Here is a baby harbor seal, sleeping happily at water’s edge. He or she is at home: plump on mother’s milk, which I believe is composed of 60% fat, rolling gently in the surf, basking in the California sun. This seal will never have issues about body image. It will grow up as is is meant to, without doubts or self-criticism. Mainly, it will try to stay alive and do things natural to seals.
In the US, we hear over and over on television how we could/should improve our bodies. Many of us are obese, out of shape, etc. For heath reasons, this is worth noticing and taking seriously. It’s the focus on how we look that bothers me. Women should get thinner. Men should “get it up” anytime that “she” is ready. And we should all consider taking more and more drugs for whatever, regardless of the risk that our hands might fall off, we that may grow long hair on our butts, that we might be unable to breathe, that we could bleed out, or that death could be a side effect. Medical interventions are pushed by advertising companies, whether or not they are needed. I do have a competent doctor, thank you very much.
Why am I on a rant about this? Years ago, my generous and gifted guitar teacher Paul suggested that I write a song about something I cared about. So I wrote a love song about butter and sugar. This is politically incorrect. In addition, I am a dessert snob: most of the sweets you can buy in stores aren’t up to my standards. I bake a lot. Probably I’m just lucky, because honestly, I’ve never felt a headache or a rush and then crash from eating cake, ice cream, etc. I don’t get bloated either, but certainly getting fatter is always a possibility. And bring on the gluten: no problem. Once I gave up sugar for a whole month, just to see if I would stay alive. Abstaining wasn’t as bad as I thought, but I didn’t feel any better or worse for the sacrifice. So I went back to desserts after this experiment. The song “Butter and Sugar” stands up for itself as an unselfconscious wallowing in the joy of sweets. Here it is.
Butter and Sugar
Susan Rose: Singing Grandma 