Both Sides of the Fence

A Tosa resident since 1991, Christine walks the dog, cooks but avoids housework, writes and reads, and enjoys the company of friends and strangers. Her job takes her around the state, learning about people's health. A Quaker (no, they don't wear blue hats or sell oatmeal or motor oil), she has been known to stand on both sides of the political and philosophic fence at the same time, which is very uncomfortable when you think about it. She writes about pretty much whatever stops in to visit her busy mind at the moment. One reader described her as "incredibly opinionated but not judgmental." That sounds like a good thing to strive for!

Will you join the Revolution?

Revolution, One Life to Live, Transformation, Soap Opera

Apparently, there's gonna be a Revolution in daytime TV. The established order, venerable soap opera One Life to Live, is being usurped by a reality TV show to "help women navigate transformations extending to nutrition, mental health, medical issues and style."

What's revolutionary about yet another reality show with Ty Pennington, Tim Gunn, and a team of "superheroes of hope," you may ask, as I certainly do.

Well, not only will they revolutionize women's lives through the various forms of dress and living room fashion therapy, but they will also help us lose weight, firm up, visit gynecologists, and improve the mental issues that led us to be fat, flabby, and unfashionable in the first place.

"It starts a movement of everybody wanting to improve their life," according to the show's producer, JD Roth.

I guess nobody's ever thought about that before, and especially not women. . .Could have fooled me. Could have fooled the publishers of lady magazines, who think that women think about nothing but  improving their bodies, their lives, and their recipe collections.

Now, transformation's a big thing. It's not just Oprah's penchant for putting us in bras and $200 jeans that actually fit and high end haircuts with great color, although those can make us look better. That's temporary change.  Transformation's something deep and profound, something that can't be reversed. Like when a caterpillar turns into a butterfly.

Or when someone, even a woman, takes charge of her place in the world, her peace of mind and spirit, her behavior toward others --and perhaps not just inside her living room.

Or when she notices that parts of what's wrong have nothing to do with her -- and might even set out to do something to change that.

Or when she thinks about something besides herself.

You want transformation? Look at One Life to Live. The same character might morph through multiple personalities and waitressing to  newspaper publishing and university presidenting. One was even set to become the next POTUS. And all this while being hot enough to get the (much younger) guy as well as the contract, even though decades older than any other women you'll see on TV except in the role of Grandma.

I don't watch daytime television. But if I did, I'd go for some fake "reality" pumped up with betrayal, intrigue, triumph beyond what's measured on the bathroom scale, trips to heaven and the future, exciting new mates and enemies, and even the occasional female friendship. And I am so not talking about America's Next Supermodel, though I can see why you might have thought I meant that.

Because really, like most of us, I'm sort of all right as I am. All right enough, anyway. You don't need to change me. Just entertain me when I'm taking a break from my one pretty good, decent, non-dramatic life lived  with shabby furniture and last decade's clothes. The rest of the time, I'm too busy to bother.

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