This week I wrote about my theory that US fat female characters are fat first and characters second, while UK TV puts it the other way around: http://canbebitter.wordpress.com/2013/02/26/a-theory-i-have-american-fat-vs-british-fat/
last review of the Berlin Film Festival 2013: http://film-nut.tumblr.com/post/44305574134/la-religieuse-aka-the-nun-france-germany-belgium I reviewed The Master: http://film-nut.tumblr.com/post/44369396955/the-master-2012 and chose this weeks’ interesting links: http://film-nut.tumblr.com/post/44447712479/the-weekend-5
This Week at Nursing Clio: Nursingclio.org -Reauthorizing VAWA: Now, Was That So Hard? -WTF? No, Seriously. WTF? -Bodies on Display, Then and Now Also “like” us on Facebook for our 31 days of 31 Women in Medicine feature we are doing for Women’s History Month!
I was on a blog tour all week. There’s still time to go leave comments and get entered in the giveaway. Io9 put out and article that mirrors the fiction I’ve been writing for seven years. Thinking about fiction and how to give readers a better touchstone character.
And most important of all (I accidentally hit post in a moment of blinding pain) Author Beware! a formerly reputable publishing house has begun demanding rights for life of copyright: your lifetime plus 70 years after your death.
On the stupidity of dismissing clergymen by referring to them as “guys in dresses”. And three gadgets which I need to be invented, stat.
I blogged about the mainstream feminist abandonment of welfare and how feminist need to embrace welfare in the name of reproductive justice. Welfare is a women’s issue!
Two great posts wrapping up Black History Month: First, the final installment of our interview with former Planned Parenthood President Faye Wattleton. When she took the helm in 1978, she transformed an organization that was “as all-American as the Girl Scouts and debutante parties” to the politically engaged, activist organization that it is today. Read about how Ms. Wattleton redefined Planned Parenthood, both as a political entity and as a provider of lifesaving health services. Second, one of our bloggers looked at the egalitarian tradition in the African American community. The previous week, we observed the 50th anniversary of The Feminine Mystique. However, Betty Friedan has been criticized for ignoring the experience of black women and families. As far back as the 1930s, black leaders like Sadie T. Alexander agitated for women’s increased presence in the workplace, and many historians say that domestic roles changed for the better among African Americans years before these changes greeted their white counterparts. We also posted February’s installment of our monthly STD Awareness series: Top 10 STD Myths.
Statistics don’t convey the suffering of gun victims who don’t die– not ever walking again may be the least of it. The damage is in plain sight if we dare to look. What the NRA Won’t Tell You Hey, Pat Robertson, those second-hand clothes demons come out in the wash. But what demons of the sweatshop lurk in our new clothes? The Haunted Salvation Army
Japan is starting up its nuclear power plants again because it makes money for big energy. The little guy gets wiped out– Organic Mushroom Farm Tainted by Radioactivity
A lot has already been said about both this week, but I wrote two brief posts about Lisa Lampanelli’s and the Onion’s racist tweeting.
#FemFest: This past week I co-hosted a three-day synchroblog called Feminisms Fest. Day 1 focused on what feminism means to us. Day 2 discussed why feminism matters. Day 3 detailed what we learned or what we still want to learn about feminism. Many of the contributors are feminists of faith, a group that sometimes feels left out of the mainstream feminism but nonetheless is an important group in the movement. There were over 130 submissions.
Continuing my series on pelvic floor physical therapy, I wrote about my initial moments at the office, with intake and stuff. To kick off Endometriosis Awareness Month, I wrote about hearing the question of Feeling Better? when I am definitely not. Also my own links round up (self-promotion welcome there too!) and more Sesame Street.
In knee-jerk feminist I reflected on my impulsive reaction to reviews of Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead.” I decided I should read it before I jump on anyone’s bandwagon.
Commercialism is kidnapping our brains without our consent: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/commercialism-is-kidnapping-our-brains.html What’s behind the label? Exploring the meanings & motivations behind “ethical” labeling: http://humaneconnectionblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/whats-behind-label-exploring-meanings.html
Two new entries in Fromage this week. Know Thyself is about reason, emotion, and decision making. And music, of course. But wait! Deep roots is not about music! It’s about religion. A bit of an outlier in this blog, but perhaps some pot stirring. Thanks to Feministe and readers!
With all the talk about guns at my university (you are allowed to carry a concealed weapon), there has been an argument that guns are good for women and protect us from getting raped. No, actually a gun isn’t going to protect me from rape.
After the Oscars and The Onion tweet, I wrote about my reaction as a mother. Once that anger wore off and turned into frustration, I wrote about intersectionality and why Quvenzhane Wallis’ race is part of the equation when discussing the “joke.” I wondered how to prevent activist burnout. Then I shared a story about the day my kitchen ceiling crashed to floor and changed my life forever.
This week on Disrupting Dinner Parties we talk about: How to interrupt sexist behavior coming from women Why there’s no female bromance equivalent and we review Far from the Tree
After a long hiatus, I’ve added a new entry to the former ghost town that has been my blog on frustration and being a disabled activist. It links to a two part piece by Krystalline Kraus, one of the better regular columnists over at rabble.ca.
This week I posted Buttery Coconut Almond Pull-Apart Bread (with Heavenly Coconut Cream Glaze) — and a photo of my new kittyyyyyy, Buckle, a 1.5-year-old rescue from the Humane Society 🙂
I wrote about: –A must-read: Bill McKibben on fossil fuel divestment –Reading while fat, part 4 –The Oscars: the good, the bad, and the ugly. I also have a links roundup where people are welcome to self-promote as well!
This week on Kiss My Wonder Woman, we talked about the awesomeness of Martha on Doctor Who, why Boondock Saints completely missed the point of its own movie, the importance of a servant heart in royalty with Gwen from Merlin, and why all the parents in urban fantasy just keep on dying.
I forgot one! I wrote a post questioning whether or not people own themselves, which came up in an argument I had with a man saying women needed to protect themselves from rape the way they protect their cars from theft.
Feminist, body positivist and left-winger. http://ragingleftie.blogspot.co.uk/ Talking about fat acceptance in this day and age.
This week I wrote about the right to safe spaces… http://www.nerdyfeminist.com/2013/02/we-have-right-to-safe-spaces.html And the racism/sexism thrown at Quvenzhane Wallis… http://www.nerdyfeminist.com/2013/02/is-nothing-off-limits.html
On Friday, I published an article in the SF Weekly’s arts blog about the problem of racism in queer, kinky, and “sex-positive” communities, and the need to get serious about it. Specifically, it’s about the controversy around the use of blackface and yellowface. The Eagle, a leather bar in Portland, recently hired Chuck Knipp to perform in blackface and drag as “Shirley Q. Liquor,” a lazy and drunken black welfare queen with 19 children. This isn’t an isolated incident: Knipp has been performing this character for over ten years, and makes a good living off her. There was also a controversy over Burning Angel’s release of a porn parody of The Walking Dead, using a white actor in yellowface to portray an asian character. I highly recommend watching the video made by Mollena Williams, a prominent leatherwoman, expressing her outrage at the Shirley Liquor performance. Sex-Positive Racism: Holding Alt Communities Accountable
Hah. I totally just linked your piece in the open thread but the comment’s still in mod. And Williams’ video is amazing and heartbreaking.
Yeah, it is. She is an amazing woman, and I especially admire her for being able to speak so clearly and intelligently when also so angry and hurt. When I’m that angry, the words just get tangled into an incoherent mess. Thanks for the link. I’m glad you liked the piece.
I discuss the novel Scored by Lauren McLaughlin and the ways in which our society is heading toward her dystopian future at http://kristinking.wordpress.com/2013/03/03/885/.
“My eyes repeatedly traced the letter’s path—the shape of a plot outline—and I began to imagine my new life as a man…” Marry Me in Texas–Part 2: The Letter “M” is about the closest I’ve come to considering an FTM (female-to-male) life, & it’s the second in a series that I’m writing for The New Civil Rights Movement. What I didn’t say is that I regret my choice.
Here’s the link: http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/marry-me-in-texas-part-ii-the-letter-m/marriage/2013/03/02/60935 This bothers me a little bit (as cis people trying to put themselves in the shoes of trans people often does.) I’m not quite clear as to whether you thought that a driver’s license with an “M” on it (issued erroneously or otherwise) would actually be enough to solve the issues you mention. I just don’t think that having a driver’s license from Massachusetts with an “M” on it would accomplish all that much towards getting the federal government to recognize your marriage. It isn’t always so easy. You need quite a bit more than that to get your gender changed on the Social Security Administration’s internal records. Or to get your birth certificate changed. Or to get married in a state that doesn’t permit same-sex marriage. I hestitate to sound so harsh, but perhaps the next time you consider a trans “life,” even on paper, it might be a good idea to do some research? (Perhaps you did, but none of it is reflected in your article, and it comes across as basically a fantasy.)
We have five marvelous posts at our young feminist collective that I’d like to share with you all. Margaux wrote about The death of the Violence Against Women Act, and our opportunity to make anti-violence legislation better. Okodee wrote about the pressure on professional black women to dress the “right way”, i.e., the way that de-emphasizes their femaleness and blackness. Logan wrote about how to draw women’s attention to their internalized misogyny. This sparked some major discussion in the comments! Rosie’s post this week was about how homophobia ties into the way society perceives male and female friendships. And on Friday, I wrote a book review of Andrew Solomon’s Far From the Tree, which I found an inspiring and important text about identity, parenting, and disability.
“The Luxury of Surprise: Gender and Online Abuse” – how the abuse I got online changed when people mistook me for a woman, and how it made me notice the privilege of having my ideas attacked instead of my body.
Stuff I wrote this week: Recommendation: Metadating: On my new favorite Youtube show Gross: Comic about how a woman’s appearance is judged for her entire life We saw your tortured discussion about sex and humor: On “We Saw Your Boobs” and the conversation that arose from it
I have not felt up to blogging this week, as I’ve had a lot going on with the erotica side of my ‘after hours scheduling’. Smashwords is an indie publishing site, and it’s having a week long promotion with 25, 50, 75, and 100% off select books. Here’s what I have up! http://jmkeep.com/category/announcements/ If you lovely people want some erotica, I’d be smitten if you took some time to check it out. I have some free work up in order to try to get some more reviews up on Goodreads and wherever, so…! Thanks 🙂
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking this week, so only one post from me: On being an activist and being angry (and sometimes messing it up).
This week I reviewed The Unincorporated Man, a sci-fi book that works with a possible sociology of the future. Given today’s problems with corporations, the narrative focus on the ethical dilemmas of ownership is well-timed.
Today I noticed the Richard Dawkins Foundation promoting some fat-phobic bullshit, and I ranted about it a bit here: http://museinvivo.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-proud-atheist-and-rdf-disappoint.html
Not self-promotion, but a delightfully feminist friend of mine is observing Women’s History Month with posts about superheroines every Monday on his blog, Journey into Awesome. It’s a follow-up to a series he did on Black Superheroes for Black History Month. And as for me, this isn’t related to feminism but! I’m hosting the Fabulous Costume Movie Madness Tournament of Champions starting on March 10. The tournament is vote-based, so if you’ve got a little time to spare, I’d appreciate it.
I’ve been thinking about Marissa Mayer’s gutsy move to eliminate remote work arrangements at Yahoo! and decided it was a boldly feminist move, even if she wouldn’t call it such.
Interesting. I hadn’t thought of it as being feminist, but I certainly thought of it as a rational business decision. I’m guessing from your name you’re a fellow STEM person and maybe that is where the line is drawn here.
Damn, there are so many exciting things to check out in these comments! I was interviewed this week by sex worker site Tits And Sass, about sex worker support services and harm reduction: http://titsandsass.com/activist-spotlight-nine-on-bad-policies-and-holding-abolitionists-to-account/
Hi, I’m a video and sound artist who is exploring what it takes to make the grotesque beautiful. For instance, can magnetic resonance images (otherwise known as MRI scans- a heavy and grotesque subject dealing with illness and damage diagnostics- also a disturbingly strange and hairy oddity) be accepted as visually appealing video art? For the answer to these questions, and more visit the new blog about my video art series, MRI: Mystifying Radical Images. Article titled, “Color and the Grotesque”, linked below. http://finevideoart.blogspot.com/2013/03/color-and-grotesque.html
Finally started the “Top 5” blog I’ve been wanting to do for years…feel free to read, commiserate, and hopefully laugh!