All Posts By

Sarah

Does Dressing Up Require Social Commentary?

I don’t usually like when people expect listeners to pay attention to their every word as they read aloud long passages of text, but on Monday afternoon, I was captivated by a TA who shared a newsworthy blog post circa November 2010.

Two days after Halloween, Trick or Treating may still be trending on Twitter, but most people are more concerned about finding discounts on candy and the latest gossip about the Kardashians than discussing who cross-dressed over the weekend.

Nevertheless, when a 5 year old boy begged his mom to order a costume resembling Daphne from Scooby Doo for him two years ago, this caused a huge commotion. Uptight mothers in their community were outraged, even though their children seemed unfazed by his costume choice.

                             

The bottom line is that costume choices shouldn’t be a big issue at all, unless of course they are outright offensive or obscene. The boy didn’t dress up as a Disney Princess anxiously awaiting Prince Charming’s arrival at his doorstep; he dressed up as one of his favourite animated TV characters – so what?

In her blog post, the mother (who coincidentally is another Sarah) mentions that her son’s “best friend is a little girl.” When it comes to trick or treating, those kids will remember spending the night or school festivities with their best friend. Early childhood friendships don’t always extend into adulthood or even the teenage years, but if the friends lose touch, they’ll remember who it was running up neighbours’ front steps beside them to collect candy. That’s the memory for him to cherish – friendship and fun, not that a Halloween costume he wanted to wear sparked an online debate about gender and sexuality.

It is one thing to document your children’s funny musings or share advice about parenting, but it is quite another to turn an innocent child’s desire to have fun dressing up into a rant about attitudes towards gender norms. Sometimes I think that moms should just take photos to capture their kids growing up and leave it at that. After all, “it’s just a costume.”

Surely there is a better way to become famous than starring in a controversial blog post.

November 2, 2011 by

Ted Finally Reunited with the Slutty Pumpkin, Eh?

“The Slutty Pumpkin Returns” — Ted (Josh Radnor) and Naomi (Katie Holmes) revisit the rooftop Halloween party where they first met on HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER, Monday, Oct. 31 (8:00 – 8:30 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network. Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS © 2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

After hearing great hype about tonight’s How I Met Your Mother episode, I was curious what sorts of hilarity the show would entail. I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of Canadian humour, though I didn’t quite understand why Robyn chose to dress up as a hockey player from Vancouver of all places, but maybe that’s just due to my lack of NHL knowledge. Speaking of comparisons between the States and Canada, I wonder if Dunkin Donuts in the States sells as many pumpkin flavoured treats as Tim Horton’s.

I thoroughly enjoyed how Katie Holmes’ Slutty Pumpkin character knew Barenaked Ladies’ songs by heart, especially because it served as a throwback to a time when Steven Page was still with the band. Though I consider myself a loyal fan of Dawson’s Creek, I much preferred Britney Spears and Rachel Bilson’s guest appearances on HIMYM to Katie Holmes’ stint tonight.

As I watched Ted and his friends at the rooftop party, I noticed that there were far too many store bought packaged costumes that exhibited far too little creativity for a show that’s known for its original concepts like “pregnancy brain” and the “hot-crazy scale.” Barney made an amusing entrance as per usual and it was nice to see a change in his wardrobe this season from the yellow duck tie he’s been sporting since September.

I’m looking forward to seeing what other terms CBS will introduce to our lingo this season. In the meantime, whether you’re tricking friends, enjoying treats or merely tweeting, Happy Halloween!

October 31, 2011 by

Rethink Breast Cancer

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Last year, non-profits employed social media to raise awareness by asking girls and women to update Facbook statuses and share where they like to leave their purse, which inevitably led to sexual innuendos, thanks to sentences such as “I like it on the floor.”

This year, rethink Breast Cancer has taken to YouTube to spread the message about the importance of check-ups and my, have they done an *ahem* charming and entertaining job at that.

October 29, 2011 by

Concert Review: Freedom or Death & Shout Out Out Out Out

Stepping inside Call The Office can feel like taking a gigantic step outside the Western bubble, but it’s one worth taking, especially when you walk away with a renewed sense of appreciation for Canadian talent.

The disco ball hanging from the ceiling near the stage was hardly indicative of the alternative and electronic sounds heard Tuesday night from Toronto’s Freedom or Death and Edmonton’s Shout Out Out Out Out.

When Freedom or Death’s lead singer Sway took to the microphone, he teased the crowd that it was a sound check, during which he wanted to gauge reactions from everyone in the “party town.” Before long though, people left their barstools to hear the as-of-yet unsigned band perform tracks from their album, Ego. Within their 40-minute set, their engaging stage presence quickly transformed young patrons into fans who yearned for an encore, some of whom found a spot near the stage to dance with friends.

While the headliners set up their gear, Sway chatted outside with some audience members who compared his guitar skills to Prince and overall style to Mars Volta. Suddenly Freedom or Death had acquired fan girls, who barely looked of legal age, anxiously wanting to dance with the singer during Shout Out Out Out Out’s performance.

As soon as Shout Out Out Out Out took to the stage, they attracted more people to the dance floor, including Sway. Their music sounds similar to recordings by Hot Chip, a band with whom they could definitely produce a great collaboration. The Edmonton rockers shared little commentary, except to introduce some new tunes, including a track called “Total Loss.”

The lack of lyrics in their songs drew focus to the band members’ onstage nuances and attire, particularly the keyboardist’s patent leather red brogue shoes.

Regardless of how you access music, be sure to add these Canadians to your playlists—your friends will be glad you did.

Originally published in The Gazette.

October 28, 2011 by