What’s new on Women’s Glib… I’m eighteen. So what? Stand up for student MetroCard rights! A book recommendation for Smilla’s Sense of Snow. New Spike TV show Blue Mountain State has some horrendous ads. And check out our girl Shira’s new blog on Jewish feminism, from the rib?
1. Butches Are Not Men. With an open question. 2. Two Things: a note on the stereotypical butch narrative and preferred gender pronouns.
Religious Right Can’t Imagine that a Trans Woman Might be Really Good at Her Job: What was supposed to be a post mocking the religious right’s reaction to Amanda Simpson’s presidential appointment turns into a meditation on identity and otherness in patriarchal culture. Worth Reading: Vaguely coherent about my recent research on eighteenth-century France, and why everyone needs to read more Robert Darnton.
I will NEVER get the stupid html right. Anyway, this week I made predictions for gross anatomy, which is the cornerstone of the second semester of medical school: http://angryfeministdoc.blogspot.com/2010/01/predictions-for-anatomy-spring-semester.html and also detailed (somewhat graphically) my first encounters with our cadaver, CC Queen. http://angryfeministdoc.blogspot.com/2010/01/cc-queen.html
I don’t want kids. Get over it. – A response to a Boing Boing thread full of spurious arguments against choosing not to have kids.
For someone who never had much affinity for Mary Daly’s ideas, I’ve sure spent a lot of time thinking and writing about her this week. I documented her transphobia as it was expressed in Gyn/Ecology in a post that was widely read after Sady linked it – thanks, Sady! I also harked back to some of her potentially more liberatory ideas on women and religion in Beyond God the Father. It’s funny. Conventional wisdom holds that Daly grew more radical over time, but honestly, I think her truly radical ideas appeared in her early writings, before she went in for all the gender essentialism and female supremacy and wild capitalization of Gyn/Ecology and her other later work.
This week in Evil Slutopia: ~We talked about the recent lawsuit against Netflix over privacy-related concerns and how the coverage of the story has revolved around the question of whether Netflix can reveal your sexual orientation. ~We covered Brit Hume’s super sensible advice to Tiger Woods about religion: Brit Hume Isn’t Down With Buddha ~Joking around about slapping women is totally pro-life, don’t you think? ~We discussed the recent concern from the literary estate of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle about the alleged gay subtext in the new Sherlock Holmes movie.
Hey all! Here’s what’s been going on at Gender Across Borders: We just hosted the 11th Carnival of Feminists, with a “global” theme—check it out! Notes on Prevention, Responsibility, and Culture and then a follow-up with Thoughts on Covering Up, slut-shaming, and the nature of masculinity 2010 FIFA World Cup Soccer [or Football] and Sex Also, the series on Hip-hop, feminism, & resistance is coming up soon! Submissions are due this Friday, January 15 (click here for more info). GAB is looking for a feminist performance arts (dance/theater) intern! App info is here. Don’t forget to leave your links in our weekly Global Feminist Link Love, which runs every Monday at 1pm CST!
Trans Form clip number one – I finally got the first video clip up from my solo show, Trans Form, about my experiences as a trans woman. Hugsent (hug consent) – What are the rules and expectations for consent to being hugged by people you don’t know that well? Google Voice(mail) is Nifty! – I’ve been playing with Google Voice and really enjoying it.
Poor-bashing… In conducting research for my thesis, I found out that in Ontario (Canada), people who are on social assistance are not allowed to join a union, which is guaranteed in our charter of rights, which I felt the need to comment on http://ms-marx.blogspot.com/2010/01/aint-i-person.html I did a post on the facebook status color updates http://ms-marx.blogspot.com/2010/01/facebook-colors.html And I wrote about a prof’s comments on gender and identity that didn’t really fit with my own personal experiences http://ms-marx.blogspot.com/2010/01/sociology-prof-and-identity.html
This week at re:Cycling, we wrote about the promotion of period sex in college newspapers (again); new research from the WHI data that shows hormone therapy does not prevent muscle weakness and other signs of aging; the visibility of feminine hygiene products in airport body scans; the latest product available to pornify your vulva – that’s right, pink dye for your labia; e-cards about HPV; CBC’s Terry O’Neill’s take on femcare adverstising (“The Queen Mother of Awkward Ad Briefs”); for-and-against menstrual suppression at MSN.com; publicity for SHE (Sustainable Health Enterprises) in Marie Claire; and the newest Tampax Mother Nature ad, featuring Serena Williams.
For Some, Every Muslim is a Guilty Muslim: Looking at woman whose headscarf was ripped off while her assailant made comments about Muslim Terrorists. If Warren Beatty Were A Woman, Would We Celebrate 12,775 Sexual Partners?: Looking at the ways in which men are celebrated for promiscuity and women are shamed. It’s Elementary A Gay Sherlock Holmes Is A No No: After Robert Downey Jr. Suggests that Sherlock Holmes is gay the patent holder threatens to withhold the right to make another movie. Being Transgender In Prison Should Not Equal Torture: A woman is placed in solitary confinement and denied her hormone treatment. A woman is sterilized against her will: The commentary supports the violation based in her class status and disability. Yet another extreme act of classism, sexism and disableism. Finally this week’s Sunday Shame: Food Theft. Pop by and admit that you cannot stop from taking a bite of a sandwich or lay claim to chocolate bar if it is lying around for too long.
Two this week at Feminists with Female Sexual Dysfunction – Better living through e-books – I got a Kindle over the holidays. There are several feminist and/or sexuality books I have added to my reading list, Q1 2K10. Vulvodynia to be on TV January 11, 2010 – Check your TV listings; Vulvodynia will be a topic on the Dr. Oz show, Monday (Tomorrow, in the US!) If you or someone you know is living with chronic vulvar pain, then get your DVRs and TiVos and (if you’re anything like me,) VCRs ready to go!
Yikes! First time participating. I wrote this week on the difficulty in talking about rape with friends and co-workers in a professional setting at my work blog, Short and Sweet.
Straight people only, please: “What Rosenwald fails to consider is ‘the romantic partner of an older adult who is not married’ does not necessarily mean ‘person of the opposite sex.'”
A teabagger’s letter to the paper is titled “Rape of America,” which I falsely blame on the editors and not the original writer. Corrections, facepalms and a concern troll ensues. http://johnnykaje.wordpress.com/2010/01/07/hold-on-to-your-pants-im-defending-a-teabagger/
Jersey Shore… where have you been all our lives? Are Don Draper and Amanda Woodward the Same Person? A look at episode six fourteen. Is anyone else watching Secret Life of the American Teenager as a kind of anthropology?
Over at Memoirs of a Genderqueer Femme Anarchist, Femme, High Femme, Competition and Solidarity – I wrote about how I came to understand that high femme wasn’t playing into femme competition for me, and how I started to identify as high femme – and about femme as artifice and performance.
I giggle about the things people Google to end up at my blog… Some interesting articles I’ve read recently. I wonder about how appropriate it is to laugh at someone who acts in an unintentionally racist manner. Humor, and what’s appropriate in the interest of not laughing at the expense of marginalized people. I geek out about my favorite board game and compare it to American capitalism, oppression, and privilege.
It finally dawned on me what was so creepy about a particular Lynx (Axe in the US) ad, and I ranted about it.
The recent G-Spot kerfuffle raised a couple of points about assumptions about men and questions about whether general-question surveys are a good way to identify vaguely-defined body parts: What We Think We Know About Men’s Sexuality, Plus “Proof” Men Have No Prostates I stumbled across some cool insights about sex, enjoyment, and social power and talked about it in Why Kelly Diels Blogs (Subversively) About Sex. (Her thesis ties in nicely with Amanda Marcotte’s The ‘Sex Addiction’ model isn’t harmless, Heather Corinna’s With Pleasure: A View of Whole Sexual Anatomy for Every Body, and Anna N’s Your Health: The Most Boring Reason To Have Sex) And then I went way out of my comfort zone with Any Way to Put Organization Back in the National Organization for Women? It’s not enough to sit around filing traffic reports after choice is thrown under the bus. Or even stopping the bus. Someone besides Sarah Palin the teabaggers need to be out there directing traffic. figleaf
My husband had an interesting experience with gender-coding. I’ve started a new feature on my blog, which is basically a link round-up and news of the day. This one includes talk of Prop 8 and New Jersey Marriage Equality, Sherlock Holmes and video footage of a rolled tanker that held me up for an hour. (My truck may or may not pass by in the background) Reviews and the Preditors and Editors poll.
After Latoya Peterson posted about Jennifer Lopez’s barometer of cinematic success on Jezebel, I was compelled by the need to provide my own commentary. Because her new film will surely drive me out of my mind: Jennifer Lopez Unaware of Own Shitty Films Includes numerical data! I saw a VERY dramatic teaser on Hulu for the Secret Life of the American Teenager and wouldn’t you know, it led to some Wikipedia editing! (Does that show signal the End of Times for anyone else?) On the last day of high school K made me leave class 10 minutes early so we could get milkshakes. I’ve also started a new weekly feature! Copy Edit Craigslist Tuesday culls the “best” Missed Connection entries and posts every Tuesday with red pen edits! I share this because just thinking about that stupid ABC Family show stresses me out.
The Economist Invents Its Own Feminism http://clarissasbox.blogspot.com/2010/01/economist-invents-its-own-feminism.html Feminism Is Dead. Or Maybe It Just Hasn’t Been Born Yet in Some Places http://clarissasbox.blogspot.com/2010/01/feminism-is-dead-or-maybe-it-just-hasnt.html
I’ve just gotten into blogging and have an entry up about the abortion/breast cancer “link.” Hope you enjoy! Comments welcome as I’m a bit of a novice. http://bookinism.blogspot.com/
Well, this is a long shot, but if there are any Middle Ages aficionados or Gene Wolfe readers here, my post “Torture, Memory, Time” (musings about The Book of the New Sun) may be of interest!
Theodore Olson smacks down anti-gay conservatives, and I comment on the nature of traditional marriage
Huge anti-Arpaio, pro-immigrant action going down in Phoenix next Saturday! It’s going to be awesome! Read all about it. Dates, times and some back story included!
With the Baby M’s of 2010 raising questions of morality, what is the relationship between feminism and surrogacy?
From the Phoenix-metro area, the story of Elizabeth Johnson and her son, Gabriel, makes news…and faces judgments : http://mywordnerdery.blogspot.com/2010/01/johnson-and-arizona-republic.html
I wrote a short piece after someone admitted to rape online. I was furious and would appreciate someone else writing at greater length if they have time and the inclination. Let me know. http://duncanheights.com/blog/2010/01/what-rape-is/
This week our author discusses the reality of sexual harassment in work environments and the value and importance of taking a stand. http://canadianwomenandthelaw.blogspot.com/2009/12/i-would-like-to-preface-this-article-by.html
This week at Yes Means Yes Blog: Good Touch, Bad Touch. The social sanctions against women having, expressing and enforcing body boundaries are imposed early. When we teach our kids that they have to spare their grandparents’ and aunts’ feelings instead of saying they don’t want to be kissed, tickled or touched, those lessons stick.
The Guy’s Guide starts the New Year off right with a look at one of our favorite shows from the 00s, Sex and the City: “Sex and the City and ‘Relationshipism'”
As a proud feminist English major, I do a response to Katie Roiphe’s article in last weekend’s Times Sunday Book Review. <a href = "http://24percent.wordpress.com/2010/01/05/american-psyche/" title = "American Psyche"?
I too looked at the deep and abiding feminist-social impact of posting your bra color on Facebook. (And my socks are gray argyle, if that makes any difference.)
At the Border House, a feminst gamer site I edit, we have an interview with the founder of AbleGamers.com. Our lead editor also covered the transphobic Taco Bell radio advert. There’s also a post about the fatphobic unlockable Nathan Drake costume in the game, Uncharted 2. We also have a post critiquing WiiFit and its potential for encouraging problematic views of body image and weight. We also covered the banning of 5000 users from BeautifulPeople.com because they supposedly “let themselves go”.
Half the Sky will undoubtedly serve as a call to arms to take more seriously the issues facing poor women in Africa and Asia. My only worry is that in ignoring the role of colonialism and capitalism in shaping these problems, the solutions offered will fall short. Hamsa is a Sanskrit word for a meditation we all do daily without intention; it is our first, and inherent, pranayama: inhale (ham) and exhale (sa). Breathing is a natural way to steady the mind and calm the body. It provides a method to refocus one’s physical and mental rhythm, and channel it in a more positive, stress-free way. Because of this, pranayama is an integral part of yoga. As one might expect given the name, Hamsa Clothing is a woman-run company that facilitates yogic comfort through the sale of cotton pants and tees made to stretch (thanks lycra!) with the body—particularly the female body—during one’s yoga practice. We are giving away a trendy plus size top from Alight.com
Judging An Emcee By Her Cover: French feminists show their bias over conscious rapper Diam’s conversion to Islam Margaret Kilgallen: an introduction to a talented artist from the Mission School I don’t hate “What I Hate About Myself”: could this be a makeover show with depth? The Death of An Heiress, The Milking of the Press: how the media is attacking lesbians through reporting on Casey Johnson’s death
From invisibility to stability: Transgender organizing for the masses The first step toward addressing an issue is to make it visible. An alcoholic will fail to get sober until he or she admits to having a problem. Slapping around one’s wife was not a punishable offence until it became socially and legally recognized as domestic violence. Visibility is gained through definition, and with visibility comes the power to create social change. Transgender and gender nonconforming people are just beginning to shed the cloak of invisibility that has shrouded their participation in social and political life… (read entire article at Briarpatch Magazine)
Last week on Beauty Schooled: *Men confuse estheticians with prostitutes — why? http://beautyschooledproject.com/2010/01/07/men-dont-hate-makeup/ *When business is slow, spas make money off their employees: http://beautyschooledproject.com/2010/01/06/but-have-you-considered-a-recession-proof-career-in-beauty/
A post on Male Dominance in Film and the Bechdel Test. Does a film pass 3 simple criteria? 1) It must have at least two women 2) the women must talk to each other… 3) about something other than men. Perhaps not surprisingly, not many films can pass.
I neeeeed help! My campaign to eradicate FGM – female genital mutilation – is a finalist on YouTube Davos campaign. I need your votes to take this issue to the World Economic Forum in Davos. If you’d like to play a part in eradicating FGM, please take a moment to vote for my campaign here If you support this, please put this out to your network as widely as you can. Voting closes Friday midnight (UK time) Thank you