Are you familiar with butch and femme as gender identities? These are designations primarily in the queer community that describe how "masculine" or "feminine" one is, or perceives oneself to be. They exist on a spectrum with many gradations, and it is extremely important to some people to identify at one specific point on the spectrum, and not much or at all to others.
Earlier this week, I had a conversation with a colleague, who identifies as a lesbian and who also identifies as femme, about the implications of holding a particular identity - or not holding one - along the butch/femme spectrum. She said that for her, claiming a femme identity means reclaiming and revaluing certain aspects of femininity that are devalued in the general society, but especially historically devalued in lesbian culture, or that make lesbian identity invisible. This femme identity extends even into her spiritual life, as she is drawn to female-affirming religious practices and pagan systems that celebrate certain things, like childbirth and domestic activities, traditionally associated with feminine energy.
On the other hand, it can be argued that that traditional association of gender with certain activities, energies, and traits can be seen as having evolved from patriarchy and to claim them is somehow complicit with oppression. Certainly that argument was popular during the 70's, at which time "butch" and "femme" identities were rejected in favor of a conscientious androgyny. I struggle with this a lot - I do a lot of activities and dress in ways that make people assume that I identify as femme, but I adamantly do not, and for some reason am sensitive about it. Why is it so important to me to reject a femme identity? What does it mean to reject it? That's a question I revisit frequently, usually without a satisfying answer.
I realize that if you're straight and of unambiguous physical gender, a question of gender identity may not have come up in quite this way. But what do you make of the butch/femme spectrum? Has it come up for you? Do you hold a gender identity that goes beyond your body parts? Do you feel at all genderqueer? Was this identity-formation something intuitive or natural, or did you choose it consciously? How do you feel this affects your life? What do you think might be different if you identified differently (or, what challenges do you think face people who identify differently)? What does it mean to hold a gender identity or to reject identifying as one particular "notch" on a gender-related spectrum? What are you really accepting or rejecting?
Big questions. Maybe you can tackle at least one part of them.
November 28, 2004I think we had this one last year, but what are you reading? What do you read when you want feminist inspiration? What about your trashy or relaxing reading books? How are womyn portrayed in those?
Is everybody keyed up about the election? Good, let's acknowledge that. I'm nervous about it, too. This is why I'm not going to ask a question directly related to it.
I'm single/celibate and have been for some time. Thus, in search of some sort of *ahem* outlet, and not to get into the whole pornography debate, because that's not really the focus of this question, I've taken to reading the occasional erotic story. In the course of this, I've noticed an overwhelming preponderance of stories classified as "non-consent" - that is, stories eroticizing coersion and/or rape. Just from totally unscientific observation, I'd say it's by far the most common genre. Some are written by men, some by women, and some by people who don't identify their gender.
On the site I read most frequently, there's also a bulletin board, and the topic of rape fantasies was raised on it recently. That is, someone had written a "non-consent" story, and she was having some mixed feelings about what it meant to eroticize rape in her fantasies and in her writing. Other respondents chimed in with much the same ambivalence. Some felt that because it was "just fantasy," it was a harmless way for people to explore their feelings; others felt that it turned them on but they were ashamed about it; others, that it reflected having been taught the negative messages that people deserve to be raped and secretly want it.
What do you think? Do you ever have rape fantasies? What do you make of them? Or the fact that they're apparently so common? Do you think that if internalized sexism were less entrenched and rape were less condoned, it would change whether people considered the subject erotic?
October 27, 2004Natalie Anglier, author of Woman: An Intimate Geography, articulates the various perceptions of women. Representing her own feelings, Anglier writes:
...the idea of pairing wine and women isn't a bad one, as the acidity of the vagina in health is just about that of a glass of red wine. This is the vagina that sings; this is the vagina with bouquet, with legs" (53).
Compare that to another view of the female body:
"As recently as the nineteenth century, physicians argued that the uterus competes directly with the brain for an adequate blood supply. Thus any effort a woman made to nourish her mind through education or career could come only at the expense of her fertility" (85).
Is patriarchy or sexism a result of how society or an individual perceives the female reproductive system? How does this come into play with the role of women in the 2004 elections?
I've been a party to a handful of really heated debates between feminists recently (those of you who belong to the LiveJournal feminist communities probably know what I'm talking about). I was going to ask you all about the usefulness of subcategories of feminism in light of the divisiveness those categories seems to create sometimes, but then a friend posted something a million times more positive.
What she wrote about was her "feminist utopia" - the vision she had of (in this case one specific aspect of) an ideal feminist world. That seems like the perfect thing to come back to periodically, to revisit and revise your own ideas, but also to remember the things we are all working for.
So that's your assignment for this week (or however long it takes you - this could be a very complex question): tell the rest of us about your feminist utopia. You don't need to worry about what's realistic or how to get there (although if you have ideas, by all means share). Just think about it.
October 03, 2004I've been contemplating my post-baby body as well as the topic for the first issue of meowpower - body image. I know that at times, I feel icky about myself, but sometimes I love all the curves that my body has presented. I also know that in the past, my body image has, at times, been horrid while at other times, it's been good.
My question is thus: how is your body image? What do you do to maintain your body image? How do you cope with medias fixation on what your body image should be? What do you think of diet plans where exercise (and in fact healthy eating!!) are a side factor of losing weight? How about the current round of makeover and plastic surgery shows? And, if you have a negative body image, how does that impact your feminism?
Hey, everyone-
This is half collab topic, half announcement. I've started a project called What She Said! that is an attempt to create a master blogroll of Progressive Women Bloggers. I'm a little tired of hearing that there aren't many women blogging. Let me tell you, I can't believe how many we are!
I hope all of you will send me your links. The only criteria is that the blog must be by a woman, or if it's a group blog, one woman must be included. The blog has to deal with politics at least part-time, lean Left, and uphold general Feminist standards: pro-choice, size acceptance, pay equity, etc.
I know I don't have everyone yet, so send them in! Also, fill out the 6 profile questions so I can introduce you on the blog.
Finally - have you ever experienced discrimination in the blogosphere? When, where and what kind? Do you feel women bloggers are treated differently? Share your experiences here, and the next time some guy asks you where all the women bloggers are, tell him What She Said!
September 20, 2004Will women decide this next election? And if so, for whom will they decide? An article on NPR this morning said that Bush is winning the women's vote, in particular in the Bible thumping swing states like Ohio, where they are coming out in droves to vote for Bush because he is against gay marriage.
A USA Today poll breaks it down thusly and calls it The 'marriage gap':
| Bush | Kerry | Dem Advantage | |
| Married women | 54% | 41% | -13 |
| All women | 45% | 50% | +5% |
| Unmarried women | 35% | 60% | +25 |
| Marriage gap: | +38 | ||
| Source: gallup Polls from March-August 2004, including a total of 5,757 women who are registered voters,. Margin of error: +/- 2 percentage points. | |||
This again, points to many of the swing states where there are more married than unmarried women. The questions are:
Perhaps you've heard - crafting, of all sorts, but especially things to do with yarn, aka knitting and crocheting, has made a huge comeback in the past couple of years. Young women who previously did very little in the way of "traditional female arts" have taken up needles and hooks and started creating a demand for hip, youthful designs and so-called "Stitch & Bitch" knitting circles.
It's an interesting coincidence that this spike in interest in crafting and homemade items has really happened since September 11, 2001.
What do you think of this phenomenon? Do you read it as a positive trend, in the tradition of feminist groups that began as a result of women coming together for a socially accepted purpose, communal handwork, and as a result of connecting with one another, learning that they faced common barriers and could help empower one another? Or do you see it as problematic, in that in the face of a cultural climate in which strongly "traditional" (that is to say, conservative) values have taken over, women have reverted to the kinds of work deemed appropriate for them in earlier, more overtly patriarchal days? I'll never find the article again, but I did read one columnist's take on the knitting comeback that reflected that position - she said that taking up knitting now was an unhealthy coping mechanism that indirectly condoned the war, in a "keeping the home fires burning" kind of way, and she'd have none of it.
Update 9/14/04: Aha! I found the article after all! Only between yesterday and today, the Charlotte Observer decided to institute a fee for retrieving archived articles. Bah! Anyway, if you're interested, it's called "Nesting Urge Won't Remove Cause of Fears," by Tonya Jameson, and it originally appeared on March 23, 2003.
So, what's your take?
September 01, 2004How come Helen Keller couldn't drive?
Because she was female.
That was a "joke" that a 16-year old male told me a few days ago. He thought it was hilarious. He does not even have his license yet.
Males have higher insurance rates than females. They get into more fatal accidents. But, the stereotype of women as bad drivers persists. This "joke" (offensive on several levels) is evidence of that.
A teenager told the "joke," but I have heard MANY men comment about female drivers.
What is up with this garbage?
This question follows me everywhere during almost every day. How does a feminist deal with the fact that sometimes she just loves the groove of an anti-feminist singer/musician? I'm talking about loving Rick James' music despite his conviction for aggravated assault and false imprisonment in the 1990s.
or Outkast despite some sexist lyrics. I know we all shake our groove thing to some pretty bad songs, but how do you get over this hyporcritical aspect of our lives? Or are you a good feminist and stay away from anti-women/sexist lyrics?
I'm a huge fan of the t-shirt. The ability to wear a message or feeling on your shirt, be it feminist or recreational , it something that I love. My students have known me by my T-shirts, which one casual friday might promote the Ninja Turtles, and another casual friday might list Wild Womyn. Person as billboard.
On a mailing list that I'm on, a t-shirt was mentioned. Located here and sold through the planned parenthood store (america). It is part of a project by Soapbox. They state that the purpose of the shirts along with an accompaning video is thus: "Both are part of a project to tell the truth: that women might be sorry to need an abortion, but they aren’t sorry that they had access to one". Planned parenthood, on the page selling the shirt states :"Remember, it’s always important to “wear the shirt” of our beliefs."
Would you wear this shirt (having had an abortion or not)? What would be your purpose and intent in your wearing of this? When questioned about it, what would your response be? Do you feel that these shirts are a positive form of personal billboard, or do they detract your attention from the message? What other shirts would you like to see sold?
July 31, 2004[This topic was created by Brigitte. I'm posting it for her because she is having computer problems.]
I was watching "Best Week Ever" on VH1 a few nights
ago and they were discussing the recent release of a
male equivalent to the "Girls Gone Wild" series. If
equality really is about evening things between men
and women, is it a "good" thing that men are being
sexually exploited and objectified more and more in
the media? Or, as the suffragists suggested, is the
ideal equality men achieving a level or morality
comperable to that expected from women. In other
words, are men supposed to be as "good" as women, or
are men supposed to be as debased as women for things
to be equal? This recent trend troubles me greatly,
I'd love to see what others think about this topic.
I read a really obnoxious article on Alternet which got me to thinking:
As a Feminist, what do I think of Nature when opposed to Technology? Modern Medicine? Finance ? Fashion? Convenience?
Consider these 3 sets of procedures:
I. Reproductive options:
a) Birth control – what if it might kill you? Make you sterile?
b) Abortion- I know a girl who refused to use birth control and had 6 abortions. Any problem with that?
(She knew better, she just didn’t care)
c) Planned Cesareans – having surgery so you can plan your birth around your schedule. Any conflicts? Is it better for the mother to have a safe surgery or a risky natural birth? Would cutting a pregnancy short hurt the mother? The baby? Would it matter to you if there were increased risk to the baby? Is vaginal birth passé?
II. Breasts – Are any or all of these purely a matter of choice? A necessity? An abomination? Vanity? Any issues of patriarchy, or oppression here?
a)Breast reconstruction- done after breast removal due to cancer, paid by insurance.
b)Breast reduction to alleviate back pain, paid by insurance.
c)Breast enlargement as an elective? What if the only implant available can be deadly? What if the Army is paying the bill? What if she's doing it to make more money or get a raise? Or because her boyfriend wants her to?
III. Beauty hurts
Women in China used to be subjected to foot binding, which was a cruel and painful practice that crippled women permanently.
Cinderella is a tale about foot binding. In the older versions of the story, the stepsisters cut off toes and heels to try and fit the glass slipper.
Right now, on the East Coast, women are paying doctors to have bones removed from their feet so they can fit into expensive designer shoes. Any problem with that? Do you ever buy shoes that don't fit because they're pretty ? Or on sale?
IV. Genital surgery.
Little girls in Africa and the Middle East are systematically mutilated. Our government does not see this as a human rights issue.
Women in America pay doctors to 1) create a false hymen 2) modify their labia for aesthetic reasons and 3) tighten their vagina to make sex more pleasurable for their (male) partner. Women are also known to have genital piercings done. Bikini wax, anyone?
Give me some Feminist Feedback - are we fighting for the right to torture ourselves in ways that used to be (or still are) forced on us? Are we getting in our own way?
July 19, 2004I thought I'd do something this time that's both fun and serious. I recently reread Sheri Tepper's book, Gibbon's Decline and Fall." In the story, right wing men are trying to take over the world and put women back "in their place." But during the story, a "plague" hits people, where women's breasts shrink and they stop menstruating and getting pregnant, and men stop wanting sex and their genitals shrink. It turns out, well, I won't say who/what is responsible, or why, but when it's over, the creatures give the main characters in the book the following choice:
If you choose the ruby light, then in all future time only pairs mated for life will breed once in a decade. A woman may have one child or two. Rarely, three. Never more than that. Your numbers will fit themselves into the wholeness of life. There will be room for other life than yours and better perception than now.If you choose the topaz light, you will be come like us, parthenogenetic, mothers and daughters, with a few males born only each eighth or ninth generation. There is an advantage to our way. Where men are many, they fall easy prey to creatures like [the enemy.] And where there are only women, you need only half as many.
If you choose the emerald light, all will be with you as it was before, except that no woman will ever conceive unless she chooses to conceive, unless she is ready in mind and body and heart and has chosen so over long and careful time. No pregnancy can be forced upon any woman. If this light is chosen, no woman would say, 'Be it done unto me.' Each woman would have to say, 'I want this for myself.'
If you choose the sapphire, you will return to your former nature except in one regard. Men and women will mature quickly, almost overnight, but not for thirty years. Some creatures take that long to mature; it is not a great change. Think of a long and lovely childhood, a long and lovely youth in which to learn and travel and work, learning of oneself and of the world, followed only then by a brief reproductive maturity. Think of a life with no adolescence, a life in which only the mature may bear.
And last, if you choose this lapis light, you will be as you were, your world will be as it has always been. Remember the stories you have told me of yourselves, remember the stories I have told you of others. Remind yourselves how your world has always been. Much was His fault, but as much was not.
So with Osama on the loose, our schools crumbling and America not bothering to read books or take science classes anymore, our Senate is talking about... Gay Marriage. I know I'm terminally thirilled - so how do you all feel about it? Is this only a gay woman's issue, or should all feminists be concerned? How do you feel about it - infuriated? Invigorated? Bored? Inspired? Talk to me!
My reaction is up here.
July 06, 2004About a week ago, I was clicking through headlines on the online version of my city's newspaper, when I came across this article:
Battling against inequalities of rank
Basically, the story's about four female police commanders who were sueing the police department because while male commanders have a separate locker room from the regular male police officers, the female commanders do not and have to change clothes with their supervisees. The argument thus for why they should not be allowed to have the same privileges as their male counterparts was that there were so few female commanders that providing them locker room space wasn't cost-effective.
Let's take ten seconds and analyze that argument. Did the words "institutional sexism"* appear in your analysis? They did in mine.
Given that we've all also recently heard about the Wal-Mart gender discrimination class action lawsuit, it seems timely to examine the current state of sexism in the workplace. Have you experienced gender discrimination on the job? How do you perceive the current status of women in the workplace? Do you think lawsuits are the way to go to improve things, or would you recommend other strategies for counteracting sexism, institutional* and otherwise, at work? Do you know of any movements in your area to fight workplace sexism?
* By this I mean sexism that isn't necessarily related to individual behavior or direct hostility, but by system-wide practices and mindsets that exclude people on the basis of their gender, aka "women just don't apply for jobs here" or "but we've always done it this way."
June 29, 2004By now, you've probably seen that a mistrial was declared in the CA gang rape case. Many people are, justifiably, enraged about this. A mistrial is certainly better than an acquittal (they can be retried, so it's not like the boys are being declared innocent), but it surprises me that a jury could believe the defense's story in this case.
I know I, for one, am angry as hell.
So, what do we do about it? If the case is, as I've heard a lot of people say, another symptom of our culture that assumes women always "want it" and only men of certain classes can possibly rape women, how do we change that?
Several months ago we talked about the emphasis placed on the victim's sexual character in rape prosecution as it related to the Kobe Bryant rape case. I think this is related in many ways - because we seem to have trouble recognizing rape if the alleged perpetrator is someone who seems "attractive" (wealthy, famous, a "good" boy/man/whatever). Why is that? And what do we do about that?
[Note that I am speaking specifically of men raping women, which is the overwhelming majority of rape cases. If you want to talk about children or men who are victims, there are other opportunities to do so.]
June 22, 2004About ten years ago, a group called The Promise Keepers made the news frequently. I was under the impression that they had since disbanded, but found a recent article about them on the NOW website.
The group says that, "Promise Keepers is a Christ-centered organization dedicated to introducing men to Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord; and then helping them to grow as Christians;" however, despite claiming that the goal is to have men behave more responsibly, there is clearly a longing for a return to "traditional values." For instance, the following press release seems to espouse anything but Christian values:
Tom Fortson, Ph.D., president and CEO of Promise Keepers issued the following statement regarding marriage:
“Promise Keepers has affirmed marriage between a husband and wife since its founding in 1990. Promise Keepers will continue to promote the sanctity of covenant marriage as described in the Bible at its conferences and through its resources.
“I am not surprised at the confusion in America over this issue. While some courts and governmental agencies are attempting to change our laws regarding marriage, the struggle goes deeper than our legal codes. The morality of our law has its basis in the historic teaching of Scripture. Although Promise Keepers does not advocate for or against any legislation, political candidate or party, many of the issues of the day have a moral dimension. Promise Keepers stands strongly in support of the institution of marriage between a man and a woman as central to our civilization.”
Am I reading the Promise Keepers wrong? Does a call for "traditional values" help men in a quest for personal and spiritual responsibility, or are such measures nothing more than insults to queers and women? Is there any value in such a movement? Are they giving Christians a bad reputation? Any other thoughts on this would be appreciated.
June 07, 2004I think I'm late in posting! Ack!
Lately however I've been thinking of a topic, so it works out well that I should be posting. I watched the latest installment in Charlies Angels for the big screen and noticed that twice, Drew Barrymores character was almost raped. This was the only situation from which she could not extract herself. All others she was able to save herself from, including being shot at and being violently attacked by thugs, even the thug who was trying to rape her.
This made me think about rape in entertainment. CSI often shows flashbacks to rapes and has sexual assult as a storyline quite often. Survivor featured a sexual assult by one character to another, which was (in my opinion) quite underrepresented as a serious action. Many television shows and movies feature rape or a sexual assault as a plot point without warning the audience or reflecting on the seriousness of it all. There's a whole section in 'Cunt' on suggestions of how to react to this. However, I'm going to turn it to you all.
My question is thus, now that I have preached at you. What are your feelings on all of this? What do you do when you are presented with this form of entertainment? Do you feel that it is necessary in a portrayal of real life, or is it overdone and overused? If it is used, what kind of warning - if any - should be placed on the media?
I swear I had a better collab topic yesterday, but a gnome ate that part of my brain. So I give you Roni's lame ass collab topic of the year (yeah, it's early, I can still out do myself):
Who are the top 5 feminist boys/men you love? And why?
These can be your dad, Moby, or Prince Charming. On your marks, set, go!
May 09, 2004Happy Mother's Day everyone! Or is it? Do you think there's room in your life for a (modern) Mother's Day celebration? Do you think it has become a holiday that promotes negative stereotypes or do you think it is a richly deserved day of praise for Mom? If you are a feminist Mom, do you celebrate? If you're not a Mom but plan to be, will you celebrate Mother's Day? Any other qualms/opinions on the subject to share?
May 03, 2004I'm not sure where I really want to focus on this, but two items came to me this week that are not related but maybe should be. So take your choice. Answer one, both or just discuss what you want in relation to the subject.
1. The number of females arrested for violent crimes is increasing approximately three times faster than males. The first indication of this was a study that showed it increased 25% between 1992 and 1996, and it is is still rising. One possible reason given for this is the way women are now portrayed in movies, video games, etc., as being violent. Kill Bill, Lara Croft, etc. What do you think about this?
2. I have a friend who is about to go to jail for vehicular manslaughter as a result of the DWI incident. She told me her lawyer said that women tend to serve more of their sentences because women's prisons are not overcrowded, that men get much earlier releases to ease overcrowding. This seems extraordinarily unfair. I looked for research on this and couldn't find any. It seems to me that if this is true, there would be grounds for a class action suit. What do you think of this issue?
April 19, 2004 I can't think of much besides the quagmire that is Iraq. There are reports in the alternative news media of American troops killing women and children, shooting at ambulances, and generally oppressing the people we were supposed to liberate. We have a shortage of military personnel and almost a dozen countries in our "coalition" are bailing out. We're running out of troops to the point that 20,000 troops that were supposed to come home are having their service extended. There's a bill before congress right now to reinstate the draft. Both the Democratic and Republican candidates support it. To the best of my knowledge, this would be the first time in modern history that women in the "free world" will be subject to the draft. Now consider this headline:
Female GIs reporting rapes by U.S. soldiers
Women say response lacking within military, some even threatened
http://fairuse.1accesshost.com/news1/charlotte1.html
My question is - is this equality? Should someone who makes .76 cents on the dollar compared to a man; who has never had a President in the history of this country; who has little say in the development of public policy; who is not allowed the freedom to control her reproductive activity; who is vulnerable to rape and torture by her own comrades in arms with no recourse for protection be subject to forced military service? I particularly want to hear from those of you who are under 30, since this means YOU.
April 12, 2004If you have not seen Ms. Rice on the television, internet, or in the newspapers in the last week, check your pulse.
What do you think of the way the media is portraying Condoleeza Rice in terms of sex and race? Is the Rice we are being shown a fairly decent reflection of reality, or is her image being spun? What do you think of remarks about how she appears to be a "sourpuss"?
All I will say is that I am not a fan of Condoleeza Rice or her policies, but I do think she is to be considered given her powerful position. Is she still an African-American woman, or has she become "one of them" by accepting a role within the government?
April 04, 2004What do you think about the Melissa Rowland murder case?
For those of you who aren't familiar, Melissa Rowland is the woman who is being prosecuted for murder because she initially opted not to have a C-section, and one of her twins died in childbirth (or was stillborn, I'm not clear on this part of the story). Much of the media coverage of this case painted her as opting out of major surgery for reasons of vanity only. It turns out that she's mentally ill, which makes her seem a lot more sympathetic.
Need more information? One of the folk I read on LiveJournal posted a link to this excellent article on the Rowland case, which goes into more detail on the practice of C-sections in the US (note, though, that as much an editorial as a factual article).
So, the question(s): What does this case say about modern medicine and women? Does it elevate a doctor's advice over a person's own choice, or an unborn child's rights over a woman's? Should we be worried? And what (if any) actions should this drive from feminists?
March 28, 2004Please put on your imagination caps. You have been granted the position of editor for a new feminist magazine. Your budget is not a problem, allowing you to be picky about writers and advertising. What would this magazine look like? Who would be your target audience and why? What types of articles would you have and who would write for them? What would be featured on the cover? To follow up on the question from last week, if popular culture figures such as Christina and Britney (or pink, jessica simpson, avril l. and so on) wanted to be on the cover, what would you cite as your standards and would they be featured?
I'm hoping this hasn't been covered - the topic I was going to post was done last summer. If it has, I apologize!
Alternet has an interesting article called Dragging Women Down that equates men doing drag with whites doing black face. I thought that might be a nice topic to throw out, so there you go. Do boys in drag insult your feminist sensibilities?
On a personal note: An obscenely edited version of my Letter to the Editor of Wired Magazine appears in the April 2004 issue on page 034.
The complete text is posted on my Blog: Scroll way down to Feb 1, 2004
Peace!
Ms. Roni mailed me her topic to post this week. It's a funny one. ;)
Last week I saw a Pepsi commerical with Britney in it and then her discussing the making of it. In it, her, Beyonce & Pink are dressed up in Gladiator-ware singing "We Will Rock You." She was waxing on about the "Girl Power" she felt out there with the other strong women.
Last year I started to hear Christina talk openly about being a feminist. She wears feminist logos on her t-shirts, she gives money to women's shelters, and her mom has said offered Christina's services to some large feminist organizations.
So my question to my fave bunch of blogging feminists is this: Are either of them feminists to you? Is Christina too much of a skanky hoe [April's editorial note - can anyone really be too skanky to be a feminist? Enquiring minds want to know!] to be a feminist? Is Britney not taking a strong enough stand? What would it take for you to consider either of them a feminist icon? Take into account sexual politics, the whoring of pop stars, and your own personal feminism. What
would you think if one of them were to be featured on the cover of Ms.? Bitch? Bust?
my discussion topic was going to be about something else, but then i read something at the library and would rather discuss this article.
while i'm sure it isn't a shocking piece, or not nearly as shocking as it should be, it brings up the problem that universities are covering for their professors as much as for the university itself. i'm not sure one could convince them of the need for a zero-tolerance policy on sexual harassment or on a one-strike and you're out rule, but surely continued blatant disregard for others should not be accepted. "genius" or not.
i think another good point that is made in the article is that these specific types of actions exist in situations where the aggressor has power over the other. in other words, it only happens down the power ladder, and not up. these professors are grabbing or otherwise harming their students, not their deans.
i realize this is not a new situation and i will probably not be able to bring anything new to the situation, young and naďve as i am, but i have two questions. first, what can be done on an individual level when one is in such a situation where there has been an offense, and even the university you pay won't help? and second, what can be done on a wider level by people who know about this occurrence [you and i] regardless of whether or not it has happened to us personally?
It seems as if many Feminists have not written off heterosexual realtionships all together, but my question is, "Can we live together?" Is the heterosexual union inherently gendered? Is gender inherently oppressive to women? Many feminist I know who are coupled in some way with a man, and live with him, feel that they are opressed as women. Specifically in areas of housework, familial relations, and relating to children. We all know exceptions to the rule, but what I'm asking is if equality within such a context as cohabitation is possible. If it is, how can it be achieved? Meaning both practically (day to day for women right now) and in a wider sense (how to teach future generations). And the other big question, which I feel this one begs, is there more inherent equality in lesbian relationships?
March 01, 2004I like posting easy questions for which there are no easy answers. I know this one was posted in the bb a while back because I posted it there, but it hasn't been posted here in the collab topics yet. So here goes.
What do you think about feminine endings, as in "ess", "ette", "trix", etc.? Are they outdated or do they express uniqueness for a female? If you don't like them as a rule, are there exceptions, like "goddess"?
As usual, I'll try to keep my own opinions off this page and post them on my blog in response to my own topic.
February 15, 2004On a personal note - I've been in Toronto for a while, then we had to host a funeral and I became ill, so I'm behind on a lot of commentary. I'll go back to the previous four topics on my blog at http://the-goddess.org/blog/index.html to get caught up.
The Collab topic for this week is: What is an appropriate feminist response to the new assault on women's reproductive freedom? The DOJ is demanding that hospitals release abortion records to defend it's "partial-birth abortion" ban. Given the current political climate, this not only threatens privacy, but I think could be considered self-incrimination if they start prosecuting women and/or doctors for having or performing abortions.
We are in an election year, and we are looking at returning to the dark ages before the women's movement. So do we vote our conscience - I can't speak for everyone, but in my case conscience=Kucinich - or do we play the odds and go with flavor of the week i.e. it was Dean, now it's Kerry, next it will be...?
Can we afford to let the media choose our president for us? Can we afford more of Ashcroft's assault on our civil rights? Do we as Feminists have any power to influence the election? Is feminism dying a natural death or getting poised for a rebirth? (I know it's a really broad topic - I'm hoping to get some good debate going.)
February 09, 2004For a long time, feminists have been reputed to hate sex. Let me back it up...before the term "feminist" was coined, and the social atmosphere was quite different, suffragists/Lucy Stoners/(insert euphemism here) were referred to as loose women. For some reason, women wanting equality have always been harassed in regards to our sexuality. Even today I hear feminists deemed "frigid" or anti-sex, and then in the same breath, called "sluts."
What does our sexuality have to do with it? Is there any validity, or was there ever any validity, in the assertion that feminists are opposed to pleasure or the human form?
I ask this because of the infighting and mixed up ideals emerging from the mouths of self-proclaimed feminists. I hear these remarks from others as well. It is confusing to read a denouncement of Hooters or Playboy as being sexist enterprises when I, a feminist, do not find myself agreeing with that statement.
There are pro-sex, pro-enjoyment-of-the-body websites and magazines emerging that I would consider feminist: Heather Corinna, No Fauxxx, That Strange Girl, to name a few.
I'd like to know what you think about those earlier questions, as well as where feminism and sexuality fit together. What are the boundaries of pleasure and politics? Do you frequent strip clubs? Spill it...how does your feminism influence or limit your sexuality?
January 30, 2004This week's topic was prompted by the questions Lenee posted sur la messageboard and the interesting discussion she and Kerri have been having on the topic.
In a nutshell, the question was: why did early feminists and early civil rights folk not band together, and how does this impact your relationship to people of other colors (well, specifically if you're white)? Something to think about.
My personal take is that the why is all about paradigm - specifically, people thinking in that-person-is-lesser being the norm certainly during the abolition/suffrage period, and to a degree in the sixties. Though there are certainly examples of women coming to feminism through civil rights action, which says to me that some people did find a connection between the two, it would have been possible for white women to see black men (and women) as inferior and vice versa. What do you think?
This also ties into a lot of my recent personal experience with various aspects of size acceptance, where I find that feminist ideas about the body, gender, and independence haven't always reached other fat folk. In fact, I hear fat activists talking about how you'll feel beautiful when you have a man, or how you should wear your hair X way to make your fat self more attractive. I'm not saying fat people or feminists need to reject conventional "beauty" outright, but I'm surprised to find us so uninformed as a community.
I know a lot of you have had similar experiences where you found that other political groups you got involved with were uninformed about feminism, or even outright misogynistic. I'm curious why you think these things happen.
So, the question (at last). What do you think keeps activist movements apart, both historically and today? Do you feel that movements need to work together, or are we all working on different things in different ways? And finally, how do you personally respond when other work you do seems to conflict with your feminist work?
While you're thinking on this subject, go back and answer Lenee's questions, too.
January 25, 2004We've discussed motherhood in the past I realize, but hopefully this is a different spin on it all. I have to say that at 25 weeks pregnant, this topic is close to my heart.
I overheard someone saying once that her life had begun. She was around 23, so I wondered with what she was going to continue. She stated to her friend that she was finally a mother and a wife, so life had begun. This comment stays with me as I read and hear other comments on motherhood. The Macdonalds commercial, for one, with it's pitch to mothers and lines "Just cause I'm a mommy, doesn't mean that it's all done", peaks my ears each time I hear it.
I contrast these two comments - life beginning and life not being over to readings that I have done on womyn and work and womyn and motherhood. In Oriensteins 'Flux' for example, there is disucussion on how hard it is to be a mother and be considered as serious a worker as a male - even if the male has children. In the Winter 2004 issue of 'Bitch', Lisa Jervis write a critique of an article from October entitled 'The Opt-Out Revolution', where Lisa Belkin discussed "why smart, highly educated formerly ambitious women have kids and then stampede out of the workplace in droves". According to the critique, Belkin seemed to feel the question and answer were "Why don't women run the world? Maybe it's because they don't want to", while Jervis and some of her interviewees felt that women weren't opting out of work, but instead of the traditional definition of what the work force is. Recently in 'Sex and the City' (I get the canadian feed), Miranda was called to task for not doing her job since the birth of her son. At the end of the show, she says she has to switch to a shorter work week to be able to balance her life as mother and as lawyer - 50 hours a week, 55 tops. In some fiction and nonfiction I have read, the comment is made that in new mother groups, the participants know each other as fellow mothers and not the stockbrokers, lawyers, teacher, bankers, etc that they once were. Their identity changed from being a person with a job to being a mother.
These two different extremes make me wonder about what motherhood does to a person, but also to society. Thus my questions: What are the expectations of a mother? What version is correct - is life beginning or is indivudality ending? As a feminist, what do you feel should be the role of the mother in society - wearer of more than one hat, or mother first, person second?
Enjoy, tangent and comment as much as you want.
January 20, 2004This week is an easy topic:
How, as a feminist, are you preparing yourself to decide who to vote for in the 2004 primary? If you're not a Democrat, you may have a senate race to watch out for as well, so feel free to address this question from a Presidential stand-point or the Senate or even the House of Representatives. Which issues are deal breakers? Which you can bend on? If a candidate says one thing, but you know they vote another way, which do you tend to believe? Where do you get your information?
If you're not registered to vote, DO IT NOW!
January 10, 2004Note: This is Stacie, Ryan's Feminist liaison in CA, writing in his place this month.
Why do some men in feminists’ lives (both female and male feminists) find it necessary to be overtly chauvinistic around said feminists? I am talking about men who aren't usually misogynistic, or not even usually chauvinistic, and how they become super women hating evil monsters when in the presence of a known feminist.
My dad and brother are perfect examples of this tendency towards idiocy. They are both wonderful men. My dad has to be halfway decent in order to have raised such an ardent and determined feminist. And my brother, well, less good can be said about his overall character, except that he is married to a wonderful woman and is in the process of raising a daughter, so I can only hope his comments are, as I expect and hope, merely in jest. These two amazing men will purposefully say hateful things just to get me angry or riled up. Their comments range from benign to deeply offensive. Such remarks include, but certainly aren’t limited to, observations as obviously ridiculous as; "Women can't play drums (or work, or wear pants, or [fill in the blank])" and “Oh, she’s a woman, no wonder she (can’t drive, is so flighty, cooks so well, etc.).” There are other comments though that I find to be less likely to be meant in a jocular way, the ones I find the most discouraging include; “I hope MY daughter/granddaughter doesn’t grow up to be like you” and “Alyssa, [that’s my niece—who is only one year old by the way] you’re not a feminist, right? You like being a girl.” If you didn’t know these men, or the others who make such comments, you would think they were chauvinists all around.
I know I am not the only person/feminist who has witnessed such transformations in her (or his) lifetime. Many of my feminist friends experienced the same things when they came out as feminists to their family and friends, and ever since.
So what gives? Do men feel in order to "preserve" or "demonstrate" their masculinity, they must become misogynistic baboons in the presence of strong independent, feminist women? Are these men in fact chauvinist after all, and these supposed “humorous comments” are in fact their true feelings on women?
Finally, how should we, as feminists, react to such commentary? I tend to ignore it when it comes from my brother or father, mostly because I know that responding to their efforts to unnerve me will only further encourage them to continue. But what about acquaintances, how should I/we react to those we don’t know as well, those who may not be joking? Or what about those comments that are so offensive and blatantly misguided that we cannot overlook them? Should we try and be calm and explain to their potentially non-listening ears, should we yell and scream and protest, or should we let those go as well?
I am thoroughly perplexed by the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde syndrome that many of the males in my life undergo in my presence. Any advice on remedies or any explanations of this phenomenon are welcome.
Being in a job where I am online a lot and doing the occasional image search, I sometimes browse Google's image search engine. Last week I typed in the phrase "feminism" and the images that Google spat back out at me were interesting and, in some cases, quite amazing.
This is a simple topic, really. If you were to go through Google's image search for "feminism", what three images do you most agree with and what three images do you wish would never be cached again? From the general images that Google displays when searching for "feminism", do you feel that this is a good or bad social barometer (since all Google really does is index the content of the people) in showcasing feminist ideas?
[Note - comments have been frozen on this entry as it tends to capture a lot of spam. If you'd like to comment, email dot at redpolka dot org.]
January 05, 2004Recently television is getting more and more "real." At first there was just The Real World, then Survivor came on the small screen and everything exploded. Now there's Joe Millionaire, The Amazing Race, Fear Factor and dozens of other "reality" shows in many categories.
In the upcoming season of The Real World (SanDiego) a non-house member is raped during a party by another non-house member. In fact the entire season seems to be one very long drinking party like the one that leads to the rape. I'm assuming that the rape and it's aftermath will not be shown on camera, but the question is: Are these shows exploitative? All of them, or just some? Are the female cast members exploited more than the male, or is there some gender equality on these shows? Did the producers allow or even encourage this to happen? What about other shows? Give examples!
I know some of you out there are addicted to "reality" -- it's time to share!
December 28, 2003I should probably be more original, but this is the last post of the year, so I gotta do it. 2004 is going to be a New Year, a leap year, a Presidential election year.
1. How do you plan to change the world in 2004? This could be anything from running for office to working on someone else's campaign, to convincing the person who sits next to you at work that gay marriage is a good thing, to raising your children to be accepting of people's differences.
2. How do you plan to change yourself, if at all? And do you feel any of these planned changes, for example losing weight, working out, etc., are in conflict with your feminist ideals?
Hey, y'all-
I guess I missed my turn to post a collab topic. Sorry about that, I've been really sick.
the topic is this article from Alternet:
AlterNet: Criminalizing Motherhood
What do you think?
December 06, 2003Several prompts ago, I remember writing in my response about how feminists could be more inclusive by stepping outside of closed institutions. Today I read an article in Ms. from July/August 1998: “Coloring, Styling, Perming—And Lifesaving Info” by Jill Petty. Perhaps it was this article I originally read four years ago that vaguely stayed with me to influence what I had written about how if we want non-whites and the working class to participate in feminism, then we need to make these ideas available in places that will be accessed by these groups. Unfortunately this essay is not available online, so I will do my best to paraphrase and quote from it.
What Petty writes about is how a salon in Brooklyn provides more than just beauty help. Instead of having the television turned to a regular entertainment channel, they often play videos pertaining to health issues, featuring African American actors. In addition to this salon, there are about 15 other ones in Brooklyn that participate alongside a project called Black Pearls. This project is responsible for placing, “health educators, videos, and literature on breast health, heart disease, hypertension, organ donation, smoking, nutrition, and STD prevention” in these salons, “serving some 6,000 customers” (48. [stats from ’98, remember]). In the article, some women tell about how they feel more comfortable talking with the health educator and other Black women than with their own doctors, citing how the African-American community is often suspicious of the medical field thanks to the Tuskegee experiments.
Have you found feminist or women’s health issues being addressed in real life in places similar to this? I will say right here that I think it is necessary to get beyond academia and traditionally elitist and/or primarily white middle-upper class mediums as the main source of information and connection. How do you think this can be carried out? In what other places would this hybrid of a salon/health center work? Discuss.
December 01, 2003There was a short article in the back of one of my magazines recently (I think it was Bitch, but it could have been Bust, though I can't find it to quote) that highlighted ways to avoid holiday commercialism by making gifts, participating in Buy Nothing Day, and a variety of other ideas. It made me a little sad at the time, because a lot of the of the suggestions amounted to a sort of "just say no to happy holiday stuff" approach.
I know that a lot of feminists are also progressives, and a lot of progressives critique Westerners, Americans in particular, for consuming more than we need, buying and spending in excess; it's not a complete shock, then, to see this reflected in feminist magazines.
So, the question: How does your feminism and general politics influence the way you approach the holiday season? What and how do you celebrate?
Do you feel pressed towards consumerism during the season? Do you love or loathe the holiday shopping/decorating/partying push?
Feel free to share links and ideas to inspire others to more informed celebration while you're discussing this question.
November 23, 2003This week is Warrior Womyn week on the Discovery Channel. With Xena... ahem... Lucy Lawless hosting, they are profiling the lives of five warrior womyn. Those profiled include Mulan, Joan of Arc, Lozen, Grace O'Malley and Boudica. For the final two nights, they are showing specials on Women Pharohs and the Queen of Sheba. The outline is here.
Is this television special one you will watch? How do you feel about such a focus on Warrior Womyn? Do you feel that we should have this specific and individual focus, or should they be included in general historical views of warriors? Should we focus on the past, or should we be educating on our modern warriors? And, lastly, who would you include if you were making the schedule?
I read this article about fairy tales this week. I've heard the stereotypical banter about how unfeminist most fairy tales are before, but I'd like to know what you think. Are Disney movies harmful? Is giving a lil girl a copy of Grimm Fairy Tales going to plunge her into a self-doubting abyss? Is Shrek really the feminist tale we'd like it to be? Also, fess up, what's your favorite fairy tale?
November 09, 2003
