That Girl ran for five seasons, 1966 to 1971. At the time Ann Marie was the first career girl/ woman, living as a single, independent woman. The show starred Marlo Thomas as Ann Marie and Ted Bessell as Donald Hollinger.

Marlo Thomas wanted a show where where the main character was a modern young woman focused on her own goals. Originally, she wanted the show to be called Miss Independence which was the nickname given to her by her own parents.

After the feminist protest against bras and other feminine products from the Miss America pageant in 1968, Marlo Thomas went braless on That Girl.

The Story of Ann Marie, That Girl

The show begins as Ann Marie leaves her home in Brewster, New York and moves to Manhattan, planning to become an actress. She moves into apartment 4-D at 344 West 78th Street, New York City. She gets an agent who wants her to change her name. However, her parents don't like this and Ann decides to keep her own name. A lot of the show was not about Ann bulldozing her way through but about how she could listen, compromise and yet still be true to her own heart and goals.

Each week the show follows the story of Ann, her friends and neighbours in the apartment building and others she meets in between places. Also, her boyfriend, Donald Hollinger, a reporter for Newsview magazine. In between auditions and acting classes she takes odd and part time jobs. Donald and Ann meet during the filming of a TV commercial she is in.

Ann and Donald dated and then were engaged but there was no happy ending because the show was cancelled before they were married. Marlo Thomas wanted the show to end on a high note so Ann and Donald never married during the final season because Marlo Thomas did not want to send the message that the end goal for every woman should be to get married, as if that were the reason the show could now end.

A pioneer those days, That Girl was one of the first TV shows about a single woman living and working on her own. Before Mary Tyler Moore Show or Murphy Brown, That Girl portrayed women as career women who could still be feminine and fashionable.

I Remember Marlo Thomas as That Girl

I don't know how I have such strong memories of watching That Girl. I was born at the end of 1964 so I would have been about two years old when it started. But, I do remember it well. I remember her clothes, I remember her voice and I remember always managing to work things out by the end of each show.

Later in my own life, when I was on the Internet and wanted a login name I could use online for all kinds of sites and not feel silly about, I picked That Grrl. A modern, digitally correct version of That Girl. I still use That Grrl, or thatgrrl, on almost every site I begin an account online.

When I was about 20 I decided to look into religions. I knew the traditional Christian ways were not for me. I didn't like they way these religions viewed women. I had just read a book where the women were put into isolation after having their period or giving birth, they were "unclean". This was on top of growing up with the Adam and Eve mythology. From that point the Bible (written and rewritten by men) just goes on to look down on women, and worse. If I were a male, I would probably never have become Pagan. I would never have begun researching other religions and beliefs and looked deeper than the surface. Most likely I would have put religion behind me as not being all that important.

My Early Pagan Experience

I started with Witchcraft and Wicca because I found a book written in the 70's. It's a book I wouldn't choose to read now but parts of it were enough to send me looking for more information from more reliable sources. I found a Pagan bookstore referred to in a book. I made the hour long bus trip to downtown Toronto and found the place. Entering for that first time was not easy. I felt daring and yet I also felt I was walking into a place I didn't fully belong and might not be welcome. I wondered if they could see inside of me, my mind and my thoughts. Would they know what I was thinking, could they see my future and my past, my aura...? That was creepy.

The first thing that really happened was the smell. Ever since then I have noticed the same smell, strongly of incense over time, in every Pagan bookstore. I like pulling out a book I bought in a Pagan store. Even a couple of decades later I can smell it in the pages. If the smell ever goes away I don't know. So far it hasn't.

My adventure in that first Pagan store was intimidating. If I were less determined or less curious I doubt I would have tried another Pagan store. The people there did watch me and yet said nothing. Maybe they thought I was going to walk off with something, maybe they were just curious too, I won't know and I didn't ask then. I was already the shy type. I bought a book and a couple of polished rocks and I left, glad to be out of there. I was left with the feeling of not belonging and I never did go back to that store. Luckily there were others and more came along later.

Finding Where and How I Fit In

A few years more and the Internet came along too. By that time I was making my own decisions about what I believed and how I believed it. I didn't accept Wicca as it came. I took what felt right to me and put it together with how I felt about the world and it's people. I still believe this way; I'm very much an eclectic solitary type of Pagan. I gave myself the label of Earth Witch and I've stuck with that, to keep the explanation simple. To me an Earth Witch means I focus on the Earth, the natural and I don't feel influenced by deities or magick. I believe we each create our own magick from ourselves and it is up to each of us to choose how to use it, or not use it.

I have written about my Pagan beliefs before but not shared much of my actual experience. I used to get email from young women who wanted to know more about being Pagan. The main thing they wanted to know was how to hide it from their parents. I was never behind this. For one thing, if you have to hide it, maybe you should rethink the whole thing.

I do understand that some families are very Christian and close minded or even afraid of Pagan ideas and Pagan ways. If that is the case and you are living at home, this is not the time for you to explore being Pagan. Wait until you can do it openly. In the meantime, there is no reason you can't do simple things like have a collection of rocks, maybe some shells and feathers, keep a journal about your observations of nature, history and people. These are things you can do without upsetting your parents and family. You can be Pagan without having to prove you're Pagan. Know it yourself and start there.

Nowadays...

For me, being Pagan is a personal thing. I mainly keep it to myself. I've found a local group with weekly meetings but I have yet to venture out and attend one. I think I will. Each time I have stepped out and met other Pagans I have enjoyed the experience and learned new things about history, religion and beliefs. But, I'm comfortable with what I believe now, the way my feelings about being an Earth Witch have evolved. So I'm not as eager to stir myself up as I was when I was younger and just starting to explore and discover.

Embroidery and Beadwork by Mary Yaeger

My female merit badges illustrate female "rites of passage" as well as the myriad physical manipulations women undergo to achieve cultural ideals of beauty, such as weight watching, whether or not to shave or wear makeup, etc. I've created tiny replicas of female products, such as a birth control pill pack and a pregnancy test. The miniature scale and meticulous, hand-embroidered surfaces convey my impressions of growing up female in our culture.

Female Merit Badge Descriptions for a Poster by Mary Yaeger

On some level I would like Prince Charming to come along and sweep me off my feet, rescue me, fix everything and carry me off to his magnificent castle in the clouds. Silly, isn't it? You should all be saying yes. I know some of you have gone off to daydream about it, wistfully thinking of your own Prince Charming.

Well, wise up! There are no Prince Charmings. All the guys out there are not so different from yourself. They come equipped with their own hang-ups, problems, issues and inhibitions. I bet some of them are looking for Princess Charming. That's not you. You don't even want to have someone put all their problems on your shoulders and sit back while you fix everything.

So, why would you expect some guy to be that way for you? Prince Charming is a fairy tale. We're dealing with people here, when we wander through the selection of available men.

At this point I'm looking for a friendly guy who finds me interesting enough to stick around. Sure there are issues like no smoking, social drinker, etc. But you have to put them on a need and want level. What do you need and what do you want. Be practical rather than romantical.

When you can love ice cream and cheesecake, how hard can it be to love a guy who isn't Prince Charming but still makes you laugh and is comfortable to be around. I think you're better to like a guy than to love him. If you can't even like him how will you ever grow to love him?

Written for Feminists in Makeup

This morning I woke up early, got out of bed, had a shower, made coffee, washed a few dishes and now I'm sitting here comfortable in a nightgown, thick socks and housecoat while my hair dries. Barbie can't do most of that. Why, you may wonder. We all know about her figure problems. But, have you considered her feet?

I wrote this for the Feminist's in Make up community at BackWash. I'm not sure if anyone read it. So I'm sticking it here, cause I kind of liked it. Nothing fancy, just one of those ideas you get as you're doing something else.

My old Barbie clone, the Barbie's I see at the stores and the really old Barbie I used to have, spend their lives on tip toes. The feet are made to fit high heels. How does the woman ever feel comfortable in snuggly socks? How does she ever play sports?

I know they make a horse for her to ride, how does she do that in heels? Driving in heels isn't as easy as driving in flat shoes either. Is it ok for Barbie to be a dangerous driver just for fashion or whatever reason women wear shoes that wreck their feet?

Mostly though, Barbie can't just get out of bed and walk around barefoot until she finds her comfy socks. She can't wander around her home, half awake, in the dark. You try doing that on tip toes! Stub a toe and you won't get too far. She can't enjoy feeling comfortable. It's not fair. The poor girl will never get to first base if she can't wear the right shoes for running around the bases.