Here's a link on research that takes anorexia seriously:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7120564.stm

I can't believe you posted that ridiculous article about the lack of lesbians in the feminist movement. I read it on a gay blog a few weeks ago and was just as offended then. The article is awful, with absolutely no research to back it up, just anecdotal evidence and speculation. I am a young lesbian and a feminist and all the other lesbians I know are feminists. Though this article is from a gay website, I find it highly offensive and speculative. Are there other lesbians around to support me? I know you're feminists too...

Here's a link that I'll be on for a while:

20 Posts All Women Should Read

"On Iran's first female race car driver."

This post was interesting, but this part:

"Most Iranian women will never have the opportunity, cash, circumstance or even desire to race cars."

seemed odd especially since the post didn't mention Iran's highway speed limits or lack thereof. A whole bunch of Iranian women can *drive* cars, there are no speed limits on some of the highways, and does that count as an opportunity to (unofficially) race cars? How many girls who grow up thinking "I want to race cars on the circuit!" in the U.S. or U.K. would think "I'm all set when I can get my license!" instead if they grew up in Iran or Germany instead?

I looked at the video game post and I'm wondering why you say "sexist video gamers." It's a slideshow of video game girls with unrealistic features--which the slideshow acknowledges on almost every page. Why is that sexist? Video game makers make the women and men look ridiculously over-the-top in their physical appearance. My first reaction is that video games are unrealistic, not that video gamers are sexist.

Hooter21: Saying that female video game characters tend to have unrealistic features isn't sexist, but the language in the slideshow is sexist, especially the line about the woman's armor not protecting her "from us." That was pretty disturbing to me, even in a relatively silly article.

soisaystomabel, that article really pissed me off too. i'm a 21 yr old queer feminist and i know plenty of younger feminists. however, i do also know a lot of lesbians that aren't feminists, (at least in their actions.) some of the reasons that they gave were so stereotypiucal of any mainstream media article about why 'feminism is dead' whenever those articles come around every now and then. err it pisses me off!

i agree about the lesbian feminist article. it seems like someone was just looking for something to say, and did no research, made no equivocations, and came up with a few tired stereotypes.

i think that simplifying *all* queer women to a few flat "theories" about feminism (or something) is insulting, and in some ways, homophobic. i think the lack of nuance is most annoying. what about bisexual women, trans women, women who don't like labels? what about genderqueer people? have they all abandoned feminism too? or are we only talking about white American lesbians? and lesbian separatism? really? hasn't anyone found anything to say about queer women and feminism since 1980something?

i'm a queer woman. i'm under 25. and i'm a feminist.

i guess "all" the lesbians haven't abandoned feminism after all. phew.

vis a vis the lesbian-feminist thing, I would also point out that while lesbian feminists may have had more or less visibility at different periods in history, there really hasn't been a time when ALL lesbians were feminists! As an undergraduate I did an oral history project with a number of lesbian feminists who had been activists since the 1960s, and they were very clear about the fact that many of their contemporaries were not interested in feminism. Just because you were a lesbian--or even if you cared about campaigning for rights as someone who was homosexual--didn't necessarily mean you cared about feminist issues.

"As an undergraduate I did an oral history project with a number of lesbian feminists who had been activists since the 1960s, and they were very clear about the fact that many of their contemporaries were not interested in feminism."

Not even interested in women having opportunities to earn a living without depending on male sex partners for food and shelter? o_O

Finally a negative review of Enchanted! I ill-advisedly took my daughters to see the movie because I heard about how great it was that it turned the whole "happily ever after" notion on its head. It did not.

In addition to the problems with the Nancy character that the article above recounts, the way McDreamy [I can't remember his character's name] falls for Giselle is so annoying. Here's this child-like woman who dresses fluffy, cleans his apartment and relies on him for everything with her big, dewy eyes and he falls in love "for real." So girls learn that being independent and successful is a bad way to find true love. They also learn that getting a book full of stories about kick-ass is supposedly a bad present.

Thankfully, my six-year-old asked me after the movie where we could find the book "about all those cool girls."

While I didn't hate "Enchanted" as much as Deborah Seigal, I do agree that, what she basically describes as all of the third act, totally falls apart and spoils the rest of the film.

****SPOILER ALERT*****

While I agree that the characterization of Nancy in the end seemed very anti-independent woman, for me it wasn't so much of "this is what career women really want," as "We have to give all four characters 'happy' endings".

Nancy and Prince Edward we aren't supposed to like because we're supposed to be rooting for Giselle and Patrick Dempsey's character (forgot his name) and since they decided to not portray Nancy and Edward as complete assholes: Nancy is kinda a nag? I don't really know what we were supposed to think was wrong with her, aside from she wasn't Giselle, and Edward was just totally vain, which was playing on the "prince charming" thing. But neither one was mean and they both seemed to be in "love" with their respective paramours, it's just that Giselle's eyes have been opened by being in the "real" world and the jaded Dempsey character had his eyes opened to the joy of Gieselle's utter naivety about how real relationships work.

Going off of that, one can infer that what Disney has here is a promotion of "traditional" marriage, where the man knew everything and was responsible for everything, while the woman was ignorant and submissive. However, in the end Giselle did have her own business (and sadly it was of of making princess dresses but I don't think she had any other skill) and unlike Nancy and Prince Edward I don't think Giselle and Dempsey's character got married, or at least they didn't have a wedding scene and I don't remember seeing wedding rings. So it might be that, Giselle, who was so eager to marry her prince after only knowing him for one day, is now not so fond of marriage and is enjoying just living with Dempsey's character and getting to know him, while Nancy, who waited five years to marry Dempsey's character, just went ahead and married the prince after knowing him for a day because that was what she desired.

Even still, I was still sad to see the little girl go from Karate clothes to falling into the whole, "fairy tale princess" ideal, but it is, after all, a film about a Disney princess.

Sorry if that was long and rambled a bit.

Nancy and Prince Edward we aren't supposed to like because we're supposed to be rooting for Giselle and Patrick Dempsey's character (forgot his name) and since they decided to not portray Nancy and Edward as complete assholes

That should be, and since they decided not to portray those characters as complete assholes then it would have looked bad if Dempsey and Giselle had just up and dumped them for each other, so instead they paired those two together and all is supposed to be "right" with the world. I found myself rolling my eyes in the theater cause it was quite obvious and unnecessary what the filmmaker was doing.

I had a post about the Economic Mobility Project on my blog. It has a link to the actual report on it, and while none of it was surprising to me (and probably won't be to anyone here), I still thought it was important.

Here's the link for a cool new feminist art project! You should all participate!
http://antigonemagazine.blogspot.com/2007/12/cool-feminist-art-project-dreams-for.html

Antigone Magazine is launching a Feminist Postcard art project and fundraiser, inspired by http://www.postsecret.com/. But instead of asking what your secrets are, we want to know what your Dreams for Women are.

What are your own dreams for yourself, your friends, your sisters, your daughters? Paint, draw, write, sketch or decoupage your dreams on a postcard and send it to the address below

Antigone Magazine
C/O WILLA UBC
Box 61-6138 SUB Boulevard
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6T 1Z1

With your postcard submission, we ask that you make a donation to Antigone Magazine for anywhere from $1 to $10. You can send your money along with your postcard or donate on our blog: http://www.antigonemagazine.blogspot.com/ . We will be posting postcards every second Saturday starting in January on the blog!

We want submissions from all over the world - so forward this on! Post it on your blog! Or link to it!

"Thankfully, my six-year-old asked me after the movie where we could find the book 'about all those cool girls.'"

I am now wondering which books she would like in that category...

I felt compelled to give feedback to GameDaily, as a feminist and a gamer:

"As a female gamer, I was extremely disappointed when a link elsewhere led me to the "Outrageous Boobs" feature on your site. It's features like this that make gaming a predominantly male pastime. Perhaps its your objective to perpetuate the boys' club atmosphere in gaming, but consider this: girls who game don't bitch when their boyfriends want to game. That is, unless it comes to playing games that promote objectification of and sexualized violence toward women.

If that doesn't ruffle you at all, you should at least consider how tired and trite features like this are. Setting aside for a moment the body-image issues female characters like these create in young girls — or the unrealistic expectations they instill in boys, for that matter — don't you think this sort of feature is played out? Wow, big tits in a video game, how novel. At best it's tired and lazy content. At worst, it's irresponsible, disrespectful and marginalizing. "

What do you guys think of this feature offered by NET-A-Porter? Sexy Woman to get your man to buy you expensive stuff?
http://blackbirdwhistling.wordpress.com/2007/12/02/sexy-blonde-convinces-your-man-to-spend-big-spend-right-this-christmas/
or at http://www.net-a-porter.com/santashelper

Question regarding the LA Times article on giving personhood to fertilized eggs: the article says that if this becomes law, it could affect the legality of birth control methods that prevent the implantation of fertilized eggs. He lists the sponge and the pill among these methods. The article has a correction stating that the sponge actually prevents fertilization, not implantation. But isn't he wrong about the pill too? Isn't it supposed to keep you from ovulating, not keep the egg from implanting?

Snarky Amber, that was exactly what I was thinking, only you articulated it much better than I ever could have (another girl gamer right here). And the Soul Calibur girls do not use their breasts to distract male opponents! There's no "Distract with breasts" move in the game. Their appearance is just sort of there, it doesn't affect the way that they or the male characters fight.

And what the fuck was with that, "Her armor won't protect her from us" comment? What the absolute hell is that supposed to mean?

"but consider this: girls who game don't bitch when their boyfriends want to game. That is, unless it comes to playing games that promote objectification of and sexualized violence toward women."

Sadly, when I was in high school and if I had a gamer boyfriend then, I would have assumed "playing video games is less popular than playing sports, so this guy must be better than those guys who play sports" no matter how misogynist he and his favorite games were. :(

Fortunately I later got a clue, realized that having so-called geek hobbies doesn't always make one more accepting, and realized that having many friends doesn't always make one snobbier.

Mina- If you [or anyone] could suggest any books in that category I'd be grateful.

"Mina- If you [or anyone] could suggest any books in that category I'd be grateful."

I wish I could, but I don't remember any from when I was around her age and probably around her reading level.

JennD: Womenfolk and Fairy Tales by Rosemary Minard is an oldish but fantastic collection of stories from all over the world with strong heroines. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney shaped my life (her picture book biography of Eleanor Roosevelt's childhood, called Eleanor, is great too). And The Paperbag Princess is always a hit with that age group.

"Girls Vote Boys' Toys Top for Christmas 2007"

That's awesome.

I am sure the toy companies in our 'free market' economy will jump on this opportunity to advertise nontraditional toys to girls.

I wanted to comment on the toy story. All I have to say is that it's about TIME that toy makers and parents start understanding how the gender gap in toys impacts kids. I have rules when I buy toys for my relatives: 1) They must be educational (eg. no dolls) 2) they must be gender neutral 3) they must be fun!

There are all kinds of choices for "boys" - erector sets with pics of boys on the package, models that you put together and then fly or drive, etc. etc. Girls don't go for these toys usually because they are marketed to boys. I get so frustrated when I go to buy toys for the little girls and all I get is dumbass dolls of some sort. Almost all of the toys are dolls, even though they may be disguised. Doll ponies, doll babies, doll kittens, doll houses... anything and everything that reinforces the message that women are the natural care takers of our society. I want to see hotwheel tracks that you put together that have pictures of boys AND girls on the package. With a couple of girl drivers thrown in there. I want to see erector sets with girls on the package....

JennD--
it's probably too old for a six-year-old, but my favourite book when I was maybe 10 was Ella Enchanted, which started with the idea that she had been cursed with obedience and then just generally made Cinderalla into an awesome character. If your daughter wants princesses, I'd heartily recommend it.

A much younger book that I remember fondly is Stellaluna, a picture book about a (female) bat growing up among birds, with a strong message of tolerance and some seriously gorgeous art.

Finally, just because few people know about them-- if your library carries any Trixie Belden books, I remember loving them. Trixie is like Nancy Drew, except that she thinks about things other than clothes and boys.

Re: books for six-year-old girls -- the Girls to the Rescue series, edited by Bruce Lansky, is pretty kickass, and they have several different kinds of short stories to choose from -- some are pretty traditional retelling of fairy tales, some are adaptations or modernizations, and some are original fiction, but they all feature girls as the main characters, and the "to the rescue" theme holds true pretty well.

And I second The Paper-bag Princess. And maybe Little House on the Prairie? And when she's a little older, if you're in the U.S., or if you can find them wherever else, definitely the American Girl books.

And I have this great book called The Serpent Slayer and Other Stories of Strong Women, all, as far as I know, based on folktales from various cultures. It's probably a little older as well, but it kicks serious ass, and it has gorgeous illustrations.

Anyway, good luck. There's a fair amount of stuff out there now for girls, even young girls, but you usually do have to look pretty hard for it.

JennD,

Below are some of my suggestions for the 6-10 year-old bracket. In my experience (I worked at bookstores for a number of years) it really varies what kids take to, depending on if you're reading it to them, what genres they like, blah, blah, blah (you probably know all of this, being a parent!) . . . All of these books suggestions therefore come with the caveat that you probably want to screen them with your own particular child's interests and fears in mind.

One really good reference book I usually recommend to people is Book Crush, by librarian Nancy Pearl (you may have heard her on NPR). It's a book of booklists for children, arranged by theme and age range.

Some fantasy books with strong girl characters:

The Boggart & The Boggart and the Monster, by Susan Cooper. A brother and sister from Canada accidentally bring home a magical creature from Scotland who wreaks havoc in their household--and they have to try to get it back home.

Inkheart and Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke. One six-year-old I know is devouring these right now. Among other magical elements, they are infused with a love of books and reading, and a lovely, resilient father-daughter relationship.

The Fairy Rebel, by Lynn Reid Banks, has some scary fairies in it, but also a very winning punk fairy girl (the rebel of the title) who stands up to the fairy queen to save a human girl from an evil curse.

I have not personally read, but heard some solid recommendations about, The Princess Academy, by Shannon Hale. Despite the suspicious title, it apparently undermines the whole princess fantasy much like Ella Enchanted does.

Other slightly old-fashioned by wonderful fantasy authors for elementary-age kids are E. Nesbit and Edward Eager. Both authors write stories about families of everyday children (in Victorian England and 1920s small-town Ohio, respectively) who find themselves in the midst of magical adventures.

Some of my other faves:

Pippi Longstocking, and anything else by Astrid Lindgred. Pippi is my original kick-ass girl-child. The Lotta books are great too.

I'm still fond of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books, at least the early ones (always wanted to be wild Laura, not prim & proper Mary . . .)

The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall is a relatively new and totally charming "summer story" about (as the subtitle innumerates): "four sisters, two rabbits, and a very interesting boy."

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, by E. Koningsburg is about a girl and her brother who run away from home and hide/live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

And another vintage author I think is wonderful is Arthur Ransome, circa 1920s and 1930s, who writes stories about families of children vacationing in the British lake district. The first in the series is Swallows and Amazons (there are some wonderfully strong girl characters, among them the "Amazons" of the title).

Hope at least a couple of those help out . . . gotta get back to writing papers!

The story about facebook groups and Hillary made my blood pressure rise!!!

I haven't mentioned this on Feministing, but I have mentioned it on Mighty Ponygirl's Web Page: if there is a game with scantily-clad women, there are always good items on those games. However, put badass women and badass men on the games, then the good items go away.

I do have several links to share with you all:

Kansas Supreme Court gives the OK for Phill Kline to investigate a Kansas City Planned Parenthood

Asshole of the Week: Former Tampa cheerleader punches her fiance in the mouth

Summerton man kills ex-girlfriend, mother

JennD:
I had several books growing up about women in history and one book that was essentially a feminist reader/empowerment book for elementary schoolers! I'll try to remember the names of those later, but on Amazon the title "Cool Women" is available. It includes profiles of many powerful women from history and pop culture. It's designed more for 12-14 year olds, but looks like something you could flip through with your daughter and that she would understand. The colors are bright and the text is fairly simple and short.

"JennD: Womenfolk and Fairy Tales by Rosemary Minard is an oldish but fantastic collection of stories from all over the world with strong heroines."

BTW, this reminds me of http://www.chinapage.com/mulan.html , which has the Mulan poem (very pre-Disney) in Chinese and in English translation. OTOH it doesn't have illustrations and I don't remember reading un-illustrated text OK when I was 6.

On the GameDaily article: I agree it is pretty sexist, but what I found elsewhere on their site is worse. From 'Top 10 Worst Mario Characters', here's how they describe Princess Peach:

"We used to think Mario's girlfriend was a gullible broad that couldn't avoid being kidnapped, but now we're not sure. We actually think she likes getting carried away, partly because she knows her whipped boyfriend will come and save her, and also because she secretly has a thing for Bowser. Total drama queen."

Maybe there's something silly about getting angry over a *video game character*, but... does anyone else see a seriously misogynistic message here?

Then again, perhaps part of the problem lies with Nintendo. When even Disney is at least *trying* to make movies which subvert the traditional 'Prince-rescues-Princess' paradigm, how can Nintendo keep relying on the same hackneyed cliché? Isn't it about time Princess Peach stopped needing Mario to rescue her?

Okay, here's another one along the myths-and-legends line:

Changing Woman and her Sisters: Stories of Goddesses from Around the World, by Katrin Hyman Tchana

and it does have illustrations ;).

re: Latasha Norman

How sad that this terrible case isn't getting more coverage.

Also, why is it being called "domestic violence?" These two people did not live together. It was a campus killing. The girl lived in a dorm. It wasn't her roommate that killed her, so how is it DV?

I know the answer, of course. DV is legal code for "It was just a guy killing his 'own' woman, no big deal."

"Isn't it about time Princess Peach stopped needing Mario to rescue her?"

I kinda miss Super Mario Brothers 2. You could play as the Princess.