February 15, 2010

Happy birthday, Susan B.

Filed under: Featured Feminist,Politics — Tags: , , — Melanie @ 1:49 pm

The tireless activist that fought on behalf of the abolitionist movement, helped lead the suffrage movement, and worked with the temperance movement to ban alcohol as a way to decrease domestic violence was born on February 15, 1820.

I appreciate her steadfastness, conviction and courage. She is a shining example to all of us.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Susan!

susan_b_anthony_11

February 9, 2010

Women to follow

Three of my favorite women on twitter were just named among the “20 Inspiring Women to Follow on Twitter” by Forbes.com.

@harrislacewell: Melissa Harris-Lacewell is a professor of politics and African American studies at Princeton University. She’s a regular on MSNBC and a contributor to The Nation. Her Twitter feed revolves around politics and gender, race and religion.

@jennpozner: Jennifer Pozner is the founder and executive director of Women In Media & News, a nonprofit aimed at increasing women’s presence and power in the public debate through media analysis, education, advocacy and reform. She’s a progressive feminist and activist, and tweets along those lines.

@ShelbyKnox: Shelby Knox began her career as the 15-year-old star of the PBS documentary The Education of Shelby Knox, which was about her battle against conservatives in her hometown of Lubbock, Texas, to exchange abstinence-only education for more comprehensive sex ed. Now all grown up, she continues to express her views.

Congratulations. Be sure to check out all these rockin and tweetin women.

May 20, 2009

Purity and virginity

Filed under: Gender,Media,Politics,Sexuality — Tags: , , , — Melanie @ 5:58 pm

Here’s an interview with Jessica Valenti of Feministing.com on our culture’s obsession with virginity (remember Natalie Dylan and her virginity auction?).

Valenti takes on the many ways that a woman’s morality and personal worth are tied to her sexual purity — from abstinence-only education to blaming rape victims, honor killings to finger-wagging over hookup culture. She points the finger of blame back at conservatives and argues that it’s the myth of virginity, not “Girls Gone Wild,” that’s hurting this generation of young women. Those two competing influences have more in common than some might think: Both teach women that their most valuable commodity is their sexuality.

May 10, 2009

I have a crush…

…on Michelle Obama and her arms.

As the controversy on “the right to bear arms” that I blogged about on April 1 rages on…


…I love that she wore another sleeveless number to the Annual White House Correspondents Dinner and stayed true to herself.

Forget the flowers: Support working mommas and families

Filed under: Event,Gender,Politics,Violence — Tags: , , , , , — Melanie @ 1:20 pm

I love Stephanie Coontz and I’m glad she blogged on the lack of childcare today.  Lets not even begin talking about maternity leave in this country.

Family values? Valuing the family means supporting families across the country.

Here’s a thought for a Mother’s Day gift that would go beyond the complimentary flowers passed out by restaurants and the complementary speeches churned out by politicians every May: Affordable childcare that is operated in accord with high-quality national standards.

It’s a gift long overdue. In 1971 the House and Senate overwhelmingly passed a Comprehensive Child Development Act to provide quality child care for working parents. The bill mandated extensive training for child care workers and strict standards, written and enforced with extensive input from parents. But on December 9, 1971, President Nixon vetoed the bill, declaring that publicly-provided child care would be “a long leap into the dark” that might weaken American families.

Since then, American families have indeed taken a “long leap” into an unanticipated world. Forty-five years ago, just 14 percent of working women who bore a child returned to work by the baby’s first birthday. Today, 83 percent of working moms do, 70 percent of them at the same hours they worked before the child’s birth.


May 7, 2009

Fighting homophobia with misogyny

Filed under: Gender,Media,Politics,Sexuality — Tags: , , — Melanie @ 3:31 pm

This was a great piece over at Feministing.

April 28, 2009

Truth honored

Sojourner Truth, the tireless abolitionist and suffragette, will be honored in the U.S. Capitol. Truth’s famous speech, “Ain’t I a Woman,” examined the dynamics of race, class and gender as intersecting axes of analysis and questioned the dominant image of femininity which was limited to the most elite, white women in society at that time. She was tall, recognizable figured and a gifted orater that shook the order of the day and inspired thousands.

In the words of Truth, 1851:

Well, children, where there is so much racket there must be something out of kilter. I think that ‘twixt the negroes of the South and the women at the North, all talking about rights, the white men will be in a fix pretty soon. But what’s all this here talking about?

That man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere. Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place! And ain’t I a woman? Look at me! Look at my arm! I have ploughed and planted, and gathered into barns, and no man could head me! And ain’t I a woman? I could work as much and eat as much as a man – when I could get it – and bear the lash as well! And ain’t I a woman? I have borne thirteen children, and seen most all sold off to slavery, and when I cried out with my mother’s grief, none but Jesus heard me! And ain’t I a woman?

Then they talk about this thing in the head; what’s this they call it? [member of audience whispers, “intellect”] That’s it, honey. What’s that got to do with women’s rights or negroes’ rights? If my cup won’t hold but a pint, and yours holds a quart, wouldn’t you be mean not to let me have my little half measure full?

Then that little man in black there, he says women can’t have as much rights as men, ’cause Christ wasn’t a woman! Where did your Christ come from? Where did your Christ come from? From God and a woman! Man had nothing to do with Him.

If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these women together ought to be able to turn it back , and get it right side up again! And now they is asking to do it, the men better let them.

Obliged to you for hearing me, and now old Sojourner ain’t got nothing more to say.

As Michelle Obama said:

“One could only imagine what Sojourner Truth, an outspoken, tell-it-like-it-is kind of woman — what she would have to say about this incredible gathering,” first lady Michelle Obama said at the Celebration of Truth ceremony. “We are all here because, as my husband says time and time again, we stand on the shoulders of giants like Sojourner Truth.”

What an incredible legacy!

April 1, 2009

The woman is armed (and, apparently, possibly dangerous)

Filed under: Body Image,Gender,Media,Politics — Tags: , , , , , — Melanie @ 9:10 pm

I came across this interesting piece in the Los Angeles Times a few days ago. It explores the reaction Michelle Obama has received for her propensity to reveal her arms. The reaction has been mixed and numerous. The debate brings about issues about femininity and the beauty norm.

Here are a few excerpts:

First Lady Michelle Obama stands tall and regal in her official portrait, a double strand of creamy pearls around her neck, her figure clad in a fitted Michael Kors dress. But there’s one aspect of this seemingly benign photograph that’s causing something of a commotion, and it lies in that exposed 10-inch-or-so stretch between her shoulder and elbow. The first lady is buff, and she’s not afraid to show it.

Her curvy biceps have become something of a lightning rod for remarks from both sexes in a larger discussion of how much female muscle constitutes too much. While some praise Obama as a role model in a world gone obese, others say she’s gone too far in displaying the fruit of her workouts. Read one online forum comment: “There is nothing uglier than manly, muscular arms on a woman. Mrs. Obama should be hiding them instead of showing them off.”

Why do we care so much? The issue speaks volumes about how men and women view the parameters of femininity and strength.

“In some ways it’s kind of an old, tired way of thinking about women and power and boundary policing — when you can display that power and when you can’t, or when it’s appropriate,” says Sarah Banet-Weiser, an associate professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

For Obama (who told People magazine she hits the gym almost every day), the decision to wear sleeveless designs that show off her physique sends a strong message, says Janet Lee, deputy editor of Shape magazine. “If she was at all self-conscious about her body, she wouldn’t put it out there.” And that may be intimidating and unsettling to some who are used to seeing first ladies more covered up.

From the get go, Michelle Obama has brought a new vision of femininity to the public forefront, one that is confronting and challenging to many and a sigh of welcomed relief to many others.  Personally,  I like it and I like her arms.

March 19, 2009

Go,Meghan!

Laura Ingraham slams Meghan McCain for her weight and Meghan McCain fires back on The View. I am digging Meghan McCain.  Focus on what she has to say, not her ass.

See below.
Laura Ingraham to Meghan McCain:

Meghan fires back:

March 12, 2009

What Chris Brown can teach us

The bottom line is that Chris Brown’s assault on Rihanna the eve before the Grammy’s is a teachable moment.  The couple has been a media staple as a couple and individually as mainstream musical icons.  No matter what we think about the media and it’s passion for celebrity lifestyles, the media’s coverage helps construct reality and influence public opinion on a range of issues.

In the same way the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson brought domestic violence to the forefront, Chris Brown’s violent assault reminds us that domestic violence can happen to anyone at any time.

Our society’s tolerance of women being battered is glaringly obvious from the statistics:

  • 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime
  • One third of female murder victims are killed by their intimate partner
  • Men’s violence against women is the No. 1 cause of injury to women—surpassing even car accidents.
  • Most cases of domestic violence are never reported to police.

Yet women stay in these relationships . Do they have some sort of mental illness? No, Smith tells me. It’s a social behavioral problem on the part of the victim and the abuser, not a psychiatric disorder. “The crux of the problem is that violence is something the perpetrator uses to get control of the other person. [An abuser] may also isolate the woman from her family and friends so she feels like he’s the only one she can rely on.” Of course, financially strapped women, especially those with kids, might have a hard time breaking away, and some justifiably worry that they’ll be killed if they do. Rihanna doesn’t seem to be in this situation, but Smith says it’s often hard for a woman to simply break the emotional bond with the person she’s still in love with.

There has been a growing awareness of domestic violence in recent years. One men’s organization, A Call to Men, is working to change men’s attitudes through education. The group sent out a press release saying that “possibly much of what [Chris Brown] has learned is unfortunately, from the collective body of men, which continues to teach our boys that male dominance, control, privilege, and entitlement is the correct way to behave.”

As stated above, the couple’s rumored reconciliation is another teachable moment.  Oprah has taken this event and utilized her own celebrity and access to the cultural mainstream to send strong messages about the prevalence and pattern of domestic violence and the danger of reconciling with one’s abuser

“And also, love doesn’t hurt. I’ve been saying this to women for years: ‘If a man hits you once, he will hit you again.’ “

Oprah clearly understand the power of both Chris Brown’s and Rihanna’s actions and their influence and impact on young fans.

“It makes me so sad that I said to the producers, ‘I want to do a show about it this week dedicated to all the Rihanna’s of the world,’ ” Winfrey said, citing a statistic that one out of four women in the country are battered.

Sitting at the table with Winfrey, Gayle King echoed her friend’s sentiments while she also weighed in about the pop stars’ relationship.

“My thing about this is, if you guys want to get back together, I’m okay with that, but at least take some time,” she said. “I’m so worried that she’s sending the wrong message to the fans. And him, too.”

On her website, Oprah, posted “A Parent’s Guide to Teen Dating Violence.”

The media and it’s celebrities can influence us for better or worse.  I hope more media outlets and media figures utilize this tragic moment as a reality check and a teachable moment for young fans.

Sadly, the coverage by Cosmo Girl! was severely lacking in depth.

This is some pretty sad news to start the week off with, but it is certainly worthy of talking about. Perez tells us that Chris Brown was arrested after a pre-Grammy party on Saturday night for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend Rihanna. Apparently the couple was arguing in their car when it turned physical and she ended up at the hospital in tears with “contusions and bites.” Brown turned himself in to police the next day, posted $50,000 bail and was released. Both he and Rihanna backed out of the Grammy’s the day of. That is just so sad (we even named them one of the Best Couples of 2008), arguments with your significant other should never turn violent. We wish Rihanna the best and for Chris to get help.

The rest of the “article” discussed the Grammy’s various performers.

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