About

The blog

Welcome to Peculiar Girl, a blog that celebrates the unconventional and promotes ethical, more compassionate living. Through my writing I’ll show you how challenging social norms can demolish the barriers that are preventing you from finding true happiness. I’ll also demonstrate how treating yourself and others with greater kindness and compassion cultivates a richer, more meaningful life.

What do I mean by social norms? From the moment we’re born, we are bombarded with messages about how we should look, act, and live. You can choose to blindly follow along, like most people, or you can take the time to uncover the truth… that many of these messages come from those who have something to gain from your compliance, often at the expense of your own fulfillment.

The fashion and cosmetics industries perpetuate an unattainable beauty standard to keep us spending billions on their products. The underlying message is that for women and girls, looks matter above all else. We’ve created a culture where, according to one poll, young women would rather win “America’s Top Model” than the Nobel Prize. The same survey found that 22 percent of women would rather lose their ability to read than lose their figure. If you’re interested, you can see the full survey here.

Boys are socialized to be aggressive and to suppress their emotions, or risk being called “gay,” the ultimate insult in many circles. Every day there are new stories of young people committing suicide because they were being bullied for not complying with social norms.

We are also a culture obsessed with stuff. People, animals, and our environment are suffering as a result of our demand for cheap goods that we are told are necessary to achieve the “American dream.” Yet it seems the more we consume, the less happy we are.

Each of us is unique. If you spend your life trying to fit into a mold that others have created for you, you will always be disappointed. Yes, sometimes going against the grain is scary, but it’s also intensely rewarding. By sharing my experience and expertise, I hope I can inspire you to leave normal behind and discover the joys of being peculiar.

I write about gender stereotypes, body image, philanthropy, living more simply, and the benefits of a vegan lifestyle.

Get the latest updates by subscribing to my RSS feed or joining my e-mail list. You can also join Peculiar Girl on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

The author

spacer My name is Cheryl Breuer (pronounced BROY-er). I left my corporate job in 2010 to pursue my dream of freelance writing. I’m also a martial artist, a vegan, and an active volunteer. I live in Madison, Wisconsin, with my equally peculiar husband Tom and a one-of-a-kind rescue mutt named Romeo.

For more about me, and the inspiration behind this blog, you can read my first post, Life on My Terms: Why Bullies and Critics Can’t Keep Me Down.

This page has the following sub pages.

7 responses so far

  • spacer Marliese says:
    September 15, 2010 at 3:50 am

    Welcome to having to explain how to pronounce your last name. You’ll get used to it being said wrong VERY quickly. ;D
    And nice blog! This looks like it will be fun after you keep it going for a bit… Good luck! spacer

    Reply
    • spacer Cheryl says:
      September 15, 2010 at 11:32 am

      Thanks! I’m already used to having a tough-to-pronounce last name. My maiden name was even more unusual. Oh, well. Glad you like the blog.

      Reply
  • spacer Kelly says:
    October 6, 2010 at 10:50 am

    I just came across your blog on Tammy’s site and I am absolutely loving it. I can’t wait to read more!

    Reply
    • spacer Cheryl says:
      October 6, 2010 at 11:12 am

      Welcome, Kelly! Thanks for the kind feedback. (To any of my readers who don’t who Tammy is, she has a wonderful blog about simple, minimalist living at rowdykittens.com.)

      Reply
  • spacer Mary-Anne says:
    May 11, 2011 at 11:58 pm

    My daughter told me about your site and it is a wondrous as she said it is.
    I gave up dying my hair (to hide the grey) 31 years ago. It has been silvery white for years. My husband loves it. I love it…and it flows all the way down my back,and way past my waist! It’s beautiful.

    Reply
    • spacer Cheryl says:
      May 12, 2011 at 8:17 am

      Mary-Anne, I bet your hair is stunning. Thanks so much for reading. I’m glad you like my blog.

      Reply
  • spacer John Ptacek says:
    December 18, 2011 at 2:05 pm

    Hi Cheryl,

    Your point about the force of social norms is true enough. But there seems to be one almost everyone seems to miss, an assumption that permits us to judge each other relentlessly and without remorse. I’m speaking of the concept of choice, which is buried so deeply inside us that none of us give it a second look, or even a first one. Your blog is about compassion. To me this means observing the behavior of another, however vile, and understanding that if I were them, born with their genetics and raised as under similar circumstances, I would be doing the exact same thing. There would have been no superior “me” to bail me out because that “me” is an illusion. One could get all spiritual about this but the illusion of choice is making its way into the mainstream through neuroscientists such as David Eagleman and Douglas Hofstadter. Wow, this turned into a mini-lecture. Did mean it to come across that way. Your post stimulated this response. That’s what you get for erecting a thought provoking blog.

    Reply

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