Who do you think you are?

When I think about who I am, my name is usually a good starting point. My dad wanted to name me Brittany but while my mother was pregnant with me she saw Whitney Houston perform on television and decided that Whitney should be my name. It was a source of pride at first; people would say, "Whitney, like Whitney Houston?" and I would tell them I was named after her. I even had her single cassette tape of "I'm Every Woman" that I would sing along to when I was about six. Then Whitney married Bobby Brown and her downfall ensued. Her name became synonymous with "Crack is Wack" and I began to feel embarrassed by the connection. I didn't hate her as much as I just felt disappointed; I wanted better for her.

I am 23 (soon to be 24) and I am in my last semester of college. It seems like it took me forever to get to this point (I started undergrad when I was 17) but like Whitney, after enduring a great deal, I've managed to make a comeback. After changing majors a few times I ended up choosing Studies in Women and Gender. My interests are health, nutrition, and sports medicine and I am hoping to find some way to fit my passion about gender issues into whichever health career I end up pursuing. I find it really concerning that mainstream nutrition and fitness advice geared towards women is generally focused on looking good for one's man,staying slim, and avoiding bulky muscle. Also, women of color are rarely addressed which is to me even more concerning.

In terms of media in general, I tend to question everything. The news isn't even the news anymore, it's "infotainment". Keith Olbermann seems to be trying to be more and more like John Stewart every time I watch. I ditched my myspace account, am turned off by the idea of Twitter, and try to use Facebook sparingly. Overall, I'm becoming more and more bothered by it. I am however, happy to have discovered blogs and maybe one day I will find some time to create my own.