MetaFilter posts tagged with feminism

It's about improving the lives not only of women, but of men

catchingsignals — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:24:07 -0800

Video discussion on being a man with, and The Seven P's of Men's Violence by, Michael Kaufman, International Director of the White Ribbon Campaign. Feminism Brings Benefits to All -- Men Included. Rethinking privilege?

Pantone pink No. 241 corona

mippy — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 08:52:13 -0800

As parents scramble to get one of the 25,000 items in the Disney Princess range, this article, What's Wrong with Cinderella?, gives perspective from a mother and feminist. (Yes, I realise this article isn't new, but I came across it when doing research for work, and found it interesting indeed. Especially learning that Tinker Bell was dropped from the princess canon...)

Hi. Whatcha reading?

kimdog — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 08:06:11 -0800

Schrödinger’s Rapist: or a guy’s guide to approaching strange women without being maced.

So You Think You Can Realism?

Greg Nog — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:16:10 -0800

We're all familiar with the thrilling, pulse-pounding, edge-of-your-seat spectacle that is Chantal Akerman's Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Essay containing spoilers), and we've all run out to buy the new Criterion Collection DVD, and of course, we often spend our time fantasizing about what it would be like to lead the glamorous roller-coaster ride that is Ms. Dielman's life. Well, now you can make those fantasies a reality: "In honor of the release of Jeanne Dielman on DVD, we’re sponsoring the world’s first Jeanne Dielman–Criterion Collection Cooking Video Contest. Make a video of yourself (or someone else) cooking 1) meat loaf, 2) cutlets, or 3) potatoes, and upload it as a video response to Jeanne Dielman–Criterion Collection Cooking Video Contest on YouTube."

Jimmy Carter gets out

ThePinkSuperhero — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:32:43 -0800

Jimmy Carter leaves the Southern Baptist Church [M]y decision to sever my ties with the Southern Baptist Convention, after six decades, was painful and difficult. It was, however, an unavoidable decision when the convention's leaders, quoting a few carefully selected Bible verses and claiming that Eve was created second to Adam and was responsible for original sin, ordained that women must be "subservient" to their husbands and prohibited from serving as deacons, pastors or chaplains in the military service. This was in conflict with my belief - confirmed in the holy scriptures - that we are all equal in the eyes of God.

"I am feminist, neo-feminist, post-feminist and alter-feminist."

nonmerci — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 10:14:09 -0800

"If you were to describe me without anyone being able to see me, they would think I am a monster (Guardian video + article), that I am not fuckable. But if they see me, that could perhaps change." While French artist ORLAN's work spans decades and mediums (FR, may be NSFW), she is perhaps best known for her 1990s performance series "The Reincarnation of Saint-ORLAN" wherein ORLAN filmed herself receiving seven different plastic surgeries (NSFW) while entirely conscious. ORLAN's exhibit caused quite a stir (NYT) at its inception, with art critics such as Barbara Rose grappling with "the disquieting question of whether masochism may be a legitimate component of esthetic intention, or whether we are dealing here not with art but with illustrated psychopathology." Wherever your opinion may lie, it is hard not to be fascinated by this interesting and eloquent (both FR) woman.

Geek feminism

velvet winter — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:21:39 -0800

“...the Platonic nerd is invariably male. The stereotype is flexible to incorporate women and girls on an individual basis, but few people conjure up the image of a woman when they think about nerds.” Feminist blog Pandagon reviews two books about nerdiness and geekery, Jason Tocci addresses the question of why female involvement in geek culture seems to call for a special explanation, and two feminist geeks set out in search of an egalitarian future.

Etsy critiques.

lunit — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 07:53:25 -0800

By now, you've probably heard of Etsy (previously), a website that has been called a "crafty cross between Amazon and Ebay." The site is enormously popular, among women in particular, but some are asking is the buy handmade movement a good thing? Does the site peddle a false feminist fantasy?

Empathy = ovary?

hayvac — Thu, 21 May 2009 11:32:57 -0800

When President Obama says he's looking for a judge with the "quality of empathy" to replace retiring Supreme Court Justice David Souter, is it code for a female judge? In the two decades since Bertha Wilson famously asked Will Women Judges Really Make A Difference? (mms), the answer has come back as a resounding yes (studies: 1 (pdf), 2) -- and no (studies: 1 (pdf), 2). But either way, is choosing judges based on supposed gender qualities ever a good idea?

Who You Calling A Bad Feminist?

Elizabeth the Thirteenth — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:02:40 -0800

If you had to pinpoint today's problem that had no name, what would it be? In answer to that question, Linda Hirshman launches an attack on tabloid feminism prompted by last summer's spirited appearance on Lizz Winstead's show, Thinking and Drinking by Jezebel contributors Tracie Egan, a.k.a. Slut Machine (second link possibly NSFW) and Moe Tkacik. Jezebel's Megan Carpentier responds. Is this the future of feminism?

When women hide behind their children on Facebook

Locative — Sat, 16 May 2009 07:42:18 -0800

Get Your Kid Off Your Facebook Page by Katie Roiphe You click on a friend's name and what comes into focus is not a photograph of her face, but a sleeping blond four-year-old, or a sun-hatted baby running on the beach. Here, harmlessly embedded in one of our favorite methods of procrastination, is a potent symbol for the new century. Where have all of these women gone? What, some future historian may very well ask, do all of these babies on our Facebook pages say about the construction of women’s identity at this particular moment in time?

Marilyn French has died.

Morrigan — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:32:17 -0800

Marilyn French, author of The Women's Room, among other works, has died.

I can't take my eyes off of her.

Optimus Chyme — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:57:45 -0800

"Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at. This determines not only most relations between men and women but also the relation of women to themselves." Also: male gaze on the Gender Ads Project. Laura Mulvey's original 1975 essay on Male Gaze in cinema.

Fetish of ambition

joseph conrad is fully awesome — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 10:05:15 -0800

"... many critics and editors, especially male ones, make a fetish of "ambition," by which they mean the contemporary equivalent of novels about men in boats ("Moby-Dick," "Huckleberry Finn") rather than women in houses ("House of Mirth"), and that as a result big novels by male writers get treated as major events while slender but equally accomplished books by women tend to make a smaller splash." A book review of Elaine Showalter's newly published book, A Jury of Her Peers: American Women Writers from Anne Bradstreet to Annie Proulx, contains a brief historical overview and discussion of the question, "Why can't a woman write the Great American novel?"

Yes Means Yes

emjaybee — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 13:37:01 -0800

Moving beyond no means no. The anthology Yes Means Yes brings together writers, male and female, to explore the power of enthusiastic consent and to promote female desire free of coercion. The book has spawned a series of readings, live chats, and some interesting blog responses. Meanwhile, Twisty at I Blame the Patriarchy takes a more straightforward approach; consent must be given, but never assumed. The problem with rape, other than the fact that 95% of it is perpetrated by men, always seems to boil down to this asinine controversy over consent. The issue is grossly encumbered with a futile focus on meaningless, temporary instances of the withdrawal of consent, to wit: “she said yes” or “she said yes and then she said no” or “she said yes and waited until two days later to say no” or “she said yes and has been lying about it ever since.” She said, she said, she said. Well, what if lack of consent were the default? What if all prospective objects of dudely predation — by whom I mean all women — are a priori considered to have said “no”? What if women, in other words, were seen by the courts to abide in a persistent legal condition of keep-the-fuck-off-me?

The end of womyn's lands?

Forktine — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 06:03:35 -0800

“In 20 to 25 years, we could be extinct": lesbian separatist communes grapple with aging, irrelevance to younger lesbians, and survival in the twenty-first century. Here is a reprint of a 1994 article from Off Our Backs about lesbian land and commune building, and here is a very brief history of the communes, mentioning some of the internal problems they have grappled with. And meanwhile, as the radical communes are fading, the demand for gay retirement homes is booming.

A Story in Pictures

OverlappingElvis — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 11:17:38 -0800

Two of the most important women’s-rights-related bill-signings in the past few years.

The power of virginity

Pater Aletheias — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 08:05:12 -0800

Virginity at age 22. Two approaches: 1. Sell it. "It became apparent to me that idealized virginity is just a tool to keep women in their place. But then I realized something else: if virginity is considered that valuable, what’s to stop me from benefiting from that?" 2. Keep it. "It is puzzling and disturbing to me that regnant feminism has never acknowledged the empowering value of virginity."

Giles Deacon says "hi!"

four panels — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 10:20:03 -0800

Is the new feminism lipstick and fashion? “I think the proper reaction to a beauty pageant these days is to be bored by it. I would have thought that old version of feminism, which was violently opposed to lipstick and high heels, had died out by now. It’s an extinct image of feminism — that you can’t be both frivolous and serious or care about clothes and read books at the same time. And, in a way, it’s sort of depressing that these same old-fashioned battles keep on being recycled.”

"She can even butter your toast"

Marisa Stole the Precious Thing — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 02:48:29 -0800

Inventor Le Trung, creator of Aiko the female robot, awaits investors to give his creation life.

Men Against Rape

lunit — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 08:47:42 -0800

Men Can Stop Rape is part of a growing movement to stop rape, sexual assault, and sexual violence by focusing on educating men. There are efforts to change the climate on college campuses and curriculum at Haverford, Tulane, Kansas State, Idaho State, University of Wisconsin, University of Texas, University of Minnesota, University of Maine, Portland State, Harvard, University of Rochester, University of Delaware, Franklin and Marshall, and Colorado State, to name a few. Want to start your own? Here's how. Not in college? There's There are regional associations in Atlanta, Pennslyvania, Maine, Madison, Gloucester, Amherst, Washington, and Wyoming and national and international organizations like National Organization for Men Against Sexism, The Safety Net, One in Four, V-Day Men, The White Ribbon, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, Meninist, and A Call to Men. There's also a men against violence Webring. How much do you know about sexual assault? Test Yourself!

Mr. Hollander's Opus: A Trilogy of Antifeminist Lawsuits

milquetoast — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 21:43:57 -0800

"Roy Den Hollander, a graduate of the Ivy League university’s business school, contends Columbia's Institute for Research on Women and Gender is discriminatory and unconstitutional because there is no equivalent 'men’s studies' programme." So Mr. Hollander is suing Columbia, thereby completing his "trilogy of antifeminist lawsuits." More at Gothamist.

Domestic Violence and Russian Women

agregoli — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:04:57 -0800

Every hour a woman in the Russian Federation dies at the hand of a relative, her partner or former partner. Russian judge rules sexual harassment okay as it ensures humans breed. Domestic violence: Russian women speak out. NPR: Domestic Violence A Silent Crisis In Russia.

Feminist bloggers and racism

lunit — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:07:08 -0800

This has not been a good week for woman of color blogging. About two weeks ago, Black Femi Power, a well-read woman of color blogger, resigned her blog in protest to an incident wherein Amanda Marcotte, a notable white feminist blogger, was accused of appropriating BFP's ideas. On the heels of the controversy that had reverberations in the feminist blogosphere which are far from forgotten, Marcotte is releasing and promoting a new book, with a new cover to replace the old one after outcries that it was racist.

The Open Source Boob Project

Hildegarde — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:25:03 -0800

The Open Source Boob Project. At Penguicon, we had buttons to give away. There were two small buttons, one for each camp: A green button that said, "YES, you may" and a red button that said "NO, you may not." And anyone who had those buttons on, whether you knew them or not, was someone you could approach and ask: "Excuse me, but may I touch your breasts?" Once taken online, the grand flurry of reactions have been decidedly mixed. The main link is awkward to read; it starts with a bunch of caveats and explanations. The original post comes after all the updates and edits. And there are a lot (and I mean a lot of comments, many of them very thoughtful and interesting, some from people who were there, many from those who weren't.