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personal, political
Posts Tagged “
Feminism
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personal, political
Porn ultimatums
Women Have A Complex Relationship With Porn
Pornography is a complex issue for feminists, coming as it does [heh] at the intersection of sexuality, exploitation, morality and personal choice. Some women are pro-, some are anti- and most of us are a combination thereof. Given the current widespread public perception of political feminists as humorless, sexless bitches and/or lesbians, it's probably no surprise that some studies want to also portray us all as anti-porn or just doing it to please men. So, as long as we're clear, feminists are sexless prudes, women who like porn are only pretending to please men, and "normal women" — i.e., neither feminists nor slutty man-pleasers — hate it. Right, got it: damned if I do and damned if I don't. Luckily, there are women like Katha Susie Bright and the Nation's Katha Pollitt who, in a new podcast up on Bright's website, are willing to deconstruct that myth just a little bit. More »
complicated conversations
Is Feminism Doomed?
Today's Guardian has an interesting, epic piece penned by Kira Cochrane, detailing the "all-out assault" on feminism. Claims Cochrane, "The rights we thought were settled are suddenly under threat." She points out that a UK businessman named Alan Sugar recently discussed the law — passed in the '70s — which prevents employers from asking women whether they plan to have children. "You're not allowed to ask, so it's easy," said Sugar, "just don't employ them." Meaning: Don't hire women. And guess what? A survey shows that 68% of employers agree with Sugar. And it's not just on the job front that feminist issues are in jeopardy: Cochrane notes that the rape conviction rate in Britain has plummeted from 33% in the '70s to just 5.7% today. Plus, according to a 2005 Amnesty International poll, 26% of respondents thought that a woman was totally or partially responsible for being raped if she was wearing revealing clothing. Thirty percent thought she was totally or partially responsible if she was drunk. And then, of course there's the celebrity culture. More »
Women & violence
Does Feminism Carry A Gun?
In the wake of yesterday's Supreme Court ruling in District of Columbia v. Heller (i.e., the D.C. gun ban case), Megan McArdle at The Atlantic mused "I don't understand why more feminists don't push for widespread gun ownership." Well, other than the fairly obvious overlap between feminists and liberals (who tend to not be the biggest fans of guns) as well as plenty of statistics that show gun ownership by woman doesn't do that much to prevent violence against women — and that the whole idea that it does is a myth cooked up by gun companies to sell us all guns — I guess I'm at a loss, too. More »
purple prose
1980s Romance Novels: Hair-Raising, Lip-Mashing Horror Shows
A few years ago, I became fascinated by the Harlequin romances produced in the late 70s and early 80s. In what I can only assume was a backlash against the feminist movement and increasingly independent portrayals of women, these romances contained an appallingly misogynistic bent made even more disturbing when you think that they were written both for and by women. The plots feature doormat heroines and sadistic, domineering males who see through their feeble protests and know that 'no' means 'yes.' Sometimes a woman has a career (see: A Passionate Appeal, about warring lawyers) but the 'hero' always manages to break through this shell to the soft, feminine woman beneath. For reasons that have never been clear to me, there are a lot of fake engagements in these books, as well as pretend marriages (for legal purposes) and mock-up affairs (generally to arouse jealousy.) Invariably these deceptions turn out to be elaborate ruses perpetrated by the man to trick the woman into marrying him, since he's been in love with her all along, even though he seemed cynical and abusive. A lip-mashing kiss follows.
More »
office space
Many Women Prefer Stay At Home Motherhood To Soulless Cubicle Dwelling
"To be sure," writes Sandra Tsing Loh in the summer issue of the Atlantic, "attacking feminist criticism as being the extended whine of a privileged, educated upper class is as old as … well, as bell hooks’s 1984 critique of [Betty] Friedan’s Feminine Mystique." Loh is discussing two recent books about women and the workplace (Linda Hirshman's Get to Work … And Get a Life, Before It’s Too Late and Neil Gilbert's A Mother’s Work: How Feminism, the Market and Policy Shape Family Life) in her article "I Choose My Choice!" Loh points out that Hirshman's book, which rallies against the opt-out revolution (wherein hyper-educated women choose to become stay at home moms), overvalues the amount of fulfillment women get from their jobs. In his book, Gilbert says that Hirshman (a former lawyer) and her ilk overvalue work fulfillment because "the vast majority of those who publicly talk, think, and write about questions of gender equality, motherhood, and work in modern society are people who talk, think, and write for a living. And they tend to associate with other people who, like themselves, do not have 'real' jobs—professors, journalists, authors, artists, politicos, pundits, foundation program officers, think-tank scholars, and media personalities." More »
jezenomics
Yes, Idiot, It Is Harder To Be A Woman Than A Man
How can you say it's easier to be a man than to be a woman? What data do you have to support such a position? That's the type of mail you get when you write something for a news outlet other than Jezebel, and I thought fondly of it today when I read the latest from Wall Street, where Lehman Brothers chief financial officer Erin Callan, a Harvard-educated attorney known for "speaking more clearly and revealing more financial data than most Wall Street CFOs" all while wearing five-inch stilettos, had been demoted after seven months in the job, some internet pundit just skewered CNBC anchor Maria "Money Honey" Bartiromo for her "hysterical" statements on tax policy and her collagen injections, and Marie Claire just interviewed CNBC anchor Becky Quick about her wardrobe. "Nothing less than impeccable is what flies on Wall Street," she told the magazine. "If your lipstick's a mess or your skirt is too trendy, it instantly devalues you." Yup, devalues. More »
Definitions
We are well aware that there are a bunch of little weenies who submit and vote on definitions for Urban Dictionary. But we guess we hadn't realized just how dickish they were until Feministing pointed us toward the entries for "feminism." Some choice excerpts after the jump. [Feministing]
self-promotion
What You Get When You Pick On "Old School" Feminists' "Bedside Manner"
I wrote a rebuttal to a Linda Hirshman op-ed column for the Washington Post's website and I am, uh, pimping it on this blog because it seems to be driving donations to our beer money fund to help the women's rights activists get out of Basra and also because I wrote two things that have nothing to do with this blog this week and I am tired. Basically I think it is cool that Linda Hirshman, who thinks all women should marry dudes who make less money and have no more than one child, is not afraid to be judgmental. I just think that, when one is being judgmental, one should be right. (Also, I would never have one kid without giving it at least one more to fight with, and preferably another one to babysit when it got old enough, but that's just how I was raised.) Anyway, the coolest thing about writing for another publication is the crazy mail from readers who have no idea who the hell you are. The best specimen after the jump! More »
The Color Painful
Alice Walker's Daughter Rebecca Says Second Wavers Ruined Motherhood
Rebecca Walker is pissed at her mother, The Color Purple scribe and activist Alice Walker. And she decided to air her grievances about the situation in the Daily Mail, of all places, in a piece entitled "How My Mother's Fanatical Feminist Views Tore Us Apart." To Rebecca's credit, it doesn't sound like Alice was mother of the year — she left Rebecca alone for days at a time as a young teen so that she could go to her writing studio 100 miles away; she left Rebecca with relatives for a summer so that she could jet off to Greece. But these possible maternal transgressions are not what Rebecca is most upset about. No, Rebecca is miffed because Alice had the gall to disapprove of her choice to become a mother. "I very nearly missed out on becoming a mother - thanks to being brought up by a rabid feminist who thought motherhood was about the worst thing that could happen to a woman," Rebecca laments. Again, Rebecca's bitterness is somewhat understandable. But what makes no sense whatsoever is this rhetorical leap: "Feminism has betrayed an entire generation of women into childlessness. It is devastating." More »
feminisms
Politically Incorrect, Women/ Feminism-Part 2 [YouTube]
Politically Incorrect: A Look Back On Feminism In 2001
I happened upon this old episode of Politically Incorrect that originally aired in July 2001, in which the panel—Sandra Bernhard, Michael Moore, The War Against Boys author Christina Hoff Sommers, and actress Yancy Butler—discussed the evolution of the feminist movement. It's super interesting, because Bill Maher is talking (out of his butt) about how the new face of feminism is the unrealistic idea that women are ass-kickers. Hoff Sommers disagrees, saying that the new face of feminism being taught on college campuses is that women are victims and men are predators, and Michael Moore is surprisingly annoying in his assessment that men are evil and women are gentle, as though women aren't capable of blood lust and war. Whatever the case, my love for Sandra B. seems to grow in leaps and bounds whenever I watch her talk…or dance (that link is kinda NSFW). Clip above. Politically Incorrect, Women/ Feminism-Part 1 [YouTube]Politically Incorrect, Women/ Feminism-Part 2 [YouTube]
hot topics
Sexual Taboo-Busting German Novelist Inspired By Douches. Literally.
Meet Charlotte Roche, Germany's Erica Jong for the aughts. The former TV presenter's new novel, Wetlands, is causing causing quite the hubbub in Germany for its frank discussion of scatology and anatomy from the mouth of its 18-year-old narrator, Helen Memel. Roche, a self-proclaimed feminist, was inspired to write Wetlands when perusing the douche aisle of her local store, according to the New York Times. She was struck by the number of products telling women that their natural odors and growths were enemies, meant to be eliminated and perfumed. “[Wetlands] is not feminist in a political sense, but instead feminism of the body, that has to do with anxiety and repression and the fear that you stink, and this for me is clearly feminist, that one builds confidence with your own body," Roche told the Times. "Ever since I could think, I've had hemorrhoids," Wetlands begins with an, erm, blast. More »
rants
Dear Gerry: You Gotta Think About What You're Trying To Do To Me
Geraldine, do not give me the "Bitch, please" hand. Bitch, please! What the fuck are you thinking? I just read your incredibly offensive op-ed in the Boston Globe and it made me cry with frustration and disappointment and the ruination of that childhood dream I had when you were running for VP and I thought you were so cool and, bitch, I don't fucking cry. Ask anyone. And so before I get into why I'm shaking with anger and disappointment and hereby disavowing you as a Democratic party leader and a feminist and a cool chick worth emulating, I gotta ask — have you been to a doctor this year? Have you been screened for Alzheimers, dementia or anything other than a politically terminal case of racism and shoving your foot down your throat? Can we call that an eating disorder? Because if you're just losing your marbles, well, I've volunteered with the elderly before and you forgive a lot when disease breaks down those barriers we all have but if you're not, um, well, yeah, fuck you. More »
lady bunches
Exploitation Feminism: "Break One Of Our Rules, And You Won't Live To Regret It"
Today, Susie Bright's blog turned us onto The Female Bunch, a scare film from 1969 warning people about the dangerous influences of feminism by "turning women's lib into a menacing reality." LOL! Apparently, that reality is much like an old western movie, where women band together, ride horses, alternately fuck and torture men, and beat up guys wearing drug rugs, all while having impossibly sexy hair. Disturbingly, the movie was actually filmed at the Spahn Ranch in Southern California around the same time that the Manson Family was living (and killing people) there.
The Female Bunch (1969, color) Trailer [YouTube via Susie Bright]
Jagged Little Pills
Alanis Morrisette on feminism: "Women are so powerful they're scary, and the incentive to squash this has been going on for so long that some of us actually believe we're subordinate." More — including intimations of ex-fiance Ryan Reynolds' disrespect towards her and what it's like being a woman in the music industry — here. [Guardian]
MagHag
What do you say to people who say Cosmopolitan is anti-feminist? The New York Review of Magazines asks EIC Kate White. "People from the outside usually judge Cosmo that way, but the reader never does. So many of our readers write in to tell us about how empowered they are. That's what matters." I guess empowering American women to be sexually erotic is of paramount virtue to Cosmo readers, as White adds, "Readers don't come to Cosmo to learn about the genital mutilation of women in the Third World." When asked about her forebear, Helen Gurley Brown, White admits that she never really read Cosmo when Brown was running the show, and that she feels no pressure to be like the former editor because "our reader doesn't care about the past. She's all about the here and now." As long as the here and now doesn't include mutilated genitals! [NYRM]
girl on girl crimes
Hatred Of Hollywood Women Reveals An Underlying Misogyny
A marketing study out of England is reporting that the five most-liked celebrities are exclusively male, while the top four out of the five most hated celebrities are female (the one male who is nationally loathed, American Idol judge Simon Cowell, was also voted one of top five best liked). Professor Diane Negra of the University of East Anglia points out that much of this loathing can be blamed on sexism. But the misogyny flung at these females is not always from men — it's often hurled by other women. "[Some women] seem to be incredibly competitive with each other and find it hard to give credit to each other. With male celebrities a lot of men might aspire to be like them or may aspire to be with them," Negra tells BBC. More »
oh, snap!
