Feminism Is For Everyone

Jun 29, 2008,6:46 PM

"Chinese Riots over Girl's Death"

Today on the BBC...

This is also an interesting title to the article, because it seems that the town rioted after the uncle died while trying to advocate for the girl's justice...which makes the tagline suggesting a surging force against violence towards women interesting, since it seems that the principal issue is a lack of justice in a more general sense. In any case, a very sad article.

Jun 25, 2008,6:30 PM

in the uva newsletter...

THIS.

Sexism is so subtle, but I just feel like it is happening CONSTANTLY. I often find MYSELF being a perpetrator, deferring to a boy when he says something in class, or respecting a boy's more authoritative, confident delivery more than a girl's cautious, modest yet valuable offering to a discussion. Well, recognizing the problem is the first step to solving it, right?

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

Jun 24, 2008,10:05 PM

from post secret

from PostSecret

Jun 16, 2008,12:12 PM

the election and women

I love this lady!

Jun 14, 2008,11:58 AM

Thomas Due in 4 Weeks

Thomas Beatie is due to have a baby girl in 4 weeks. He is also writing a book that will be published 3 months after the baby is born. Possible bookclub book?

Jun 10, 2008,11:34 PM

My Internship!

Hey Everyone,
So this summer I am living in Los Angeles with my sister, and I have an internship at Break the Cycle! Break the Cycle is a national non-profit organization that fights to end dating and domestic violence among youths between the ages of 12-24. I have been working there now for a few weeks now, and I LOVE it! Right now I am working on a Fotonovela, which is like a comic book but instead of illustrations it has pictures in comic book form. It is really popular with the Latino population, which is important because it is part of our Latino education campaign to target Latinos in the LA area and let them know about resources available to them. Last Friday I got to work on a photo shoot for it! Other than that I have been writing a grant and learning a lot about the inner workings of a non-profit. If you are interested, check out the website, www.breakthecycle.org
And if this kind of internship interest you, let me know and I will help you apply for next summer!

Jun 9, 2008,4:36 PM

sex trafficking in Thailand

One of FIFE's own, Erin, is doing research this summer on sex trafficking in Thailand. I definitely encourage everyone to check out her blog. Reading about her experiences and insights are worth your time.

Jun 7, 2008,10:06 PM

Summer Reading

For any of you who need a good book to read this summer

10:01 PM

Ordained Catholic Women to be Exocommunicated by the Catholic Church

Last week, the Vatican reaffirmed that women cannot be ordained priests. Any oradained catholic woman who is will be automatically excommunicated, as well as any other people involved in the ordination.

"The Women's Ordination Conference is outraged by yesterday's Vatican decree, which reminds Catholic women once again of the animosity they face from the hierarchy, despite being the backbone of most Catholic parishes throughout the world," said Aisha Taylor, executive director of the Women's Ordination Conference.

Media Resources: New York Times 5/31/08; Associated Press 5/31/08; Women's Ordination Conference statement 5/30/08; Feminist Daily Newswire

Jun 6, 2008,3:26 PM

Here's an email I got that might interest those of you living in Cville this summer

Expose the Lies: Protect Birth Control

Anti-contraception action is on the rise. On June 7, anti-woman forces
will stage a national protest against birth control and NOW will be there
to counter their campaign of misinformation and lies. Here is what the
American Life League and the the "Pill Kills" campaign is saying:

"Because the pill weakens the immune system, it can cause bacterial
infections and can make a woman more susceptible to the AIDS virus."

"...the most popular form of birth control, the pill, can kill
innocent preborn children. If there is a chance that human beings are
going to be murdered, I am going to do everything in my power to help
prevent that from happening."

"[T]he condom's biggest flaw is that those using it to prevent the
conception of another human being are offending God." It continues,
"furthermore, each and every act of marital intercourse must be both
unitive and open to procreation. Any action, including condom use, which
has as its purpose to render procreation impossible is
intrinsically evil."

Visit The Pill Kills website to learn more about the lies.

The NOW National Action Center is calling on you to mobilize a local
protest to tell the truth and protect birth control.

WHEN: Saturday, June 7

Yes, there is a protest planned at the Planned Parenthood in C-ville by
the American Life League. First Friday and Saturday of each month at
10-10:30am, 12-12:30pm, 3-3:30pm are the times.

Charlottesville NOW
PO Box 5082
Charlottesville, VA 22905
434-963-0669
http://www.avenue.org/cvillenow/

Jun 5, 2008,4:52 PM

women's shoes= bad news

Suprise suprise! "High heels are destroying women's feet, causing permanent damage to a third of women, according to new research."

My favorite part of this article was that at the end, it says flat pumps "were equally problematic because they offer no support at all."

Ok question: Am I a bad feminist because I love wearing heels? On the one hand, I love heels because they make me taller (there I go buying into beauty standards) and make me feel more confident (only because I feel more attractive). On the other hand, sometimes I just find heels that are adorable and I like the way they look... it's fashion, right. Although I don't necessary call myself a "shoe-girl," a good pair of heels can make me swoon. I just wish I didn't get as many blisters and calluses as I do.

4:48 PM

Oh, the irony

Women's rights lawyer sued for sexual harassment

Jun 4, 2008,4:32 PM

Sex and the City

Has anyone seen this yet?

Let me just say, I love Sex and the City. I saw it and I loved it. It truely did feel like I was being reunited with "old pals" as many reviews have said. Yea yea, Sex and the City can be materialistic, can be shallow, whatever... but it's entertaining. AND it's about women from the perspective of women! Check out these articles about the movie and feminism :

"And so while it is probably about as much use as the Beano as a manual for life, you can be a feminist and like Sex and the City. Not least because if you're about to start letting political doctrine arbitrarily dictate which bits of the culture you respond to you may as well give up now and submit to the patriarchy. But mainly because the programme is funny and clever and it thinks women are important"

(On the negative reviews of the movie): "I can't help but wonder—cue the Carrie Bradshaw voiceover here—if it's not a case of "Sexism in the City." Men hated the movie before it even opened. They flooded IMDB.com, voting early and often, so that the movie would have a low rating of 3 out of 10 among users before Friday"

"The most significant independence Bradshaw and her friends exercise is not with their minds, hearts or bodies but their credit cards."

"Sex and the City" does highlight the complexities of what it means to be a modern, independent, woman. Feminist or not, I'm still a fan."

What are your thoughts?

Jun 3, 2008,4:38 PM

Mother's love worth $117,000 per year, study says

" If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year."

UPDATE: Here's a few words on my thoughts...
I think what's important to gain from this study is simply the acknowledgement that being a stay-at-home mom (or dad) is WORK. Stay-at-home parents are not lazy nor are they just sitting around and having fun. For the most part, especially with younger children, they are performing chores and duties that others are being paid for. I'm not suggesting that stay-at-home parents should be making $117,000 a year, but I am saying that stay-at-home parents are doing hard work that should be appreciated, recognized, and respected. It's pretty evident that our society undervalues their work so a study like this can bring light to their efforts. The article does mention working moms, who should have just as equal value, but doesn't mention dads at all because the study was conducted as a mother's day project. Stay-at-home fathers are also doing valuable work by staying home to take care of their children and perform domestic duties. I also think it would be difficult to dispute that in many (not all) situations in which both parents work, mothers still end up doing more work than the fathers (a task for feminism to change!). People also need to change their attitudes about stay-home dads: Men and women have equal parenting skills yet people find it "weird" when dads choose to stay home instead of work because they expect men to be the providers and money makers. Being a parent (for the most part) is a choice. Yes, making this choice brings responsibilities. Yes, being a parent cannot be given a net worth. Yes, parents are rewarded for their work in other ways besides money. But to deny that parenting is hard work is a huge huge lie. That's all I'm saying. I guess the whole idea of the study is supposed to be one of those feel good thank your mom types of things... which is pretty silly since it's one of those one time kinda things. I know very little about economics, so I can't really say much to the way they came up with this figure. I think a lot of people think it's really quite silly to assign parents economic value... and I agree... but there are different types of values that don't just have to be calculated in numbers.