Posts Written by Alison
By Alison • 11 years ago

Run the world, (sullen) girls: vulnerability as girl power anthem

A SYTYCB entry

When people talk about “girl power” anthems, I’m gonna say it’s a safe bet that what jumps to most people’s minds is pretty similar to BET’s list of the top 10 girl power anthems: a lot of Beyoncé, whether with the more recent “Run the World (Girls)” or Destiny’s Child’s “Independent Women“. Throw in some TLC, a little Katy Perry, and you’ve got a lot of great pop songs to smack the “Girl Power” label to—and I’m all for it (with the exception of Katy Perry. I’m sorry, world, but I just can’t get down.).

But what about other forms of girl power? You know, when we’re not throwing our hands up with Bey and invoking our favorite Charlie’s Angel during our post-breakup cardio kickboxing class?

Sady Doyle has an answer for us. In her recent piece for In These Times,“Vulnerability: The New Girl Power,” she delves into the “female confessional” as a new form of feminism. She discusses more than just music—she nods to Sheila Heti’s book, How Should A Person Be? as well as the female confessional poets of the 60s, Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, for setting the precedent for these emotional, first-person confessions. But when she does mention music, she calls out Fiona Apple, and she’s right on the money to do so.
By Alison • 11 years ago

The Cost of Staying Silent

A SYTYCB Entry

Until this week, it would never have crossed my mind that the words “legitimate” and “rape” could be combined into one neat little psychotic statement. Silly me! I should have known better. After all, we’re living in a country where politicians are trying to take away women’s access to basic health care on a daily basis, so why wouldn’t we have a politician who would actually make a statement like this:

“It seems to me, from what I understand from doctors, that’s really rare,” Mr. Akin said of pregnancies from rape. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down. But let’s assume that maybe that didn’t work ...

A SYTYCB Entry

Until this week, it would never have crossed my mind that the words “legitimate” and “rape” could be combined into one neat little psychotic statement. Silly me! I should have known better. After all, we’re ...
By Alison • 12 years ago

But Erica Jong, We’re Raunchy, Too! The Young Feminists Cry

I was thrilled to see an op-ed in the NY Times by Erica Jong, one of my favorite authors, poets, and sex-pots.

My thrill lasted for about 15 seconds.

In “Is Sex Passé?” Ms. Jong begins:

What could be more eternal than sexuality? The fog of longing, the obsession with the loved one’s voice, smell, touch. Sex is discombobulating and distracting, it makes you immune to money, politics and family. And sometimes I think the younger generation wants to give it up.

People always ask me what happened to sex since “Fear of Flying.” While editing an anthology of women’s sexual writing called “Sugar in My Bowl” last year, I was fascinated to see, among ...

I was thrilled to see an op-ed in the NY Times by Erica Jong, one of my favorite authors, poets, and sex-pots.

My thrill lasted for about 15 seconds.

In “Is Sex Passé?” Ms. Jong begins:

What ...