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By ooperbooper • 16 years ago

Why you really, really should see Humpday.

I’ve been meaning to write about the new film out by writer/director Lynn Shelton ever since I saw it a few weeks ago. Humpday premiered at Sundance where it received rave reviews. I skipped it while I was at the festival because I was put off by the “bromance” descriptor attached to the film. Humpday is a lot of things but it is not your typical dick and fart joke comedy for dudes, by dudes. It’s a smart and honest film that addresses how men and women are affected by sexual and marital expectations. There are plenty of lines to make you laugh until you cry but make no mistake: Humpday is a film with a dense message… several dense messages actually.
The synopsis provided by the filmmaker is this:
By ooperbooper • 16 years ago

Caster Semenya and the Inequities of Competitive Sport

The comments about Caster Semenya here at Feministing and elsewhere have prompted me to reflect a little bit on my own experience in competitive athletics. I was a competitive rower for six years. Two of those years I spent rowing at a NCAA Division I school. To be able to compete in the NCAA you do sign away some privacy and independence.  Urine testing is a commonly cited example of this. For the sample to be considered “good” an official has to see the stream hit the cup. Yeah, that means someone has to watch you pee. Is it humiliating? I didn’t think so. A little awkward maybe but not really an invasion.

There were plenty of other invasions though. Like ...

The comments about Caster Semenya here at Feministing and elsewhere have prompted me to reflect a little bit on my own experience in competitive athletics. I was a competitive rower for six years. Two of those years ...
By ooperbooper • 16 years ago

Nannies and Gender Politics

This is my first post on Feministing Community. I’ve been itching to jump in ever since I signed up but I wanted to make sure whatever I decided to start with hadn’t already been covered endlessly. So after a few weeks of browsing the archives (which is completely addictive by the way) I’ve decided to talk a little bit about my experience working as a nanny in an affluent California community.

I didn’t become a nanny on purpose. I went into it with zero understanding of the social hierarchy that exists in communities where nannies raise children. I just wanted extra beer money. Seriously.

It was a Friday afternoon and I was staring down another weekend of barhopping with not a penny ...

This is my first post on Feministing Community. I’ve been itching to jump in ever since I signed up but I wanted to make sure whatever I decided to start with hadn’t already been covered endlessly. So ...