Feminism

"Prejudices are what fools use for reason." - VoltaireI'm usually a huge fan of Tracie Egan, editor of Jezebel and lascivious blogger, best known for writing about her very intimate experiences. She's a cross between Cynthia Heimel, Erica Jong, and Tucker Max - if he were actually intelligent and witty. I enjoy her writing, and I even had her blog listed in my blog roll. She's dirty, funny, and h

When I was a kid I loved reading books with adventures and travels. Sometimes I would try to picture myself as the protagonist in the story, but immediately something would go wrong. Almost every time, the person having the adventure was male, all the people around him were male. If there were females in the story, they were the people who stayed at camp, that were missed, that were returned hom

This one is GOOD. Since I've been spread too thin to get into essay mode, I'll turn you on to this one from Racialicious. Thea Lim hits the tension between feminism and race head on.No comments here people. It's just a repost, so take them to Racialicious.com.Whose Feminism? by Guest Contributor Thea Lim For the past few months, I’ve felt agitated and short-tempered most of the time

Thought the days of fighting for women's equality were long gone? Think again. The NY Times ran an article today detailing the increased number of hymen restoration operations in Europe preserving women's, particularly Muslim women's, virginity.I have no problem with a religion's reverence of virginity until marriage. Christianity shares this with Islam. But I do object to it being used as weapon

I can’t help but be a bit amused by this week’s evaluations of Hillary Clinton’s Saturday speech, in part because they fit a very old pattern, and in part because they fit a brand new one. I am hearing two themes: 1) It was the best speech she has ever given, and 2) it was the first time she sounded like a feminist. To the first point, it may or may not have been her best speech (though it w

In this video the guy is exposing his arguments about the feminism, and it was a quite sticking for me to hear all this. His statements intrigued me a great deal and made me look for the proofs and veracity of what he was saying here - on the other places on-line. So my research proved that he was right about the most of the things he was saying. I did not check it all, but most of it. Wow,

June 3, 2008 will go into the annals of political history as the date on which an inexperienced and unqualified young black man from Illinois wrestled control of the national Democrat Party away from an aging feminist and her morally corrupt spouse. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Democrats Pass Torch to New Generation, Feminism Vanquished!", url: "-pass-torch-generation-feminism-vanquished/" });

A young woman passes in a sleeveless shirt and a knee-length skirt, her hair flowing down her back. Another woman of the same age follows in a loose tunic and pants, the Islamic headscarf covering every strand of her hair. An older woman wears the traditional djellaba, a long outer robe with full sleeves, her hair in a bun. Some women wear the strictest Islamic dress, covering themselves in black

By Harold Meyerson Clinton’s Two-State Two-Step: Making Florida and Michigan’s delegates a cause for democracy and feminism makes a mockery of both. Columnist - Harold Meyerson On Saturday, when the Rules Committee of the Democratic National Committee meets to determine the fate of Florida and Michigan’s delegations to this summer’s convention, it will have some company. A

The Point of FeminismAn interdisciplinary one-day conference looking at issues relating to feminism and media scholarshipUniversity of Reading12 September 2008The publicized closure of 'Women's Studies' departments at an institutional level coupled with 'post' feminist discourses and the perceived irrelevance of feminism in neo-liberal societies, all indicate the social and political need to (re)visit feminisms. The aim of the conference is to reach a better understanding of issues facing scholars of media, and to situate these issues within a broader historical, institutional, political, social and cultural context.We are inviting proposals for an interdisciplinary (film, new/media, cultural, and communications studies) one-day conference at the University of Reading. The day will take th

Feminism is concerned with gender inequalities in society and the equal rights for women. This encases social, cultural and political movements, theories and moral philosophies that affect women in everyday life. Feminism also takes up the fight against other forms of discrimination. Some feminists argue that "gendered and sexed identities, such as 'man' and 'woman' are social constructs, meaning that some gender roles are socially conditioned rather than innate." For many people the feminist movement came in three waves starting from the 19th century to the present day. The first wave occurred between the 19th and early 20th centuries, starting in the United Kingdom and United States. Their main concerns were with equal contract and property rights for women. The Suffrage movement bega

Radical feminism state that the defining feature of women’s oppression is the societies, sexist and capitalist hierarchy.The movement believe that only the eradication of our patriarchy society will give women true equality.The radical identifies that the only way to rid society of patriarchy is to attack the causes of the problems and also to address the fundamental components of society that support them.The radical feminists ideology is, "A male-based authority and power structure and that it is responsible for oppression and equality, and that as long as the system and its values are in place, and society will not be able to be reformed in any significant way."The feminist identified other oppression that is apparent in a patriarchal society. The oppression is also based on gender

Liberal Feminism has been called the mainstream form of feminism out of all the sub types.It is said that liberal feminism is an individualistic form, concentrating on women having the ability to maintain their equality through being responsible for their own actions and choices.The ideology of the liberal feminist is that women will transform society, through their own personal interactions with the opposite sex.The liberal feminist believes "All women are capable of asserting their ability to achieve equality, therefore it is possible for change to happen without altering the structure of society."The liberal feminist also believe that the equality of men and women can only be achieved by changes being brought through political and legal reform. They want the eradication of institutio

Crosscurrents in Feminism: Building Coalitions, Sharing Knowledges and Pedagogies, Shaping NetworksCCCC Feminism Workshop; San FranciscoWorkshop: Wednesday March 11th, 2009CCCC ConferenceMarch 11th-14th of Workshop:The 2002 anthology Disciplining Feminism: From Social Activism to Academic Discourse suggests that the divide that has persisted in feminist scholarship between activism and intellectualism results from divergent ways of defining change-- change as something to be debated or shaped. These discussions have often highlighted the disjuncture between various feminist groups and forms of feminism within the academy, as well as the uneasy relationship between academics and activism. Such disjunctures, however, are also productive and can signal the ways in which academia and the commu

Beginning this summer British universities will no longer offer an undergraduate degree in women’s studies. Critics argue the reason was dwindling interest with students finding the subject of feminism and the struggle for equality, “predictable, tiresome and dreary” while others claim it was the universities fault for under promoting the studies program and students who [...]

Beginning this summer British universities will no longer offer an undergraduate degree in women's studies.Critics argue the reason was dwindling interest with students finding the subject of feminism and the struggle for equality, "predictable, tiresome and dreary" while others claim it was the universities fault for under promoting the studies program and students who preferred to pay tuition for courses which actually helped them obtain a degree in the job market."[Taking] women's studies as a separate course may not feel as relevant to women who go to university to help them enter the job market," said Jean Edelstein, an author and journalist. "As the feminist movement has become increasingly associated with extreme thoughts, women who may have previously been interested in women's st

Here is an article that was shared with me recently… Learning Curve Feminism is a funny thing… For some it may mean that women need to be completely independent, need to work, not have kids and not go into any other role than the independent womyn figure that would never trust a man if her life depended on [...]

© Mrs. Flinger 2007. I’ve been rolling around ideals about my identity for some time now. Struggling with my decision to stay at home. Struggling with the images I put in my daughter’s head. Struggling with a place for a strong, empowered woman in a traditional home context. I’m educated, I’m strong, I’m willful. I’m also a woman who cries, gets irrational and stays home to clean the house and care for her children. And I no longer think these things are mutually exclusive. I’ve recently started reading The Red Tent and find the role of women almost empowering. The community of females working together to care for the families; The work, actual hard labor, it requires to be in this role of caregiver: That alone is empowering. But to fi

In honor of our first potential woman President (get out and vote, by the way), here are some great contributions from sPat showing us that "they've come a long way, baby."That's swell reasoning. Oh, no you don't! You won't die until you've sat out a prison sentence in a jail cel! After the completion of your State-imposed incarceration, I suppose you are free to die. I may even be obliged to kill you. We'll see what the Supreme Court says. It's not like I know anything about the law, but I think Luthor's life-term sentence ended when he died (hence the term). Unless you can get a fresh sentence on Luthor for something he commits after you bring him back to life, I think he can give you the finger and walk away.___________________________________I.... have no idea what he just said.

Who are the gutsy women, who aren’t afraid to stand in the face of feminism and talk about their feminine experience, via the provocative art of cheesecake? Pinup art is typically thought of as a “boy’s art”. Many don’t even realize, that the sexy eye-candy, in the picture, was created by a woman. This post is dedicated to the fine female artists of pinup art. They are rare and few, but they

"Women's rights" is no longer a strange term in these days. Even though it continues to develop in many parts of modern society, it has been accepted more than it was previously. Acceptance of "Women's rights" with its serious considerations and activities has developed considerably in the twentieth century. Within the span of human history before that time, women did not belong to the category of human beings. Women, who were as men's possessions, did not have any rights of politics or finance. Women in that time belonged within men's boundary. Assertion of women's rights by women was treated as madness. Men, even though with progressive ideas, like John Locke, shared the same view regarding women's matters.Mary Wollstonecraft was the first woman who claimed that women are also humans hav

I know what you might all be thinking- and it's ok. Really, I understand. I'm willing to deal with the flood of praise and/or hate mail that comes from allowing a woman to blog on this site. You see, out of the droves of fan mail I've received, people are always sending me resumes, writing samples and the like. I usually roll them up and smoke them- with tobacco products. But, this one particular girl was very persistent, and I've decided to let her voice be heard to the world. Here is the first thing she sent me. An Angry Girl's Toilet In life, there will always be those 1 or 2 (maybe 12) guys who test out your goodies 5, 6, 7, maybe 8 times, then throw you to the curb. But fortunately for us ladies- there's a little something I like to call, Revenge of the Nerd. I was a young girl. Maybe 16? Small, sweet, and naive. I don't remember where I met him or how he sweet talked his way into intruding on my love flower, but he did- over and over again. And that's not t

As the Spice Girls embark on their wholly gratuitous world tour, the timing of a recent piece in the Daily Mail (U.K.) is flawless. The article's provocative thesis - that the Spice Girls killed feminism (along with subverting morality and embarrassing England) - is the stuff of more interrogatives than declaratives, save one that I will state at the outset.The author's passion and reasoning notwithstanding, the Spice Girls did not kill feminism, but rather they are its prey.As Faye Weldon points out in her piece, "the idea that girls should take charge of their own sexuality" as espoused by the perfectly sexual Spice Girls seemed empowering, but in reality it was hardly novel. Indeed, women embracing a male sexual stereotype was part and parcel of second-wave feminism as manifest in the United States and presumably elsewhere.The appreciation of the new feminist ideal flowed directly from its attractive package; the promise of feminist author Erica Jong's "zipless fuck" appealed equ

This is one of my all-time favorite poems, written by a woman named Marge Piercy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.What's That Smell in the KitchenAll over America women are burning dinners.It's lambchops in Peoria; it's haddockin Providence; it's steak in Chicago;tofu delight in Big Sur; redrice and beans in Dallas.All over America women are burningfood they're supposed to bring with calicosmile on platters glittering like wax.Anger sputters in her brainpan, confinedbut spewing out missiles of hot fat.Carbonized despair presses like a clinkerfrom a barbecue against the back of her eyes.If she wants to grill anything, it'sher husband spitted over a slow fire.If she wants to serve him anythingit's a dead rat with a bomb in its bellyticking like the heart of an insomniac.Her life is cooked and digested,nothing but leftovers in Tupperware.Look, she says, once I was roast duckon your platter with parsley but now I am Spam.Burning dinner is not incompetence but war.- Marge Piercy1

Jackson Katz: the new voice of feminism Former leader of the institute football team, frequenter of strip clubs and all-round king of the jocks, Jackson Katz now campaigns full time against the macho culture he believes causes thus plenteous vehemence towards women. He tells Christopher Turner why the idea of sexual equality in the West is still ‘a fantasy’ Is Jackson Katz the most right-ward individual in America? He refers to himself like ‘individual of America’s leading anti-sexist staminate activists’. A stocky ex-jock and former institute American football actor, he is likewise a militant feminist - albeit individual accompanying Tom Ford stubble and a balding head. (Read the full post about ‘Jackson Katz: the new voice of feminism’…)

Just 10 minutes ago i stumbled upon a site called dNeero, where they are conducting a survey about Feminism. Well i am not actually a feminist but i tried answering it as i know that until now there are many who are still fighting for equality between women and men.I can say that at least women now are given equality in their workplace as they can now be promoted to high positions in a company. And some even have the highest positions like CEO and President.Even in politics, more and more women are entering and winning beating their men opponents.Here in the Philippines, our President is a woman.And women now are becoming so independent that sometimes some of them do not want to get married but just want have a son or a daughter. As they think that men will just ruin their lives.Hmmm..I want to know your thoughts and opinions about this issue especially if you are a girl like me or a woman. What ever you want to be called.And if you are a guy, well you can still share us your thoughts

by: Dr. Sam Vaknin "[In]... the brothels off Wenceslas Square, in central Prague, [where] sexual intercourse can be bought for USD 25 - about half the price charged at a German brothel... Slav women...

Naturally, I will choose the independent stance on most issues. Most of the time, it’s smart and safe to be in a position that is not bias; unfortunately, I look at feminism similar to how I look at religion, I am harsh and sometimes offensive. I have strong views but I still hold an independent stance. It really depends on the context of the feminism though. When dealing with insane feminist extremists, I am much more hostile and offensive. Think of me as a militant agnostic, but for feminism. That being said, I will explain how I view feminism and hopefully you will agree with some of my points and get offended by others. First, there are multiple levels of feminism for multiple types of the feminist views. I support most views and oppose many others. There are the radical feminists, true feminists, independents, and anti-feminists. I fall somewhere between “true feminist” and “independent”… on good days. When I think of a radical extremist femin

Feminist activists have been concerned with issues such as a woman’s right of contract and property, a woman’s right to bodily integrity and autonomy (especially on matters such as reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care); for protection from domestic violence; against sexual harassment and rape; for workplace [...]

Feminist activists have been concerned with issues such as a woman’s right of contract and property, a woman’s right to bodily integrity and autonomy (especially on matters such as reproductive rights, including the right to abortion, access to contraception and quality prenatal care); for protection from domestic violence; against sexual harassment and rape; for workplace [...]

Call for PapersWe are now accepting proposals for:Console-ing Passions:A Conference on Television, Audio, Video, New Media, and FeminismApril 24-26, 2008 - Santa Barbara, CaliforniaFounded by a group of feminist media scholars and artists, Console-ing Passions works to create collegial spaces for new work and scholarship on culture and identity in television and related media, with an emphasis on gender and sexuality.Since the early 1990s, Console-ing Passions conferences have featured new research on feminist perspectives, including race and ethnicity, post-colonialism, queer studies, globalization, national identity, television genres, the social and cultural study of new media, the historical development of media, and an ongoing feminist concern with gender dynamics in the production and consumption of electronic media.Our consideration of television, digital, and aural media comes at a pivotal moment of political, social, cultural, and technological transformation. Key among our c

The other day I was reading this post by Mad Momma. Her writings are usually about her children and she is into serious writing unlike mine – Stupid Writing. Never have I thought that I would one day start thinking! ( if you have clicked that link, read the Die Hard Portion) So what is this Post all about? It’s about MEN. Now stop thinking its one another failed flirt story of this poor bee! This post is about those Men who are becoming more fashionable than ever. And some more tips to make them LOVELY! Blame it on Abhishek who has grown his hair and wears a band! Or Blame it on Vijayakanth and Vadivelu for their openness in wearing lipstick. In the contest of looking more gorgeous, sexy fashionable AB is being closely followed by SRK. Ahem! Vijayakanth and Vadivelu still cannot beat the man who mastered in Lipsticks. It’s none other than our Village James Bond Ramarajan. Look at the pic above: S.J Suryah is known to give a tough time to all ladies around! Stop Being Cro

Sue Wilkinson, 53, a university professor, was married for 17 years before the relationship ended in divorce. She has now been with her female partner, Celia Kitzinger for the same length of time. The couple married in 2003 in Canada, where same-sex unions are legal. Last year they lost a High Court battle to have [...]

Let me preface this essay by giving a little background about myself. I belong to an exceptional demographic in America in that every adult woman in my immediate and extended family, going back to my grandmothers’ generation, holds a postgraduate degree. Secondly, I was raised in a household where feminism is a rarely spoken but vital organizing principle of how my parents’ marriage works - both of them are professionals, they divide responsibilities equally, and mutual esteem and respect are rock-solid between them. So now let me ask two questions: 1. Why is it that most of my female friends who are my age, all of whom are ambitious women with strong personalities and high self-esteem, would be reluctant to define themselves as feminists? 2. What is the proper attitude for young men to hold toward feminism in 2007? What is Feminism? The other day, in a very strange web-surfing session, I stumbled onto two fascinating discussions almost one after another. The first was a

I was looking at some of the crap I continually receive from my alma mater. For the most part, all of this is thinly veiled solicitation, but occasionally something of interest pops up.Apparently there is talk of all-gender restrooms and locker rooms. I looked into this and have found the issue seems to be a pretty big deal on a lot of college campuses--although it remains pretty much talk-- so far only implemented in single user bathrooms.I'm not sure how I feel about this. While I believe that clothing optional beaches should be the norm, it is my understanding that men's locker rooms smell like piss and sweat.But I think women might be able to learn something from men. I have the impression that men's locker rooms are a place of, albeit juvenile, camaraderie. There is plenty of towel snapping and tall tail tale swapping. I suppose this makes some men uncomfortable, like the metro sexual inclined, but it is better than what I have seen in a lifetime of women's locker rooms.On nu

Eric Pritchard and Maria Bibbs moderated "Hip-Hop As A Movement Week's" discussion re: hip-hop and homophobia--during which, the comp/rhet PhD students mentioned their writing in the Home Girls Make Some Noise anthology. More on the book and the discussion later, but I figured I'd mention that while Eric had yet to receive his own galley copy of the book. Room of One's Own had 10 9 copies of the anthology available, as of Wednesday, and that photocopies ...

Welcome to my blog. I want this blog to be about my relationship with feminism. I've just kind of started thinking about what feminism means to me and the role I want to play in it. I don't think gender roles are anything carved in stone, but they should be created specific to people.Comment if you want and I'll link to you!

Roberta Smith writing in the New York Times poses the question ‘is there such a thing as feminist art?’ Commenting on the ‘Global Feminisms’ exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum Roberta poses some interesting (and perhaps long overdue) questions as she probes a subject not without it’s umm, controversial elements!Personally I dislike ‘isms’ almost as much as I loath most kinds of labels. To pigeon hole something is to limit it or to stamp upon it some manner of maker’s seal of approval. Of course there is plenty of art influenced by feminine thinking just as there is art inspired by love and sex. Yet we don’t refer to such as sex or love art or perhaps lovism!However this is not to decry the quality nor the impact of much of the art featured. Some of these images (which includes the above work from the disturbing "Bind" series of 2001 by Ryoko Suzuki) brilliantly succeed in shocking the onlooker which in turn acts to focus our attention on an issue too readily swept from

Excuse me for lacking my usual sardonic wit. But I want to make a point. And I really would like to share this with you . It relates to the theme of sexism, which I have been thinking about today. And is the first blog I will be doing for Blog Against Sexism Day(it is also International Women's Day).I describe myself as a post-modern feminist, etc. Most of academia would now use the term Third Wave feminism. However, I take the core concept of feminism very seriously, despite my general inability to remain serious for more than a split second.I also do not denigrate the work of my mother’s generation in advancing women’s rights. We haven’t gone far enough in that direction. There should be an Equal Rights Amendment. It shouldn’t be necessary—but the Supreme Court and the federal courts generally, have not shown themselves capable of recognizing the need to closely scrutinize discrimination against women. Madam Psychosis has a good discussion of why we need the ERA.The wo

Jane Caputi discusses the ritual sacrifice of women and uses the example of Marc Lépine who on December 6, 1989, “entered the college of engineering at the University of Montreal, separated out the women from the men, and then fired on the women, killing fourteen of them, because, as he averred, they were ‘all fucking feminists’ (175).[i] Animosity towards women and feminists in general is not new. While many people would argue that things are better today than they were in the past, the truth is that society does not take women and women’s issues, as much as they are popularized and glamorized by media, as seriously as they should be. Authors like Mary Daly, Nancy Tuana, and Gerda Lerner all criticize the male authoritarian role in forming our consciousness of history. History pushes the female out of our collective notion of history and leaves it buried. Daly criticizes contemporary historians of attempting to “re-cover” (24)[ii] the feminine, but instead literal

While I didn't get tagged, I got this from Adam... Five Things Feminism Has Done for Me: Feminism has taught me to see and understood in more meaningful ways. It is helped be explore both the traditionally masculine and feminine aspects of God and my faith. I am now quite comfortable referring to God as "She", and often even find myself wishing that more did so. Feminism has taught me to embrace the full abilities and gifts of women. I have learned to fully embrace women in any and all aspects of leadership both inside and outside of the church. Feminism has enabled me to serve my wife in amazing ways that were often not even considered in the past. Even little things like cleaning, doing the laundry, doing the dishes, etc go a long way in a husbands ability to serve his wife. A woman's place is not in the home cleaning and cooking. A woman's place is using her gifts and abilities in order to fulfill her greatest potential. And while a marriage involves sacrifice, it involv

Kristin (whose new site I designed) tagged me. So...here goes: Five Things Feminism Has Done for Me It has opened up my view of God: It's pretty safe to say that growing up and throw most of college, I would have thought it heresy to refer to God as anything but "HE" (probably all caps too). While of course there are still great debates over this, and over the use of inclusive or gender-neutral language...reading feminist theologians and having conversations with feminist seminarians has only served to enlarge my view of God. It has enabled me to marry a brilliant and independent woman who constantly challenges me (whether I like it or not!) and enjoys putting together IKEA furniture more than I do  (and might even be better at it). I married a woman who had more tools than I did; now, whether this says more about her feminism or my masculinity is probably open for debate. But feminism has certainly made my marriage more interesting. It has caused me to think more critically about

I have a conceit that, maybe, because I am trans or because I am just an unusually keen observer of behaviour and of people that I am unusually well placed to observe the sometimes subtle misogyny and male privilege that infests our society. Men (and often women) treat mean and women differently. They show men deference and respect women are subordinated in every interaction of consequence. Women's opinions are never first solicited when a man's is available. Even our built environment is designed for average male height and strength. Try accompanying a man to a shop or restaurant, who does the assistant attempt to serve first? Try reaching for an item from a desk or shelf, then watch as a man does the same thing. Pay attention to the patterns of conversation that you have with men then compare it to the conversations you have with women. How often are you the object of a joke? How often are you able to dissent from an opinion? How much to get to speak? These behaviours are subtle

UPDATE: Fixed glitch with spellcheck.You absolutely must check out this on the New Feminists. This is precisely the kind of real work the ivory tower gang in the west can't stand. And true to form, they blackballed some of these women because they have dared question the premises held by the "intellectual elite". And labeled them racist and fascist to boot. Very nice.I cannot tell you how excited I have been to hear all of these women's vocal dissent. They express the kind of compassion the old school feminist hasn't felt in decades. The kind of compassion that made feminism a force to be reckoned with. The kind that made it effective because arguing against it felt absurd. Listen well all you university-bound, out-of-touch, socialist and separatist wannabe '60s hold-overs! This is what it's supposed to look like! This is not splitting hairs over the nuances of semantics and semiotics! This is real! This is feminism!It's about time some real thinkers emerged and cast off the shac

I have to clarify what I mean when I say I'm a feminist.Feminism is about women, men, and women in relation to men. Even those who might argue that men shouldn't enter the equation have no choice but to address men, since they are 49% of the population of the world.I am a third generation feminist, insofar as my grandmother was an actress/beatnik/airforce wife who didn't really revel in the cook-clean-kids thing. She did it, but certainly had other interests. And her vote always cancelled out my grandfather's in elections. He did not hit her. Her mother always voted, as soon as she was legally allowed to (1920, for those who weren't sure). She pioneered Texas and didn't marry until she was 28. My mother has always been very active in politics, lay ministry, and the feminist critical dialogue in the NYC Art World. Feminism is my briar patch. Like the smell of turpentine and linseed, it feels like home. It is not just a vague media term for me.I firmly believe we are at the point o