Sexism
”Did Your Parents' Pop Culture Turn You Into A Feminist?
It's come to my attention over the past several days that I am perceived as a "bad feminist." Some readers seem to think I am some sort of woman-hater who only values the opinions of dudes. (Those readers are not dudes.) Um, this is really really not the case. But the realization prompted some soul-searching, because I remember a time just over 20 years ago when I felt outlandishly offended by sexism, mostly because of my immersion in the schlock pop culture of my parents' generation. There was, for starters, the lyrics of the Beach Boys song "California Girls," and further, that such a musical act would receive the endorsement of such a distinguished entertainment property as Full House. More »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 »"[Alli Sims] Is So Fuckin' Doughy You Wouldn't Be Surprised If You Walked In On Britney Trying To Eat Her Leg"
Welcome back to our weekly examination of the Crimes Against Womanity committed by gossip bloggers and the virtual wristslaps we issue out to our grammatically and creatively-challenged web friends. In this edition, we give Alli Sims (Britney's former assistant and aspiring pop-star), Brooke Hogan, Jennifer Garner, Britney Spears, and Rock of Love 2's Daisy de la Hoya. More »When Spite Trumps Common Sense, A Resentful Clinton Supporter Is There
The six weeks since Cynthia Ruccia announced that sexism would force her to support John McCain in the general election haven't, as many had hoped, made her any more reasonable. Like many a Clintonista, Ruccia — the co-founder of Women For Fair Politics who appeared on Larry King Live last night (see clip above left) — is still spitting mad and not going to take it anymore: she's going to vote for John McCain! See, John promised her personally that he'll appoint lots of women to jobs in his Administration (you know, like how Bush appointed feminist leaders Christine Todd Whitman, Ann Veneman, Elaine Chao, Condoleezza Rice, Mary Peters and Margaret Spellings to his Cabinet) and that trumps the cunt thing, reproductive rights and other issues that Ruccia, a lifelong Democrat, holds dear. Because in the battle to combat sexism in the media, it's important to show that women have a voice that can be used to show that Clinton supporters are crazy, spiteful bitches who will sell out their own political ideals to nurse a grudge. Way to strike a blow for us ladies, Cynthia!•Related: Hill, Yes! O., No! [Washington Post]
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.
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