toongrrl

Posts Written by toongrrl

By toongrrl • 10 years ago

Where the Dykes Are: My Favorite Lesbian Characters

Yes I’m going to be paraphrasing the fabulous writer Susan J. Douglas here, with a sprinkle of Nostalgia Chick. The title you see is a reference to Douglas’s seminal book Where the Girls Are which talks about Baby Boomer women and the pop culture they grew up with. I care to present the fictional characters I’ve grown up and admired from childhood to now as a Undergraduate Student still somewhat closeted for practical reasons I care not to share for the sake of not wanting to bore readers. Here I will be the barometer for the characters in pop culture that have represented lesbianism for better or worse when being viewed by Gen Y lesbians. I’m going to get totally personal in this article so bear with me; And I’m the barometer here, cowabunga!

1. Lil DeVille, Rugrats (1991-2004).

By toongrrl • 11 years ago

Young, Catholic, and fledgling: the chronicle of a young Catholic woman

This was an article that didn’t make it in 2010.

It’s Lent already and “40 Days for Life” has already started. Also I recently seen a RV with anti-abortion posters all around it and some anti-abortion and birth control literature handed out at my college campus earlier this month. Obviously I need to type this now: about how I’ve grown from a naive young girl who’ve placed a lot of faith in the doctrine of the Catholic Church to a more cynical and increasingly liberal young and shaky woman. Why this? I have a story to tell and so do all you who are aware of the obstacles on women’s reproductive rights and their own lives. Why a picture of Macie ...

This was an article that didn’t make it in 2010.

It’s Lent already and “40 Days for Life” has already started. Also I recently seen a RV with anti-abortion posters all around it and some anti-abortion and birth ...

By toongrrl • 11 years ago

A Dull Story of Why I’m in a Women & Gender Studies Class

I originally wrote this piece for a Women & Gender Studies class, which on my school is called WGS. The assignment for our class was to write about why we are in the class in the first place and my reaction was to pinpoint: How did I get here? What exactly in my personal life led me over here and to the conclusions I’ve reached that led me to feminism. Mostly I really just think that somehow there are factors in our life that led us to feminism or made us question why we have to play certain roles. Hope you give this a quick read.

It’s hard to pick just one experience to explain why take a WGS course. There is also ...

I originally wrote this piece for a Women & Gender Studies class, which on my school is called WGS. The assignment for our class was to write about why we are in the class in the first place and ...

By toongrrl • 12 years ago

The Maturation of Margaret: Periods, Bras, and Feminism.

I wrote this paper originally for an English class that taught several Literary Approaches, one of these are the Feminist Approach. I picked Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret due to the fact I was going through my period and thought in light of the War Against Women, that it’s time to bring up periods and bras. This seminal work by Judy Blume is progressive in that children shouldn’t be kept in the dark about their growing bodies.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, the seminal YA novel by Judy Blume, has been a favorite of young women since the early 1970s. The novel centers on a 6th grade girl who moves from her native NYC to the suburbs ...

By toongrrl • 12 years ago

Feminist-y costumes for Halloween 2011

Hey everybody….aren’t you tired of the crap, backwards costumes out there? Well here’s my alternatives for what’s out there. All it requires is some nostalgia and an imagination to put together the costume. This isn’t by far the best guide for somewhat-Progressive costumes out there, but I think these are worth looking at. So without further ado, my awkward attempt at fictional characters and why they’re awesome to go as for Halloween….

Lil DeVille

Perhaps the first female cartoon character to come out of the closet, at the Season episode 26 “Angelica’s Twin” and the feistiest Token Female in a Five-Man Band since Princess Leia, but without all that bondage crap. Just clip or if you dare cornstarch a pink ribbon on your hair. ...

By toongrrl • 12 years ago

The Women’s World Cup or “Will Somebody Please make a Disney movie about this?”

I was watching The Rachel Maddow Show when the best newest thingie in the world had shown before my fatassed eyes!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (I mean fatass as a term of endearment, of course) The responses of the USA viewers watching the US victory of the Women’s World cup was so worth viewing. As she so explained, women’s sports are usually stereotyped as being less important, women not really totally interested, and guys not wanting to watch it. But the YouTube clips showing that magnificent goal (I think) where the ball was flying through the air and landing in the net was followed by shots of MEN AND WOMEN cheering the goal and chanting “USA! USA! USA!” was so fascinating and right out ...

By toongrrl • 12 years ago

Betty Ford (1918-2011)

I’m surprised that nobody is writing this. First Lady Betty Ford: 70s First Lady, mother, feminist, breast cancer advocate, ERA supporter, pro-sex, pro-cohabitation, recovered prescription drug addict, founder of the Betty Ford Center for Health, and a maverick that spat at the constricting role of American First Lady , has died a few days ago. I’m shocked that there is not yet a mention of her in the website!!!!! Before Betty Ford: First Ladies and Presidents were expected to put up an image of being sexless and fake, First Ladies had to sit down and shut up no matter how much they agree or disagree with the President, had to be a bland and pleasant hostess, suffer silently, smile and look ...

By toongrrl • 12 years ago

A Love Letter to Sue Heck of The Middle

Dear Sue Heck, how can I start with you? I’ve been watching you and your family’s misadventures for some time now. I like you guys a lot, but you Sue just seem so refreshing to me. See I’m a 21-year old that still feels nostalgic for “As Told by Ginger”, “Braceface”, “The Proud Family”, “Hey Arnold!”, “Napoleon Dynamite”, and “Lizzie McGuire.” I’ve found it hard until you and many shows that aren’t listed came along. I’ve been watching reruns of “My So-Called Life” and am this close to screaming at the tv, should tell me something when it turned out it’s a spiritual successor to “Thirtysomething” which was a total whinefest. My teen self would have just only hung out ...

Dear Sue Heck, how can I start with you? I’ve been watching you and your family’s misadventures for some time now. I like you guys a lot, but you Sue just seem so refreshing to me. See ...