Kala

Posts Written by Kala

By Kala • 13 years ago

Not An Impostor

Do you ever feel like an impostor? That you are not quite as bright, kind, or worthwhile as those around you, and you fear the day they find out?

In 1978, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes coined the term Impostor Phenomenon. Clance and Imes did extensive work with women who had graduate degrees, were well respected in their field, and were financially successful, yet felt like they were fooling their colleagues, friends, and loved ones. They believed that they were merely pretending to be intelligent and that sooner or later they would be exposed as frauds.

Since then, research has shown that the Impostor Phenomenon is is relatively commonplace, especially for members of disadvantaged groups who are in socially valued positions.

I had been toying with the idea of starting a blog for a long, long time, but put off starting one because I did not believe I had anything of value to say. I thought this even though I am excelling in a PhD program. I thought this even though I have been an activist for years. I thought this even though I thrive on politics and debate. I thought this even though I have researched why people do not speak up, even when they desperately want to.

And then one day, I decided I was tired of feeling like an impostor.

http://notanimpostor.tumblr.com

By Kala • 13 years ago

Please Donate to Matthew Leone

Last summer, Chicago musician Matthew Leone intervened when he saw a man assaulting a woman (his spouse) on the street. Leone suffered a broken nose, dislocated jaw, and severe head trauma (which required surgeons to remove part of his skull) for his courageous decision to stand up to domestic abuse. Leone does not have health insurance; he currently faces over $300,000 in medical bills. The assailant/domestic abuser was just released on $125,000 bond. Nice to know beating people costs you about 70% less than helping them.

Please click the link to donate to Leone’s recovery fund: http://www.sweetrelief.org/news/sweet-relief-helping-raise-money-matthew-leone-madina-lake.

Via: Jezebel

By Kala • 14 years ago

Miss Captive Beauty 2010

I’m sort of, but not really, torn about the recent Miss Captive Beauty 2010 (Belleza Cautiva) , a beauty contest for female prison inmates held in Juarez, Mexico. There’s some problems with how the media has handled the event. Some sites, such as Guanabee.com , present the contest as a step forward for prison systems. And to be sure, there are dozens, if not hundreds of examples of abuses committed against women in the prison system . I’m all for allowing the inmates to participate and help organize events while in prision. I think creativity is a basic human right; they deserve to compete in contests as a way to express themselves.

But a ...

By Kala • 14 years ago

Amen.

Text version here.

By Kala • 15 years ago

The Post-weight-loss Body: Skin

(NOTE: I have a lot of complicated, possibly un-feminist, conflicting reasons for choosing to lose weight. My personal thoughts about why I lost weight are indeed interesting things to discuss, but this discussion is not about that. This is about the body I now inhabit, a body that about 3 years ago was 60 pounds heavier than it is today.)
In 2007, I was clinically obese. I am now approximately 8 pounds away from obtaining a healthy BMI rating (by the way, the BMI is not an accurate measurement of health ). I lost this weight by following the Weight Watchers eating plan and exercising regularly. I did it the “right,” a.k.a. socially accepted, way. Yet my ...

By Kala • 15 years ago

Dear Community Bloggers: Stop Apologizing

It takes a lot of courage to willingly put yourself out there as a blogger. Feministing.com has recently allowed a whole slew of us to take a step into the blogosphere, but a strange cadence has emerged.

zenfeministe writes :

…I apologize for any difficultly in following or the sheer length of the post.

From bandersnatch :

…. if I missed something, my apologies for the double posting.

Via mcnibbleton :

Sorry for the rant…

Notice a trend?

And these examples are by no means the only ones, merely the most recent. This is not an attack on the aforementioned posters, because their posts were wonderful, but rather a commentary on the community forum as a whole. Community posters, the things you write on the ...

By Kala • 15 years ago

Cake-riarchy

I greatly enjoy the blog Cake Wrecks; it’s one of the few sites I visit regularly that is not feminism focused. A recent post had two pictures of cakes that resemble the Playboy bunny. The rub? The cakes were for a 12-year-old and a 16-year-old. Jen, the author of the blog, puts it best:

[blowing nose] "I mean, every parent wants her little girl to grow up dreaming big dreams, padding her trainer bra, and looking to attract men as a means of personal validation, but to see it actually happening …[sniffle] I’m sorry, it’s just a dream come true.

Seriously, what was going through the parents’ minds when ordering these cakes?

I greatly enjoy the blog Cake Wrecks; it’s one of the few sites I visit regularly that is not feminism focused. A recent post had two pictures of cakes that resemble the Playboy bunny. The ...

By Kala • 15 years ago

Proposed WV Barbie Ban

WV House Delegate Eldridge wants to ban the sale of Barbie and similar dolls in the state of West Virginia. Here is the exact text of the bill:

"It shall be unlawful in the state to sell "Barbie" dolls and other similar dolls that promote or influence girls to place an undue importance on physical beauty to the detriment of their intellectual and emotional development."

While I appreciate the effort, I’m not for censorship, and I don’t think this bill will actually solve any problems. As a West Virginian, I wish my representatives would focus more on WV’s domestic violence issues , unfriendly LGBT policies , and poverty issues . Just sayin’.

WV House Delegate Eldridge wants to ban the sale of Barbie and similar dolls in the state of West Virginia. Here is the exact text of the bill:

"It shall be unlawful in the state to ...