Tag Archive for "Uncategorized"

Posts Tagged Uncategorized

Electras talk back: Jennifer Baumgardner

We’re appreciative to Jennifer Baumgardner for adding her two cents to end our week-long series in response to Susan Faludi’s recent Harper’s article.

In the late 1990s, Phyllis Chesler wrote a book called Letters to a Young Feminist. It really rankled me at the time, in part because I was part of very large cohort of strong feminists creating abortion funds, zines, films, bands, and organizations while the book was speaking to an imaginary young woman who appeared to have lived under a rock for the last 20 years. This ditzy feminist needed chapters headed “Principles, Not Popularity” and found advice such as “Sex is not something that you only share with members of the opposite sex” surprising and helpful. ...

We’re appreciative to Jennifer Baumgardner for adding her two cents to end our week-long series in response to Susan Faludi’s recent Harper’s article.

In the late 1990s, Phyllis Chesler wrote a book called Letters to a Young ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

Social Network sexism

The Social Network is an excellent film, meaningful, relevant, and very entertaining, with sharp dialogue, beautiful direction, and a stellar and practically all male cast. Oh yeah, that.

The film follows an interesting pattern I’ve noticed in other work by contemporary male filmmakers (Inception as an example) – it offers compelling insight into sexism while also displaying a sexist perspective in its storytelling.

The film focuses on a new generation of powerful rich white men with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder, as its lead. Zuckerberg and his friends/coworkers/enemies are actively antifeminist. After getting dumped Zuckerberg creates a website where people can compare and vote on the hotness of Harvard women. The site’s popularity and the ensuing backlash ups Zuckerberg’s cache and positions ...

The Social Network is an excellent film, meaningful, relevant, and very entertaining, with sharp dialogue, beautiful direction, and a stellar and practically all male cast. Oh yeah, that.

The film follows an interesting pattern I’ve noticed in other ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

What Does Meryl Streep have in common with the Tea Party?

That they both have their eyes on a women’s history museum to be built in Washington D.C. — but with entirely different intentions. Streep recently held a gala raising funds as well as pledged $1 million dollars to help create the the building, while Tea Party Republicans and general misogynists Senators Jim DeMint and Tom Coburn are intent on making sure the museum is never built.

As Taylor Marsh informs us, this is because our favorite lady-hating ladies, Concerned Women for America, reached out to the two senators to do something about the museum because apparently “women’s history” is just code for “abortion’s history.” So the two fellas put a”hold” on the bill that would sell land ...

By Chloe Angyal • 13 years ago

“I want to tell them that it’s okay to use contraception, but the Church says no.”

At Nicholas Kristof’s blog On the Ground, Amy Ernst writes about the connection between contraception, poverty, religion, women’s rights and health in Congo. Ernst is an American, and is in Congo working for an organization called COPERMA, which helps survivors of rape and war. In this post, she warns that while Congo’s HIV/AIDS rates are relatively low, they cannot stay thus when contraception remains largely unknown and unavailable.

The quote in the title of this post is from a Congolese Catholic priest, who admitted to Ernst that despite the Church’s teachings, he understands the desperate need for contraception in Congo. But because of the Church’s teachings, when women come to him asking for guidance on how to avoid having more ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Law and Order SVU brings attention to rape kit backlog

Didn’t think I could love Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (especially Mariska Hargitay *swoon*) more until I found out that the actress and executive producer Neal Baer blogged about their episode this week that addressed the backlog of rape kit testing.

The serious problem of rape kits sitting untested or being destroyed is one that leaves too many sexual assault survivors without justice, so it’s great to see a high-profile show bring attention to the issue — not to mention they direct folks to a campaign dedicated to end rape kit backlog.

Did anyone see the episode?? (Yep, I missed it.)

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

What We Missed

Should-Be-An-Onion-Headline of the Day: Rush Limbaugh declares himself “defender and protector of American women and women worldwide.” Ha!

The chairman of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee is expressing his support for Sally Kern (who blames the recession on the gays and abortion) by being a horrific transphobic asshole her opponent, Brittany Novotny.

Sexual violence survivors are speaking at UN hearings beginning today about rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rachel Maddow on Colorado Amendment 62, which would make birth control illegal.

Should-Be-An-Onion-Headline of the Day: Rush Limbaugh declares himself “defender and protector of American women and women worldwide.” Ha!

The chairman of the Oklahoma Conservative Political Action Committee is expressing his support for Sally Kern (who ...

By Jos Truitt • 13 years ago

Mad Men Midweek Fix: Hands and Knees

During the fourth season of Mad Men Feministing writers will offer some of our thoughts on feminist moments, scenes, and themes in the new episodes in order to start a discussion about these topics in our community. This year we’ll help you get through the middle of the week wait for the next episode. *WARNING: Lots of spoilers follow.

Don invites Sally to see The Beatles.
And Sally’s path to become a kick-ass radical lefty of the 60s begins…. -Vanessa

I would’ve reacted exactly like Sally did. -Jos

Lane introduces his father to his girlfriend Toni, a black Playboy Bunny. Lane’s father beats him, tells him to return to England.
So we get a season where race stays frustratingly in ...

By Vanessa • 13 years ago

Youth Suicides, Andrew Shirvell, and America’s Tolerance of Anti-LGBT Hate

Yesterday, we found out about the fourth teen suicide this month after bullying and/or harassment by their school peers for being gay or perceived to be gay:

Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off the George Washington bridge last week after his roommate broadcasted a video of him hooking up with a boy on the internet. Tyler was a talented violinist. In response, the LGBT community at Rutgers has been protesting for safe space housing for queer students. 13-year old Asher Brown of Houston (picture to the right), TX shot himself in the head last week after 18 months of bullying by fellow students, and after 18 months of complaints by his parents for the school ...

Yesterday, we found out about the fourth teen suicide this month after bullying and/or harassment by their school peers for being gay or perceived to be gay:

Rutgers University freshman Tyler Clementi jumped off the George ...