Danger

One of the dangers of writing something that everyone's read before is that you run the risk of comparison. One of the dangers of sticking to your subculture is that what is easily identifiable is also held up for scruitiny. Such is the case with Michelle Tea's Rent Girl for me.

I bought it of course because the graphic layout appeals to me. It is an aesthetically pleasing looking work. I also have been curious about her because of our names and Venn intersection of audience pools. She's "edgy", though. "Hip." Comes from living risky and being a big part of a certain group in a certain city and forming a slam performance with out-loud appeal to the nation's shared subculture that isn't really subversive after all, but wants to be. Sort of in that Jester cap type of way.

Anyhow. Rent Girl is pretty good. Though the editor, or someone, let a bunch of stuff slip. Especially in the last two chapters. But that's what I mean. Those last two chapters should totally be cut. They have nothing to do with the rest of the book. Her biography and who she is, yes. But the book, no. The book's arc should have been about getting rid of the horrid girlfriend. Which, incidentally, she did a really good job of depicting exactly how these types of relationships are. My god. My first girlfriend was her first girlfriend. What a great fucking welcome to the group, huh? Great fucking introduction. Really makes me want to stay a while: having that motherfucking bitchy mean as hell girlfriend. Yeah. I really want this as a substitute for asshole men. Anyway.

So I like it as a trip down memory lane and it feels cool in a way to feel like my story is getting told. We all have these certain commonalities, you see. But the other part of me can't help but feel like, yeah. This is the story that gets told about us again and again. We're so hip and edgy and cool and mean. The same type over and over again. I want some new images of lesbians. I'm sick of the tough edgy hard core shit. What about just plain nice girls who actually love each other and care about someone aside from themselves for a change? Why's everything gotta be so goddamn rough and adverse all the time?