“In essence, what she said was, “Women are not given enough opportunities to say ‘yes.’”
All posts by Tiffany Makovic
Calling Films out on their Gender Bias
Heard of the Bechdel Test? It requires two things in a film:
- For the film to have two or more women
- For the two women in the film to talk to each other about something besides a man
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1392170/
Seems simple enough, but try applying it to a range of your favorite films and you'll see that far too many films fail to pass. (Note: The Hunger Games passes - YAY!)
So now Sweden's applying this to their movies - Seems like a good idea to me! Let's call out the gender-bias that exists in our society. This is one test more of society should be taking!
http://www.salon.com/2013/11/07/sweden_introduces_a_gender_rating_system_for_films/
Why “Anti-Rape Underwear” isn’t the Solution
Possibly you’ve heard about the new anti-rape underwear, and while the idea behind the product is a cause we can all get behind, here is an article explaining the faults in this product.
http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/11/05/2889411/anti-rape-underwear-sexual-assault/
Women at Harvard Law: an exhibition, and an anecdote
The Harvard Law School Library has just announced their newest exhibit, titled “Women at HLS: 60 Years of Transformation.”
From the announcement:
Since women were first admitted to HLS in 1950, they have transformed the Law School, the legal profession, and public life. A special library exhibit, Women at HLS — coinciding with the upcoming Celebration 60 Reunion of women at Harvard Law School — explores themes such as enrollment, campus life, and the impact of student organizations such as the Women’s Law Association (WLA). It draws on Historical & Special Collections’ Student Photographs collection and the recently processed Red Set Ephemera collection. Jane Kelly and Margaret Peachy curated Women at HLS, which will be on view in the Caspersen Room, Langdell Hall, Monday-Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM through December 13, 2013.
All members of the public are invited to visit the exhibition in Cambridge.
* * *
While on the topic of female graduates from Harvard Law, file this one under “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”…
Raya Dreben was among the earliest of the women to graduate from Harvard Law School. She had a distinguished career, culminating in her appointment to the Massachusetts Appeals Court. At one point she was hired by the very traditional but excellent law firm of Palmer & Dodge (now Edwards, Wildman, Palmer).
Here’s the thing: the firm insisted that she have her own letterhead. Her name did not appear on the firm’s standard letterhead which named all the (male) partners and associates.
(Source: Sarah Baldwin, on the EXLIBRIS mailing list.)
Changing the Conversation on Sex
“I’m not the guard who locks you in the tower. Ideally, I am my daughter’s safe space, a garden to return to when the world has proved a little too cruel, a place where she can recuperate and reflect upon past mistakes and know that here, there is someone who loves her wholeheartedly and will hug her until the tears dry.” – Ferrett Steinmetz in Dear Daughter: I Hope You Have Awesome Sex
This father is a role model for parents of adolescents and of daughters, especially. Talking to your children about sex and sexuality isn’t easy, but it’s important. Sex is going to occur whether you talk to your kids about it or not, so prepare them the best you possibly can. Make sure they have every resource available. Be open to this conversation, when the time is right. You wouldn’t want them going into a snowstorm without boots on, would you?
Equality or GTFO!!!!
Tomorrow Night at Boston University:
“The Boston University Feminist Collective and Video Game Society invite you to join us for a discussion about the gendered minefield that is the online world. We are fortunate enough to have feminist and media critic, Anita Sarkeesian, join us to facilitate the discussion and speak to her own experiences of how gender intersects with online spaces.
Anita is the author of the video blog “Feminist Frequencies” and the video series “Tropes vs. Women” where she explores the tropes of the depiction of women in pop culture. In 2012 she started a Kickstarter campaign to help her create a new series entitled “Tropes vs. Women in Video Games” and experienced harsh online harassment from some members of the gaming community. This backlash furthered her message to include an exploration of the overwhelming amounts of online sexual harassment of female identifying gamers. In 2012 Anita was a speaker at the TEDxWomen conference where she discussed online sexual harassment and how influential it is in the online world. You can see that talk here: – [X]
Thursday November 7th, 7-9:30pm
Have you heard one?
Just an observation: I've never, ever, ever, ever, ever, heard a female voice as the narrator of a movie trailer.
— Neil deGrasse Tyson (@neiltyson) September 10, 2011
Neil deGrasse Tyson: “Astrophysicist, Am. Museum of Natural History. Author: Space Chronicles, Pluto Files, Inexplicable Universe [Video], Host: StarTalk Radio http://StarTalkRadio.net“
The Feminist Rap Movement
GUEST POST BY FEGOSSEN:
Hip-hop gets a bad rep in the feminist world. Songs like “Get Low”, “Lollipop”, “Slow Motion”, and “Golddigger” paint a pretty ugly picture for the rap artists out there. This is vastly unfair. Yeah, the majority of rappers and hip-hop artists are men who have a tendency to focus on a rather sexist male perspective. I recently looked up the lyrics to Freddie Gibb’s “Shame” and realized, yeah, it’s a song about the walk of shame. Oh, and how good Freddie Gibbs is in bed. (I’m still listening though. Gibbs is amazing.)
But the female hip-hop artist isn’t about to put up with this shit. They’re probably some of the most liberated voices out there, not just as shining beacons in a form known for its objectification of women, but also as the voice of women. Here are three albums all by female rap artists every feminist should be listening to:
- Queen Latifah’s Black Reign
http://www.amazon.com/dp/images/B000001AL0
Instinct leads me to another flow everytime I hear a brother call a girl a bitch or a hoe trying to make a sister feel low you know all of that gots to go
This album is fantastic, 90’s rap from someone we (at least I) often forget used to rap. The song “U.N.I.T.Y” is an angry rant at the men who think they can just smack your ass whether you’re wearing cut off shorts (oh nineties, we miss you) or sweat pants, and will call girls a bitch. In “Mood is Right”, Queen Latifah tells us she thinks the sex is better if you’re in love and that she really doesn’t need anyone else. This icon was giving women a voice long before Chicago.
Feminist Flowchart
Take a look at this simple flowchart designed by Huffington Post writer Rebecca Searles to find out if you’re a true feminist:
So, are you a good person or a “sucky” one?
“You are too ugly to be raped”
Pages Matem performing “Piñata” during semifinals for DC’s Beltway Poetry Slam at the 2013 National Poetry Slam
Pages Matam’s facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages.matam
thanks to my friend Paola for the link!