Free to Be?

Beware of the Blog reminded me today that It's Alright to Cry courtesy of Rosie Grier from the 1974 classic Free To Be You and Me. As I watched this on You Tube, I realized that Free to Be You and Me can perhaps be the root of many of my current psychological conflicts. Free to Be was big in the Babylon house in the 70s. We had the book, sang the songs and often watched the TV show as film while at camp or even at Sunday School and I took it all to heart. I really believed that when I grew up, I might be pretty or tall, but I wouldn't have to change at all. I believed that ladies don't always have to their feminine ways to come out ahead and that I could have success in any career I dreamed. I learned it's OK for William to have a doll and I made many gay male friends. I learned that parents are basically just totally fucked up people with children.

I've always felt free to be just me. Now, however, as I'm a woman working in the corporate world, I'm not sure that all of Marlo's lessons hold true. In today's age, crying at work gets you classified as "depressed" or "emotional," using the same aggressive tactics as a man gets you classified as a "bitch," hanging out with your gay boyfriends gets you classified as a "hag" and don't even get me started on what happened to poor Michael Jackson when he grew up acting freely. I'm just not so sure we are all so free to be you and me anymore. I'm just not sure who in the hell we are supposed to be? Marlo?