Feminism isfor everyone.

a celebration of feminism at UVA.
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Mar 31, 2008,11:46 PM
whooooaaaa!





10:07 AM
Title IX

Cavalier Daily Article: "What the people want: sports coverage should be given based on popularity, not gender" by John Levy

Apparently, Title IX is bad because it "might push women's sports to the front page, but few people would read it."

"Newspapers have an obligation to provide what their readers want and, speaking with their dollars and time, they have made clear that they want men's sports. Just as newspapers cover other less popular sports, coverage for women's sports is certainly due, but not front-page billing. In this case, give the people what they want."

Or is this giving the MEN what they want?

And also, men's sports bring in more money than women's sports- hence why the university would be so interested in investing in them- but do men's sports bring in more money & have more fans because they are "better," or simply because they have been around longer- so anyone who used to be a sports fan (male or female) had to watch men's sports?

(Interestingly, UVA has higher attendance rates to women's sports than many other colleges and universities)


Cristina
Mar 30, 2008,7:36 PM
traditional gender roles and politics, what?!

turns out our own darling professor sabato is gaining attention from feministing.com for this comment on (gag) fox news:

"Look, when you analyze parties, you need to think of them this way: The Democratic Party is the mommy party, and the Republican Party is the daddy party. . . The mother is loving and caring and takes us back in and provides the safety net. The father is the disciplinarian -- tough love. He makes us face up to hard realities, at least in many families. Well, the mommy party is the Democratic Party. The daddy party is the Republican Party."

Mar 28, 2008,4:27 PM
another facebook post...


OK. IS ANYONE ELSE GETTING REALLY PISSED OFF ABOUT THE ADS ON FACEBOOK?

the ones that have a close up picture of a girl's waist with the caption "beer belly?," "love handles?" or "muffin top?"

then it says "don't let this be you... learn how to shrink your waist"...blablabla.

that's really not okay with me. if you want to sell a weight loss product or program... at least have the decency to advertise it without making women feel bad about their bodies. assholes.
Mar 21, 2008,11:42 AM
This looks awesome

Meet in Newcomb (outside the theater) at 6:45 Sunday night if you want to watch this with me! It costs only $3 and looks amazing.

Mar 20, 2008,8:44 AM
Well That Was Surprising

In a shocking turn of events, the Cavalier Daily today published a pro-feminist article by Lindsay Huggins--who has also written in defense of the Vagina Monologues as well as critically examining Sorority life. Yay! She remarks:
But then I realized that "feminist" is not a dirty word. In fact, the term "feminist" is incredibly empowering, full of rich notions about history and change.

So, so true. Now if we could only get people to say they are feminists without the "but I shave! And wear makeup! (I'm not crazy!)" disclaimer. And it would be nice if people stopped talking about bra-burning like it actually happened.

Oh well, I'll take what I can get.
Mar 19, 2008,12:51 PM
THIS JUST IN: NeW Founder Stupid, Unconvincing

Okay, I will totally grant that Obama's speech was good. I might even say great, which is a lot for me cause I don't really like him much, except for that he totally doesn't care about/mention GENDER OPPRESSION at all. I don't think I'm alone in my guess that if Clinton gave a similar speech about gender, she would be decried as either capitalizing on her gender, or being whiny and divisive, or playing the victim. (though I must add that I am 100% voting democrat this year--be it for Obama or Clinton--because let's face it, the current administration has made Republicans look really bad).

But the worst part about this primary race is that nobody has solid objections to Clinton; most people claim she is shrill, or cold, or just plain uninspiring--all of which have to do with either the masculine persona she's been forced to assume in order to succeed in politics OR the plain ol' fact that she's got a vagina. Not even the founder of NeW, Karin "[conservative women] like us don't get raped" Agniss can come up with legit complaints:
She rejects traditional values, celebrating the hippie generation by trying to get a $1 million earmark for a New York Woodstock museum into an appropriations bill.

Wow, yeah, what a waste of money--something dedicated to history, education, and a revolutionary time for our country. But really, is that the worst ammo you have against Clinton?
Mrs. Clinton mocks women who take their responsibilities as a mother and wife seriously. She responded to an interview comment about her outspoken role in her husband's presidential campaign by saying, "I suppose I could have stayed home and baked cookies and had teas, but what I decided to do was to fulfill my profession, which I entered before my husband was in public life." (emphasis mine)

I'm sorry, but did I miss the mocking part? And of course, the obligatory mention of her clothes:
But any observant American knows that the only thing conservative about Mrs. Clinton is her new-found love for pearls.

Yawn. If someone, anyone, can come up with a non-gendered, legitimate complain against Clinton (and Not Being Jazzy/Inspiring/Upbeat enough doesn't count--that's a Pro for Obama, not a Con for Clinton), please let me know!
12:32 PM
Obama's Speech on Racism

So this speech is getting tons of attention, check it out if you haven't:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWe7wTVbLUU&eurl=http://www.crooksandliars.com/
It's pretty awesome. Sorry Carly....this may just give Obama the win.
Mar 18, 2008,4:04 PM
Bought & Sold

"Women are the only exploited group in history to have been idealized into powerlessness."

-Erica Jong

Come watch the movie "Bought & Sold: An Investigative Documentary About the International Trade in Women" tonight at 8pm in the Kaleidoscope Room on the 3rd floor of Newcomb Hall.




cristina
Mar 15, 2008,11:25 AM
Ecofeminism & the Diva Cup

So our meeting on ecofeminism made me want to do more things for the environment, like start recycling the plastic, even if it means I have to take it somewhere and to start thinking about ways I can cut down on energy use. There are tons of websites out there with little things that people can do to help, and they've got me feeling empowered! Yay for empowerment!

So, as per our menstrual discussion I went back to using my diva cup and was reminded of all the reasons that I love (and hate) it. So I made a list for those out there who may be interested. Don't get me wrong, I am a big fan, but I know it's not for everyone.

Diva Cup (or Keeper or Moon Cup) Pros
- enviro-friendly
- vagina friendly (no chemicals in it)
- lasts for ten years (wallet-friendly)
- way reduced risk of TSS
- can be left in for 12 hours, and put it before your period starts
- non-absorbent
- great for swimming or camping
- allows you to save the menstrual blood, which is nutrient rich and great for plants (this might be a little too radical)

Cons
- requires you to get up close and personal with your vagina (this can be a pro too depending on who you are, but not everyone wants to get their hands dirty)
- can be messy
- can be difficult (or sometimes painful) to insert or remove
- it can leak, especially if you put it in wrong, or leave it in too long

My advice:
The biggest problem that I've experienced with the diva cup is having to learn how to insert it and remove it. It comes with instructions on how to fold it over and put it in, but that doesn't make it easy. Make sure that when you insert it you rotate it to MAKE A SEAL. If you don't it will leak, and you will be annoyed. When removing it, make sure that you push on the side to BREAK THE SEAL, otherwise it will be really painful, and you will be annoyed. My other advice is that it is much easier to use in bathrooms where the sink is right there so you can wash it off right there, also changing it in the shower helps to deal with the messy aspects. I would also suggest changing it just before you go to bed, to prevent leaks during the night. Lastly, get some liquid castille soap (available at Rebecca's) to clean it, which I also do in the shower.

I don't necessarily think I presented a positive picture of the diva cup, but hopefully somebody will be interested enough to pursue it. If you really want to be sold visit the diva cup website
or the keeper website and they will sell you as best as they can. I just wanted to give a more realistic picture of it, it definitely takes practice to get used to, but it's worth it.

"Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney from New York points out that there has been far more testing on the possible health effects of chlorine-bleached coffee filters than on chlorine-bleached tampons and related products."
Mar 14, 2008,12:48 PM
excuse me?

Every single time I read the Cav Daily, I regret it. For a while I had quit only to be brought back by the promise of an upcoming article by someone I know. Unfortunately I wasn't told when exactly that will be happening and so I skim every day's opinion section--BAD IDEA.

Today we've got an interesting specimen. One Ross Lawrence, who claims in his article that he is pro-choice, also posits that, if we are really interested in "gender equality", then we should allow men certain rights such as the right to override a woman's choice to have an abortion. But you know, he cares about women, so only men who promise to take care of the child would be allowed to claim this right. And by take care of the child I mean after a woman who doesn't want it was forced to carry it in her womb and be pregnant for 9 months.

My take on being pro-choice is that women have a right to BODILY INTEGRITY (ie. no unwanted parasites on/in them) and that an individual woman (AND HER ALONE) may make decisions on that front. What Mr. Lawrence is suggesting, in this case, is FORCED surrogacy and makes women slaves to both their own bodies AND to the will of whatever man is the father of her child. I wonder if Mr. Lawrence would support such a right in cases of rape or incest? (Besides, a fetus resulting from an incestual father-daughter relationship is technically more than 50% the man's DNA, so perhaps he should have SUPER veto power over abortions)

At the end of the article, Mr. Lawrence makes a half-assed attempt to appeal to a "middle ground" in which fathers are offered a bigger role in the process. Many feminists, single mothers, and people who wish they had more involved fathers would probably be in favor of such changes, but it seems a little problematic that the only way we can bring men into the child-rearing process is to offer them power over women.
9:45 AM
more sexism from fbook


steak and a blowjob? this can't be EVERY man's fantasy, right? 
i really, really hope not. 
Mar 12, 2008,4:02 PM
"The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation."...WTF

I know that gay rights aren't necessarily a feminist issue, but equality is equality and Rep. Kern is an idiot! 


On a related note, there is a vigil tonight at 6:30 in the amphitheater for Lawrence King, sponsored by QuAA

10:10 AM
big effing surprise

NOT shockingly, this whole Spitzer thing is bad news all around, but (of course) it's really REALLY bad news for...Hillary Clinton. Claims an article on Washingtonpost.com:
It has...brought back unhelpful memories of her own husband's dalliances in office. There on cable television again were pictures of Bill Clinton hugging Monica S. Lewinsky. And the image of Spitzer's wife standing painfully by his side while he acknowledged unspecified wrongdoing could not help but remind some of Hillary Clinton's own stand-by-her-man moment.
Ouch. How long is going to take people to stop counting Bill's affair against Hillary? In the (considerable) discussion surrounding Spitzer's admission of whatever it was that he did, during which his wife stood next to him, the focus has been on him asking his wife to stand beside him. But in Hillary's case, she's the one to blame for "standing by her man" (which is a bad/good thing?)

Basically, the problem with the resurgence of Bill/Monica imagery is simple: everyone is remembering that Hillary failed as a wife, and "if she can't control her husband, how can she control a country?"
10:00 AM
Ecofeminism!

Inspired by last night's meeting, the ladies of FIFE exec have a few ideas for ecofeminism-related things we can do:

"Alternative Menstrual April" - lady FIFErs will pledge to try out alternative forms of menstrual management, like cloth pads, all-cotton tampons, and the Diva cup for the month of April and then at the end of the semester we can chat about how it all went!

April 5 - Farmer's Market visit and hiking trip and picnic. Anyone interested?

Yay environment
Mar 10, 2008,11:11 PM
amazing retro ads

If you need a laugh this week to dissipate post-break blues, check out this website. It's got funny ads of the past, some quite misogynistic!

Thanks go to Andi for the tip!
2:44 PM
Great News!

Just as Take Back the Night is approaching and we all start to talk about and consider sexual and domestic violence, NY is on top of things with a new bill:

Same-Sex Couples Could Gain Domestic Violence Protections

Yay!
Mar 7, 2008,7:07 PM
International Women's Day

Tomorrow, March 8th, is the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day!

The Women's Media Center (
www.womensmediacenter.com) has some really cool articles about women around the world. "Please Listen to the Women of Iraq" is written by Zainab Salbi, founder and CEO of the Women for Women International. She is from Iraq and talks about what Iraqi women are feeling about the war. Her article highlights that women are often innocent bystanders that are caught up in a war they have no part in. Here's one story from her article:

"When Saba, an 18-year-old daughter of a Women for Women International-Iraq staff member, was shot on the way to school in December 2007, it cost the family about $800 just to get her the blood and the basic medicine she needed while at an Iraqi hospital for one day. The young woman stayed in the hospital for about 24 hours wrapped in a blood-soaked blanket. She remains paralyzed from the neck down today. When Saba narrates the story, her eyes are filled with tears. “I am left paralyzed for what? I have nothing to do with politics. I have nothing to do with anything. I was simply trying to finish my studies and to live my life.” Saba’s nights are now filled with nightmares. And Saba’s cries echo those of so many women in Iraq, 2 million of whom are estimated to be widows and mothers to about 6 million orphans in the country—this out of a population of 27 million."

(
http://www.womensmediacenter.com/ex/030608.html)

In 2 weeks we will be having a FIFE meeting w/ MELC (Middle Eastern Leadership Coalition) to talk about the status of women in the Middle East.

-Cristina

Mar 5, 2008,12:31 PM
Bad Sex Life? "Try traditional gender roles!"

As if the bullshit that Erin so kindly posted just below this post wasn't insane enough, CNN reports that one of the ways to alleviate the pains of a sex-free relationship is to
Try traditional gender roles: Men may become more sexually assertive if they feel more in control, and women may feel more desire for a mate with newfound machismo. "You don't have to get his slippers," explains Berman. "You just have to give him some control." She suggests a date where the man chooses everything -- her clothes, the restaurant, the food -- as a starting point.
I really wish people would stop acting like the departure from what is clearly a situation that is bad for women (see "The Feminine Mystique") is what is messing up relationships nowadays. Because, you know, it's certainly not patriarchy, misogyny, or exaggerated masculinity. No way.

boo, rest of article here.
Mar 4, 2008,5:14 PM
WTF of the Week

I'm amazed and disheartened by the extent to which some women have thoroughly internalized misogynistic views. Case in point: an article published in the Washington Post this Sunday:
"We Scream, We Swoon. How Dumb Can We Get?" by Charlotte Allen

Here's my favorite line:
"So I don't understand why more women don't relax, enjoy the innate abilities most of us possess (as well as the ones fewer of us possess) and revel in the things most important to life at which nearly all of us excel: tenderness toward children and men and the weak and the ability to make a house a home."

Holy shit, it's the 1950s all over again.

Please, someone tell me this lady is being sarcastic.

And wait, there's more! That article was published side by side with this one:
"For Hillary's Campaign, It's Been a Class Struggle" by Linda Hirschman, which on the whole seems to be more intelligently written--until Hirschman concludes that the reason for the split of women's votes between Obama and Clinton boils down to "the fickleness of the female voter."
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