DO I HAVE TO PUT A RING ON IT?: A guest blogger at Post-Bourgie writes on Beyonce’s new song, “Single Ladies,” specifically noting that “in her songs, Beyonce celebrates the oppressive power dynamic that exists between men and women, while simultaneously trying to imply that women can utilize the subordinate position in a heterosexual romantic relationship to empower themselves.” Like The Rules for the MTV crowd.
AWESOMENESS: A couple of weeks ago when Cara said that Sociological Images was an awesome new blog, she wasn’t kidding. I find myself bookmarking more and more of their posts by the day to write about here, then finding little more that I can add to their already great commentary, for example, this recent post on Baltimore’s HonFest and representations of gender and class, this post on how The View is redefining the idea of “women’s issues” on daytime television, and gendered Motrin ads (because they “feel our gendered pain,” and not in the PMS-y, I’m-about-to-rip-out-my-cramping-uterus-OMFG way).
“MARRIAGE MATTERS TO US,” Terrance writes, “us” being black gays and lesbians:
Anti-gay marriage amendments and ballot initiatives like Proposition 8 only harm Black gay and lesbian famlies, many of whom are already economically disadvantaged. Cannick may think marriage equality is “secondary” to other issues, or can wait until others are addressed. But that also means that thousands of our families will continue to suffer injustice, economic and otherwise, indefinitely and without remedy.
For them, inequality is a daily burden added to the rest: making ends meet, putting food on the table, keeping a roof over their heads, and simply providing for their families.
For many of our families, equality is not a “luxury,” as Cannick calls it. It is justice.
IN OTHER NEWS, Bitch PhD discusses the passing of Prop 8 and future strategies for framing gay marriage as an equality issue.
CLASS MATTERS: Robert writes on visual class indicators, and how one colleague makes the case that gender and race are more obvious a marker than social class when it come to, say, a job interview. But is this so?
FIRST WIVES CLUB: Octogalore analyzes the public personas of Michelle Obama and Cindy McCain.
IRONICAL: This Christmas, highlight your faith with the American Family Association’s burning cross on your lawn! No, really.
JESUS HAD TWO DADDIES: Scenes from the nationwide protests here, here, and here.
Holy shit, you aren’t kidding about the burning cross thing. John leaves out the best part, though:
Yes, remind everyone that the real meaning of Christmas is terror and racism.
Same here!
Order now and we’ll include a free pointed Christmas hood, because darn it if those winters aren’t cold.
There’s a been a large cross lit up with Christmas lights near my parents’ house for years. And every year, I see it on the crest of the hill as I exit the highway and think I’m going to have to report a hate crime.
It’s alarming.
“PROP 8 = EPIC FAIL” is definitely EPIC WIN.
Thanks Lauren!
Interesting insight you linked to re “simultaneously trying to imply that women can utilize the subordinate position in a heterosexual romantic relationship to empower themselves.” That really focuses in on a key issue. It’s that very ability that disempowers feminism, that prevents us from achieving more unity as a group with common interests. For all of us, we sense which way the wind is blowing and have to balance how much benefit we accept individually in a way that acknowledges the group’s subordination. And I don’t mean makeup or any stupid crap like that, but issues like sexuality and economics. But I sense myself about to blather on forever, so I’ll stop there…
Yeah, when feministing talks about the “guilty pleasures that may not really be feminist”? Beyonce is one of mine. I LOVE that she’s a strong, independant woman — and she is — and that she certainly doesn’t need a man to be that way — she really has gotten where she is mostly on her own. But her lyrics don’t always reflect that.
Still, I love her. I can’t help it.
[...] and The Remiss Revolutionary say we’re “awesome.” Feministe also says: ” I find myself bookmarking more and more of their posts by the day to write about [...]