Posts Written by

By ohyoureafeminist • 14 years ago

Platonic Friendship

(cross-posted at Oh, You’re a Feminist?!)
Can men and women be (just) friends?
I first began thinking about this question years ago after watching the quirky and timeless classic, When Harry Met Sally. The movie revolves around the idea that men and women can never be just friends because “the sex part always gets in the way.” They try to navigate through the conversation by setting obscure rules like they can only be friends if both are in committed relationships because then “the pressure of possible involvement is lifted.”
Aside from being a heteronormative question, assuming that all men are attracted to women, it is also a question engrossed in strict gender roles and stereotypes. For these two reasons I hoped this would cease to be debated in 2009, when apparently we live in a post feminist society where men and women are equal and free thinking… (that was snark if you couldn’t tell).
Fast forward to today as I engaged in my sleepy morning let’s-get-the-day-started routine, pouring coffee and turning on the often trite Good Morning America. In the segment I linked they too discuss this “timeless question” of an impossible platonic friendship between men and women. The segment was an obvious scheme to promote Steve Harvey’s new book, Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man (which i won’t link because of the strict gender roles and stereotypes that even the title doesn’t fail to perpetuate). For ‘empirical evidence’ GMA referenced a ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

Bullying

(cross posted at Oh You’re A Feminist?! )

I’ve been thinking a lot about bullying lately, specifically bullying among girls and women. The more research i did on the topic, the more i found relating to bullying’s effects on the victims, how girls bully, and the difficulty of breaking free of bullying. What i didn’t find much of is WHY girls bully and how this bullying translates to adult female relationships.

Bullying among girls has been on the rise since the early 1990’s. Also, the bullying isn’t stereotypical physical violence you think of when "bully" comes to mind (though it can be). Bullying among girls usually takes on more subtle and calculated characteristics. The NCPC defines a female ...

(cross posted at Oh You’re A Feminist?! )

I’ve been thinking a lot about bullying lately, specifically bullying among girls and women. The more research i did on the topic, the more i found relating to bullying’s ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

Taking Up Space

(cross posted at Oh, You’re a Feminist?! )

I’ve always been interested in the idea of space in relation to gender. What i mean by that is how much space men utilize daily versus how much space women use and how that plays a role in sexism and weight issues. A lot of this intersects with standards of beauty and our culture’s drive for women’s thinness but i have always been a bit paranoid that it goes beyond just that. When i started studying body image and eating disorders i thought i had uncovered the greatest conspiracy of our time: the more women are pushed to be preoccupied with their weight and appearance, the less they’ll have time, energy, and ...

(cross posted at Oh, You’re a Feminist?! )

I’ve always been interested in the idea of space in relation to gender. What i mean by that is how much space men utilize daily versus how much space ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

“substantial adverse consequence”

Ken Starr , the dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Law, is arguing before the California Supreme Court in defense of Prop 8. His goal is to nullify 18,000 same-sex marriages and has argued that by allowing same-sex marriage we as a people have "diminished a public commitment to protecting the welfare of children."

Starr argues against gay families by claiming that there are "substantial adverse consequences for children that often flow from alternative household arrangements."

Yesterday, lawyer David Gibbs , "told rally participants gay marriage would ‘open the door to unusual marriage in North Carolina. Why not polygamy, or three or four spouses?’ Gibbs asked. ‘Maybe people will want to marry their pets or ...

Ken Starr , the dean of Pepperdine University’s School of Law, is arguing before the California Supreme Court in defense of Prop 8. His goal is to nullify 18,000 same-sex marriages and has argued that by ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

More Thoughts on Palin

My mom called last week and exclaimed, "you must be thrilled McCain chose a woman for VP!" Then she asked me (in all seriousness) who i was going to vote for now that there was a woman in the picture. Up until that moment i didn’t think that Palin would earn votes simply for having a vagina. I’ll be honest, i am sometimes (usually) sexist when choosing doctors. I always go to a woman because i know that she has worked harder than most men in her class to get there. I also know she had to prove herself not only as a doctor but as a female doctor and that means she is probably more qualified for medicine than ...

My mom called last week and exclaimed, "you must be thrilled McCain chose a woman for VP!" Then she asked me (in all seriousness) who i was going to vote for now that there was a woman ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

BBC World Have Your Say: Sexual Harassment

I was on BBC’s WORLD Have Your Say radio program yesterday afternoon speaking on sexual harassment. The question was "how should women react to sexual harassment?" Although i didn’t get nearly enough talk time, it was an interesting conversation to be a part of. Check out their blog and the discussion going on there at WHYS , there are over 300 responses so far! They contacted me via HollaBackCT and asked if i’d be the US speaker in the group. It was actually me and Dr. Pickman from NY representing America You can listed to the segment here , through podcast under WHYS: Sexual Harassment. It’s a really interesting conversation that brings attention to harassment across ...

I was on BBC’s WORLD Have Your Say radio program yesterday afternoon speaking on sexual harassment. The question was "how should women react to sexual harassment?" Although i didn’t get nearly enough talk time, it was an ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

The Accessibility of Sustainable Food

I have been thinking a lot about sustainability lately. Specifically how accessible a diet of sustainable food is how much of a role class and privilege play. Speaking with my cousin, Mia, a few weeks ago got me thinking about the image associated with buying and eating local foods. Even Stuff White People Like jokes that farmer’s markets are a place for white people to placate “their undying need to support local economies, and the idea of buying direct from the farmer helps them assuage the fears instilled in them from reading Fast Food Nation (and yes, every white person has read this book).” Mia talked about an upper class, pretentious image that is often associated with this ...

I have been thinking a lot about sustainability lately. Specifically how accessible a diet of sustainable food is how much of a role class and privilege play. Speaking with my cousin, Mia, a few weeks ago got ...
By ohyoureafeminist • 15 years ago

The Accessibility of Sustainable Food

I have been thinking a lot about sustainability lately. Specifically how accessible a diet of sustainable food is and how much of a role class and privilege play. Speaking with my cousin, Mia, a few weeks ago got me thinking about the image associated with buying and eating local foods. Even Stuff White People Like jokes that farmer’s markets are a place for white people to placate "their undying need to support local economies, and the idea of buying direct from the farmer helps them assuage the fears instilled in them from reading Fast Food Nation (and yes, every white person has read this book)." Mia talked about an upper class, pretentious image that is often associated with ...

I have been thinking a lot about sustainability lately. Specifically how accessible a diet of sustainable food is and how much of a role class and privilege play. Speaking with my cousin, Mia, a few weeks ago ...

Load More