I couldn’t help myself. I had to note Amanda Hess’s worst Holloween costume for today because not only is it ridiculous, it’s racist and absurd. SO there you have it the blond indian complete with ankle cuff. I could puke
Filed under: American Literature, Feminism, Women's roles | Tags: Feminism, litetature
I re-read The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman today. I felt that I needed to note that Gilman was a mind ahead of her time.
Can you imagine living a life where if you spoke your mind you were diagnosed as Ill – hysterical. And then banished to weeks of bed rest.
Last week I read Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and decided that in a Puritan society, I would have been burned at the stake ad a witch. Now it appears that two centuries later I would have been imprisoned in an institution – having been diagnosed as clinically hysterical.
Filed under: Double Standard, Feminism, Feminist, Rant, rape | Tags: Feminism, film, rape, roman polanski
So after more than three decades Roman Polanski has been arrested, and people everywhere seem to feel sorry for him. I’m confused. Isn’t raping a thirteen year old an atrocity?
Sure, the guy is a cinematic genius and an Oscar winner. And sure the Manson family brutally murdered his wife and unborn son. And I’ll even give you that he’s old and repentent. Yes, it’s also true that the victim feels that all of this is in the past…
But really people stop feeling sorry for this man. He drugged, raped and sodomize a child.
So I work at a for-profit university, and today we are celebrating opening week by using a movie theme. There was a raffel where students could win free movie tickets, a red carpet – you get the idea.
Today’s activity was focused around the film Grease. The played the musicas our students arrived and people dressed the part – mostly professors. At this point I need to mention that the students where I teach are of all races, but it is fair to say that white students are in the minority. With the Grease theme I couldn’t help myself from thinking about a disscusion I was having in a feminist theory class the other night – a discussion about intertextuality, social context, social construct, and essentialism.
What I keep wondering is can we really expect mixed race students to have the same affinity for and excitement about a film that speaks very little to their experiance? What does Grease mean to them? And also does a celebration of this film perpetuate the social construction of white sterotypes as dominant? It feels that way to me. I feel like my students are being asked to feel celebratory about everything that oppresses and marginalized them.
Filed under: Activism, Feminist, Politicians, Politics | Tags: Anne Dunwood, Glass Ceiling
Today this woman, Anne E Dunwoody, who I have to admit I know little about broke the “glass ceiling” and became the first female 4 star general. It’s feminist news. And it’s important and valuable.
This year the we’ve thrown around the term “glass ceiling” like never before. And I’ve been thinking, that the more we talk about these things, the louder we clamour, the more conscious we seem to become. Do you think women everywhere want to see other women break through and succeed? Do you think that all the noise that this historical election will grow louder still – until women no longer need to clamour? Maybe all this rising above the “glass ceiling,” will help us be heard. (That is if these women and others are sympathetic to the needs of women) I am hopeful today.
The glass ceiling is something we’ve been chasing after for a long time and I am hopeful that suddenly like a herd of horses were careening at the glass, hammers in hand.
After years of writing teaching and tutoring, I have officially created a website for my college planning business, College Application Expert. Getting into and going to college is so important for future generations and lets face it; its harder than ever to make the university dream happen.
When facing the trifecta of high price tags, poor public schools, and larger application pools, the whole deal can be completely overwhelming!
Filed under: Feminism
My husband and I went to see Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist last night. I was excited to see this film because the lighter side of me loves these new “emo” teen flicks, as you all know from my praise for JUNO. I think that these films tend to focus on intelligence in both men and women and have a new open minded perspective on the diversity of society, Unfortunately, Nick and Nora’s infinite playlist was lame! Oh so lame. It was going along fine; girl with beauty image issues meets sensitive boy and they realize they are connected – musically which equates to spiritually.
But then – Nora’s biggest embarrassment, that which she wished the world didn’t know was that she had never had an orgasm, which we will admit is sad, but a strange thing for a teen girl to ponder…and then, she met the right sensitive man, who fingered her for – 35 seconds…TOPS…..and off she went screaming, cooing and curling her toes. ICK.
I was so turned off by this. What exactly is this film trying to say about orgasms? Keep looking till you have the right guy and then it will happen? Certain men have the power to command orgasms? How about knowing yourself and your body’s needs? What a concept, huh? It is also implied that Nick and Nora are “soul mates,” so does this mean that the guy that can give you an orgasm is your soul mate…
Let’s just say this, my love for the emo-teen flick has cooled. Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist should be avoided not only because it sends weird messages about a woman’s sexuality but also because it just wasn’t very good.
Filed under: Activism, Election 2008, Feminism, Feminist, Politicians, Politics, Sarah Palin
I try to avoid spending my days shivering in fear of Sarah Palin…She’s some kinda scary. Today I received this photo from a friend and I thought I’d do my part to share it with the world.
Funny because its TRUE!
What do you do if the first woman vice president of the United States doesn’t stand up for anything that women believe in? Its really creepy.
I thinking about feminist cupcake and I’ve decided the reason I never write anymore is because I wasn’t really writing before. I started out by writing and thinking and learning new things…but then I kind of drifted into the abyss of the presidential race and didn’t tell anyone anything they hadn’t heard before. So, I begin again…from now on this blog will represent more of me
More thoughts about how I feel about things…what ever they may be…more honesty, less spreading the word. Although I imagine that I will spread the word too…’cause why not…so, on November 4th, vote OBAMA!!!!
Filed under: Feminism
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Thank you, Feminist Majority Foundation.
