"I love feministing.com and always learn from it." Katha Pollitt, The Nation
"Many people need a morning "fix." For some, it's coffee. For others, it's "SportsCenter." For me, it's Feministing.com." Katie Stone, The Denver Post
"Feminism is fun again! Every bit as edifying as your women's studies books from college, but with a biting sense of humor that keeps things punchy, not preachy." Marie Claire, December 2006
Pottery Barn takes playtime to a new level (and price)
This just makes me want to barf. Pottery Barn Kids has taken the initiative not only to perpetuate gender roles, but sell it for a shitload of money.
The company’s new “Retro Kitchen Sets” has done extremely well in sales this holiday season, even considering the pricing, which ranges between $250 and $650. (By the way, this kitchen is purely for play.)
The kitchen set is (of course) in their “girls’ rooms” section, which comes separately with a washer, dryer and vacuum; in short, they decided to gather every domestic household item they could think of and throw it into the girls' section of the site.
As for the boys, they have a number of different themed rooms to choose from, including the “airplanes bedroom,” the “trains playroom,” and the “thomas sports playroom.”
When asked about the kitchen set only being included in the “girls’ rooms” section, company spokesperson Lauren Nelson replied, “I think girls tend to be better at domestic play. Boys have tool sets and train sets.”
WOW. Is it just me, or do you hear the theme song from "Leave It To Beaver?"
While we’ve raised the issue of midwifery before and questioned how necessary hospitals really are when it comes to natural childbirth, a recent study has found that coaching during labor may be unnecessary, even possibly harmful.
The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology published the study in their January issue, which was conducted in at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. It was there that they split 320 pregnant women into “coached” and “uncoached” groups. In the end, the only variation between the two groups was that the coached women endured thirteen minutes less of labor time than the uncoached.
So where does coaching become potentially harmful? Some months later, the women who were coached during childbirth had less bladder capacity and more overactive bladder muscles than the others. These symptoms may potentially contribute to incontinence.
While the researchers didn’t conclude that coaching is truly dangerous for women, they have said that letting them “labor down” -- otherwise giving them more control over the pace of the delivery -- may be used as a potential alternative.
Because I never go skating without my push-up bra.
The new A&E show Rollergirls is airing on Monday, and I’ll admit I’m very curious find out what the show will actually be about.
On one hand, the huge billboard ad I saw in the middle of Manhattan was pretty ridiculous; all of the rollergirls were lined up, looking like Miss “Punky Bruiser” above in their schoolgirl skirts and busty boobies. Just check out the website. On the other hand, these ladies look like some kick-ass bitches who I would normally be a number one fan of.
The thing is, can we really expect much from a show that comes from the same producers as Laguna Beach?
Side note: Make sure to check out the Gotham Girls Roller Derby, New York’s only all-female roller derby league. It’s interesting to see the pics on their site and the difference between what’s real and what’s marketed.
Check out this article from USA Today about women’s rivalry in the workplace: Are we conditioned to be catty or just as competitive as the next Joe? Here’s a snippet:
The feminist movement that took root in the 1960s embraced the concept of women as standing shoulder-to-shoulder in their effort to open new doors in male-dominated businesses.
But today, with the number of women in the labor force at record numbers, another question is being raised: In the workplace, are women sometimes their own worst enemies?
It's the topic of a book, "I Can't Believe She Did That! Why Women Betray Other Women at Work", which was released in October and has attracted articles in international publications. The book by journalist Nan Mooney, based on interviews with more than 100 women, concludes that women often shy away from direct conflict and instead engage in unhealthy competition — talking behind one another's backs, sabotaging success, feeling threatened by other women — that can be detrimental to all women in the workforce.
Due to the severe declining birth rates in Poland, the new government has recently introduced legislation that will compensate women -- in dough -- for each child that they bear. Lower-class women will receive even double the amount.
Women’s groups in Poland have said it will be unsuccessful and that the country should follow Sweden and France’s footsteps by providing better childcare facilities for working parents and increased paternity leave.
That might as well be the title of Kate O'Beirne’s new anti-feminist book. Instead the former vice president of the Heritage Foundation (so you know it’s going to be good) decided to go with a slightly more verbose title: Women Who Make the World Worse and How Their Radical Feminist Assault Is Ruining Our Schools, Families, Military, and Sports.
Oh is that all? Damn, ladies; we need to step it up! So many institutions to destroy, so little time.
I’m all for making fixing your car fun, but this is a bit nutty. I mean, does this company really think that slapping some pink on tools will make women want them more?
My new favorite tech and product blog Popgadget hits the nail on the head:
They look more like ‘Barbie does tools’ than anything that you would want to seriously whip out in case of a car emergency. If you got caught using one of these things in public, wouldn't you be somewhat embarrassed?
But hey, if you really like pink go for it I guess. Just don't be surprised when someone laughs at the cutesy bag for the jumper cables.
Podtrac CEO Mark McCrery says “the fact that so many women who have listened to podcasts have done so recently signals the beginning of a trend toward a more balanced gender composition of the podcast audience. It's also reflective of the ever-increasing variety of podcast content with broadening appeal.”
Another recent study released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project says that women are using the internet more than men, particularly young women.
The report, "How Women and Men Use the Internet," examined use by both sexes, looking at what men and women are doing online as well as their rate of adopting new Web-based technologies.
“I think the real interesting story is the young women, because that is the one age cohort where there are many more women online,” said Deborah Fallows, who wrote the report based on findings from surveys conducted over the past five years. “The younger women are just much more comfortable with the Internet.”
The study reports that 86 percent of women 18-29 years-old use the internet, compared to 80 percent of men the same age.
I have to admit, I don’t listen to podcasts more than a couple of times a month. Anyone know any good podcasts dealing with women’s and gender issues? (Besides the much-missed Sex Talk, of course. Sigh.)
Researchers say that say long-term anger and hostility between partners is much more dangerous for women than men and can impair our immune system and put us at risk for depression, high blood pressure and even heart disease.
Ouch. The good news? Women in happy marriages are healthier.
Jordanian activists seek to increase women in politics
Women in Jordan are increasing their efforts to get a 20 percent quota of seats in local councils reserved for women.
Mai Abu Samen, head of the Jordanian National Forum for Women (JNFW), said that “a quota for women will help increase their political participation and bring desired reforms,” and could potentially double women’s current political representation.
Not.
More than 25 percent of young women in the U.S. douche regularly. Why ladies, why?!
Douching is believed to raise the risk of bacterial infections and cause pregnancy complications. Plus it’s just gross.
Thankfully, new research shows that it’s relatively easy to educate young women on the dangers of douching and convince them to give it up.
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham found that three quick counseling sessions with young women at their clinic were enough to persuade nearly half to give up douching.
...One year into the study, 49 percent of the young women who received information on douching said they had not douched in the past 3 months.
One of the greatest female sartorial dilemmas - 'does my bum look big in this?' - is to be answered by a team of researchers.
Experts are launching what is thought to be the world's first scientific study into how clothing can affect the appearance of the female rear.
The team from Heriot Watt University's School of Textiles and Design in Scotland believes the study could have major implications for retailers.
Female volunteers wearing hundreds of different types of clothing will have their rears photographed for the study.
I mean, I get that they’re design folks but don’t they have anything better to study? Ew.
Weird thing: While doing a Google search for the infamous Sir Mix-A-Lot song, I found this gem of a Christian spoof: Baby got Book. (Oh my goodness, Becky, look at her Bible...It is so big. She looks like one of those preacher guys girlfriends...)
A new reports shows that black women living in poor neighborhoods are less likely to get pap smears than women in more affluent neighborhoods.
"Even among women who were professionals or who were educated, they, too, had decreased screening if they lived in neighborhoods with high poverty," said study author Geetanjali Dabral Datta, a postgraduate fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
The report appears in the Feb. 1 issue of Cancer.
In their study, Datta and her colleagues focused on the connection between socioeconomic factors and how they affected cervical cancer screening, most notably the Pap smear. They collected data on more than 40,000 black women from across the United States. These women all participated in the Black Women's Health Study of Boston University and Howard University.
What makes this report even more troubling is that black women have twice the mortality rate from cervical cancer as white women. This gap in cancer screening rates could be a contributing factor to this.
The reasons why certain women aren’t getting screened for cervical cancer remains unclear, Datta says. She speculates that it could be lack of access to transportation or child care. Datta also believes that the same trend might be seen in other kinds of preventative health measures like mammography and cardiovascular testing.
“There needs to be a focus on high poverty neighborhoods," she says. "We need to think of people's socioeconomic context when it comes to health behaviors.”
These results come two days after Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdel Aziz told reporters that he believed it was fine for women to drive. (So long as their fathers, husbands and brothers approved, of course. Ugh.)
