The Liberating Potential of the Burqa, or the Future of Gender Studies http://clarissasbox.blogspot.com/2011/01/liberating-potential-of-burqa-or-future.html What Not to Do at a Job Interview http://clarissasbox.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-not-to-do-at-job-interview.html
Afraid of Our Own Shadow What’s up with exorcism? A movie, a reality show, and the Vatican training a new generation of priests to fight the darkness? When men talk purity should women worry? Cotton Mather Action Figure From Salem to Joe McCarthy, the right-wing force behind inquisition politics. Cross Quarter Day And for all you real witches, Happy Imbolc, we’re halfway to Spring!
Equating Slavery and Abortion: Where are the Women in this story? This reading of history removes the enslaved female all together. Santorum, Beck, and the editors at RedState are talking about an institution of slavery that would not have had a place for abortion, that wasn’t full of sexual assault, that didn’t explicitly and coercively exploit women’s bodies for both production and re-production. Fat Hatred in the New Yorker. [TW: fat hatred] Gawande does not dwell on weight. He mentions it three times (from my count, which, I must admit is a bit cursory) and without EVER saying that obesity is the problem taxing the system. Never. So, why, then, WHY is this the picture with the article? Rape in the Peace Corps. [TW: sexual violence] There have been more than 1,000 American women raped or sexually assaulted in the last decade and the PC has ignored most of them or tried to blame the victims. There’s An Emergency in Texas!!” In the midst of the news that TX has a huge deficit and in order to deal will cut funding to education, health care, and community services for the mentally ill and the disabled, our governor, Rick Perry, has declared the need to pass legislation requiring a woman to have a sonogram before an abortion is an emergency item for the 2011 legislative session. I have also started an almost daily post on Food Politics and on the budget woes in Texas.
Between sexist football commentators, a politician decrying feminists as “bigots”, and a chap extolling the sexual use of cattle prods, it’s been a busy week…
National Transgender Equality Lobby Day – It’s coming up this March! Can you make it to DC? Can you help send me to DC? Three Wishes – What would you do with three wishes? As a trans woman, would I be willing to use a wish to rewrite my entire life? Avoidance – Some thoughts on sticking my head in the sand
This past week I wrote about my thoughts of being in my body (The Body Tremors: thoughts on somatics, pain, trauma, and healing ) and the importance of self-care (Pushing the Limits Too Hard: Burnt-Out and Desensitized Versus Radical Self-Care – although everyone also seemed to really like my answer to a formspring question asked of me: What do I do if I feel hollow inside?
This piece thinks about the movie Black Swan as a historic depiction of the devastating imperative for perfection among girls and college students: http://feminema.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/black-swan-2010-and-perfect-girls/. I tell ya, readers, historians will be using that film in history classes 100 years from now.
http://feylineslookingglass.blogspot.com/2011/01/joys-of-being-lady-without-scalp-hair.html ^ The Joys of Being a Lady Without Scalp Hair: Some benefits of my buzzcut.
Hi all–this week I decided that instead of continuing to bore my friends by complaining about the New Yorker/ movie critic David Denby all the time, I’d try starting a tumblr as an approx. biweekly forum for ranting about David Denby’s writing. I kicked things off with a response to his review of The Dilemma. Also, on a supposedly more serious blog, I had some brief thoughts on Peter Bogdanovich’s list of “the real film poets,” which was approvingly cited by the Poetry magazine blog, and some of what it leaves out.
I asked if Tom Ford is an ‘equal opportunities objectifier’ as the renowned fashion designer claims. http://quietgirlriot.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/interview-with-a-vampire/
I wrote about the invisibility of women in the Egypt revolution: Egypt: Revolution With Invisible Women I also reviewed the fantasy novel Elantris by Brandon Sanderson from a feminist perspective
I wrote about the Catholic Church ex-communicating a hospital for choosing to save the life of a pregnant woman rather than that of her compromised fetus. http://beinglumina.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-is-value-of-human-being-well-that.html I also wrote about my efforts to instill feminist values in my three stepdaughters: http://beinglumina.blogspot.com/2011/01/evil-stepmother-strikes-again.html
Understanding Good & Evil – great explanation from Dr. Phil Zimbardo (of Stanford Prison Experiment fame): http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/dr-phil-zimbardo-understanding-good-and.html When you leave comments or write about others, are you kind about it? You should be: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2011/01/scourge-of-hateful-commentary-call-to.html
I criticized – well, more accurately, wrote a bitter and sarcastic rant about – the U.S. Republican party’s position on abortion.
Good at Being Uncomfortable: I share my not-a-superhero theme song, for making me feel good about being (only) human. Beautiful Pictures of Terrible Things: J. Henry Fair and Edward Burtynsky photograph industrial waste and related environmental horrors, and I explore what these images are and what they mean. #DearJohn, Do You Know What Rape Is?: The “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion” Act recently introduced in Congress is unconscionable to anyone who understands what rape is. Sady Doyle’s Twitter campaign in response is awesome. I give a brief heads-up and some thoughts on the matter.
I turned 26: http://lovelettersinhell.blogspot.com/2011/01/happy-birthday-to-me-on-turning-26.html Wrote about sex objects: http://lovelettersinhell.blogspot.com/2011/01/another-take-on-sex-objects.html And wondered how a crime that kills a wanted fetus ought to be dealt with: http://lovelettersinhell.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-should-crime-that-kills-wanted.html
This week, I re-wrote one of the Vagina Monologues skits, “Because He Liked to Look At It,” and imagined how it might have gone down if Bob had been somewhat less experienced: “Because He Liked to Leer At It” I also talked about how, if you look closely at feminist examples of “good men” what you may see is really Machismo in drag. And in a single run-on sentence I described a social faux-pas in But I was only trying to help.
This week on Yes Means Yes Blog: Forced Birthers Try To Narow Definition Of Rape, about the House GOP’s attempt to further restrict the “rape, incest and life of the woman” carve-out to the ban on medicaid funding for abortion by limiting the meaning of rape. Sady Doyle has begun a twitter protest of this move. From last week, when I don’t think I posted: Ask Naomi, which reimagines Naomi Wolf’s recent shocking rape apologist statements as a crappy sex advice column.
I wondered what Cynthia McKinny was saying in the new year. Not quite sure whether this was just posted on youtube this year or whether it was actually taped recently, but boy does she know how to tell all, tell it like it is, radically tell the honest to goodness truth. She’s a beauty.
I wondered what Cynthia McKinney was saying in the new year. Not quite sure whether this was just posted on youtube this year or whether it was actually taped recently, but boy does she know how to tell all, tell it like it is, radically tell the honest to goodness truth. She’s a beauty.
With all the events happening in Egypt I did a post where dissect an article that discusses the stigma of purchasing birth control in Egypt. As well as how America and Egypt may have a lot in common. Buying birth control in Egypt
Some comments an amazing movie I just watched – Mr. Nobody. Thoughts on gender differences on on-line dating sites. Thoughts on the Myth of Individualism, that is, the idea that success must be won alone for it to count. Makes us all a lonely lot, I think.
I’m keeping track of all the links posted to the #DearJohn campaign. There are lots of good resources to understand the situation and on how to take action (who to write to, what to say, etc).
Busy week at Forty Shades Of Grey. Monday: Lying homophobics at the Daily Mail: http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/mail-you-owe-me-new-bullshit-detector.html Tuesday: Rebutting arguments made in favour of Sky Sports sexists: http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/arguments-against-gray-apologists.html Wednesday: Daily Mail cover domestic violence ruling with horrific lies and anti-women hyperbole: http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/they-actually-made-it-worse.html Thursday: Response to Giles Coren’s claims of misandry in mainstream media: http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/my-response-to-giles-coren.html Friday: Response to a Daily Mail columnist still spouting the same lies about domestic violence as Wednesday’s article: http://fortyshadesofgrey.blogspot.com/2011/01/hyperbolic-lies.html
I wrote about the insanity of not having enough money to pay for music in public education: http://marie-everydaymiracle.blogspot.com/2011/01/bake-sale-to-buy-music-anyone.html About the stupidity of Michelle Bachman: http://marie-everydaymiracle.blogspot.com/2011/01/dumb-as-post.html Why I refuse to read fashion magazines: http://marie-everydaymiracle.blogspot.com/2011/01/why-i-refuse-to-read-fashion-magazines.html And about the discrepancy between our children’s lives and those of other children in the world: http://marie-everydaymiracle.blogspot.com/2011/01/teach-your-children-well.html Also, about polygamy in early Mormonism and the modern day, from the novel “The 19th Wife”: http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/19th-wife-perfect-combination-of.html And about Peggy Orenstein’s new book, “Cinderella Ate My Daughter”: http://mariesbookgarden.blogspot.com/2011/01/cant-pass-up-this-title-cinderella-ate.html
This week has been a bit introspective for me. First, I wrote about emigration, immigration, and how my unqualified delight at the latter over the past decade or so made me blind to how much the former really, really sucks. Immigration, Emigration and an Apology Then, this Friday was my (profoundly awesome) grandmother’s second anniversary. So I’m remembering her last few days, and musing in a secular sort of way on what survives of us after our deaths- working out some ways to take comfort in the concrete ways in which bits of us really do go on, without resorting to anything supernatural. Anniversary Rekindling
A Win-Win Situation, brought to you by Asparagus Q. Hitler: The right takes a stand against basic health, to the benefit of everyone. A post about the many many things wrong with the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Bill,” from anti-choice-ness to rape apology to economic senselessness.
amazing documentary centered around black lesbian nightclub scene in LA needs support, and you get stuff too! http://www.kickstarter.com/e/Q0SO0/unsubscribe/ae94b0ce6505c009/496654
(posted wrong link earlier) amazing documentary centered around black lesbian nightclub scene in LA needs support, and you get stuff too! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1889777212/shakedown
This week in Evil Slutopia: ~We’ve started another year of reading Cosmo so you don’t have to with three Cosmo posts: Cosmo Quickie: Don’t Judge the Models, Cosmo Kicks Janice Dickinson While She’s Down, and Cosmo Quickies: January 2011. ~Is Jennifer Aniston confused by Chaz Bono? ~And over on ESC TV, we’re getting caught up on The Vampire Diaries.
This week, I discussed the religious right’s obsession with post-abortion syndrome: http://anthonybsusan.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/the-rights-love-affair-with-post-abortion-syndrome/ And discussed the Islamophobic assumption that Islamist regimes are inevitable in Tunisia and Egypt, plus a short explanation of the role social media plays in these uprisings: http://anthonybsusan.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/the-revolution-is-virtual/. I wrote a thesis on the role of new media in Iran’s Green Movement, so expect more discussion of this in the following weeks.
My perspective on the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” told in no uncertain terms. http://indignantfeministrants.wordpress.com/2011/01/30/no-taxpayer-funding-for-abortion-act-more-like-these-republicans-hate-women/
Femin Ijtihad, an organization committed to connecting academic scholarship on Muslim women’s rights to practical activism, runs a blog whose intent is to increase the awareness of Muslim women’s rights and agency in theory and practice. This week, we covered the structure of female politlcal power in Iran: http://feminijtihad.tumblr.com/post/2974933863/the-changing-structure-of-female-political-power-in; women’s political agency in Pakistan: http://feminijtihad.tumblr.com/post/2962357845/selves-vs-others-womens-political-agency-in-pakistan and the arrest of activist Tawakkol Karman: http://feminijtihad.tumblr.com/post/2964070829/arrest-of-woman-activist-sparks-outcry among other stories. We’d like to build a strong base of interested readers, so please feel free to forward our links along.
A post on the Bechdel Test for Women, and how it reveals the lack of movies that feature women (with names) who not only speak to one another, but speak to one another about something besides men. The movie industry seems to not realize that women buy more than 50% of movie tickets.
Sorry, messed that up. Here’s the link: http://www.simplythebeth.com/2011/01/keep-your-elephant-out-of-my-uterus.html
Marketing Diversity: WINdows and FAILdows at Holt Renfrew: Holt Renfrew includes gay, lesbian and interracial couples in their Valentine’s Day marketing, but doesn’t do a very good job of it
Two from me on #DearJohn: Get Your Head Out of My Vagina, Please and Rape Victims Should Be Heard AND Seen (By Competent Doctors).
This week I put up several posts regarding regarding post-transsexual alienation from the collective transgender identity and how the Transgender Inc neither speaks for us nor has that much of a role in our lives. http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/01/25/transgender-inc-and-glaad/ I reposted (with permission a piece written in 1994) that shows there has been a history of resistance to co-option by the idea of transgender as umbrella. http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/01/26/transgender-territory-do-you-use-the-word-transgender-without-thinking/ Then finished it off with these two after a long conversation with a new friend who is also post-transsexual and lesbian. http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/01/28/conversations-between-long-time-post-transsexual-friends/ http://womenborntranssexual.com/2011/01/29/marriage-equality-would-have-greater-positive-impact-on-my-life-than-enda/
This week on my blog about being a kinky radical feminist (and sort-of-sex-worker), I wrote about applying to Kink.com and talked about the relationship between power and kink for me via blogging about dreams and daydreams.
This past week on Man Boobz, my blog about misogyny: Note to misogynists: if you want a woman who is financially dependent on you, you forfeit your right to complain about her being financially dependent on you. Why is Lucky McKee, a horror director known for his feminist sensibilities, being accused of misogyny? [TW: sexual violence] Dating advice from woman-haters = Comedy gold! Misogynists try to figure out why women like DJs
Evolution of Rape Avoidance Just-So Stories Are Stupid Much of evol psych treats women as inert and passive; they’re not (duh)
The Meaning of Food: “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are.” Allie’s review of the PBS documentary, The Meaning of Food.
This week, my main post was wondering why a BBC science programme about the close links between pleasure and pain didn’t think to mention BDSM – although there were some interesting insights into how the pain/pleasure processes might produce the effect.
I have two posts up this week, both are about autonomy and pregnancy if some way. The first is in response to some recent commentary about abortion access in Canada. It is not as good as some have recently suggested. The second is how pregnant women have their autonomy limited in ways other than restricting abortion access. Abortion access gets the most attention, but pregnancy limits women’s decision-making rights in other ways, too.
Here’s a sampling of what’s new at Gender Across Borders: Our “Women and Peacebuilding in the Middle East” series ran on Thursday and Friday! Check out all the posts here –they’re an insightful and diverse collection. In time for the beginning of Oscar season, Roxanne highlights 10 women-directed films from 2010. Jessica explains why feminism and evolution need not clash. Emily discusses sexual violence in the Peace Corps, an issue she’s passionate about as a former Peace Corps volunteer.
Lot of things to promote today! I helped run a fashion drawing event this week and blogged about it. And I’m working with Women’s Voices For Change and I wish had written this: 2011 Oscar Nominations: Two steps forward, one step back?
This week at Bitch Flicks: Two Best Picture Oscar nominees that star young women were our focus this week. Our reviews of Winter’s Bone and Black Swan. There will be two new reviews of the Best Picture nominees every week until the Academy Awards air. Watch acceptance speeches in our series Women Win Awards, with the Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners from 2005 and 2006.
If you want something funny to read, check out this little blurb on Betty Crocker and other relics of WASP-y American housewife mythology. http://scribblesandsonnets.blogspot.com/2011/01/on-betty-crocker-and-other-relics.html
Atheism, and the active work to dismantle the systems that promote a delusional, poisonous, misogynistic set of beliefs that not only lack evidence, but fly in the face of it.
I have a post about global homophobia and how it has developed historically through colonial processes: http://fuzzytheory.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/homophobia-and-the-post-colonial-predicament/
Wow. I just have to say that I am really impressed with this weeks links. It’s nearly 3 am and I’m still up reading! You all are amazing! I humbly add my own little blog to the bunch; over at Flaneur in the City, I wrote about the Razzie Awards and how most of the films nominated were movies aimed at women.
atheist-nurse.blogspot.com More updates to be coming once I’ve got a job, but tomorrow i’m going to a pre-k class to show the kids that gender stereotypes don’t apply (i’m going in my all-black scrubs too ’cause i’m awesome) and promote healthy behavior!
The National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington takes an in-depth look at the Limited Service Pregnancy Center Accountability Act. Washington State would be the first state in the country to hold these so called “Crisis Pregnancy Centers” accountable and provide regulatory safeguards for women targeted by these fake clinics on a statewide basis.
The Revolution is being televised and I’m glued to the T.V! http://mirage-a-trois.blogspot.com/2011/01/fall-of-pharaoh.html
This NYT article about the under-representation of women contributing to wikipedia is important. Women need to contribute! http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/business/media/31link.html?_r=1&hp
Not sure this belongs here but, for what it’s worth: OTTAWA – Carleton University’s student association has upheld its decision to ban a campus anti-abortion group. Carleton Lifeline, a group comprised of roughly 10 members, lost its club accreditation in November on grounds that it violates the association’s policy against discrimination. http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/canada/breakingnews/carleton-university-student-association-upholds-ban-on-anti-abortion-club-114938359.html
I wrote this: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-civility-racial-justice-newvoic20110128,0,6050098.story
Had meant to post this yesterday, but life happened and well I will be blogging about that this week I am sure. So here is what I wrote about this past week I started the week with my reflection on commercials, wolves and the four agreements – those are three of the spiritual rules/images that get me through life’s challenges and keep me from getting sucked into the drama and trauma and personal suffering in my life — http://www.inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-reflections/2011/1/25/commercials-wolves-and-the-four-agreements.html My zenful kitchen post for this week was about how life is like a waffle. You will have to read it to understand — http://www.inspiritual.biz/the-zenful-kitchen/2011/1/27/life-is-like-a-waffle.html And of course I am now in week 7 of my spiritual journaling adventure Week 6, Day 5 – Day and Night Dreams — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/24/week-6-day-5-using-day-and-night-dreams.html Week 6, Day 6 – Commitment — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/25/week-6-day-6-commitment.html Week 6, Day 7 – Rewarding yourself, following the pulse — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/25/week-6-day-7-rewarding-yourself-following-the-pulse.html Week 7, Day 1 – Love – http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/27/week-7-day-1-love.html Week 7, Day 2 – Friendships and Family — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/28/week-7-day-2-friendships-and-family.html Week 7, Day 3 – Work and Creativity — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/28/week-7-day-3-work-and-creativity.html Week 7, Day 4 – The Body — http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/29/week-7-day-4-the-body.html Week 7, Day 5 – Spirituality http://www.inspiritual.biz/stirring-my-spiritual-waters/2011/1/30/week-7-day-5-spirituality.html
I’m pretty late to the party, but I did write two things this week: “Bi means two. Two genders.” about the problems of biphobia in the LGBTQA etc community. “Dear White Anarchist Posting Riot Porn” about racism in an Anarchist community I have some connection to. Sigh.
I wrote a review of Gloria Feldt’s “No Excuses. I continued my series on Eco-Friendly Cosmetics. I wrote a letter to Congress on EPA regulation of greenhouse gas emissions. My response to the State of the Union Address.