Joss Whedon Is Pissed That There Aren’t More Superheroine Movies. Pornography and Sex Equality: The Life and Times of Linda Lovelace. Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried, is the story of a small town girl, Linda Boreman, pornographed as Linda Lovelace, who gained fame as the "star" of the porn classic Deep Throat. It is crucial to know, when watching this film, that Linda Boreman maintained that Linda Lovelace was not the "star" of Deep Throat, but rather its victim. Linda Boreman died in 2002, from injuries sustained in a car accident; but Linda's story is lived over and over by countless women every day who are trafficked to make pornography. And the objectification of women as only for sex accomplished through films like Deep Throat is lived by every woman, everywhere, in one way or another, and whether or not they care to admit it.
Reading Linda's book, Ordeal, which chronicles her life as she was pimped by her abusive husband, Chuck Traynor, and trafficked to make pornography, changed my life. It certainly changed the way I thought about pornography. India's Incredibly Powerful "Abused Goddesses" Campaign Condemns Domestic Violence - BuzzFeed Mobile. I hate Strong Female Characters. I hate Strong Female Characters. As someone spends a fair amount of time complaining on the internet that there aren’t enough female heroes out there, this may seem a strange and out of character thing to say.
And of course, I love all sorts of female characters who exhibit great resilience and courage. I love it when Angel asks Buffy what’s left when he takes away her weapons and her friends and she grabs his sword between her palms and says “Me”. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I love Zhang Ziyi’s Jen sneering “He is my defeated foe” when asked if she’s related to Chow Yun-Fat's Li Mu Bai. I love Jane Eyre declaring “I care for myself” despite the world’s protracted assault on her self-esteem. But the phrase “Strong Female Character” has always set my teeth on edge, and so have many of the characters who have so plainly been written to fit the bill.
I remember watching Shrek with my mother. “The Princess knew kung-fu! She rolled her eyes. Is Sherlock Holmes strong? 1. 2. Equality. No. Debbie Harry Was Sick Of Songs About Women Being Victimized By Love. Five Reasons to Be a Feminist Man | Blue The Nation. UPDATE: Check out some of the rabid responses from the Internet Misogyny Brigade HERE, HERE, and HERE.
And HERE! And even HERE! UPDATE II, UPDATING HARDER: Beth Wiesendanger came up with Five Reasons to Date a Feminist Woman. Other than, you know, the obvious one. One of the strangest misconceptions about the feminist movement is the notion that every feminist is a woman. Even in the darkest days of race relations in the United States, no one was under the impression that the entire abolitionist movement was black, or that the entire civil rights movement was black. In fact, segregationists–and pro-slavery advocates before them–were famously very well aware of “carpetbaggers” and “outside agitators.” Let me make this clear: I’m a dude. So when I say I’m a feminist, nobody is allowed to write me off with a “Pfff, just some skinny hipster douche, he probably reads books and stuff.” 1) There is absolutely no moral argument against feminism. This is, of course, the most important one.
Twenty-first-century suffragettes: what would you fight for now? Camila BatmanghelidjhFounder of Kids Company Kidnap David Cameron and Michael Gove and take them to a crack den, to see the baby crawling among the drug paraphernalia, searching for morsels of care in her mother's eye. I'd then let a couple of drug dealers rough them up, not because I would want to attack them personally of course, but so they could experience the chronic fear children endure daily. Then I would take them to one of our centres, where children are queuing round the block for their evening meal. After dinner we would go to a grotty bed and breakfast where some of the most vulnerable teenagers are housed alongside crazed psychiatric patients. Mary BeardHistorian, broadcaster We have to fight on two fronts. Maggie Aderin-Pocock Space scientist One problem we need to tackle is the way society pigeonholes people according to their sex, creating real barriers to female aspiration.
Joan BakewellBroadcaster Rosario DawsonActor I'd fight for solidarity between men and women. Princess Makeover – DORK TOWER 14.05.13. BBC Radio 4 - Woman's Hour, Sharleen Spiteri; Alison Nimmo; Disney's Princess Merida , Merida redesigned. Sexism in the skeptic community: I spoke out, then came the rape threats. Photo by Larry Auerbach. I’m a skeptic. Not the kind that believes the 9/11 attacks were the product of a grand Jewish conspiracy—we hate those guys. “Stop stealing the word ‘skeptic,’ ” we tell them, but they don’t listen to us because they assume we’re just part of the grand Jewish conspiracy too. No, I’m the kind of skeptic who enjoys exposés of psychics and homeopaths and other charlatans who fool the public either through self-delusion or for fun and profit. It’s not just me—I’m part of a growing community (some would even call it a movement) consisting of hundreds of thousands of people worldwide who value science and critical thinking.
We’re represented by organizations such as the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, which was established in 1976 and has included fellows like Isaac Asimov, Carl Sagan, Stephen Jay Gould, and Bill Nye. I learned about the skeptics back in college, when I worked in a magic store and performed gigs on the side. Even Dawkins weighed in. How the Sun Responds to Women who Object to Page 3 - The Huffington Post. A while ago I wrote to my MP voicing my objections to Page 3 and he forwarded it to the Sun newspaper, promising to inform me of the response. Eventually a three-page reply came from Richard Caseby, the Managing Editor. I was very much looking forward to hearing the Sun's counter-arguments to my objections, such as this: 'These are sexualised, post-watershed, top-shelf images, available in an unrestricted daily newspaper'.
You didn't mention that though Richard. In fact you didn't really respond to any other specific points either. You did start off well: 'In a free and open democracy everyone is entitled to an opinion about Page 3'. Whew! I wrote: 'Existing legislation prohibits topless calendars from the workplace as they are recognised to be humiliating and degrading to women, and therefore constitute a form of sexual harassment.' You replied: 'The first Page 3 was published in the Sun 43 years ago.
Yup. Oh ok. Oh dear. Love how you state that as a fact! I wasn't complaining about that. M.good. Women Speak Drastically Less When They're Surrounded by Dudes. And That's Bad. About | Radical Feminist Archives. A Message to Abercrombie's CEO from a Former Fat Girl - The Huffington Post. I should be working on my next manuscript, as it's due to my publisher in a few weeks. However, after reading this alleged quote by Mr. Jeffries the CEO of Abercrombie & Fitch, I found myself irritated, furious and distracted. Here's what the King of Bullies had to say.
"In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids," he told Salon. Wow. My first thought was... My second thought was... He's never had his eight-year-old come home in tears because another kid teased him in front of the rest of the class. What is wrong with this dude? What he doesn't realize is that he's made himself the ultimate loser. Shame on you, Mr. Shame on you for perpetuating the bully on the playground mentality, in the online community and with our youth. Since when does being thin make someone a good person?
I was an outcast. I was the girl you singled out in your comments, Mr. But believe me, they hear it. However, I hope they hear this too. Don't listen to the haters. Barbie vs. Real Women: Artist Shows Shocking Differences | Photo Gallery. The tragic irony of feminists trashing each other | Jill Filipovic. Is sisterhood sacred or soul-crushing? Within the feminist movement, the answer is less clear than one might hope. Trashing each other and exclusion have been hallmarks since the movement began, and each generation of feminist activists seems to suffer the same in-fighting. But contrary to simplistic ideas about catty, back-stabbing women, feminists don't fight each other because women are uniquely competitive or cruel.
Though we care about the movement, it happens because we've internalized a narrative of scarcity: we act as though we're fighting for crumbs. In her recent New Yorker article about the life of the feminist pioneer Shulamith Firestone, Susan Faludi details how the Women's Liberation Movement of the 1960s and 70s fractured. She quotes a line from Ti-Grace Atkinson's resignation from a New York feminist group: Sisterhood is powerful. It seems that no one walked away unscathed, and today, little has changed. "It is not done to expose disagreements or resolve differences. Spare Rib magazine to be relaunched by Charlotte Raven. Journalist Charlotte Raven is planning to relaunch the radical feminist magazine Spare Rib as early as next month. Raven, a Guardian contributor and one of the founder editors of the now defunct Modern Review, has written to friends and potential backers outlining plans to relaunch the magazine as a glossy new title and a free-to-access website with the tagline "Life not lifestyle".
In the email Raven says she and her supporters have raised the £6,000 needed to launch phase one of the Spare Rib website in May but that an additional £20,000 is required to launch a bimonthly print magazine this autumn. Backers will be treated to a glamorous Shoreditch party where "costumed penitents", including the columnist Rod Liddle and MP George Galloway, will serve cocktails, Raven adds. "We're looking for a commitment of £100 or more from prominent supporters who are as frustrated as we are by the PR and celebrity-filled women's magazines and long for an alternative," she writes. Margaret Thatcher: The anti-feminist.
Jezebel: Celebrity, Sex, Fashion for Women. Without Airbrushing. Fifty Shades of Feminism needs you! - Virago Books. Hathaway hate theories: Do women dislike girlish women because we hate girls? Photo by Adrian Sanchez-Gonzalez/AFP/Getty Images Sasha Weiss of The New Yorker has the latest entry in the seemingly endless rounds of backlash against Anne Hathaway. It is strange enough that it won’t get lost in the mix, a credo that ends up insulting the actress Weiss purports to defend.
Weiss proposes that Hathaway is disliked because she acts like a little girl, and Americans have an irrational hatred of little girls. She describes Hathaway as resembling "a nine-year-old girl about to dig into a big slice of birthday cake" and, evoking the 1994 best-seller Reviving Ophelia, construes this prepubescent era as "a small window of time when girls have that mien of utter at-homeness in the world.
" Hathaway's supposed girl-in-a-grown-woman's-body behavior at the 2013 Oscars is contrasted with other actresses of the night. Amanda Marcotte is a Brooklyn-based writer and DoubleX contributor. Follow Let’s take a quick survey of the people who were applauded for their red-carpet performances. Your Vagina Isn't Just Too Big, Too Floppy, and Too Hairy—It's Also Too Brown. New Book Cover For Sylvia Plath's 'The Bell Jar' Stirs Sexism Debate (VOTE) - The Huffington Post. By now you may have heard about publisher Faber's new book cover for The Bell Jar, and the fact a lot of people aren't exactly thrilled with it. The new sleeve, below, features a young woman applying makeup in a small mirror and was released to mark the 50th anniversary of Sylvia Plath's semi-autobiographical novel.
Most of the criticism has came from people who feel Faber have made The Bell Jar look like just another piece of 'chick-lit', and in doing so have trivialised a classic piece of modern fiction. Feminist blog Jezebel raged: "For a book all about a woman's clinical depression that's exacerbated by the suffocating gender stereotypes of which she's expected to adhere and the limited life choices she has as a woman, it's pretty … stupid to feature a low-rent retro wannabe pinup applying makeup.
" The London Review of Books, meanwhile, simply called the cover "silly". What do you think? Have you say below. The battle against 'sexist' sci-fi and fantasy book covers. Science fiction and fantasy novels routinely portray scantily clad woman on their covers - a device that draws the heterosexual male eye but may turn away women readers. Lynsea Garrison finds one fantasy author aiming to zap gender stereotypes. Jim Hines straddles the remnants of a defeated alien species (a table), and clasps a pistol (a toy gun) as he triumphantly raises a cyborg's head (a toaster).
Sometimes he fights battles alongside his romantic interest (a large teddy bear). But no matter the mission, Hines shows some flesh. Just because he is waging a war, it does not mean he cannot be alluring at the same time, right? Hines, a fantasy author, is posing like some of the female characters on science fiction and fantasy book covers he says objectify women. He gets into character by twisting his body into the same contorted positions as the female characters on the books. "The way women are portrayed is just so ridiculous, so often, you just stop seeing it," Hines says. Objectifying Women: Why Cameron Diaz Is Wrong - The Huffington Post.
Sex work and Porn. BUST Magazine. Gender Studies. Why I'm All For The End Of Marriage. Suzanne Turner responds to a recent New York Times piece, which makes an argument to detach religious/cultural marital norms from civil unions. Have you heard? It’s not only the end of men. It’s ALSO the end of marriage. Interwebs rejoice, a new invented controversy to get us all hot and bothered. Folks, let’s get real. And now, thanks to MIT Media Lab, there’s a wonderful warm jacket that expands and “hugs” the wearer when prompted by someone else on the Internet.
So into this perfect storm wades Laurie Shrage with this weekend’s New York Times piece called “The End of Marriage.” Well, why not? I’m all for it, with one caveat. I’m totally digging the idea of a civil union enforcement unit. Shrage argues, with complete academic detachment, that the church can still oversee traditional marriage type unions, but the state is only responsible for economic units. Then maybe Mama would have time to get laid. Related Links: Feminism. Why Men Need Feminism (Really, You Do!) This one’s for you, guys. Assuming you don’t believe in the common myths about feminism, you still may think that feminism is all about women’s issues, reproductive rights, celebrating femininity…pregnancy…motherhood…PMS…boobies…vaginas…who knows. You may have thought: “I can’t be a feminist. I’m a dude.” “I support women’s rights, but feminism is not really my thing.” “My life isn’t really affected much by feminism.”
Well, I’ve got news for you! Even though women are oppressed in many ways that men are not (let me be clear about this: in many, many, many ways), the system of traditional gender roles that we live in harms ALL people. This includes you. Don’t think so? Have you ever felt: Insecure because your body wasn’t big enough, strong enough, or slim enough? If even one or two of these is true, then you need feminism. Why Feminism Helps Men Feminism is about changing the gender roles, sexual norms, and sexist practices that limit you and punish you when whenever you deviate from them.
How To Accidentally Raise A Feminist Daughter. Emily Heist Moss’ father wasn’t actively trying to raise a feminist daughter, but by always being on her side, that’s exactly what he did. My dad has always been my number one fan, so vocal in his admiration and praise that I’m often forced to pull the classic teen maneuver, an eye-roll and a “Dad, please. You’re embarrassing me.” He was the loudest and most positive parent at every sporting event, he writes the most effusive birthday cards, and he regularly comments on my blog with emoticons and dozens of exclamation points.
A happy daughter, I know he wanted. Healthy, smart, successful in whatever my chosen field should be, these were all goals he has articulated as far back as I can remember. But feminist? Here’s how to accidentally raise a feminist daughter: Step 1. There’s no quicker way to produce a third-wave feminist than to marry a second-waver, which my mother most certainly is. When I read essay after essay about “having it all”—is it possible for anyone?
Related Links: The 12-Year-Old Slut Meme and Facebook's Misogyny Problem - The Huffington Post. David Willetts’ blaming of feminism for male working class unemployment reveals the inner workings of the Tory mind: a hatred of the agency of women and the suspicion of progressive movements. Why "fun feminism" should be consigned to the rubbish bin. Leia: Feminist Icon or Sexist Trope? Disney Buys Star Wars: A New Hope for Women and Girls.