Posts Written by

By tealrose39 • 14 years ago

Aggressive, Forceful Males Are Not First Choice (water strider edition)

I was reading io9 this recently, and found an article about a study of water striders. Basically, the study was set up so that the water striders had a “wading pool equipped with special doors that could restrict movement between groups or allow the insects to move freely”

When the insects were allowed to move freely, the females would move over to the “gentlemen” insects, and lay “about three times more eggs” leaving the aggressive male water striders to stew in their own failure. Past lab studies restricted female water strider movement, but given the freedom to choose, female water striders chose the males without sexual aggression. i.e.: Male aggression does *not* lead to reproductive success.

As Annalee Newitz of io9 puts it: 

“Who knows how much research into sexual selection has been flawed because researchers forgot the crucial ingredient of female freedom?”

Not to mention that if one were to extrapolate from this study, it debunks all the “nice guys (no TM) finish last” myth. The image of hyper-masculinity, the forceful sexuality that supposedly leads to “scoring chicks” is actually a detriment to a male’s goal if that goal is to attract women. 

The article (along with a graph) is here:
By tealrose39 • 14 years ago

Internet Comments: Anonymous Misogyny *TRIGGER WARNING*

I know this topic has been written about again and again and again, but I repeat: I am utterly disgusted by the way in which internet forums suddenly become the place for men *TRIGGER WARNING*

I know this topic has been written about again and again and again, but I repeat: I am utterly disgusted by the way in which internet forums suddenly become the place for men *TRIGGER WARNING*
By tealrose39 • 14 years ago

Miniature Brides: New Wedding Photo Trend

I recently came across this site where wedding photos are taken and the bride is photoshopped/shrunk down into a miniature person that the groom can literally pick up.
Some of the pictures are of the bride sleeping in a jewelry case, holding her skirt down while the groom lifts it with a pen, sitting on the groom’s shoulder, dancing in the middle of candles while the groom watches her, popping out of a box held in the groom’s hands. If there was ever another set of wedding photos demonstrating inequality between bride and groom, or the bride as an object/toy possessed by the groom, I don’t know where they are.
Here is 8Asians take on it.

I recently came across this site where wedding photos are taken and the bride is photoshopped/shrunk down into a miniature person that the groom can literally pick up.
Some of the pictures are of the bride ...
By tealrose39 • 14 years ago

Jackson Katz on Eminem

I recently read this article by Jackson Katz called “Eminem, Misogyny, and the Sounds of Silence.”
He takes on the lyrics of Eminem’s new album, but more importantly, addresses the *lack* of condemnation for Eminem’s lyrics on the part of music critics.
I’ve included some of Eminem’s lyrics that Katz pinpoints in his article at the bottom.
Katz points out that it should be impossible to ignore the implications of such lyrics, but even music critics, whose job it is to assess music, do not write a word about Eminem’s misogynist music.
Some highlights from the article:
“Popular art succeeds, at least commercially, precisely because it resonates with a certain audience – for whatever reason – in a given ...

I recently read this article by Jackson Katz called “Eminem, Misogyny, and the Sounds of Silence.”
He takes on the lyrics of Eminem’s new album, but more importantly, addresses the *lack* of condemnation for Eminem’s lyrics ...
By tealrose39 • 14 years ago

Uhura in the new Star Trek movie

Like any good, self-proclaimed geek, I went out to see the new Star Trek movie this past weekend. It was very enjoyable. The writers put in plenty of tributes to the original series (“I’m a doctor, not a physicist!” lol) as well as some witty lines. The special effects were awesome without being overdone, and the storyline was easy to follow even if you were never a Trekkie.
Also, there weren’t *that* many plot holes. I always expect a few plot holes here and there in a movie, but get frustrated when there is one every five minutes. That didn’t happen here. Good job, J. J. Abrams.
However, there is one subject that I take issue with. And that is ...

Like any good, self-proclaimed geek, I went out to see the new Star Trek movie this past weekend. It was very enjoyable. The writers put in plenty of tributes to the original series (“I’m a doctor, not ...
By tealrose39 • 15 years ago

“Hi, I’m a Wii” Commercial

I don’t know if people have seen this commercial before (it’s a bit old), but I thought it worth posting. It is a take off on the Mac versus PC commercials. This commercial is Wii versus Playstation 3 with each product represented by a woman. It reinforces the “smart but plain, angry, and humorless” and “dumb but hot and fun” stereotypes as though a woman cannot be both smart and beautiful. And of course it panders to the patriarchal view of a “fun” woman who is sexually available without any of that annoying thinking involved. Whatever the pros and cons of the actual products themselves, the commercial is a bust.
Highlights of the commercial: bodyshots of Wii running her hands ...

I don’t know if people have seen this commercial before (it’s a bit old), but I thought it worth posting. It is a take off on the Mac versus PC commercials. This commercial is Wii versus Playstation ...