Black Woman Walking

This video appears to be gaining Viral status as it proudly makes its way from page to page all over the internet. Posted on HollaBack TALK, the companion blog for HollaBackNYC a few months ago, it's still making its rounds quite effectively!

Credits to filmmaker Tracey Rose.

Spinster Aunt: Gag rule bagged for 4 years

The blogosphere's favorite Spinster Aunt and writer behind "I Blame The Patriarchy" is exercising a little dissidence and is doing it in an interesting way as she tends to. Check out what she had to say about US President Barack Obama' s recent repeal on the global abortion gag rule a.k.a "The New Mexico Policy" , initially instilled by the Reagan Administration in 1984, repealed by Clinton in 1993 and revived again by G.Dub back in 2001.

I have to say, I appreciate her ability to strip away all the glitz and get straight to the facts... as subversive and far from straight-forward as they may be. See for yourself here. Below are a couple of links to articles on the New Mexico Policy from the past and the present.

Center for Reproductive Rights:
Obama Rescinds Global Gag Rule

Archive, from The New York Times (1987):
Abortions Abroad Are New Focus of Widening Battle Over Reagan's Policy


Thoughts...?

Iceland is Cool

Iceland has just appointed an openly gay woman as Prime Minister! How cool is that? To learn more about Ms. Johanna Sigurdardottir, click here.

Plug your iPod into a Vagina

This is terrible. Talk about objectification of women.
(And yes, this is a real stereo you can buy - if you're so inclined).

I know I've always wanted to plug my iPod into a vadge and listen to music out of boobs. For goodness sake, who makes this shit!?

Charlotte Roche's "Wetlands" is Causin' Some Controversy.

A novel by Charlotte Roche entitled Feuchtgebiete, which roughly translates to “Wetlands” in English, has sparked a number of debates within and extending beyond the worldwide feminist community. The novel is told from the perspective of 18-year-old Helen whom examines her sexual self in ways that are apparently quite graphic according to reviews. Responses to the book vary; some say the book is a groundbreaking piece of feminist literature while others are saying it’s plain old pornography and that it holds no particularly feminist value. First of all, why should it matter? I mean, who says porn and feminism can't be friends? Second, most pornography relies on heavily exploitative images, leaving very little room to appreciate the real
human body and its functions. Considering that mainstream porn is designed to get you off quickly, I think it’s high time we bring a little intellect and some curiosity back into the sexual realms of ladies and gents alike. If we can do that by turning to a provocatively written novel (as this one seems), then so be it!

The author herself seems to have suggested in a recent interview that the book may not speak of feminism in an outwardly political sense but that it may shed light on a different kind of exclusively female complex: our sexual self-awareness. In my opinion, social politics cannot and do not make up the prime interests of feminists; the politics of body image are quite relevant to all women, feminists or not. So, why all the controversy? It seems women’s erotica is so carefully critiqued and evaluated for its morale… much more than the average misogynistic porn flick to say the least.

Feel free to browse through this interview with the author or check out a
fabulously witty review of the book from our dear friends at Jezebel.

This Week's Show - White Ribbon Campaign

I am super excited for our show on Monday January 26th. We are interviewing someone from the White Ribbon Campaign, which is an international organization dedicated to ending men's violence against women.

The reason I'm so excited is because we talk a lot on our show about the issue of violence against women, and we always stress the need for men to be more involved. When you think about it, this problem is never going to be solved without the help of men. We need men to teach our boys that emotional and physical violence against women is unacceptable. The cycle of violence will only end with the help of our male allies.

So please tune in on January 26th from 8:30 to 9:00pm on CJSW 90.9 fm - or stream it online from anywhere in the world at www.cjsw.com.

For more information on the White Ribbon Campaign, visit their website.

The Making of a Girl

Check out this powerful video, "The Making of a Girl":

"An intimate journey of a hypothetical preteen girl as she faces a life of sexual exploitation. Rachel Lloyd, founder of Girls Educational and Mentoring Services, takes us through the trauma and pain of a largely unremarked upon current issue facing American youth- sex trafficking, abuse and sexual exploitation."

How To Be Perfect: Photoshop Graffiti In Berlin

A recurrent topic of discussion amongst the Yeah What She Said ladies, and hopefully a big subject with all of you, is the issue of beauty advertising.

Some cheeky ad busting in response to the bombardment of misleading beauty advertisements has surfaced throughout the city of Berlin.These eye-opening posters are appearing courtesy of FTW-Crew, a small collective of street artist who aim to shed a bold light on just a few of society's most superficially imposed values (i.e. perfect hair, lips, skin, buttocks, etc.).

You can read a recent post from Bust Magazine detailing their latest "installment" of sorts, PhotoShop Graffiti right here.

Jim from "The Office" makes Feminist Movie

This is kinda neat. John Krasinski (a.k.a. Jim from The Office) has just directed a film called Brief Interviews with Hideous Men.

The movie is about a female graduate student who copes with a break-up by interviewing a bunch of "hideous men" for her dissertation. I'm not really sure how or why it's feminist, but Krasinski seems to think it is. He says this about the film: "I think at the end of the day it's a feminist movie which I'm really proud of, yeah."

Whether or not people will see it as a feminist movie, it's cool that he is "proud" to have made a feminist film, and is not afraid to use the F-word.

This Week's Show - Impeach Bush?

Tune in on Monday January 19th from 8:30 to 9:00pm to hear this week's show, "Impeach Bush?"
You can listen online at www.cjsw.com

In honour of Bush's last day in office, we thought we'd play "Impeach Bush" - a recording from the Women's International News Gathering Service.

Show description:
The US House of Representatives has sent impeachment resolutions against Bush to the Judiciary Committee. Does impeachment still matter? This 1/2 hour program features Elizabeth Holtzman, Barbara Jordan, Nancy Pelosi (cameo), Cindy Sheehan, and Cynthia McKinney.

Male Engagement Rings

An article in the UK's Telegraph discusses a new trend amongst young folks - some men are starting to wear engagement rings.

I think this is pretty neat. It's always pissed me off that women have to wear a ring for the period of their engagement, and the ring pretty much acts as a giant, red flashing light that tells other men to STAY AWAY! However, engaged men do not have to wear a ring, and are thus not showing to the world that they're already committed to somebody. It's really not fair.

Personally, I think that either both the male and female should wear engagement rings, or they should both not wear any rings until the wedding day.
Thoughts?

Bush declares "Sanctity of Life" day

This is unbelievable... in his final days of presidency, Bush declares January 18th as "Sanctity of Life" day. Pretty ironic, considering how much blood has been shed during his 8 years in the white house.
But as the gals at Feministing.com say,
"This "culture of life" bullshit makes me sick to my stomach, but at least he's owning up to the fact that he has, in fact, worked vigorously to wage a war against women's right to control their bodies."

Read the full article here.

Motherhood & Feminism in Calgary

Looking for a place to chat, snack and find support among other new moms?

Come and join us at the Women's Centre every Monday in February and March from 1:00 - 3:00pm

This mom's group was created in order to provide a nurturing and supportive environment for women to explore motherhood from a feminist perspective that respects the various choices and challenges that we face as women. We also want to have some fun and eat snacks together!

The group is an open drop-in space where all women and children are welcome (experienced moms can join as well). The direction of the group and whether we want to have guest speakers or not will be decided by all of us. Your hosts are Liza (with a 5+ month-old) and Janice (with an 8+ month-old).

Information & RSVP:
http://www.meetup.com/calgaryfeminist/calendar/9531548/

Thanks to the Calgary Feminist Meet-Up Group for passing this info along.

Ladies: Check Yo Thang!!!

Check out the video below from Current.com and then CHECK YO JUNK! This vid is full of some totally alarming stats about sexual health for both women and men. It also talks about a number of alarming realities regarding STI's for women in particular.

You may or may not know a few things about what's being discussed here; if you do already, it's extremely important to remember. If you don't, it's equally important for you to get familiar with! It always amazes me to hear what people do and --frighteningly-- do NOT know about their sexual health. Do you know what HPV stands for???

Some great ways to obtain information on sexual and reproductive health here in Calgary can be found via the Calgary Sexual Health Centre or Alberta Health Services' Sexual & Reproductive Health Program to name but a few.

Stay educated and remember to keep it all in check!

News Flash - Botox is Bad for you. (Well, duh!)

Finally, some evidence that injecting muscle relaxants into your face just to prevent a few wrinkles is a BAD IDEA. I'm pretty sure I knew this within three seconds of first hearing about Botox. I mean c'mon, needles in your face?

Anyhow, I digress. CBC reports:
"The toxin in Botox products may spread to distant parts of the body, with potentially fatal consequences, Health Canada said Tuesday in announcing new labelling information for the drugs."

Read the full article here.

New "Target Women" Vid! Love it.

Check out the latest Target Women video from the delightful Sarah Haskins. She makes fun of how the media portrays women as diet-obsessed, and how they also make ridiculous claims like "Just cut out soda and you'll shed pounds!"

Watch Target Women: Diets here!

And if you haven't yet discovered the wonderfully funny "Target Women" videos, click here. We highly recommend them for all feminist-thinking folks.

Tonight: Chivalry, Schmivalry...?

I recently found myself filling out an on-line questionnaire out of boredom the other night. One of the questions was regarding the importance of chivalry as we refer to it in today's culture: acts of courtesy shown by men towards women. The question asked whether or not chivalry is dead or if it's still kicking but kinda useless in relation to modern courtship. I had to really stop myself and use my entire grey matter to even begin to come to my conclusion; it was as though I had never considered this before. And it feels as though I haven’t yet... at least not as thoroughly as I would hope.

Is chivalry dead? Is it ancient, outdated and unnecessary? Should a modern, socially aware woman be offended by acts of chivalry shown towards her by a man? I have been questioning this and can’t seem to find any satisfaction in mulling it over alone. So on tonight's show, Jennie and I are going to look at where Chivalry comes from historically, how it works for us ladies and of course, how it works for men.

For some good reads relating to our topic tonight, we've decided to post some interesting articles and blog entries from some of our favorite sites. Check out Jezebel's totally adorable 5 Rules of The New Chivalry as well as The Crap Anti-Feminist Manifesto From A Dude in which some kid claims Feminism has killed Chivalry among other things.

A couple of other fun reads to check out include Smug Intentions: Richard and Judy on Chivalry and Dear Ladies, Chivalry Makes Life More Worth Living!


Of course you can always find other interesting feminist reads at Jezebel or The F Word.

Tune in tonight at 8:30 PM MST on CJSW 90.9 FM or stream it live from the CJSW website.

Dove's Latest Video - "Intuition"

British film maker Pinny Grylls has worked collaboratively with Dove to produce Intuition, a film short exploring womens first impressions of each other. To educate and inspire women to broaden their judgments of each other, the film shows how women will rightly or wrongly make assumptions about a persons life. Its a must-see if you've ever wondered how our looks can affect our lives and the way we react to others.

Ann Coulter Grabbing For Attention

So, the ultra-conservative wing-nut, Ann Coulter, recently said this:
“[Single motherhood] is a recipe to create criminals, strippers, rapists, murderers.”

Watch the video here.

I think she's saying things that are crazier and crazier each day - mostly because she's pissed that other conservative women (such as Sarah Palin and Elizabeth Hasselback) have stolen her lime light!

*Sigh* I hate it when women hate on women. So un-feminist.

A Must-Watch Video for All Prop. 8 Supporters

This video is amazing - the lyrics are very touching.
"Created Equal" by MC Flow - visit her MySpace page here.

Sexist Advertising from Way Back When

Tonight on Yeah, What She Said we will be looking at some good ol' sexist advertisements from way back when. Tune in from 8:30 to 9:00 pm (MST) - you can even stream it online from the CJSW website.

I'm posting a few of the examples here that I'm going to be discussing. Here they are:

Back in the day, douches were pretty common. Women falsely believed that they had to cleanse out their vagina in order to keep it fresh and hygienic. Check out these ridiculous ads for products that were meant to cleanse your "delicately feminine area."

The Lysol Douche
"Pristeen" - Vaginal Spray
Demure Liquid Douche

Also, check out these other two ads. The one for Heinz soup makes reference to wife-beating in a really bizarre way, and the ad for Sardo Bath Oil informs ladies that the best thing we can do for our husbands is to take care of our skin. Thanks for the tip, jackass.

Heinz Soup
Sardo Bath Oil

A Man With Some Repulsive Opinions About Why He Can't Get Laid. Comedy? Not Quite.

He says women go to clubs wearing “...next to nothing because they want attention from men”. While he is entitled to making shallow assumptions about the reasons why women dress the way in which they please or why they go out to clubs, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that his opinions are lacking in taste, that they are aggressive and completely fucking ignorant.

For those of you familiar with Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth, you’ll likely recognize that this foolish perception of the way women are expected to dress --and what must, apparently, be determined of us based on the way we dress-- is a clear and precise example of some of the dilemmas examined in the book. Toju (as he is called) expresses that, while he claims to love women, the attitude women tend to dish out produces a number of challenges for him as he attempts to collect phone numbers, grind against strangers without invitation, and do whatever else it is he thinks gives women the attention we’re looking for when out at a bar or at a club. This challenge somehow manages to turn him on.
Just me? Or are we standing firmly on the territory of blatant harassment? Yes, I think freaking so.

If anyone out there is even slightly offended after watching this young man run a muck , I suggest you do whatever is in your power to publicly decry this sort of abusiveness. I’ m shocked that his opinions are even slightly welcome by modern collective journalism websites like the one where this video can be viewed.

Toju, you do NOT love women. You clearly hate them. No, I'll re-phrase: you hate the ones that aren't afraid to look how they want, say what they don't want, and give you the burning slap in the face you're so desperately awaiting with your tongue hanging out like a diseased and starving animal, as you’ve shown us.

The video can be seen here

Maybe you'd like to say something to him? If so, I suggest you send him your message.

So Apparently Girls With Hairy Pits are "Freaks"

Our society has a serious fear of females with hairy armpits. Women who decide to go au natural are labeled as lesbians, freaks, hippies, unsanitary, unfeminine, or a combination of all the above. In a recent article in The Sun, a female reporter goes on a mission to not shave her pits for two weeks, and see how men react.

Just as you'd expect, she reports that the moment lads see her hairy pits, "they run away in horror." She also claims that she has to spend an extra 20 minutes in the shower to wash her pits because it's just so damn unsanitary to have hair in a place that hair naturally grows.

Personally, I am a pit-shaver myself and I prefer to keep them smooth. But I also realize that the reason women shave our pits in the first place is because companies wanted women to buy more useless beauty products to "cure" problems on your body (which aren't really problems, just natural occurrences). You can read more about the history of pit-shaving here (it's super interesting!)

I just wish that hairy pits would be accepted and treated as what they are - compleatly normal and natural. We need to stop hating on the hairy ladies and stop labeling them as freaks just because they don't conform to one ridiculous standard.