2011 October Archive | Feministing

How to write a “young women don’t care about feminism” article

Need some easy content for the Lifestyle section of your publication? Why not write about how young women don’t care about feminism! It’s quick and easy – people have been writing basically the same article for years now. Here, I’ll walk you through the steps, using this recent USA Today piece as an example.

Start out with the obvious – feminism used to be a big deal, but now young women don’t know about it. Make sure to follow this up with a mention of bra burning (USA Today did say this is a myth, which is really more nuance than is needed here). Quote an older feminist, in this case NOW president Terry O’Neill, talking about how young women ...

By Jos Truitt • 12 years ago

Girl Scouts of Colorado support transgender youth

Here’s yet another reason to love the Girl Scouts. Recently, a young girl was denied enrollment in a Colorado troop because she is trans. Via GLAAD comes this statement released by Girl Scouts of Colorado in response:

Girl Scouts is an inclusive organization and we accept all girls in Kindergarten through 12th grade as members. If a child identifies as a girl and the child’s family presents her as a girl, Girl Scouts of Colorado welcomes her as a Girl Scout.

Isn’t it great to see an appropriate, just response in this situation? I know I plan to up my Thin Mints order this year. It will be a struggle to eat all those cookies, but it’s the least ...

By zerlina • 12 years ago

Amy Winehouse and the bystander effect part deux

So the verdict is in. Singer Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning. The Grammy award winner had fallen off the wagon again after a short period of abstaining from alcohol and her relapse killed her according to the coroner’s report. Her blood alcohol level was tested as more than five times the legal limit.

Most people assumed that Winehouse died from some illicit or illegal substance. Crack or heroin are drugs she has been rumored to have used in the past. This belief allowed people to distance themselves from her issues. Amy is on drugs and I don’t do drugs hence I cannot relate to her problems.

I believe the news that Winehouse died ...

So the verdict is in. Singer Amy Winehouse died from alcohol poisoning. The Grammy award winner had fallen off the wagon again after a short period of abstaining from alcohol and her relapse ...

By zerlina • 12 years ago

Saviour? New play by Esther Armah tackles white privilege in Obama era

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg52i_9iITs

Attention New York City: This weekend is your last chance to see a stellar play, Saviour? written by the amazing Esther Armah, which I’ve seen (and Samhita is going to on Saturday) that tackles the very difficult hot button issue of white privilege in the Obama era.

The play is centered around a lawsuit filed by a liberal white anti-racism activist Billy Hall (Jimmy Aquino). Hall is suing his former nonprofit organization for reverse discrimination after a black woman is promoted over him. A black attorney, Michael Jamal Williams III (Michael Green) tenaciously represents Hall in the lawsuit. It appears that Williams will do anything to win the case. Hall is desperate to rehabilitate his reputation ...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xg52i_9iITs

By Samhita • 12 years ago

What we missed

Completely unclear about what is so new about Obama’s plan unveiled today about student loans.

Great piece from Sarah Seltzer on the involvement and leadership of women in Occupy Wallstreet.

Another round-up on Occupy Oakland and some really hard to stomach pictures.

Looks like Americans distrust their government now more than ever. File under: not a good look.

Completely unclear about what is so new about Obama’s plan unveiled today about student loans.

Great piece from Sarah Seltzer on the involvement and leadership of women in Occupy Wallstreet.

Another round-up on Occupy Oakland ...

By Eesha Pandit • 12 years ago

Forthcoming HBO Special on Dr. Tiller

The brains behind True Blood has another show up his sleeve. Alan Ball, who’s the executive producer of many of my friends’ top DVR selection, is working on a new show called Witchita. The new drama will be based on Dr. Tiller, who was, for many years the figurehead of political and cultural tensions.

Ball is teaming up with Devin Friedman, who wrote the the 2010 GQ article “Savior vs. Savior” about Dr. Tiller. Hearing that this series will be on mainstream(ish) TV made me both interested and wary.

Dr. Tiller, who was the medical director of the Women’s Health Care Services facility, was shot and killed by anti-choice activist Scott Roeder in 2009. He also survived an assassination attempt in 1993 and was a ...

By Samhita • 12 years ago

Severe police brutality at Occupy Oakland

(One of countless videos and pictures taken last night as the police raided Occupy Oakland)

As a former Bay Area resident, my heart was broken last night looking at the images and videos from what was happening to the protesters at Occupy Oakland. Oakland never gets a break from the police. The peaceful protesters were met with teargas, rubber bullets and flashbang grenades five minutes after it was deemed unsafe. They gave the protestors five minutes to disperse. A blogger from Oakland writes about the account,

(One of countless videos and pictures taken last night as the police raided Occupy Oakland)

As a former Bay Area resident, my heart was broken last night looking at the images and videos from what was happening to ...

By Maya Dusenbery • 12 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-in: Mentoring Edition

According to a new study by LinkedIn, one in five professional women in the U.S. has never had a mentor.

The survey of nearly 1,000 women found that 52% of women without mentors said they’d just never found “someone appropriate” and 67% of women who had never been mentors said it was because they’d never been asked. Yet 82% of women agreed that mentorship is important.

The good news is that with more working women than ever before, finding women mentors seems to be getting easier. Over half of Gen Y women had been mentored by another woman, compared to 43% of Gen X women and only 34% of Boomers.

I’ve never had a shortage of truly incredible mentors–both men and ...

According to a new study by LinkedIn, one in five professional women in the U.S. has never had a mentor.

The survey of nearly 1,000 women found that 52% of women without mentors said they’d just ...