In defense of the sanctimonious women's studies set || First feminist blog on the internet

Month: December 2007

Stragglers

So say you’ve been passing as female for several months. Perhaps passing isn’t the right word anymore, since you’re at the point where you simply assume that people will see you as female, and since no one has given you any reason to doubt that for a good while now. Everyone you had to come out to, mostly people who saw you coming and going, have long since taken you aside to make sure that you’re not still wanting people to use male pronouns. You did notice them using your ambiguous name with weird emphasis. You felt some guilt because of that. You are pretty relieved that they took it upon themselves to ask.

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Beauty Queen

Is Feministe the prettiest blog ever or what? The banner is updated!* The posts have dates! The sidebars are organized! It’s colorful! Photos come out beautifully! Everything looks so fresh and so clean!

There are still some minor kinks being worked out and I’m still figuring out server stuff, but so far the site is looking lovely and I couldn’t be more excited. A million, trillion thanks to the fabulous, super-talented Ms. Lauren for the new site design. If you’re having any problems with it, let us know.

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*With a background scene from Seattle!

In the interests of full disclosure

Apparently there was a bit of controversy–well ok, it was just one guy being a jerk–over my joy at getting some psych meds, as chronicled in this post. So, for the interests of full disclosure, I thought I’d let you all know the mind-bending blast I’ve been having, as my body gets used to the first few days of new drugs.

So, I’ve been prescribed prozac for depression and anxiety. It seems to have given me a dry mouth, nausea, and diarrhea, which has sent me running straight for the cannabis to counteract the effects of the prozac. So, the cure for the prozac is, well, pot. Which hey, lucky me.

And xanax, which believe it or not is considered fun by some people, who apparently actually will buy it at the street level. But I think you’d have to take several at a time, cuz this stuff doesn’t do anything exciting except make me woozy for about 10 minutes.

And ambien, because of previously discussed sleep issues.

So yeah, I’m defending to the death my right to take these medications that give me dry mouth, nausea, a full night’s sleep, and slight wooziness. I’m also defending my right to take the warfarin that keeps my blood from clotting, the cartia that is keeps my heart ticking, the amiodarone that keeps my heart ticking, and the toprol, which also keeps my heart ticking. Oh, and the diuretic that makes me pee every 5 minutes and makes my blood pressure drop til I feel like swooning (but keeps my legs and feet from swelling so much I can’t even wear shoes) and the potassium to replace what the diuretic leeches out of my system

And the weed, which makes it all bearable.

For Your Reading Pleasure

I’m finally back in New York after a long, long few days of traveling. It’s good to be back, even if I’m going to be leaving for Seattle the day after tomorrow. I have about 6,000 messages in my inbox (689, actually), many of which are emails from you all sending me links and tips on great articles and blog posts. While there is nothing I’d rather do more than post on all of them (seriously — I’ve missed blogging), real life calls, and I need to spend my scant time in the city running errands, getting my life together, and seeing my best girls. In the meantime, check out the bits below. And a big big thanks to Linnaeus and DonnaDarko for guest-blogging!

Lauren on Jamie Lynn Spears and “taking responsibility.”

Miss Belgium can’t speak Dutch, but at least no one called her ugly. Thanks to Jeffrey for the link.

Muslim Hedonist on being “Islamic Like Me.”

Why in the world could Tad Saffron possibly be single? Don’t his articles on how “lard-butt British frumps” insult the male gaze (especially when compared to American women who spend insane amounts of time and money on their appearance) endear him to the ladies? Thanks to Sumana for the link.

WalMart yanks what my mother would call “nasty panties” from its shelves after feminist outcry from bloggers at Feministing and elsewhere. Thanks to Sean for the link.

Panic time! Girls are going wild on Facebook! Now, I’m personally of the opinion that posting pictures of yourself puking or passed out on a site that employers will almost surely look at is a spectacularly stupid idea if you actually want someone to hire you. But the moderator of the “Thirty Reasons Girls Should Call it a Night” Facebook group hits it on the head when she says, “[They think we’re] sloppy, unladylike, low class,'” she wrote in a recent instant message conversation. “[But] I’ve noticed when college boys do stupid things when they’re drunk, they’re just being boys.” Thanks to Fauzia for the link.

Carol Jenkins is looking for a few good women. Tell the Women’s Media Center “Who are the great women out there whose voices deserve to be heard, but who are not yet a part of the national dialogue?”

The ACLU has released a damning new report about the impact of race and ethnicity on justice in America.

We wrote about this before, but the rape of Jamie Leigh Jones by Halliburton workers in Iraq deserves another mention. Prosecuting the rapists is going to be difficult, since the Bush administration has so thoroughly protected them from any legal consequences. Thanks to Sean and Michael for the link.

At least 40 women have been killed in Basra by religious vigilantes.

Hillary Clinton, the B-word, and why verbal misogyny matters. Thanks to Michael for the link.

Want a bit of religious nuttery? Click here.

Feminist lawyers secured a big settlement for the victim of sexual harassment at the University of Colorado.

Honor killings persist in Iraq. Thanks to Matt for the link.

Tell Keith Olbermann to cover the Pretty Bird Woman House.


Does early sex portend a better future for young women?

War and sexual violence is an issue of security.

Divorce is apparently ruining the world. Literally. Color me skeptical. Thanks to Exholt for the link.

For your holiday crafting pleasure.

Enjoy.

So long and thanks for all the fish

Thanks to Jill and all of you for the opportunity to blog here.  It was a great experience; you all had great things to say and I’ve learned a lot in the short time that I’ve  guest-blogged here.  Do take care, happy holidays, and I will see you all in comments!

You all rock.  Big time.

Happy Winter Solstice

It was fun blogging here.

Early on, Pizzadiavola expressed interest in intersectionality and Asian Americans. If you’re a woman of color interested in intersectionality and communities of color, I just tagged 40 posts about this under intersectionality on my blog. Most feminists know about intersectionality in feminism, i.e., racism and classism in feminism, but few know about sexism in communities of color. My blog is probably one of the only places on the ‘net to find commentary on this right now. I’m also proud of my women of color, violence against women, feminism and sexism tags so I hope people will check out my blog.

Happy Winter Solstice and Holidays!

Be good.

**Cross-posted at my place.**

Photo of the Year

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The UNICEF photo of the year is indeed heartbreaking. The 11-year-old girl in the photo is about to be raped by the man sitting next to her — a 40-year-old who purchased her for marriage. It’s a painful and provocative image, and UNICEF certainly chose well.

But, as usual, I’m disappointed by some of the responses to the choice — specifically, this one, titled “How a UNICEF Photo Makes the West’s Heart Ache.”

As if everyone in the “East” promotes child marriage, male dominance and rape.

As if no one in the “West” does.

The author is right when he says that cultural relativism takes us down a dangerous path; he is right that we must draw lines. But he’s wrong when he presumes that people in the “East” are backwards child-marrying barbarians, while people in the West are enlightened and feminist. He is wrong when he argues that it is Westerners, and only Westerners, who can go in and save these backwards desert-dwellers. He is wrong when he presumes that none of the “Eastern” people are doing the work themselves.

Barbarity breeds barbarity and inhumanity breeds inhumanity. The Middle East, North Africa, and the other regions that the author is ostensibly referring to are full of countries scarred by repeated wars and choked by colonial pasts. Does that justify child marriage and rape? Of course not. Should we criticize those practices? Absolutely. But not at the expense of silencing and ignoring the on-the-ground work being done by human rights activists in their own countries. Not by drawing an increasingly thick line between “us” and “them.” Not while pretending we are so morally superior.

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