How Women’s Health and Social Media Won 2012: Retrospective
“Gentleman and ladies, your hard work paid off. Tonight we demonstrated to the other party what happens when you sneer at rape survivors, birth control and equal pay for equal work.”
By all accounts, it shouldn’t have ended like this. The president running for re-election was supposed to be an enemy of American values, waging the real “war on women” by giving out free contraception on street corners, encouraging girls to become sex objects by sleeping with hundreds of men and covering themselves in venereal disease, having abortion after abortion as their birth control inevitably failed them, until they no longer had any respect for their own bodies or lives – thus destroying the Christian work ethic that once made America’s economy great. And that was on top of Obama’s takeover of healthcare, bailouts for the billion-dollar abortion industry, and attacks on religious institutions that believe they have a right to discriminate against the healthcare of female employees.
...read moreINSIDE BASEBALL with Feministe and the Good Men Project
So here’s the thing about the Good Men Project: I really want them to be good. I do. I was an early promoter of their work, linking to them here and on Twitter. They had some great early writers, and interesting (if male-centric, given their mission) feminist analysis. And my brand of feminism is firmly in the camp of, “breaking down gender stereotypes is good for men too, and I hope more men will do the work amongst themselves to further the goals of gender equality.” And lo, I thought the GMP was doing that.
Then things started to change.
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Fringe and Astrid as a Disposable Mammy
Five years ago when Fringe first appeared on television, there was absolutely nothing like it on the air. Since then, we have seen alternate universes, fantastic events and now finally a dystopian world. With it’s final season, Fringe is taking the opportunity to wrap up storylines and bring closure to the world that they have created.
When I learned that the fifth season would be the final season of Fringe, one of the things I had hoped for was the redemption of the character of Astrid. Astrid, played by Jasika Nicole, has the distinction of not only being the only recurring African-American woman, but fifty percent of the cast of colour. Clearly, from the beginning, racial inclusion has not been a high priority for Fringe.
...read moreBid for Good
WAM, an organization very near and dear to my heart, is auctioning off some awesome items and services just in time for the holidays. Feministe friend Captain Awkward will give you advice! Ann Friedman will tell your story in GIFs! Baratunde Thurston will bring you as his date to Whiskey Friday! Rebecca Traister will edit your manuscript! An autographed Tegan and Sara vinyl pack! Dinner with Jessica Valenti! A strategy session with Sandra Fluke! Tickets to the Colbert Report, Wanda Sykes and more! SO MANY THINGS. GO BID NOW.
...read moreHelp a Blogger Out: What Are Your Favorite Feministe Posts of All Time?
For a project which I may or may not decide to work on: What are your favorite Feministe posts? What are the classics? Which ones do you remember? Let us know in the comments. Also: Are you a Feministe guest blogger? If you are, and you haven’t gotten an email from me this week, drop me a line.
...read moreOn Thankfulness.
Today is Thanksgiving in the United States. There are many Americans who look to this day as a national day of mourning, and for good reason. In my family, though, we recognize the holiday, and like many others, we try to center thankfulness and love and our relationships with each other. Over at the Guardian today I’m writing about the things I’m thankful for.
...read moreThis Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for my church.
“God, The Human Body!”: People as Scenery
People of all ages, all over the spectrum of “conventional beauty” (as it is defined in the United States, the country most responsible for spreading our movies and advertising around the globe), are at a pool, wearing what they feel like wearing, and the driving emotion they are all experiencing is envy? The driving behavior is comparison? It’s possible.
...read moreAdmin Update
Because of the intense storm bearing down on the East Coast, I am stuck in San Francisco for an indefinite period of time — fingers crossed I’m back in NY on Wednesday, but unclear. Wah wah, stuck in an amazing city, I know. Very few complaints, but modding is going to be slow, since my internet access is not very consistent. Thanks for your patience! And stay safe, East Coasters.
...read moreExposing Internet Creeps
Adrian Chen is fucking awesome. And I have very little sympathy for cries about “privacy” from people who make it their primary hobby to violate the privacy of others. Sorry, but the internet is not, in fact, 100% anonymous. Just because you are online doesn’t mean you’re not interacting in the world. And “free speech” does not actually mean “the freedom to say whatever I want, no matter how awful, with zero pushback.” Content note on that link and the rest of this post: Violence, misogyny, sexual assault, racism, and just about anything else foul you can think of.
...read moreHalloween Isn’t Supposed to Be Scary Like This
Halloween is a holiday that I enjoy a lot more in the abstract (costumes, silliness, chocolate!) than the specific (lack of sewing skills/glue gun, complete lack of imagination as to what to be, candy of dubious quality and people who give you raisins). Aside from my one true costume victory (when I went as the [...]
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Fangirls, mean girls – and that grand pastime of calling each other “ugly sluts”
“Everyone knows that bitch got knocked up by someone else and TRICKED him into marriage! Ugly slut! I hope they divorce!” It sounds like a comment you would find on a Daily Mail article about some celebrity drama. But the poor man allegedly “TRICKED” into marriage is meant to be my husband. And the “ugly [...]
...read moreShorter Daniel Fincke: “TONE.”
Daniel Fincke asks: “Do marginalized people need to be insulting in order to be empowered”?
Caperton replies: Have you tried asking a marginalized person?
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