@Bluetongue1 THANK YOU!!!! I really appreciate those words, and have had similar words sent to me via PM by other respected members here (you know who you are, wink)
The problem with such unsolicited, sexist comments, (even if intent is not such) it feeds the notion that ladies should stay away from snakes, especially pretty ones! It also feeds the notion that we can’t love and be proud of our pets the same way, others do who choose to keep cats, puppies, rabbits etc bc they’re from the *dark & dangerous realm* (cue creepy music)
All my girlfriends pose with their kitties and puppies and its ok, why is it not ok to do the same with a creature who IMO is far more magnificent - which I am sure all of us here agree on that. So it should actually make males happy to see women posing with their snakes, because in our era, instead of just the men trying to explain why they are incredible, fascinating and harmless, women are assisting in this and influencing others too, sometimes perhaps even to a more effective degree to their audience, than a man may be able to. (not by rule, depends on the audience of course)
The thing is (and I *REALLY* hope men with similar opinions as that MEME, whether they are meaning to be derogatory or just unaware what these comments are) really read this, because its a
VERY IMPORTANT INSIGHT for those who may be unaware of the flow on effect that happens when a woman becomes interested in reptiles...
Since getting my 4 gorgeous pythons in the past fortnight, and posting pictures like this on social media, and sending text pics to friends introducing my gorgeous pythons, I have had 8 girl friends come over to meet them. People / women who HATE snakes but love me. They are feeling, holding, learning & even getting photos taken with them. These 8 women go to their circle of friends, their workplaces, their families and tell their people about their day and how they met and had a meet and greet with the most adorable friendly pythons. They are posting their snake pics on their social media and then all their friend get to see it and learn about it. It sets off a POSITIVE chain reaction that benefits our community as a whole.
Whether you are a (yep gonna use some sterotypes here) city slicker in an apartment with a snake, a breeder with 100 of them, country folk who welcome local pythons into their homes, a suburban family keeping a python in a garage, a drag queen who has a python and uses it in her weekend show for shock value, a tom boy girl who loves creepy crawlies, or in my case a champas drinking, make up wearing, glam girl who adores reptiles - together as a whole we are influencing and educating people in our circles.
Would a bunch of drag queen fans be as interested in a snake by being shown a pic of one? Perhaps not? My school mums? Def not!
A 38 yr old lady like myself photographed with a snake, may not interest some. But my 8 year old daughter is going to school daily talking about snakes, and how we should love them, and how her mummy has 4 & together we are going to look after them. She shows off her snake photos of her and her mummy holding and feeding our pythons. 25 kids in her class are now interested in her snakes and ask her for updates, as are THEIR PARENTS!! How great for the future generation. Just remember our reptile community is made up of all types. We all bring attention and education to these fascinating creatures in our OWN INDIVIDUAL way.
Would some of the school kids and school mums be as interested in our families snakes if I weren’t in the pic. TBH, Probably not. For a mum or a child, seeing a woman in a dress holding a snake is a ‘psychological endorsement’ that they are in fact safe and harmless. It's shallow but works. It actually helps break down the barrier that they are scary. So a pretty chick with a snake, should be welcomed even if you don't get it, because there is a bigger picture going on here!
Check this for example: I invited my next door neighbors children to come over and meet the snakes. My neighbor is from Africa and is deathy afraid bc she assimilates ALL snakes with
BLACK MAMBA from her homeland. Again, not educated about our beautiful pythons. I invited her and her children over. She was literally sweating. She is relatively new to the country (5 yrs) I explained all about Aussie pythons. She has other African family up in Darwin who came through the refugee arrangement. They are all petrified of seeing a snake up there, which its only a matter of time before they do. My neighbor didn’t hold the snake. But came to look and feel its skin and after I assured her the pythons are safe she allowed her children to meet them and have a python hug.
She then emailed her family in Darwin showing them about 20 beautiful pics of her 5 children with Aussie snakes wrapped around them. See we all play our role in helping the reptile community. Whoever we share our pythons with shares their experience with others. Who knows, perhaps now, instead of putting a shovel through the head of a beautiful python out of fear, (again, a stereotype sorry) new immigrants related to my neighbor in Darwin, may be less fearful, admire the python from a distance and let it be on its merry way. That's what I like to think happens by teaching them about snakes. Her coming over to my house was initiated by me sending her a text with a python wrapped around me offering her children an opportunity to come and meet them. Had I have just sent a pic of a snake, no way would she have come over.
To be honest, having my daughter interested and her school mates in snakes is fabulous to me, but to me the greatest success was my husband who had a SNAKE PHOBIA allowing me to have them, then graduating to helping me clean their homes and feed them, then handling them little by little, and now enjoying them and fascinated by them. He comes home from work, kisses his kids and goes to each enclosure to see what my 4 pythons are up to. This started because, over the 12 years we have been together, any chance I get where I see a python, I have to know all about it, touch it hold it, talk to the owner about its behaviour, and wrap up encounter, by being wrapped up by the python for a posey photo for my snake pic collection. Over the years, he has seen that if his lipstick wearing, girlie, dress wearing, champagne drinking, high heeled, little 5 ft wife isn't afraid and adores these creatures and has *never* been bitten, then maybe he needs to be more open minded about snakes. And so hence, we now have 4 pythons.
The real kicker....
Here is a pic of him with a snake around his head. Yep, snake selfies arent just for chicks!
* Thumb to nose and tongue out to
@cris* LOL - But we're all cool and thanks for the welcome, wink!