(1) Egypt: Bill Donohue-style government at its finest.

(2) Diane Keaton answer: because she's over 50... and American. Helen Mirren doesn't seem to suffer through it. I just saw Love and Death again recently, and her comic timing in it is about as good as I've ever seen. WHEAT!

(3) I always like repeating jokes [this one appeared on Twisty's site], but I think Donatella used to play in a band.

That Slate article on Supreme Court justices pissed me off. Is there any doubt that this country is better off for having had 2 female Supreme court justices? Gimme a break! It seems like the author started off trying to sound critical of the anti-woman coverage surrounding Ginsburg's and O'Connor's remarks and then twisted it into suggesting that women just aren't following the justices' lead and are "dropping out" of the workplace. And all the talk about how their remarks might seem "unfair" to teh poor male justices...

Argh, that business with the Egyptian feminist, Nayal al Saadawi having her book recalled is so irritating. How can you offend religion exactly? There are beliefs (like my own) that are the antithesis of religion, so surely with that in mind, religion can no longer be "offended". Sounds like either a piss poor excuse, or a decision made by a complete prat.

I would really like to see more on the general state of gender relations and such in Russia -- I'm kind of at a loss as to what I think about all that. I've seen a little bit of it first hand, from the many Russians I came across in Pittsburgh a few years back. I just don't know how to even phrase what exactly just infuriates and terrifies me about Russian sex/power dynamics, other than that everything I've heard for years ultimately makes both the men and the women look like a bunch of violent sociopaths.

I just read the article about Doctors making decisions that are in line with their morals, and everything always seems so bleak to me. I see people saying its those closest to them women need to fear being raped by, and not the dark-alley-dwelling stranger. And now apparently women cant even trust their own doctors to make decisions in their best interests. Well.... probably just the male ones. Its a wonder you dont all dive off a cliff like a bunch of lemmings.

The Diane Keaton story pissed me off (predictably!). I loved The Family Stone, and if anyone here dares to diss it, you better have actually watched it.

Something's Gotta Give rocked too.

And the ageism allegation is baseless, this year anyway. Just look at the Oscar nods for Best Actress. We should be celebrating progress rather than making weak generalizations based on one Mandy Moore suckfest.

From the doctor article: 83 percent of physicians said they had no objection to terminal sedation of the dying, and 48 percent said they had no moral objection to abortion in the case of failed contraception.

So... we're more willing to kill a PERSON than a FETUS. Doctors, by a WIDE margin, would be happy to KILL A PATIENT* to relieve discomfort but when it comes to giving a woman autonomy over HER body, suddenly we're worried about a quasi-human thing. Oh that's just lovely.

I have absolutely no problem with a doctor sharing his/her moral views and objections. Hell, I want to know what they are, and the basis for them -- you never know, they might object to the way a drug was tested or something, and I definitely want to learn about that. But to simply refuse to tell a patient about options is malpractice in my mind. As an attorney, I'm legally obligated to keep my client informed about his/her options and while I can give advice, the decision is the CLIENT'S, period. If I fail to apprise a client of an important option, I could be sued for malpractice. It should be the same for doctors (I mean, technically, I'm a "doctor" too). Doctors are not God. When it comes down to it, it is the PATIENT'S life and the PATIENT'S decision, and doctors are NOT qualified to make all important decisions FOR the patients.

*Note: I'm pro-choice at both ends -- if someone's in horrible pain and wants to die, who are we to stop them from doing so humanely and with dignity? My dog got better treatment than we give people (though, granted, my dog was pretty awesome... may she rest in peace).

"And the ageism allegation is baseless, this year anyway"

So last year doesn't count? How about the years before? Back in 2002 three black actors were nominated for the major awards,the first black woman won, there was a black host and a black man was awarded the lifetime achievement Oscar Does that make up for all the years of discrimination? We haven't seen the likes of it since.

I get what you're saying but just because this year more older women have been nominated for best actress, two of which are British as norbizness pointed to earlier, doesn't mean that Hollywood has overcome ageism. Meryl Street was rightfully nominated for her role but had it come out a year later we'd only have two British women in the top five. It's all about timing jane and even Dame Judi Dench commented about it in Entertainment Weekly:

"But I do think it's a fluke when you get a year with a lot of very good parts written for women. It's whatever is in fashion."
-Dame Judi Dench

While Helen Mirren said she thinks it's a growing acceptance of women over 50 I wouldn't call it progress. We need another few years before that happens.

Harvard has made the announcement- students and alums received an email this afternoon from the presidential search committee, and it's front page news at www.harvard.edu

From the Glamour article:
"Today, South Dakota’s Abstinence Clearinghouse...sends out about 700 “Purity Ball Planner� booklets a year (tips include ... serving wedding cake for dessert)."

Wedding cake. Dear god, as if it wasn't clear enough that girls are daddy's property until they hand them off to their husbands. And:
"you can buy a red baby-doll T-shirt with ‘I’m Waiting’ emblazoned on the chest, its snug fit sending a bit of a mixed message."

No kidding.

Whenever I see the phrase "I'm waiting," I hear it in my head as if it were being spoken by a teacher barely holding onto her patience, something like this: "Is anybody here going to answer the question? I'm waiting..."

Which makes the t-shirt much funnier.

The more I read about purity balls, the more I want a slut ball. April would be a great time for it, considering it's SAAM and all...

From the NYT sex-selection article:

Much of the worry about this issue derives from what has happened in China and India, where preferences for boys led to widespread aborting of female fetuses when ultrasound and other tests made it possible to identify them. China’s one-child policy is thought to have made matters worse. Last month, Chinese officials said that 118 boys were born for every 100 girls in 2005, and some reports have projected an excess of 30 million males in less than 15 years. The United Nations opposes sex selection for nonmedical reasons, and a number of countries have outlawed it, including Australia, Canada and Britain, and other nations in Asia, South America and Europe. Left unanswered is the question of whether societies, and families, that favor boys should just be allowed to have them, since attitudes are hard to change, and girls born into such environments may be abused.

Misogynist cultures including the US can be changed from effective leadership. I'm of the opinion that it's these lousy conservative white male Democrats that screw women over by voting with Republicans so often. Vile anti-woman legislation would not pass if it weren't for the enabling conservative Democratic males. Bush's racism and sexism give free reign for everyone to behave like him. Mao decided women could do anything men could do and for a long time, women were equals (except in the home where they continued to do most of the work). We need real, inclusive leaders like Dean or Gore.

Clinton set the right tone with a fully employed wife, Dean's wife works full time as a physician and Obama's wife works full time as a lawyer and administrator. Junior's wife is a full time help meet. think Edwards wife is an accomplished lawyer too. This makes a difference.

ultramagnus - Agreed that this year is not representative of past years, nor is there some sort of guaranty that this trend will continue. A particularly egregious year that comes to mind is the one in which a 20 something Gwyneth Paltrow played romantic lead opposite Michael Douglas (A Perfect Murder) and Wynnona Ryder played romantic lead opposite Richard Gere (Autumn in New York). Both actresses were miscast, youth and beauty winning out over gravitas. And both actresses were interviewed and publicly remarked something to the effect of "ewww" in reference to their costars.
Nevertheless, the complaint in reference to Diane Keaton still seems a little forced to me. If you want to read a good "why don't they make good roles for [INSERT NAME]" article, give this one re angelina jolie a read: http://archive.salon.com/ent/feature/2005/06/11/angelina_jolie/index.html

Refusing the dancer's donations is completely stupid. I can't even imagine- the money was earned legally, and their completely legal professions shouldn't get in the way of money going to a good cause.

Yet another way that people can stigmatize sex workers. Lovely.

So which is worse? The misogyny of allowing parents to choose the sex of a child (the choice more often being male), or the misogyny of NOT letting the woman choose? I suppose even if you can't choose directly, there's always the abort-the-female-fetus method. I really can't imagine wanting to choose. People are messed up.

With that pro-choice doctor bit... I've been researching medical practices and religious objections lately, and it just occurred to me: if religious people can claim the right to refuse abortion services to women because of their beliefs, do they support as well a woman's right not to have her fetus treated due to her religious beliefs? I just read a case about a pregnant woman who needed a blood transfusion or she would lose the pregnancy, and because she was a Jehovah's Witness she refused and miscarried.
Isn't that the same thing, really? Shouldn't they support that? Interesting twist on the religious medical objection, I think.

There's no pro-life debate in China and East Asian countries so there's no debate about what's worse, pro-life or sex-selective abortion. Vietnam has the highest abortion rate in the world because of 1) lack of sex education 2) sex-selective abortion. I have a problem with both the pro-life position and sex-selective abortion because the law shouldn't mess with women's privacy and because sex-selective abortion sets up a gender imbalance which may lead to violence and war.

http://www.euthanasia.com/vietnam.html

About why you should only see doctors who are pro-choice...

Good luck finding one, really. I remember when I was pregnant and developed hyperemesis. I was looking for a prescription antiemetic, because nothing else was helping (hyperemesis is much more serious than just morning sickness). I called every OB/GYN I could find in the phone book, and all of them would try to get me to make an appointment to make sure everything was fine with the pregnancy, and to meet who would be "delivering my baby" (the fact that they would just assume I wanted to carry it to term was offensive). I would then have to tell them that it was unnecessary because I was having it aborted. I got horrified responses, and my usual OB/GYN even refused to give me medication for the hyperemesis on the grounds that he "doesn't condone abortion". In other words, he was denying me meds to be malicious. And this guy was usually very nice, and seemed so open minded.

Go figure. It took an emergency room visit and sitting for 3 hours hooked up to an IV and an injection of Zofran to finally get the meds I needed. So as far as I know, there are no pro-choice doctors in my area.

I don't like the idea of aborting a fetus just because of it's gender. I think that sort of ignorance and misogyny needs to be combated. But at the same time, if that's really what the woman wants, then nobody should have any say but her.

As for bras, I hate them. I don't wear them, and I've actually read wearing them can be unhealthy and possibly increase the risk of breast cancer. Something about the jiggling, bouncing movements encouraging bloodflow and carrying toxins out of the lymph nodes.

Yes, people stare in public. They stare disapprovingly. But I never asked for their opinion, and it's certainly none of their business. If they don't like it, they don't have to look.

The pro choice doctor thing goes further than reproductive health care. I wish there was some way to know the religious/social outlook of a doctor before you go see them. Many who hold rabid anti-choice views also have some very misogynist views. I have had run-ins with a couple of doctors (male) who really seemed to consider women more like large children. Not only is it offensive its adverse to your health whan a doctor takes nothing you say seriously because they view you as intellectually and emotionally inferior.

Going to see a doctor is like playing russian roulette.

That Atlantic article on the Dove campaign was terrible. Not only is it trying to run down something that is not negative (arguably is positive), but is hauling in that tired little claim that our perception of beauty has something to do with fertility.

(More detailed post on my blog).

I'm puzzled by RedDragoness' reference to bras. Where did that come up?

The bra reference was due the first link being largely about the development of the bra

Diane Keaton and other women her age might get better vehicles if more women were directing films. About 95% of studio releases are directed by men.

"and because sex-selective abortion sets up a gender imbalance which may lead to violence and war."

I thought the idea behind "gender imbalances lead to violence" was the assumption some people make that if a thug is single and beats up his neighbor it's violent but if he's married and has a wife to beat up instead it's a private family matter.

If you do count domestic violence as violence then are societies with fewer single men really any less violent than societies with more single men?

(1) Sex-selective abortions are not pro-choice, to everyone who has been saying that. How is it a choice when society pressures poor families to make a choice, and having a boy has more advantages? Being forced to have an abortion is not a pro-choice position.

(2) About the article on stick thin models: did any of you see the slide show with the pictures of all the thin models? I'm not a fan of models who appear sickeningly thin, but the comments that the author makes just objectify the women. These women are guilty of adhering to impossible beauty standards, set by the patriarchy. Instead of providing pictures of them just to call them "corpses" and emphasize how sick they look, the author could've done a better job talking about how being a thin model is still pretty much a requirement for a successful modeling career.

(3) Pro-choice doctors: I said this a few weeks ago, but my primary physician is decidedly anti-choice. I worry that any advice he's given me about any problems relating to my abnormal menstrual cycle are biased (and when I get my insurance back I will find a second opinion). I still have the "Where are you going to spend eternity?" brochure he gave me with my physical results, after I expressed some pro-choice views to him. (Obviously I'm switching doctors, but right now my choices are limited.) When I told him that I only get my period twice a year, he assured me that I would probably be able to have as many kids as I wanted (groan).

(4) The Breast Cancer org. refusing donations from strippers is a little pathetic. They're too good to accept money from strippers? Way to objectify women. But I bet they're more than willing to accept it from men (or women) who approve of strip clubs and the like. This reminds me of the scene from Gone With The Wind where the women refused to accept money from a prostitute to help the soldiers out.

I guess they must believe that sex workers don't have breasts or get cancer.

I guess they must believe that sex workers don't have breasts or get cancer.

Kpsisu,

Or maybe they don't believe they have real breasts... That seems to be a common stereotype, at least given what I hear from people. But real or not, I would imagine one can still get breast cancer, correct?

(1) Sex-selective abortions are not pro-choice,

Is there any way to make this enforcable without taking away abortion rights?

RedDragoness - yes, women with breast implants can get breast cancer. In fact, implants can sometimes make early detection difficult, putting women with implants at increased risk if they do develop cancer. So yeah - if anybody ought to understand the importance of the female breast and have a vested interest in helping research into preventing/curing it, I'm thinkin' it would be strippers.

Pardon me -

"...into preventing/curing breast cancer, I'm thinkin' it would be strippers."

Sorry - forgot to proofread before hitting "Post".

"I've actually read wearing them can be unhealthy and possibly increase the risk of breast cancer. Something about the jiggling, bouncing movements encouraging bloodflow and carrying toxins out of the lymph nodes."

i read something along these lines, except it was that tight bras restrict the lymph nodes or something like that. it really wasnt proven, and i think there was a back up article about how it was a stretch to say that contributed at all to breast cancer (and there is no danger, of course, if your wearing the right size bra). personally, i dont wear one all too often either (even though im a c cup)...only in a tank top or something so theres no nippleage

(1) Sex-selective abortions are not pro-choice,

Is there any way to make this enforcable without taking away abortion rights?

No, and nothing should be done about sex-selective abortions. They are not the problem; society's attitude to women is. With broader feminist change, sex selective abortion will go away.

The Dove campaign is absolute bullshit. Just look on the back of any Dove product: Dove is a subdivision of the Unilever company, a company which also owns and markets the Axe line for men. And what do we see on Axe commercials? Thin, supermodel-type women who will do anything at the scent of cheap, aerosol cologne knock-off sprays. The Unilever company is just trying to make a buck like any other company that will make-up/edit their models to look like supernatural beings.

That's true, ikkin, but I'm not concerned with the purity of heart, or lack thereof, of the ad execs. If they can make a buck with a feminist ad campaign, I consider that to be a positive.

*So which is worse? The misogyny of allowing parents to choose the sex of a child (the choice more often being male), or the misogyny of NOT letting the woman choose?*
Jeff, I was thinking exactly that when I read those two articles.

I think those of us who can should all start screening our doctors. Give them a survery on the first visit to see where they stand on important issues. If they don’t match your ideals, walk out. I am sure they will be indignant and offended, but no more than we should be at the fact that they may refuse to give us vital information based on their personal moral beliefs. Or…only go to Planned Parenthood.

The article on the breast cancer org said that it refused the money due to pressure from other donors. Unfortunately, money has more power than principals or compassion. If they were going to lose more money than they would have gained by accepting the donation, it was their best option. It is a fucked up choice to have to make, but it is not necessarily indicative of the views of the organization.

The article about female athletes was surprisingly positive. It is encouraging that at least some women are embracing their non-traditional beauty standard conforming size. I hope that they don’t lose this when they graduate college if they don’t go into professional sports.

Mina, marriage for men is a stabilizing force. The tens of millions of men who will not be able to find wives can lead to social instability.

The problem with virginia postrol's article is it seeks to explain a phenomenon that is largely cultural. Does anyone remember the huge media brewhaha surrounding the scientific studies on facial symmetry?
Perhaps there is a scientific basis to what people see as beautiful(such as symmetrical features, waist to hip ratio, etc.), but this doesn't mean that there isn't a cultural basis to what is considered beautiful(like weight or hirsutness.) Maybe cultural conceptions of beauty change except for a few key things. That said, the media always focuses on women's beauty instead of men's, even though some studies have pointed out that women are wired to be just as promiscuous as men. Wouldn't it follow then that male facial symmetry and height be involved in how successful a man is just as much as in women?
Finally, as an average looking person myself, I can't help but resent the implication in these sorts of articles that unless I get a boat load of plastic surgery, I will not be successful or happy. Newsflash, most people are average, I have a career I enjoy, a nice mate, and my life is going pretty well.

No, and nothing should be done about sex-selective abortions. They are not the problem; society's attitude to women is. With broader feminist change, sex selective abortion will go away.

Actually India is working pretty hard on ending sex-selective abortions. What the doctors do is give the women ultrasounds, and if it's a girl, they offer women the option of "taking care of it" (I read the article in Glamour magazine around Thanksgiving). A way to prevent sex-selective abortions is to not tell the parents the sex of the child, and legislation is in the works (or already set) to stop this practice.

But I do agree that sex-selective abortions are just the symptom. The problem is the patriarchy, which makes parents pay a dowry for other families to take their "worthless" daughters away. And mothers who give birth to more daughters are seen as worthless too. The system needs to be reformed so that women are seen less as slaves that need to be bought and sold, and more as actual human beings.

The fact is still that these abortions are not pro-choice, as others have said. When you have to choose between having a girl baby and being seen as worthless or having a boy baby and being a hero, that is not a choice made of one's own free will.

The Dove "Real Beauty" campaign reminds me of Real Simple magazine. Simplify your life by buying more stuff. Feel good about your body by buying our thigh firming cream.

“The Dove "Real Beauty" campaign reminds me of Real Simple magazine. Simplify your life by buying more stuff. Feel good about your body by buying our thigh firming cream.�
But isn’t that what advertising is about? Would you prefer the usual “You are a worthless fat loser because you don’t like this tall supers-skinny model, now buy our product�?

I totally agree with Apostate on this one. That article was really annoying.

I'm glad others were annoyed by the sex-selection article.

Left unanswered is the question of whether societies, and families, that favor boys should just be allowed to have them, since attitudes are hard to change, and girls born into such environments may be abused.

This is BS. Mao decreed women held up half the sky and it was so. If leaders decree gender equality it will be so. It simply hasn't been a priority. If President Hillary, Barack or John make it a priority, we can see gender equality in our time.

"Sex-selective abortions are not pro-choice, to everyone who has been saying that. How is it a choice when society pressures poor families to make a choice, and having a boy has more advantages?"

Is it not pro-choice when someone who's been bullied most of her life for having some genetic trait refuses to hand the bullies more victims by refusing to pass on that trait?

"Mina, marriage for men is a stabilizing force."

What I was wondering is if it really is a stabilizing force for men or if it just looks like a stabilizing force to people who don't count violence by men within marriage as social instability.

That's a good question. My answer is women absorb this violence. It's interesting. Racism and homophobia are never considered love but sexism in the form of domestic violence, sexual harrassment and rape are linked to love. If a battered woman has children, she may be reluctant to go to a shelter or be on the street.

Mina:

And if a woman chose to abort a male fetus, what do you think would happen to her? It would be her "choice", but she would probably be killed or ostracized for it. And let's face it, in a society where women are hardly seen as humans, even women don't see girl babies as having any worth. It's not a choice when one makes the choice under duress.

"And if a woman chose to abort a male fetus, what do you think would happen to her? It would be her 'choice', but she would probably be killed or ostracized for it."

Either that or pitied for her miscarriage if she managed to hide the fact that she chose the abortion? It would depend on a lot of factors.

"And let's face it, in a society where women are hardly seen as humans, even women don't see girl babies as having any worth. It's not a choice when one makes the choice under duress."

My point was simply that while it's definitely under duress sometimes it isn't necessarily under duress all the time. My own formative years were ruined (and some important opportunities lost forever) by bullies who hated me for some genetic traits I have. Would you say I'm not really making a choice if I get an abortion or succeed with contraception instead of making more victims for jerks like those?

So, you would abort only female fetuses due to potential abuse by males? But that's not the issue. The issue is that women in countries like India and China are being forced to abort or abandon female babies because they're not considered worthy enough to support.

If someone bullied you into aborting a baby, would you consider that a choice too?

"So, you would abort only female fetuses due to potential abuse by males?"

Personally, I'd just get an abortion as quickly as I could instead of waiting to find out the sex.

"If someone bullied you into aborting a baby, would you consider that a choice too?"

That would be under duress if I actually wanted to feed the bullies another victim besides me instead of aborting.