Hey all! Here’s what’s been going on at Gender Across Borders: Amanda Knox and the Virgin-Whore Dichotomy Stepping Up: “Ask me to follow”: about gender dynamics in the dance scenes of musicals Sexist advertising? There’s an app for that. You Must Be This Tall to Ride about being a tall woman
I blogged about my son’s most recent encounter with a bully… http://spectrumbeach.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/bully_repellen/
I wrote about the gendered aspect of a report on US immigration detainees that came out dec2, got platonic in a post about sexual progressivism, and mused on criminality as stigma, I wrote about Hope Witsell, and about hope waiting for joy, and by the end of this one, I’d blown my own mind (that happens a lot though).
This week at Happy Bodies: The real obesity crisis: nearly half of all 3-6 year old girls worry about being fat. On cunt: can it be reclaimed? The political is personal: Senators who voted NOT to withhold federal funds from contractors that restrict their employees from taking rape and sexual assault cases that happen at work want you to know that they’re NOT indifferent to crimes against women.
But seriously, guys, condoms aren’t that hard to figure out: AIDS in China is growing, and education about condoms is woefully inadequate. Have you ever really stopped to listen to the lyrics of “Jessie’s Girl”? Also, this post isn’t political or anything, but sinus rinses saved my sanity.
I wrote something on the suicide of Mike Penner. And then I linked to Laura Solon’s new series of Talking and Not Talking, because she’s funny, and I need more funny in my life.
This week the Advent Calendar got off to an energetic start as we looked at caffeine, TNT, and four other molecules. And I blogged about my reaction to someone else in the crowd at a gig, and the ways it was wrong.
I wrote posts! When I have presentations to do,, about Patton Oswalt and how I like to think of myself as a stand-up comedian. Combining a McDonald’s cookie, McDonald’s fries,, about my recent food-induced nightmare. Mayhem and Foolishness, about Niecy Nash’s Clean House makeover. It’s 2009, Mattel,, about the representation of black women in media. Enjoy!
Ugly Betty mini-review – I know I’m behind the curve, but I just started the series and decided to share my thoughts Performing Art – Why my upcoming solo performance doesn’t need to be a picture-perfect reflection of my life I’m not yet myself – Portraying myself on stage is perceived very differently by my audience than by myself. (Or, how I’m still mad at myself for not starting to transition ten years ago….)
Instead of getting all worked up about all the shit that’s been going down lately what with Ben Nelson and my senator voting against the Mikulski amendment (wtf Russ?), I took a step back and pondered how many med school terms would really make stellar names for a rock band, which was much less taxing on my blood pressure. http://angryfeministdoc.blogspot.com/2009/12/and-now-for-something-completely.html I also created a facebook group called “I want my tax dollars to support abortion access.” Because exams are coming up and I needed something to do besides study.
This week, inspired by a New Yorker article, I thought about how my belief in the sanctity of life intersects with my belief in the right to self-determination. http://jennyknopinski.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/thoughts-on-life-the-sanctity-of/ I posted an update to my post Angry Letter to the Archdiocese of Washington, in which I have an email argument with the Archdiocese Director of Communications about the decision to hold charitable services hostage in service of discrimination against LGTB people. http://jennyknopinski.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/update-angry-letter-to-the-archdiocese-of-washington/
There are a few new posts at Feminists with Female Sexual Dysfunction this week, and one of them is the first guest post: Guest Post – My Experiences with Vulvodynia – this was written by another feminist living with vulvodynia. I’m not so alone after all. And then I wrote, Different Reactions to Different Articles – these different reactions are in response to two different articles about female sexual dysfunction. I reacted very differently vs two other bloggers. I was gonna include these reactions in my weekly blog link roundup but my response got too long so I had to break it out. And then I (almost) always do a blog link roundup at the end of the week.
This week on my book blog I riffed on Broadsheet’s “What About Team Bella?” post, connecting the Team (Male Character A) vs Team (Male Character B) dynamic with another hit YA book franchise, The Hunger Games
Feminism and gaming blog The Border House has been alive for an entire week! WOOHOO! Here’s what we’ve been up to: Wrex and the Art of the Privilege Check — I looked at some conversations from Mass Effect and how they mirror real-world conversations about race and racism. Yes, I Will Always Play Zoey – Jadelyn talks about why being able to play as a female character in Left 4 Dead is so important to her. Plate Mail Bikini – Hot Tramp illustrates the classic issue of gendered double standards when it comes to armor in World of Warcraft, with fresh questions to think about.
Fuzz Therapy: your weekly Princess. Dragon Age features “controversial” gay sex: a new mature-rated video game has an optional scene featuring gay sex between a human and an elf. Newsflash: Seth MacFarlane sucks: most of us have already figured this out. and I found a fun link via Twitter: New Moon in Lolcats. this will bring joy to you. i promise 🙂
This week at re:Cycling, the blog of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research, we wrote about Beth Ditto putting her fans on bleedwatch, the scam that is Excedrin® Menstrual Complete, varying femcare slogans for different cultural markets, tampon jokes, the under-diagnosis of adenomyosis, and the wandering uterus (a guest post from Elissa Stein).
ethecofem has new contributors. N introduces himself. Why can’t MRAs and feminists just get along? Response to photos making fun of Tiger Woods for being the alleged victim of domestic abuse. N wants to know how you would answer questions about whether it’s ever ok to kill another human, if power can be used justly, etc.
Live Through This: Can Gay Rights Be Gained via HIV? The July 2, 2009 ruling of Naz Foundation v. Government of NCT Delhi decriminalized homosexuality in India, and the world declared this a groundbreaking victory for the Indian gay rights movement. While India going gay made for sensational news, the issue that caught the world’s attention wasn’t actually the primary focus of the ruling. The issue at its heart of was HIV/AIDS. About Those Swiss Minarets At first glance, the ominous poster made by the Swiss People’s Party (SVP) seemed to me to be depicting a burqa-clad woman standing in front of a stockpile of missiles. The starkly dubious message being: Stop Islamic Fundamentalism. After reading the accompanying article on Al Jazeera (and than many, many more elsewhere), the poster took on a new meaning: This is what Islamophobia looks like.
Feminist Review is giving one of our readers a chance to win a custom-made Inspirational Leather Cuff from Michelle Verbeeck. Click here for details on how to enter. Call for Submissions: Carnival of Feminists (Theme: Reviews) make/shift: feminisms in motion (Issue 6) strives to reach out to all who identify as female, no matter what their origin or back story, and there is a tidbit for everyone—hopefully more, if you’re willing to learn something. The Southern Woman: In an age where regional identity yields to interstates and chain hotels, can I still call myself a southern woman? After reading Elizabeth Spencer’s collection of short stories, I think I can.
This week at Radical Bookworm: New and Improved Gender Norms, Now with 40% More Sparkles in which I am a bit late to the Twilight-critique party, and a bit nostalgic for the (generally positive) influence books had on my youth and development. The Revolution is over, sort of in which I reflect on the recent historiography of the French Revolution, and how the study of history reflects contemporary values. Also, eighteenth-century porn! (NSFW)
I wrote a quite criticism of horror, a thing on migration from Malaysia, and talked about my adventures in steampunk costuming. At my LJ, I posted trailers for the new Hua Mulan movie and found on Youtube the 1964 Shaw Brothers production of “Lady General Hua Mulan” for those who would like to see another story featuring the legendary Chinese heroine figure. Also, a signal boost for the 5th Asian Women Carnival! The theme is “Who I Am When I’m (not) With You”.
The Aretha Franklin PeTA War Continues: Looking at the fat shaming engaged in by PeTA in an attempt to get the Queen of Soul to stop wearing fur. Duchess Camilla Bowles Does Not Want Beyonce or Lady Gaga On Her Video Phone: Looking at the shaming of Beyonce and Lada Gaga in comparison to the treatment that the men from the Twilight series receive. Plus Size Glamour Models, But Who’s Missing?: Looking at how normalized the images we create are even when we attempt to be transgressive. A Cross Burning In A Community That “Accepts Black Children”: A young Black man is placed in an all White foster home and the community responds by burning a cross on the families lawn.
I’ve been blogging about the trial of a police officer charged with sexual assault under the color of authority. The officer testifies about his interactions with the women. When being a “bad apple” is your best defense.
I’m spending 600 hours in beauty school to investigate the price we pay for pretty. Here’s what’s happening: The Facial Begins. http://beautyschooledproject.com/2009/12/03/the-facial-begins/ Placenta in your beauty products. http://beautyschooledproject.com/2009/11/20/placenta-on-your-face/ The lesson is also a sales pitch. http://beautyschooledproject.com/2009/11/11/lesson-also-sales-pitch-miladys/
At my blog good girls don’t, I wrote whorephobia 101 about how stereotypes and common tropes are harmful to sex workers.
First time here in a while… but anyway, although I am not a conservative, I demonstrate that conservatives’ deeply held economic beliefs require them to support equal marriage.
This week at The Jaded Hippy: I almost never write poetry but… I wrote some last week. I shared the new recording of “21 Guns” that Green Day did with the cast of the American Idiot musical. And I brought up a speech Patrick Stewart did for Amnesty International on women and domestic violence.
Veterans Affairs Centers Fall Short of Women’s Needs, on…well just what it says. Progress in Military Caregiver Programs discusses the good new that is the Senate passing a bill that will compensate family members, financially and socially, for caring for disabled veterans. A conversation about race and how it isn’t black and white.
The Suicide of Christine Penner caused me to write two posts regarding suicide in the transsexual/transgender communities. Suicide is far more common than generally thought and often due to a combination of childhood abuse, discrimination and isolation. Like may uncomfortable topics it is one TS/TG people try to avoid discussing. http://womenborntranssexual.com/2009/12/03/suicide-christine-penners-and-others/ http://womenborntranssexual.com/2009/12/04/suicide-prevention-and-the-need-for-support-beyond-transition/
I wrote about thanksgiving episodes on gossip girl and classic episode of the sopranos. Mostly pleased with this week’s glee, although I have some concerns about a scene of domestic violence. A very silly conversation about nip/tuck.
This week f/law examined discrimination in the case of the female ski jumpers and their quest to compete in the Olympics: http://canadianwomenandthelaw.blogspot.com/2009/11/no-ski-jumping-for-ladies.html
Megan stood on the witness stand, her red hair like a banner of freedom, her voice trembling at times. It was like a bad production of The Crucible. But it was real. Lawyers, and oaths and everything as Megan tried to persuade the Pawtucket zoning board to allow her to open a Center for Sexual Pleasure and Health. http://kmareka.com/2009/12/01/no-satisfaction-from-the-zoning-board/
This week at Yes Means Yes: An Elizabeth Lambert post. Getting beyond the ponytail yank specifically and her personal rough play in general, I take a more macro look at aggression is sports. I think in any sport there will be a spectrum, with dirty players at one end and paragons at the other. If we teach women to compete physically like men, then they will fall on the same sort of spectrum, and there will be occasional examples of really bad misconduct. While the fouls are not okay, the process that makes them inevitable … is actually progress. A personal mediation on Tiger Woods, broken stuff in a household with kids and the memories I can’t shake. Hope Witsell died of revictimization. Sexting didn’t kill her. How people treated her killed her, including her school and her own parents, who failed to understand or accept that she had been sexually assaulted. After the Meet the Predators and Predator Redux posts, a student columnist wrote in the first person about using exactly the tactics that Dr. Lisak’s research say are the mode among repeat offender rapists. He now says that it was all satire. Even if true, this is truly epic fail. It is, in fact, impossible to satirize rape in the Swiftian sense we so often discuss. There is no “too far” for the rapists. We live in a culture where people joke openly about raping and killing women, and in fact where women are raped and killed. Satirizing this will not change the minds either of the perpetrators or their supporters. It will just entrench the culture of doing nothing about it.
WITNESS, an international Human Rights non profit, elects Zainab Salbi to the Board of Directors. Ms. Salbi is the co-founder and CEO of Women for Women International. http://www.witness.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1007&Itemid=168
This is a blog that will begin to be updated more regularly at the end of this semester. I am a graduate student working on my MA in Philosophy. My area of interest is sexual assault and rape prevention education and awareness raising, as well as healthy sexuality and healing after sexual trauma. I am a certified Crime Victim Advocate and I frequently write and publish papers about rape trauma and victim blaming. I’m quite proud of my most recent blog entry regarding Amy Dickinson’s column in the Chicago Tribune that unabashedly blames a rape victim.
The Austin Chronicles: The Game – The next installment in my series about going to Texas to get an MA in Women’s and Gender Studies. In this case, I suddenly found myself paying tuition as a cocktail waitress in the VIP section of the UT football game. Rants and hilarity ensue.
I know I am late, but I really want to throw some posts up here. I have three posts (1, 2, and 3) on my blog that are parts of a greater conversation about natural birth and privilege. It has turned into a cross blog explosion of posts. I link to the original posts on my blog. If you are interested in natural birth, patriarchal manipulation of risk to deny the autonomy of patients, the art of logical fallacies (“If you say “white privilege” you mean that ALL white people experience the same thing and are therefore a RACIST! All birth advocates say all things that are natural are good, and infant mortality is natural so YOU SUPPORT DEAD BABIES!) and privilege denialism, check out the various conversations.