2010 March Archive | Feministing

What We Missed

Daniel Eison and our own Chloe Angyal on policing gender in figure skating at Sociological Images.
Today is César Chávez Day.
Three women are suing Bank Of America/Merrill Lynch for gender discrimination.
Riders Against Gender Exclusion protest gender markers on Philadelphia public transportation passes. This is an issue for other transgender and gender non-conforming communities as well, including in Chicago.
The same school that won’t let Constance McMillen attend prom also suspended a trans student.

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

Lady Gaga: “Pop stars should not eat”

This just makes me sad. Early on in a New York Magazine profile of Lady Gaga we get this quote:

At five-two and 100 pounds, with her hair styled into a mod blonde bob, [Lady Gaga] looked flush from a strict diet of starvation: “Pop stars should not eat,” she pronounced.

Gaga gets a lot of credit from feminists (myself included) for creating a pop art space where marginalized young people who feel like freaks and weirdos can be at home. So it’s disappointing to see her speak so flippantly about the dangerous body image issues and disordered eating that is supported and encouraged through pop culture. At the same time, the honesty is almost a relief – at least Gaga ...

This just makes me sad. Early on in a New York Magazine profile of Lady Gaga we get this quote:

At five-two and 100 pounds, with her hair styled into a mod blonde bob, [Lady Gaga] looked ...

By Jessica • 14 years ago

Mandating chivalry is mandating sexism

“Okay, now you HAVE to cook me dinner.”
A Latin teacher in Arizona has instituted a rule that all of his male students act like “gentleman” to the young women in class. Yes, that’s right – he’s mandated chivalry.

[Cord] Ivanyi announced the initiative on the first day of class:
• Boys would hold doors for girls.
• They would ask girls if they would like to be seated, and offer to take their backpacks before they sit down.
• Boys would stand if a girl leaves the room.
• They would allow girls to be served first if food is in the classroom.
• And, girls always had the right of refusal.
“All boys will understand ...

“Okay, now you HAVE to cook me dinner.”
A Latin teacher in Arizona has instituted a rule that all of his male students act like “gentleman” to the young women in class. Yes, that’s ...

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

Today is International Transgender Day of Visibility!

March 31st, 2010 is the second annual International Transgender Day of Visibility. Rachel Crandall, who leads Transgender Michigan, started the day last year and it’s already catching on in the community. Since Transgender Day of Remembrance is focused on remembering and mourning those we have lost to violence it is good to have a day to celebrate the amazing lives of trans folks as well. You can demonstrate your participation in the day by RSVPing to this Facebook event, which includes some info about local celebrations.

Visibility is a loaded concept for members of the transgender community. Being out about our transitions – or being outed – can be incredibly dangerous. Trans folks, especially trans women of color, ...

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

Baltimore Archdiocese sues over ban on false advertising for crisis pregnancy centers

The Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore is suing the city over an ordinance requiring area crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs) to post accurate information about the services they provide. The regulation, which went into effect in January, requires CPCs to post a sign in English and Spanish saying they do not provide abortion and contraception services.
As many of you may know, CPCs present themselves as reproductive health clinics but are usually religious organizations. Their goal is to keep women from accessing abortion and contraception, and they will very often lie and deceive to achieve their aim. Their names and advertising are designed to make women think they provide abortion and contraception. In fact, women who go to CPCs ...

By Jos Truitt • 14 years ago

Transphobic film *Ticked-Off Tra**ies with Knives* not fixed by trailer changes

The new movie Ticked-Off Tra**ies with Knives, which is schedule to screen at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival, is drawing serious criticism from the transgender community for its advertising and content.

The film is about trans women who seek revenge against men who attack them and murder two of their friends. Part of the criticism has been about references to the brutal murders of Angie Zapata and Jorge Lopez Mercado in the film’s trailer (which I am not including in this post and do not recommend viewing, as it is incredibly triggering). As a result of pressure from GLAAD and Dallas area activists (the filmmakers are based in Dallas), director Israel Luna will remove mentions ...

The film is about trans women ...

By Chloe Angyal • 14 years ago

Beautiful girls are bitchy and ugly girls are nice: Ugly Betty‘s “laws of the universe”

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the disappointment I often feel when otherwise progressive TV shows miss the mark when it comes to female beauty. One of the shows I mentioned was Ugly Betty, which ranks among my favorite TV shows of all time. I love Ugly Betty for, among other things, its biting satire of the fashion and beauty industries, its appropriation of the oft-mocked telenovela and its showcasing of a female lead who is neither white nor painfully thin. What I don’t love about Ugly Betty is the assertion that slapping a pair of glasses and some braces on America Ferrera and making her hair frizzy makes her “ugly,” because, come on, just look ...

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the disappointment I often feel when otherwise progressive TV shows miss the mark when it comes to female beauty. One of the shows I mentioned was Ugly ...

By Samhita • 14 years ago

What We Missed

On Porn and Power.

Tim Geitner thinks that if women ran Wall Street, we wouldn’t have a financial crisis. (Hint: This is not what feminists mean when they canvass for women to get in power, the assumption that women have inherent qualities that make them better or worse leaders is sexist.)
Obama to sign a new law that takes banks out of the student loan business.
And isn’t it Stupak’s fault that the health care bill become synonymous with “baby-killing?”

On Porn and Power.

Tim Geitner thinks that if women ran Wall Street, we wouldn’t have a financial crisis. (Hint: This is not what feminists mean when they canvass for women to get ...