"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
"Designer vaginas" get a warning label by medical professionals
Who would want to cut up such a happy and serene vagina?
Finally. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists have released a public warning against vaginal rejuvenation surgery, saying that not only is there no proof of the surgery being effective, but that it can be severely damaging to, well, your vag:
According to ACOG, the procedures are unproven and the potential risks -- including infection, scarring, nerve damage and loss of sensation -- outweigh the potential benefits (Zimmerman, Wall Street Journal, 8/31). ACOG in a statement said it is 'deceptive' for physicians to 'give the impression' that such procedures are 'accepted and routine surgical practices.' ACOG's Committee on Gynecologic Practice in a statement published in the September issue of the group's magazine said the '[a]bsence of data supporting the safety and efficacy of these procedures makes their recommendation untenable.'
And remember that not only are they giving the impression that these procedures are routine, but that they're also empowering. And while there's been a "doubling" in the number of labiaplasties in the UK over the last five years (compared to a reported 30 percent rise by the American Society of Plastic Surgery), they're making attempts to warn women of the negative mental effects:
The British Medical Journal weighed in on the topic with a May article calling cosmetic genital surgeries an 'extreme and unproved intervention' that 'could undermine the development of other ways to help women and girls to deal with concerns about their appearance.'
Most women don't understand that the size and shape of genitalia vary greatly, leading to 'misguided assumptions' about what is normal, said the authors, a clinical psychologist and a gynecologist.
Amen. Hopefully more women will begin to get the hint, especially since they're doctors and all.
We often think of immigration in the context of people leaving a “poor” country and going to a “rich” one. In some regards this is true – many immigrants do arrive at their new homes with the promise of a land filled with opportunity. But to think of immigration in terms of the movements of individuals is to obscure a large piece of the picture: the social and political forces that precipitate these movements and make countries “poor” or “rich” in the first place. As an immigrant who comes from a family of immigrants, it is clear to me that these forces have brought me, and countless other Latina immigrants, here today.
You know, i think Carey Roberts is maybe my favorite anti-feminist. He's at least in the top five. Because he's nothing if not original. First it was that feminists have a mental disorder (which he called "FIPH – feminist-induced phobic hysteria."). Then it was that feminists ruined Amnesty International.
Dial up your local Country and Western station and you may soon find your fingers tapping out the beat of Carrie Underwood’s latest hit, Before He Cheats. Underwood suspects her boyfriend is probably cheating on her (in matters of infidelity, I guess “probably” is proof enough).
This how she extracts her revenge:
“I dug my key into the side
of his pretty little souped-up four-wheel drive,
Carved my name into his leather seats…
I took a Louisville slugger to both headlights,
slashed a hole in all four tires…”
Trashing your boyfriend’s car has little to do with sugar and spice and everything nice. But it’s the title — Before He Cheats – that turns this song into a bitter gender tirade. Just imagine a male star reaching platinum for crooning, Before She Aborts.
I'm unsure how Roberts makes the leap to abortion here, but I'm impressed. (Equally as impressive is how he goes from Carrie Underwood to The Color Purple to women feminizing the church all in the same article--kudos, Carey!)
But you have to love that anti-feminists hold on to things like this (and Lifetime and Oprah to prove that women have power!) for dear life in order to prove how the world is out to get men. I mean, Carrie Underwood is the best they can do. Yeah.
I know I'm in the extreme minority of feminist bloggers because I a) don't own a cat, b) don't find LOLcats all that funny, and c) don't really think cats are cute. Which is why Realisticats is for me! A sample of one of these blissfully accurate and grammatically correct images:
Because I want this trend to spread like wildfire, I tried my hand at creating my own -- inspired by a real-life event in which my roommate's cat shredded a dress I had just made to wear to a friend's wedding:
Make your own, people! Spread the cat-hate! We're the, um, silent majority in the blogosphere, I swear.
The Los Angeles Times had a piece yesterday about the television and movie trend of the BBF--the Black Best Friend:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus has one. Sandra Bullock had one. So did Jennifer Garner and Katie Holmes. Jennifer Love Hewitt has had two. Calista Flockhart took hers dancing. Kate Walsh had one, lost her, and got another one with a different face but the same name. And Scarlett Johansson got her first one last weekend.
They're stars who have all played lead characters who experience adventure with the help of their BFF (Best Friend Forever). But in many cases, these BFFs might more accurately be characterized as BBFs -- Black Best Friend -- played by an African American actress whose character's principal function is to support the heroine, often with sass, attitude and a keen insight into relationships and life.
Rose Catherine Pinkney, executive vice president of programming and production for TV One and a former Paramount Studios executive, says "...[I]t's a shame that studios also don't have the courage to put these actresses in leads...Historically, people of color have had to play nurturing, rational caretakers of the white lead characters. And studios are just not willing to reverse that role."
But the article is quick to point out that unlike movies or shows where black and white men are shown to be buddies, the relationship between women on screen follows a rather predictable formula:
BBFs vary in personality and looks, but many share the same qualities: They are gorgeous, independent, loyal and successful. They live or work with their friend but are not really around all that much except for well-timed moments when the heroine needs an eating companion or is in crisis. BBFs basically have very little going on, so they are largely available for such moments. And even though they are single or lack consistent solid relationships, BBFs are experts in the ways of the world, using that knowledge to comfort, warn or scold their BFF.
Oh yeah, and they're usually the only person of color around. Way to go, Hollywood.
Here's something a little lighter for the end of your Thursday...
Strangely, the brassiere has been getting a lot of media attention as of late. AlterNet has everything you'll ever need to know about the bra, including the myth that it was almost named a Titzling. (Come on, you can't tell me that's not a little funny.)
Playtex has also been getting crazy press for the new launch of their new bra campaign called "Girl Talk" in which they tell you to basically treat your boobs like people. You know, "The Girls." I suppose it could be seen as a step up from the '94 ad (mentioned in the AlterNet piece) after the jump.
It's a shocker, I know. And if I was pregnant, this would just stress me out even more. Via the Guardian:
Most expectant mothers suffer stress during pregnancy, potentially putting at risk their baby's development in the womb, according to a survey. A poll of more than 1,100 pregnant women by the baby charity Tommy's revealed that almost 90% endured stress prompted by an array of causes. Worries range from money to food, work pressures and relationships.
Women are also struggling to deal with concerns over a range of 'taboo' topics they feel they cannot confess to publicly, according to the survey, conducted to mark the start of Tommy's pregnancy health month. The taboo topics include fears of developing post-natal depression, and that they may not want or love their baby.
Two-thirds lamented their partner's failure to appreciate how tired they were, and being told it was 'just their hormones' whenever they became upset.
Maternal health specialists say women should try to reduce stress or risk complications such as limited growth of the unborn baby, premature delivery or, in cases of prolonged high stress, miscarriage.
To say there's a threat to the development of a pregnancy because the woman stresses about things that everyone stresses about seems a bit silly to me. People stress out. And baby receptacles aren't too easy to come by these days. We have, you know, lives and stuff.
However, it was good to address the fears (or "taboos") that women may have but feel guilty about saying because of expectations to be the oh-so-thrilled mother-to-be, and the "hormonal drama queen" stigma that's attached to pregnant women. Has anyone had similar experiences?
It was the night before I had the awesome opportunity to see Barack Obama in-studio on The Daily Show. I got my The Audacity of Hope and my Obama biography and curled into bed, thinking I would read some passages and get excited about seeing the man with the otherworldly charisma the next day. But I also had a stack of books that authors and publicist have sent me to review for feministing, so I thought, “Mmm…maybe I’ll just flip through a few.” Two hours later I was still engrossed in ILove Female Orgasm and the Obama books remained unopened. Even super charismatic Obama didn't stand a chance against female orgasm.
Dorian Solot and Marshall Miller (imagine how explosive their sex must be!) are sex educators and Brown graduates who have pretty much dedicated the last few years of their lives to educating people about the complex and wonderful female orgasm.
What I really like about the book is that it is incredibly inclusive—no heterosexism here, no assumptions that their readers are sexually-active or experienced, no intimidation factor. Instead reading I Love Female Orgasm is like having a little sex therapy session with the least judgmental guru on the planet.
Missouri governor contracts with anti-choice legal group
As Samhita noted earlier this week, there's some legal wrangling going on in Missouri over a TRAP law that would require abortion clinics to perform major modifications to their facilities -- modifications so expensive it would effectively shut down two of the three abortion providers in the state. (Which is, of course, the law's intended effect.)
Planned Parenthood is fighting the law, and today Sarah Posner reports in TAP Online that instead of allowing Attorney General Jay Nixon to represent the state in court, anti-choice Gov. Matt Blunt has decided instead to contract with the Alliance Defense Fund, a right-wing Christian legal group, which will defend the state free of charge. (Just check out the ADF's anti-choice record.) You see, Nixon is a Democrat who is challenging Blunt for governor in '08, and Blunt has defended his choice by saying Nixon is too "pro-abortion" to defend the TRAP law.
A little eau du Rove, a little essence of Jesus, and voila! The state is now represented by a powerful organization with its own radical agenda. According to its website, "in 1994, God raised up" ADF to counter the American Civil Liberties Union's and Planned Parenthood's "distortion" of the Constitution. As a result of ADF's litigation efforts "the so-called 'wall of separation' ... is slowly starting to crumble." ADF has achieved "significant God-given victories ... as we strive for the day when all life is once again legally defended, protected, and affirmed."
Scott Holtse, a spokesperson for Nixon, who, like Drummond, remains a defendant in his official capacity, seemed half exasperated and half bemused by the shenanigans. Normally the attorney general represents state agencies in litigation against them, and Holtse could think of no other example of when a state agency pushed aside the voters' elected law enforcement official in favor of an outside lawyer -- except when the Department of Natural Resources hired a law firm at which Blunt's sister was an attorney last year. "We're focused on doing our job, which is defending the laws of the state of Missouri," Holtse told the Prospect. "We are not going to be distracted by sideshows."
I think comparing the ADF to a circus sideshow isn't quite going far enough. Everyone in Missouri should be really concerned that their government is in bed with this group.
Contributed by Jenny Block, author of Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage
If there were no Disney, would girls still spend their lives looking for Prince Charming?
I read fashion magazines. I figure I better confess that up front. As I flip through the pages of the September issue of W, I am reminded of just how airbrushed that universe is, and how brainwashed a readership it leaves in its wake. If I’d never looked at those pictures, I wonder how I’d think I “should” look. By extension, I wonder if other people would care so much that my relationships---and most especially my marriage---don’t look like they “should.” What would my world look like today, I wonder, if I hadn’t grown up with the messaging that it was essential to find my Prince Charming and live Happily Ever After?
But since the medium is the media and I am a product of the culture in which I was raised, I don’t have the luxury of wondering about the what ifs. I have what some would consider an “unconventional marriage” because it’s open. But when I look around, the only thing unconventional about it is that we tell the truth about sleeping with other people. People who read my article in Tango magazine, “Portrait of an Open Marriage,” had strong opinions about my choices---and my husband’s---but most people aren’t so willing to look at their own. For the past few months I’ve been working on my new book project, Open: Love, Sex, and Life in an Open Marriage, and I keep wondering why I don’t know more people in open marriages who aren’t part of the out poly community. I have wondered about the woman in the grocery store in front of me in line, about the man holding his son’s hand as they cross the street on the way to school in the morning. Could these people be in open marriages? They look just as normal as me and my husband. Would anyone ever suspect us if they saw me shopping for back-to-school clothes with our daughter at Limited Too or if they ran into my husband at Three Forks? The answer is probably no.
I was curious about why people posted such vehement comments to my article after it ran, and I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s all about fear. Fear and lack of models of open marriages that are working. My husband and I are happy. We’re both getting what we want and need and we’re together. We love each other. We’re good parents. We understand that we’re simply not built for monogamy.
We’ve been socially programmed to demand fidelity and are told at every turn that jealousy and ownership prove love. I don’t buy it. I’m guest blogging today to open up the conversation, because I want to know what readers think---specifically what feminists think---about marriage, cheating, and open relationships. What’s the deal with Happily Ever After anyways?
