault (certainly not the fault of women who act or dress in ways that remind other people of their femininity)
Which brings me to my second opinion: I completely agree with CallieK. A lot of the talk around here is slut shaming, and I'm 100% against that. I know, I know "no one here said slut until CallieK", but you don't need to call a woman a slut to slut-shame. Some of the worst slut-shaming I've ever heard came from my sweet-as-pie 90 year old grandmother who would never in her life use the word "slut" or even talk about sex in mixed company- instead she just relentlessly disapproved and criticized women who broke the role of women-as-passive-objects-to-be-pursued-by-men. Slut shaming discourages women from being their own sexual agents. (for an absolutely WONDERFUL discussion of slut shaming, check out this 13 year old girl who is wise beyond her years check out: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/slut-shaming-13-year-old_n_1199013.html). So what if Jenna wants to celebrate her bust? She's got a rack. She feels good about it. Good for her. I imagine that she, like most women, struggles to feel good about her body sometimes, and if she feels like she looks good in that picture and wants to share it, then I'm definitely supportive of her body-positive attitude. Yeah, I feel like some of the comments are a little icky and definitely not 3rd-wave-feminist-empowering, but if Jenna feels like those things are worth putting up with, then that's her decision to make.
There are a lot of things that Jenna does that I'm not okay with. The questionable safety of her animals, advocating apparent financial irresponsibility as a good way to start homesteading, and the harsh judgment of people who chose not to live the way she does (the "poodles") are foremost among them. Some people are really bothered by the fact that she asks for donations online. All of those things are completely fair game to complain about. But Jenna's body is none of our business. What Jenna chooses to do with her body is none of our business. What types of photographs Jenna chooses to take of her body are none of our business. Not even if she posts them on facebook. Not even if she posts them on her blog. If you don't like the picture, don't look at it. If you don't like the comments, don't read them. I've written about this issue before (http://highstfarm.blogspot.com/2014/09/mange-in-pigs.html#comment-form) and my position hasn't changed. For me, the bottom line is that other people's bodies are not our business.
-MJ
Don't you see the irony in what you're saying? You and Jenna have the right to free speech and we don't.
DeleteAnd get off the slut shaming wagon. You clearly don't understand anything we said, so you are trying to re-define it so that you can claim victmhood. These days everyone wants to be a victim because it gives them special rights.
This blog post has nothing to do with Jenna's body, rather, it's about the comments she solicited. And yes she did. It wasn't the first time she posted it, but she did add her own comment this time which ramped up the men to be more explicit in their comments. It wouldn't be anyone's business if she kept it private. Like it or not, she made herself public property when she quit her job and made her online personality her sole means of support. She is only a victim of her own poor choices.
Redhorse, you are way off base here. MJ is right, and you are only driving her point home with some extremely sketchy comments of your own. "It wouldn't be anyone's business if she kept it private" and "She made herself public property" sound exactly like the internalized misogyny of rape culture, right along the lines of "she was asking for it" and "she got what she deserved." It's gross, and you clearly didn't understand a thing MJ was saying in her well-stated comment.
DeleteRape culture? Get over it!
DeleteThanks for being part of the problem, Anon 10:23. Gold star!
DeleteRedhorse,
DeleteI regret that you feel like I don't respect your right to free speech. That certainly isn't my intention. I think that a diversity of opinion in an intelligent and open-minded debate can lead to some phenomenal discussions.
I think the question of whether Jenna's photo was inappropriate or not could lead to some really interesting thoughts on the issues of second wave vs third wave feminism (ie denying patriarchal ideas of femininity vs reclaiming those ideas as forms of empowerment and self expression). I thought that perhaps some people in this forum might be interested in having that discussion, and so I raised my voice to advocate my own position in the debate. I am more that happy to hear and respond to well thought out counterpoints to my argument.
On the issue of whether or not Meredith's original post and some of the comments which followed border on and cross the line into slut-shaming, I still believe that they do. If you have not yet watched this incredibly astute teenager's video entitled "Slut Shaming and Why It's Wrong" (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/11/slut-shaming-13-year-old_n_1199013.html), I strongly recommend you pause and spend the next 3 and a half minutes watching it. She makes my point so much more eloquently that I could here.
Looking forward to discussing this and other important topics with you and the community here in the future,
-MJ
Oh- and the weird spacing of the video title in my above comment is blogger's auto formatting, not me trying to make a point or anything. I just wrote the title with normal single spaces between each word. -MJ
DeleteThank you MJ for approaching this conversation with a calm, reasonable tone. I do think what you say has merit, and could certainly be a good subject to engage in on this blog.
DeleteFor me, personally, what Jenna does which affects no one else (such as posting pictures/comments) is none of my business. When she does things that hurt others - animals and human - concern is warranted.
I wonder how many of you not blinking an eye are farmers in Jenna age group? If not I think.it might be difficult for you to understand how detrimental it is to cask a wide net as a business owner specifically drawing attention to sexually associated physical features.
DeleteThere's a reason a never wore britches while working at my previous job. There's a reason I had to keep an eye and ear out for potential comments or inappropriate touches. There's a reason I dressed to avoid any unnecessary stares or glares while working. During my first month at my previous job a coworker was sexually assaulted by another coworker. Even some of guys didn't feel comfortable with me working alone with other men alone in remote parts of the property. Why? Because rape culture does exist.
Jenna had a public Facebook.profile. how many of her "friends" do you think she knows personally or has even communicated with? Like many bloggers and business owners (much to Facebook's annoyance) Jenna uses Facebook to promote her business. She advertises items for sale. Advertises workshops, indie days, frequently links to the blog. Do you think those men who.commented know Jenna personally or were friended as potential customers?
Just like posting the coffee pot as a "silent" hint hint but if for me...it's more than clear what Jenna is doing.
I personally have called her Bullshit from day 1. PRE wool CSA. I commented that I was interested but would go for it after a successful year of her breeding and fulfilling her initial wool CSA responsibilities. Her response of course was she knew what she was doing...did she really? Ask those who from the initial and following years still have unresolved CSA issues.
Jenna is appealing to men's visual sexual side...you don't post how proud you are of your chest with an associated picture for women. Again as a woman of similar age who actually works/worked/and Will again work.on real farms with real.people and real.risks I don't appreciate belittling woman as a whole. "I'd take you in a manly way"? Do you think Jenna knows that man? I don't want myself or any other woman to be viewed as anything to be taken in response to a strange man's sexual visual nature. Again...Jenna doesn't live in the real world. Her bubble does not include business meetings, interviews, farmers markets, coworkers who work with cattle/horses/pigs/garden/property maintenance/ vehicle maintenance etc. A true commercial farm to sustain someone full time 99%+ of the time has has more than one employee.
In the real world you don't farm.in a bikini, you garden at your home in one. You don't shake your ass and call out to potential customers thinking that your milkshake will bring all the boys to the yard (your products should speak for themselves), or post specifically to draw attention to your chest on a website you use to advertise your business. I don't care that it discredits her...I do care about the type of reaction it stirs which is validated in the comments.
Meredith,
DeleteI think you've really come to the crux of the matter here: there are some professions (most professions?) in which women are still not given the same baseline respect that men are, and farming is one of them. I am a farmer in my 30's. I am a woman. I, too, have experienced sexual harassment and discrimination from coworkers and business partners. Like you (and many other women farmers I know) I try to minimize this behavior in others by wearing nonsexualized (often masculine) clothing and attempting not to draw attention to the fact that my body is female while at work. This is my choice and it works for me (you know, kinda. I still frequently feel like I'm not taken as seriously as my male counterparts, but I'm working on it). And yes, I've had women co-workers come into work in shorts and tank tops, and when women do that there are increased incidents of misogyny around the farm. And it's super frustrating, and I get caught in it, even though I'm still wearing long sleeves and Carhartt's. From what gather from your post above, I think you and I are in agreement (but correct my if I'm wrong) when I say that these incidents are not the women's faults. Those women should be able to wear whatever makes them feel comfortable- while still maintaining whatever baseline level of professionalism the situation requires (I agree: don't wear a bathing suit to work unless you're a lifeguard)- without engendering comments about their bodies. I don't think that by wearing a tank top and shorts (while many of the men are straight up shirtless) these women are some how soliciting this feedback from our coworkers. I think they're trying to be comfortable in hot weather.
Similarly (and I think that *this* is where you and I differ in opinion), I don't think that Jenna solicited comments about her body. Her words were "I'm a busty gal on 1000 lbs of horse and proud of it". She's stating that she's proud of her body. I wish we could all be proud of our bodies and shout it from the rooftops without people (men and women) taking it as an invitation to make sexual comments about us.
Unfortunately, that's not the world we live in, and feminists (generally) fall into either of two camps in out to deal with this discrepancy. The first camp holds that we should keep focus off of our bodies and work on gaining greater acceptance/equality as masculine-ized (or at least as de-feminized) individuals in the workplace. The second camp feels that feminism is better served by pushing the envelope and claiming ownership of our own bodies and sexual identities. While I'm in the first group, I definitely support the efforts of those women in the second. Some people from the first camp feel that women in the second are acting counter productively against the goals of their feminist movement. It's a really interesting debate, and not one in which there are any real cut-and-dry answers.
Your post did bring up one point that I had not considered, which is the idea that talking about/drawing attention to a sexualized body part at work is unprofessional. I think there's definitely something to be said for this, and it applies to men and women (although perhaps it is not applied equally in practice, we can at least all agree that it ought to be). And as far as her blog and her CAF facebook groups are extensions of her business, posting such a photo in either of these venues would be unprofessional (this is an amendment to my previous position). But I think that Jenna's personal facebook page- no matter how public, or how many friends she has on it- is still personal rather than professional space, and therefore fair game.
Thanks for providing a space to have these kinds of discussions!
-MJ
Oh, and this is besides the point entirely, but just in case it helps make the "Were I unwed, I'd take you in a manly fashion" comment slightly less creepy: it's from the TV show Firefly, and a scene in which a woman (who on multiple occasions has already in the show proven herself to be brave, caring, and a brilliant spaceship mechanic who is well respected by the rest of the spaceship crew as such) momentarily pines for a romantic partner and asks a married crew member (with whom she has a close and absolutely nonsexualized working relationship) to tell her that she's pretty. That's as far as it goes, there is no secret love affair or any thing else like that. Here's a link to the clip, if anyone is interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HsF6lZsUvQ
Delete-MJ
MJ-
DeleteI think we agree more than disagree.
I HATE the boys will be boys argument.
That being said...am I surprised when one coworker said he used to work in the garden and with a grin on his face made note that the lead gardner was busty and always braless? Not one bit. In the farming profession you are bending over, kneeling, lifting, crawling, jumping etc. This is a very physical job. What would be appropriate for a news anchor isn't going to be for a farmer. Are men (and women) at times innately drawn to in your face boobs butt abs etc? Sure. Its part of our DNA and in a culture where going topless isn't the norm having a revealing outfit in a physical workplace is not always appropriate. Ask anyone who is busty and rides horses for a living...they are taken more seriously when when wearing proper support than when their breast are flailing about as they ride. Most woman would agree what they wear riding on personal time is different than what they wear professionally or when advertising their business.
I too had to ammend what I wore when one of the guys commented that he could see my thong when I bent over because I hadn't considered nor did I realize that was happening. I made sure to.wear jeans with a higher waist, longer shirts, or wear something tied around my waist.
Personally I felt spaghetti straps were too revealing for my position and layered a thicker "sleeveless" top when around others but took it off when I was alone feeding the pigs or doing fencing and just wore the spaghetti top. Often around the guys I put on a light weight long sleeve button down. Many lived on the property and I wanted to not be embarrassed of what I wore when their wives passed. This wasn't a standing still position but one where proper clothing was necessary to avoid being unprofessional. The men always wore shirts on this farm. No way no how they would be allowed or want to be shirtless. They simply wouldn't we taken seriously. Cowboys (as they considered themselves) wear shirts...firefighters in calendars don't....why? Because it's a publicity stunt.
I'm not sure I always agree with the you can wear whatever you want and get away With it. Walking down the street nude in stilettos is going to gather different attention than a business suit, or a long dress or a short skirt...or jeans whatever. No one asks to be raped or assaulted just as no means no. What does it mean when someone (to me) prompts comments of taking you in a manly fashion and leaving it for others to read? I think it's creepy and comments like that make me feel uncomfortable for all women. I think some men would be offended by it too. Hey maybe it wasn't a stranger and he would say the same thing if she was sitting on a horse with good posture in a turtle neck with no comment drawing eyes to her chest...but I doubt it.
In the "wild" the buck with the biggest rack rules the roost...the biggest elephant bull...longest tusks the rhino with the biggest horn etc has breeding rights. Mammals mate based on physical features. It's ignorant to think differently of humans. Height, hair, smell, body type..it all plays in with personality and other traits.
I think pulling the hey look at my chest and I'm damn proud of it is bizzare and an odd way to draw attention to yourself.
I could see that being a quote on a t shirt you sleep in, but not posted publicly.
In fact, this reminds me of a situation at work where one of the younger guys wore a shirt with one of those "busty bikini babes" on it...you know the ones shaped like barbie. He had worn it before and I never said anything even though I thought it was inappropriate and made me feel uncomfortable...it painted a picture that females were objects like the car she was leaning on.
DeleteWe had a safety meeting one day and this guy was wearing that shirt. The mechanic holding the meeting said (in front of everyone...maybe a dozen guys and 3 girls) hey, I like your shirt.
Boom, any respect I had for him was gone. I spoke to him about it after the meeting and let him know it was unfortunate the meeting started with that comment because otherwise it was very worthwhile and professional but I clocked out after that comment when it came to trusting and thinking this guy respected women. As an older guy rather than encourage the shirt he should have pulled the guy aside at some point and told the individual it wasn't work.appropriate.
Maybe My opinion is this way because Jenna Facebook wasn't private and personal but public and a forum to advertise her business. Just made me shake my head...
Meredith-
DeleteYou've raised some very good points on personal vs professional conduct. I definitely came into this particular discussion viewing Jenna's photo as an element of her personal life rather than her professional one. And when you think of it, this opens up a whole new set of interesting questions: Where does your home life end and your professional life begin when your professional life is writing about your home life? How and where does one draw those lines? Ought a homesteader who makes a living by marketing homesteading be held to a different (higher?) standard of homelife professionalism than people who are strictly private citizens? Is there room for someone to be a public figure in homesteading culture but also retain privacy in the home? Is there a difference between being a public figure in homesteading and being a professional homesteader- for that matter is there such a thing as a non-professional homesteader? (I use homesteading rather than farming in this example because I think the lines are much more blurry on a homestead than on a 'farm' which connotes more of a business that can be separated from the home, even if you happen to live on your farm, which many of us do not). I'd love to write out my opinions on some of these questions, but I'll have to take my time to consider what they are first! In the mean time, I'd love to hear what you and other people think about this.
-MJ
MJ, just wanted to say that I am really loving your posts. (I would ask if you blog anywhere, but anonymity is probably safer around here...)
DeleteIt's an interesting concept. I know most bloggers, even those who blog about their own lives, do have certain things they won't put on the blog. I'd imagine they have to draw these seemingly arbitrary lines in the sand SOMEWHERE to give themselves some privacy. I do think we should hold people who put themselves on a public platform to a higher standard given that they are illustrating for the undiscerning a skill or way of life, and if they are being dishonest/incorrect about it the effect is that much greater, given the audience they have.
DeleteMJ, you rock, you really do--thanks so much for putting the time and effort into your thoughtful posts. (And you're apparently a Firefly fan to boot--I'm swooning a little!) I'm completely on board with you--I agree that the original comments on this thread were classic slut shaming, and I'm also in camp #1 but support the efforts of those in camp #2. Keep on keepin' on--it's a lot harder to educate people about these sorts of issues in unexpected places like this blog than it is to do it in places where everyone understands the terms of discussion even if they don't all agree with each other. I'm very impressed!
DeleteIf I did keep a personal blog, it wouldn't be anywhere near as interesting as the conversations we can have together here. You can only grow by engaging with people with whom you don't agree 100% of the time. That's why I was so happy to find such a diverse group of people here (and why I don't bother with the comments at CAF anymore): when we're all coming from very different backgrounds with a diverse set of view points, we can consider things from different perspectives in ways that we might not have found for ourselves.
DeleteFor instance, I'm hoping that at least some of the folks who read my comments on this post are reconsidering their ideas of why they found Jenna's picture so upsetting, and perhaps their thoughts on promiscuity in general, while I'm reconsidering my own preconceived notions about how a photo like this fits into professional and personal spaces- and the problems that arise when you blur those lines by bringing your professional life into the domestic sphere. These are questions I probably wouldn't have considered on my own, since I took Jenna's photo to be a personal statement and nothing else. But obviously other people saw it in a different light.
Finding out from where those differences stem and exploring them gives us the opportunity to refine our own ideas and I just don't think that any of us can do that (or do it as well) on our own, or while only engaging with people who already agree with us. Even though it's sometimes really hard to have frank discussions with people we disagree with, I think it's well worth the effort.
My trick for keepin' it civil is this: I never write my first draft into the comments box. It's way too easy to just write an inflammatory statement (even if- especially if- it's one that I think is super clever and funny, it's probably something that's just truly offensive to the person who I am trying to engage in a dialog) and click the "publish" button. Instead I type out all of my initial responses into an email. I read through them, and then I delete them and re-write the whole thing while pretending that the person I'm talking to is some one I really care about but sincerely disagree with (I usually chose my bestie from grade school). That way, whatever I end up writing- even if it turns out to still be offensive- is at least coming from me with the intention of being respectful and considerate of my discussion partners.
The best part about this is that when you send that kind of post out into the community, you more often than not find people who are willing to send the same back to you. :)
Okay. Enough of this. Next time I get back here I'll have some (hopefully) well reasoned thoughts about how/where privacy fits into a career of professional homesteading in the social media age. Honestly, guys, I keep going 'round and 'round in my head on this one. At the moment, I'm thinking that the only way to go is to have separate personal and professional social media accounts (blogs included), and have some pre-set boundaries between one's public and private life. This seems fine to me until I start to question whether such a set up risks the authenticity of the creative endeavor- kinda like having a cooking show with a beautiful well-stocked set kitchen, but pretending that it's your home kitchen. Anyway, I'm not there yet with a cohesive idea. I'll let you know when I am.
-MJ
MJ
DeleteI think I speak for everyone when I say your well thought out comments are very well.worded and thought out.
Would you like to guest post a main thread on a topic you think we all would enjoy participating in?
Also, I have a lengthy document needing proofread (the one I spoke of being very passionate and emotionally involved in). I know there's venom threaded throughout that will take away from the facts I am presenting.
Would you consider reading over it?
As if I needed to reiterate thought out ;)
DeleteMJ, a coworker of mine learned the hard way that Facebook is most definitely public, not private. She nearly lost her job and her ability to work as a result of a private matter that she posted on Facebook. The fact remains that Jenna does advertise on her Facebook page. If she chooses to do that, she ought to keep it professional.
DeleteI have also heard of several cases of people being fired over what was said on their blogs. It's more common than many realize.
The way I see it, and this is simply my opinion, is that there is a key difference between being proud of your body and posting a photo that says, "Hey, don't I look great!" and her comment about her chest. Is it acceptable for a guy to post a photo and proclaim that he has a great package? I don't think so. I don't have double standards for men and women.
I certainly agree that there is a rape culture that seems to blame women for being the victims. I've heard all the excuses about asking for it through revealing clothing, flirting and other actions. It's not acceptable. Ever. Parents need to teach their kids to respect one another, whether they are covered up completely or naked as the day they were born.
I am glad this topic did come up and I hope that people reading these comments stop and think about their actions and how they speak with one another.
Meredith-
DeleteI would be thrilled to give your document a proofread for you- I know how hard it can be to make our points calmly and objectively- especially when it's a topic that we are passionate about. I think it's always helpful to have a second set of eyes to go over any piece of important writing. I also think that a guest post discussion session would be *so much* fun! There's such a wealth of experience and perspectives from the people commenting here, how can we not have good discussions? I'll shoot you an email via your blogger account over the weekend about these things?
-MJ
Wonderful!
DeleteI would post it for general feedback but it is not public knowledge at this time. Not that I wouldn't appreciate everyone's comments! It will be out there soon enough I hope.
Meredithamonson@Gmail.com
Perhaps I'm the oldest person here, and it may have a lot to do with my feelings about the use of social media. I certainly understand the terms "slut shaming" and "victim blaming" and I believe the original intentions behind them were good. Over the years I've heard from many younger women that there is a lot of pressure to behave promiscuously and there is a lot of shaming involved if they don't. Now I'm hearing from a younger generation that they feel pressured into exposing their bodies on social media or texts. I think the result is to make young women less free, less comfortable in their own bodies. I believe the trend has been very damaging. But the truth is, none of it is likely to be a problem for me, I'm more concerned about discrimination against old women, especially fat old women. And I'm very upset that young people don't appreciate the wisdom of their elders :-) .
DeleteRedhorse-
DeleteThose are some interesting points, both on age as a filter through which we all view social media (whatever age that is for each of us), and what you've heard of younger women's experiences with peer pressure. I feel like most of the girls I know these days report that they are judged much more harshly for being "too promiscuous" than for being "not promiscuous enough", but maybe this varies regionally or even from grade to grade or school to school?
I don't know if as a high school (or college) student (high school was over a decade ago, now) I felt my peer group was pressured to be more or less promiscuous than our natural inclinations led us to be. My group of friends ranged from a young woman who has since become a minister to one who writes reviews for sex toys professionally, so I guess we pretty much ran the gamut in terms of dress codes. I always felt that it was a shame to pressure a woman away from what she felt comfortable dressing in, regardless of how much that did (or didn't) cover, but definitely feel that there were (and still are) definitely pressures from both directions.
I think this image really depicts it well (no nudity, but be warned of some upper thigh if you're squeamish): http://laughingsquid.com/judgments-provocative-photo-shows-skirt-length-decency-levels-on-a-womans-leg/
Thanks for taking the time to post such a thoughtful response. I'm glad to got a chance to hear where you're coming from.
-MJ
I think being called a prude is worse than being called a whore or slit these days. Prude also insinuates socially outcasted, a looser, someone who no.one wants to touch (because no one would want to.be prude by choice). Slutty is seen as attractive, overly wanted, a girl with options etc. Just my thoughts and views as someone who went to college within the past decade. Not necessarily my views but the General consensus on campus.
Delete...speaking of slut shaming...have you picked up on Jennas attitude and words towards women who are sexually active?
DeleteNo I haven't, what are they?
DeleteMJ, you are wise and I agree we should bitch about real problems and not another womans body.
ReplyDeleteThat said she got the 35 cup coffee maker, your tax dollars at work suckas
Anon - I don't Facebook, so hadn't heard. Did she buy the coffee maker herself, or was it a gift?
ReplyDeleteOhhh, keen eye! It sure looks like the one in the picture on one of her recent posts.....the one with the dog in front of the fire!
DeleteDenise
If she bought the coffee pot while being behind in her mortgage or before paying back the CSAers, shame on her. If someone bought it for her because she posted it on her "wish list" shame on her too. Besides, why does one person need a 35 cup coffee maker?
ReplyDeletehttp://highstfarm.blogspot.com/2014/12/result-of-what-not-to-do.html?m=1
DeleteForeshadow post...10 days later...coffee pot!
I'm guessing a "drive thru" CAF cup of the month club. She will sell a month membership for $100 for about 30 days of coffee at $3ish a cup with a complimentary maude mug. come on poodles you spend it at Starbucks right! Oh and you pugs...coffee is a working man's drink, start sipping black (cream and sugar makes you a punk) coffee like the rest of us working wolves.
Day 1...flat tire so she can't fulfil her CSA coffee club
Day 2...her computer crashed so she can't fulfil her CSA coffee club
Day 3...ran out of coffee for CSA coffee club (while sipping coffee from her own stash...akin to her freezer full of pork while not fulfilling pork shares)
Day 4...oh you didn't bring your own mug or cup? Sorry read the fine print, maude mug not guranteed.
Day 5...her internet was down, too bad so sad coffee lovers
Day 6...out on.a morning hunt. No refunds! CSA means I can screw you because you took the risk!
Days 7-30 anyone?
Imagine if restaurants worked like a CSA...I just used an olive garden gift card I got for Christmas. Go in after meal has been prepaid for with gift card...they sit you down...you see the chef and staff laughing partying eating etc. At some point you say excuse me? How is my order coming along? It's been paid for. The waitress responds...oh, we are eating it! It's the risk you take with a gift card. There's no gurantee of a meal. ? The business is still in business...the business is still hiring staff, purchasing trade tools, paying themselves with the money from the gift card. What's the deal? Pull the CSA card! Ugh...poor farmers and crafters who legit CSA. CSA isn't another word for scam.
Gibson looks like he's had enuf of this freezing my balls off S%$t
ReplyDeleteIsn't it like -20 up there tonight, the pegs will be frozen before they're slaughtered, the freakin chickens, say a prayer, it's Birchthorn time
Mother nature is Birchthorn.
DeleteIt all makes sense now.
I think she will pull "there's a Birchthorn in all of us" it is our fear, our hesitation, our doubts....
DeleteAfter drinking 35 cups of coffee, she should be able to put a shelter together for those poor pigs in about 60 seconds.
Delete"You know what? I think you may be snobs. Seriously. Like those rich people at the ski slope drinking slippery cocktails in their Smartwool long underwear while the staff walks by with a push broom with duct tape on their box-store parkas."
ReplyDeleteUmmm - - I have a farm and I wear smart wool socks when I am outside working. In fact, my smart wool sock pokes out of the hole in my boot in which the duct tape needs to be reinforced....and I also love to go skiing when I can get away. Why does she think the two are mutually exclusive? Why does she think people who go skiing and drink cocktails are snobs? Why does she think WE think we are better than someone who works at a ski slope. Its not true and its not fair. Its so insulting.
We know. We know. They are not exclusive and she is very offensive in her blanket statement of life through Jenna colored glasses. That anyone can agree with her is shocking. She could make a monk materialistic in her mind. Based on her writings I don't know many who shop more than her. Surely No one who claims a simple frugal lifestyle.
DeleteHey...she's running around in $100 kilts with money to boot cutting perfectly good britches off at the knee to play highlander.
Writing...what Jenna does in her free time waiting for the next package to arrive. Fencing? Animal care? Debts? Nah. Online shipping it is!
Also love her anthropomorphasizing the sheep. Such assholes doing what they naturally do. Oh Jenna you are such an overworked slave at the beck and call of your animals...yeah right I mean gamer friends.
You hit the nail on the head, there. She buys more crap by far than the average working person, who actually has to live on what they earn. At one point, I recall she said she had eight kilts hanging in her closet. And if they're the Utilikilts, they cost about $150 each. $1,200 in kilts! And she's trying to compare herself to people with duct-taped parkas? Gack.
DeleteOn the "sheep are assholes" post. No, Jenna, you are. I have never heard anyone call their livestock assholes. No real farmer anyway. You have had years to get a frost free spigot set up, but why do that when you can write un-tolled books describing hauling water. And, oh, the "bundled up naked body" reference? What is that? Again, you seem to love to put body references in all you write. Why is that? Ah, wait, more attention!
ReplyDeleteMeh, dairy cows and any breed of goats can regularly act like assholes, and I've probably called them worse.
DeletePerhaps because they are difficult to handle or outsmart their caretakers...but for simply being breathing still animals?
DeleteI don't think I'm in the minority when I say watching my animal of choice (pigs) brings me more pleasure and joy than just about anything. Eating sleeping rooting cuddling wallowing even outsmarting me I loved ever bit of it and was readily aware how fortunate I was to be their caretakers.
Well I thought the sheep "asshole" post was stupid, because sheep just don't act like assholes. I always hated how she went on and on about how "grumpy" Maude was. Sheep just don't act like jerks.
ReplyDeleteI was just commenting on how a "real farmer" wouldn't call animals assholes. Real farmers do call their animals assholes when the animals are doing something to warrant it (like goats, who routinely act like jerks, especially when there is food involved).
Animals who stand there and eat...nah.
And I should add, that in all my years of raising sheep, the ONLY time I've had a sheep act remotely like an a-hole is when it was a ram headbutting....and that is caused by hormones, just just bad attitudes.
DeleteI've never seen a ewe act like an asshole, ever.
Animals can act like assholes, but on the whole they are not assholes. They've done NOTHING wrong to Jenna, except need some care which she clearly cannot give without calling them names.
DeletePretty sure that's what I said above. Thanks. :-)
DeleteOh Christ, shut the fuck up already. Do you all want some cheese with your whine? Build a bridge and get over it.
ReplyDeleteWe did build a bridge--why don't you go jump off of it and spare us your own whining?
DeleteI'd rather not build bridges, they attract foul mouthed trolls.
DeleteYES redhorse!
ReplyDelete