friday Feminist Quote

The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of females begins when the doctor says, "It's a girl." ~Shirley Chisholm

The Exorcism of the Bulge

A taut young man dressed all in black, clutching the good book in his hand, bravely walks up to the hideous looking creature. He places his hand upon the barely recognizable feminine shape and begins to chant with the power of a true believer. “The power of the Lord compels you; the power of the Lord compels you.” His words begin to grow with sanctified ferociousness. “The power of the Lord compels you.” He knows this woman’s soul is at steak. “The power of the Lord compels you.” Exhaustion sweeps over our young hero as he looks deep in her eyes, “. . . to put down that fork.”

She is lead away from the family dining room table, the scene of her greatest transgressions against all things holy. Away from her mother who is burying her face into her husband’s chest, eyes brimming in tears, ashamed of the fiend she brought into this world. Away from her father who does his best to practice stoic indifference as the fruit of his loins is whisked away under the cover of darkness.

She must beg for atonement within the hallowed halls of Gold’s Gym, where the Divine lives. Brother Bluff leads this young sinner to confession to learn the weight of her sacrilegious inactivity. The truth of the scales of virtue causes this once beastly woman to fall to her knees. He raises her chin and gazes into her eyes, “Are you ready to accept, Charles Atkins as your own personal lord and savior?” Through tears, she looks up through the halo surrounding him, “Yes.” She takes his hand as he leads her over to a line of stair masters. Within a few moments, she is baptized with the purity of sweat and receives the blessed Gatorade. When mass is complete, he leads her to the door, presses the good book into her hand, You, on a Diet. He lays his hands on her forehead, “Bless you, my child, in the name of diet, exercise, and resistance training.”

Friday Feminist Quote

I, with a deeper instinct, choose a man who compels my strength, who makes enormous demands on me, who does not doubt my courage or my toughness, who does not believe me naïve or innocent, who has the courage to treat me like a woman. ~Anaïs Nin

Friday Feminist Quote

Every time we liberate a woman, we liberate a man. ~Margaret Mead

Try telling these women that they're not funny

This post is related to this.

There's a stereotype out there that women are not funny. Vanity fair even did an article on how unfunny women are. Found here. Besides the fact that this entire piece is rooted in a stereotypical, heteronormative perspective, it's totally untrue. Women are funny, I'm funny, my female friends are funny. So I wonder how many examples of funny women I can come up with that spit in Christopher Hitchens' eye every day they go to work? So in no peculiar order:

Kristen Schaal

Sarah Haskins

Samantha Bee

Paula Poundstone

Kathy Griffin

Phyllis Diller

Lily Tomlin

Minnie Pearl

Mo'Nique

Julia Louis-Dreyus

Adele Givens

Aisha Tyler

Laura Hayes

Jan Krakowski

Marilyn Martinez

Sara Contreras

Monique Marvez

Tejana Sandra Valls

Maria Bumford

Sarah Silverman

Wanda Skyes

Lucille Ball

Carol Burnette

Tracey Ullman

Joan Rivers

Amy Poehler

Tina Fey

Margaret Cho

Janeane Garafalo

Whoopi Goldberg

Roseanne Barr

Ellen Degeneres

This list is by no means comprehensive, please add any additonal names in the comments section. Not familiar with a name on the list, check them out. Support your local funny female.

Friday Feminist Quote

"It's hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head."

Sally Kempton

GREAT Expectations

Check out this older blog post also, Great Expectations.

Marketing Masculinity

Check out this blog post on Gender Across Borders.

Movie Review

Food Inc. http://www,foodincmovie.com

First of all, I liked the movie. It started to feel a little long about half way through but if it's a good introduction to the idea of food justice, sort of a 101 movie. It has a lot of the same ideas that came out of documentaries such as Super Size Me and King Corn. There's a lot of crediblity behind this film with names like Michael Pollan, In Defense of Food, and Eric Schlosser, Fast
Food Nation. It touches on many different aspects of our food supply and the industralized systems behind them. It was some what revoluntary to see images of factory farming on the big screen though. It's exciting that this movie got this far. Be sure to check out the website for information about the movie, some petitions, etc. The farmer pictured above was a special gem of the film since he's a local guy, from the Shenandoah Valley. He calls himself, beyond organic. There's an interview with him in the out Blue Ridge magazine. Also his farm, Polyface sells meat through Ellwood Thompson in Richmond. I used to be a vegetarian. My reasons for switching had to do with factory farming and the suffering of the animals within that system. I don't have a problem with eating animals. I have a problem with them suffering their entire lives and then being tortured to death. This movie helped remind me that the issue of food justice is more complicated that just not eating animals. Its an important film for any one interested in what goes into their body and how it's produced. So go see it.

Take Back the Night Speech

Hey everyone, I attended a bunch of Take Back the Night events in April. If you're not familiar with this event, click here : http://www.takebackthenight.org/.

The following is my speech on the common experiences of women and how that relates to violence against women:

"I would like to take a moment to express heartfelt appreciation to the survivors who chose to speak. Their words have the power to inspire all of us to demand change. As we look out from our perspective as individuals, the urgently of this issue can feel suffocating. But we are not alone.

Preparing for this speech lead me though a process of reflection. I kept coming back to a basic question, how did I end up here? How did I end up standing before you, this evening? My personal call to action finds its roots within a quiet grumbling just below the surface, a quiet nagging dissatisfaction that I wasn’t able to put words to. My development into an activist finds its voice through a series of realizations.

I am not a victim of sexual violence. I do, however, share a basic characteristic with most victims. I am a woman. The way I experience the world is shaped by a continuous fear that my most sacred, feminine space will be brutally stolen from me. I walk quickly to my car with my purse tightly pressing beside me. I make sure my keys are in the classic key fist in case I need to use them to defend myself. I’m careful about who I make eye contact with and for how long. I have trouble trusting male friends. I make sure to wear tennis shoes in the city in case I suddenly need to run. I try to always walk to my car with a friend. I spend an enormous amount of time and energy thinking about how and when to leave my house. And I am not the only one.

Listen to the following scenario.
You’re walking down a busy street with plenty of people milling around. A man is about to walk pass you. You’ve never met this man before and most likely you’ll never see him again. It’s broad daylight outside. As you pass each other, you causally glance over at him. He’s giving you the look. The up and down, ummm I’d like to kick the tires on that ride look. A creepy feeling rises from your gut to rest in the base of your throat. All of a sudden, you’ve shrunk. Your eyes dart away and your pace slightly quickens.
By a show of hands, who can relate to this situation?

Most women have felt that feeling of having their space compromised, violated, or simply ignored. How many times have you watched as a guy put his arm around a female friend and watched her shrink? Watched her jaw set. Saw the uneasiness dance across her face. Watched her shoulders and back grow stiff. How many times have you been that woman? Behind this very general sense of foreboding is a very specific fear that most women share. A fear of sexual assault.

Tonight we come together as a community to address this fear. This night is for all those who understand the feeling of having their space confiscated. This night is for our mothers, sisters, aunts, nieces, friends, AND our brothers, fathers, uncles, nephews. Tonight we walk together across all genders, races, ages, social backgrounds, across all the lines that traditionally divide us, to raise our voices as one. One voice to cry out into the darkness, no more. No more violence. No more fear. No more victims. No more silence. Tonight look around into the faces of your fellow comrades in this fight and gather strength. This struggle goes beyond these walls and beyond this night. Tonight, I make a simple request, use the might, the power, of this voice created this night to carry you pass the naysayers, the self doubt, the pain, and the loneliness that this work can bring. Gather the courage to imagine a world where safety is absolute. A world where fear does not guide our decisions. This night, this moment, is about a declaration that comes shamelessly from anger, pain and most of all, hope. Tonight we as a community, announce that we want better. The power to change the world rests in our voices, tonight and every night. We have a responsibility to all those in this room and beyond, to speak.

Thank you."

Savage Sage

Who is Savage Sage? Where did she come from? Is she a super heroine? Does she fight injustice? Is she a part of my imagination? Perhaps she's one of my many personalities.

Savage Sage came from middle school when I was at my most disempowered. Between my childish confidence and my womanly empowerment. The butt of most jokes between my classmates and at times teachers. (One history professor called me a feminazi, I have not idea where it came from or what it meant at the time.) So I would and at times still do imagine a stronger, braver, more kick ass version of myself conquering the world.

Savage Sage says what i would say if my brain hadn't froze or my job wasn't on the line or feelings couldn't be hurt or compromise wasn't a necessary evil or whatever. Savage Sage is who i am when i'm yelling at the tv, in my car, or at my walls about the bullshit we swim in. She is a part of me, myself at my purest, when I'm the most hurt, angry, fearless, fearful, irritated, etc. She is powerful and she is weakness. Hopefully she's also interesting to read.

Rebekah Carrow

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month

Hey everyone, just a little heads up that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so keep a look out for events in your area. We'll keep you up to date on local Take Back the Night Events. So in honor of April, put on those teal ribbons and show some solidarity with sexual assault victims.

Rebekah

"Corrective Rape" in South Africa

South African lesbians are currently facing the very real possibility of trying to be saved from their sexual “deviance” not through religion or social stigma, the usual tools of a homophobic society, but through rape. These cases are being called “corrective rape” and they appear to be on the rise. The Guardian reports that, Triangle, a South African gay rights organization, is seeing up to 10 new cases weekly. Zakhe Sowello who lived through one such attack spoke about her experiences, "Every day I am told that they are going to kill me, that they are going to rape me and after they rape me I'll become a girl."

Read the entire article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/12/eudy-simelane-corrective-rape-south-africa

At the core of any rape culture is strong expectations around gender and sexuality. Within these cultures, women are not only given the label of lesbian when they love other women. They are also called a lesbian when they play sports, don’t look feminine, want to work, or seek empowerment without men. They represent a female centered lifestyle rather than a male centered one. This threatens the social fabric of patriarchal societies. So lesbians of all kinds face the constant demands to conform. We can hear this within the way these male attackers justify their crime. There is a sort of taming of the shrew framework. Look at the words of what Zakhe was told by her attackers, “after they rape me I’ll become a girl,” thus the term corrective rape. However, this term is misleading and gives the rapists the power to define the rape. These attacks are not really meant to cure these women of their desire for other women but rather to punish them. Punish them for having the strength to live their lives outside of what’s expected. These men are using societal beliefs to excuse their violence. In order to hold these offenders accountable and show the link between this violence and culture, the first step needs to be defining these acts for what they are, homophobic rapes.

Rebekah Carrow

Please STOP taking your kids to Hooters- it is sad.

So I haven't made a post in a while, but I have a couple of things to rant about so here goes...

What is the deal with people taking their little kids to Hooters? And yes, I have been to Hooters. My husband often gets free coupons for wings at Hooters when the hockey team score 5 or more and the last of the only 2 times I've been there was years ago (and I intend to keep it that way). What shocked me most about the place wasn't the atrocity of uniforms the ladies wear -suntan tights and white tennis shoes and hot orange shorts, anyone? Instead, it was the amount of families who thought it appropriate to bring small children there for family dinners, birthdays, etc.... Sure, dad (or mom) wanted to see some boobies so why not get everything done at once and load up the kids to go to Hooters for a nice family meal? I was even more horrified to find that my own husband's parents thought nothing of carting him down to Hooters as a child.

Nevermind that the waitresses are scantily clad and in demeaning and hideous 80's style outfits- it's their choice to work a job where they have to succumb to establishment policies that force them to wear less and flirt harder than they would in a normal crappy restaurant- and where they'd make about the same. I've seen the people that go to Hooters and I'm sorry, but they are not going out of their way to tip high.

Just the idea of adults raising children by bringing them to eat at a place that teaches such sexism and not thinking that it could potentially impact their ideology of women and their fit into our culture is idiotic. But then, they probably never thought or cared about that in the first place.

I'm just Not that Into Dating advice

I love romantic comedies. I watch them through my fingers as one might watch a horror film. I giggle and carry on and when they're over, I analyze them. It's how I roll.

I saw "He's Just Not Into You" this weekend. I thought it was cute mainly because I love Justin Long and thought his connection on screen was adorable. The message of the film was interesting. I saw a lot of the same rituals that I play out with my friends depicted on screen and it became very clear how all that build up around "signals" only leads to disappointment. I like the idea of if he's not calling back or giving you what you need and deserve then move on. There are plenty of guys who will provide you all you need and gladly.

The other side of the overall dating advice presented in the movie was, if a guy wants to date you then he will make it happen. Aside from putting women in the submissive role, demand to be persuaded but do not persuade. It's to much pressure on guys and dis empowering to women. I think there's an undercurrent of resistance depicted here as well. Women analyze, sometimes to the point of absurdity men's signals. Should I text him? Should I include a smiley face on the end of the message? When he hugged me, he looked me in the eyes what does that mean? He hung out with me for six hours at a time, he must be in love. I think women do this because they seek to have more control over the dating game. Women don't like simply sitting back and letting the man take the lead. And I doubt that men always like being in the driving seat. There's so much uncertainty, and men and women are asked to play certain roles during the dating. Roles that are based on lies. So how do you get to the truth?

By the way, the only "healthy" relationships I've experienced or seen has been on screen. But that's another post.

Rebekah Carrow

Not All Speech is Created Equal

Within the United States of America, we take the freedom of speech very seriously. When critics, comedians, etc yell censorship, they quickly invoke the right to freedom of speech. I can definitively understand how important it is to maintain and foster freedom of speech. However speech is not free if you want to reach people. Thirty minutes of prime time television would probably cost tens of thousands of dollars, something I could never afford. So even though I'm expressing myself without fear of censorship, my three followers who probably rarely check this blog is not the same as an editioral with a major newspaper or a network TV show. What would it truly look like if speech was truly free? Could I walk up to CBS and obtain a 30 minute spot between How I Met Your Mother and CSI? Could I go up to the New York Times and obtain the front page in order to talk about my feminist views? What do you think?

Rebekah aka Savage Sage

36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade

Today is the 36th Anniversary of Roe v Wade which provided women the legal right to safe abortions. This is the foundation upon which the freedom of reproductive choice in this country is based.

The following is a link which goes over the history of the case which was decided in 1973.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roe_v._Wade

Check it out. Know our history.

You can also check out a live blog today about the reproductive rights movement at:

http://www.rhrealitycheck.org/blog/2009/01/13/live-blog-prochoice-messagings-new-wave-or-passing-ship

Rebekah

Before You Vote consider the words of Pope John Paul the second

Hello, I'm bbbbbbback. Did you miss me?

On January 20th, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the first Black president of the United States of America. I know that everyone has already voted and this post will be beating a dead cow to death BUT i must.

Outside of many churches throughout the United States and Virginia, Operation Rescue, a anti-choice organization has placed flyers in how to vote based on your Catholic faith. Or at least how Randall Terry, the founder of operation rescue defines your Catholic faith. Surprise, surprise, the founder is a male who never have to face this choice. How easy to judge. The flyer is in a question and answer format. Here's an example of one of the questions and answers:

"Is voting for a pro-choice candidiate in this election 'cooperating formally with evil' and therefore a morally grave act?

Answer: Yes. Faithful Catholics who vote for a pro-choice candidate in this election will cooperate formally with evil, and will be guilty of committing a morally grave act."

After quoting John Paul the Second, the flyer goes on to say:

"the voter is held directly responsible by God for all evil effects of such an act."

Wow, so according to this flyer, a vote for Obama is a vote for evil. Guess what, I'm evil. This reminds me of when I protested at an Palin rally with my Obama sign and got screamed at that I'm going to hell.

This flyer is fundamentally insulting to members of the Catholic faith, it seems to imply that the faithful can not use their minds to think over the issues and come to their own conclusions. This flyer saids let me tell you what to think and how to think it because you can't be trusted to come to your own conclusions. This is especially manipulative because church goers are working for the salvation of their souls. It goes on to say in no incertain terms that, "you may not in good conscience vote for Barack Obama if you want to be a faithful catholic citizen."

I'm glad that the majority of Americans have said that they will not stand for these tactics that feed on our insecurities, fears, the worst of us.

Savage Sage