Wanda Sykes on a "Detachable Pussy"

Well folks, as February comes to an end we say goodbye to Black History Month, but we say hello to March which is Women's History Month!
In honour of both these months, I'd like to share a video by Wanda Sykes. Wanda is by far one of the funniest women in comedy, and this particular piece on the benefits of having a "detachable pussy" is pure brilliance. Check it out!

back in business.

finally got the camera back, finished up some finals and received some energy to get myself back into blogging mode. thanks charms ;)

been so tired and energyless lately... bleh. need to figure out what to wear for the bf's birthday tomorrow night. out to a nice club and need to put my dancing shoes on and indulge in some delicious drinks.

im loving my grandma's hand-me-down pearls lately so here's a pic from last weekend of me and my girlfriend out. makes me wanna say RAWR...haha

style me over.

basic Calvin Klein sweater dress that needed some spicing up.

photo on left: CK dress, Michael Kors watch

photo on right: CK dress, Zara leather jacket, Sam Edelman boots, TNA leggings

same dress with Zara belt (replica of Carrie's from Sex & City movie)

red shoes courtesy of aldo


left photo: hat & sweater H&M, mocassins gift from Edmonton Alberta
right photo: blazer H&M, pearls - grandma's vintage, betsey johnson booties

The Absolute Importance of Self Esteem

Self esteem is essential to the feminist movement. Two of my favourite writers, feminist Gloria Steinem and philosopher Ayn Rand both wrote extensively on the importance of self esteem. In this short blog post I can hardly do justice to either of them, but I wanted to mention a few points.

In her book Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Steinem writes about the Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem that was established in 1986 in California. The legislator responsible for it believed that self esteem would be a “social vaccine” against an epidemic of seven major social problems: crime and violence, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, child and spousal abuse, chronic welfare dependency, and failure to achieve in school.

When the results of the studies and public hearings came in, low self esteem was found to be a “primary causal factor” in each of those seven social problems. As a result, the Task Force implemented self-esteem programs in schools, prisons, drug treatment centres and battered women’s shelters. They found that even simple efforts such as holding discussions about self esteem made people feel empowered.

The cost of this entire three-year effort was $735,000. In 1986 that was less than the price of keeping a 21 year old in prison for a life sentence. Incredible.

Ayn Rand believed that self esteem was absolutely essential to living a happy, virtuous life. To Rand, self esteem is the absolute certainty that you are fundamentally able to succeed in life, and are deserving of that success. You know you are worthy of happiness, which means that you are worthy of living.

Self esteem is not just about “feeling good.” It is deeply interconnected with everything else in your life: relationships, jobs, family, and your health. People who work in dead-end jobs when they can do better, people who stay in abusive relationships, and people who are addicted to drugs, video games or food ALL have one thing in common: a lack of self esteem.

I fear that most governments do not place enough value on the self-esteem of their citizens – but why should they? A population of miserable, dependent people who think they’re unworthy are much easier to control and manipulate than a confident, self-assured group.

My advice to all feminists in particular, and to all people in general, is to work on your self esteem. Without it, you’ll never believe you’re worthy of the life you deserve to live.

“Self Esteem isn’t everything; it’s just that there’s nothing without it.”
- Gloria Steinem

When You've Really Gotta Go...

Okay, I'd like to hear some reactions to this. It's called the GoGirl; a female urination device that's supposed to be ideal for women, err, on the go...

Peeing in public, for the most part, sucks whether or not there are toilets involved, but do we really need this? I can't decide. Is it a great idea? I can't lie and say that my memory of the last time I squatted among prickly highway-side brush is a pleasant one, but I don't think I'm convinced that this thing is necessary either.

It's basically a funnel (in case you were wondering) and, apparently, several different versions of these devices have surfaced throughout the ages. The tag lines for many of these "FUD's" is that they are the germ free solution to public peeing: essentially, no filthy gas bar toilet seats, no mess, no prickly road-side brush. This one is marketed as particularly economical as it can be reused where others have been designed for disposal after single use. It could be the ultimate sanitary savior but I just think that if the majority of us have made it this far without an FUD, why start spending well-earned cash on another old hunk of silicone that's supposed to make our lives easier?

You know us damsels, always in distress and wondering who will be the next to save us from peeing like girls...

A Shocking T-shirt?

Diagram labels: Depth Gauge, Awe, Shock

So, a friend of mine came over last night wearing this t-shirt. When I realized what it was, I said to him, "Dude, you know I'm a feminist, right?!" Then he looked all sheepish and was like "... yeah."

Anyhow, I'm not really sure what to think of this shirt, I just knew it somehow irked me. Even though I don't find it overly offensive (because I don't think its inherently sexist) it still bugged me. I think more than anything it's the name - "The Shocker." Maybe if this "technique" was called something else, it might be cool. After all, this is essentially a diagram of how to pleasure a woman, right? So in that sense it's cool... I just don't like the name. Maybe we can rename it to "The Handy Dandy" - I like that one better!

Virginia University Crowns Drag Queen

George Mason University just crowned Ryan Allen, a drag queen, as their homecoming queen. He received more votes than two women who also vied for the crown.

You can watch a great little video of him accepting the award here.
And you can read more about it via the Washington Post.

Way to go Ryan, and kudos to George Mason University for being so awesome and open minded.

Teenage Pregnancy Rates a Concern in US & UK

A 13 year old boy in England recently became one of Britain's youngest fathers. The boy, Alfie, was just 12 when he impregnated his 14 year old girlfriend. When asked what he'd do to support his child financially, he answered "What's financially?"

The UK has a high number of teenage pregnancies with about 27 out of 1,000 births by girls aged 15-19. Britain's teen pregnancy rate, however, is still far below that of the United States, which registers 44 births per 1,000 women aged 15-19.

To put those rates in perspective, here are the rates for some other Western countries:

• Australia: 17 per 1,000
• Canada: 11 per 1,000
  
• Spain: 10 per 1,000
• France: 8 per 1,000
• The Netherlands: 5 per 1,000

That means that the teenage pregnancy rate in the USA is almost 9x greater than the Netherlands, and 4x greater than Canada's.

I think it's fascinating that The Netherlands, which is one of the most sexually liberated countries on the earth (with their red light district and legalized prostitution) has such a low teen pregnancy rate. I think that when a society is open and honest about sex, people are better educated about the risks and take more precautions.

*Stats for this blog entry were taken from this CBC article.

cathy pill

never heard of cathy pill until now... but i like i like.

getting really annoyed cuz some girl has my camera. all i wanna do is take pics of some sweet outfits in my closet that have never saw daylight together.
shame shame.

spending friday night wondering when i will see my canon again and trying to get over this illness...save me .

my girls, my loves.

so last summer me and some of my closest girlfriends got together with a photographer friend of ours and took some amazing pictures. here are my favorites that i'd love to share. enjoy!

this one is on my bedroom wall, blown up on a canvas :)

photos courtesy of

melissa danielle photography

KMStitchery! Sweet Feminist Threads!

Check this out! Etsy is a fabulous on-line community for arts & crafts nerds, but just as fabulous is the Esty shop for KMSticthery's Eco-Friendly Feminist threads! All materials used are recycled. The pieces feature stencils of your favorite revolutionaries so you can rock the likes of Gloria Steinem, Audre Lorde and Susan B. Anthony on your sleeve (or chest, or back, or hood...). You can purchase most of these goodies from the KMStitchery shop at Etsy.com, and if you're in the Vancouver area, you can visit Planet Claire , for a little bit of touch and maybe even some feel. We love Etsy! And KMStitchery too!

Pregnant Women Behind Bars

Ms Magazine has an interesting article about incarcerated women who are pregnant.

Last year, 4000 women given a U.S. prison sentence were pregnant. In most cases, the babies were removed from their mothers immediately after birth, disrupting the crucial first few months of parent-child bonding. However, a few innovative programs across the country allow incarcerated women to keep their babies with them. A Ms. reporter witnesses the benefits to both mother and child. Read the full article...

bangin'

i love the bangs on me but im trying to grow them out and do the middle part which i haven't had in about 6 years ... kinda skeptical when i look back at these pictures. what do you think?

dress/shirt: urban outfitters

belt: H&M

leggings: tna

booties: Betsey Johnson

purple people eater

my outfit for lady gaga show in dec 08. @ Circa (Toronto); besides "just dance" her songs papparazi and boys boys boys are sick tracks!

-scarf - H&M (one of my favorites)

- belt - also H&M

-skirt underneath - Zara

-tube top underneath - Urban Outfitters

- tights - American Apparel

- Shoes - H&M

The Male Privilege Checklist

Check out the 'Male Privilege Checklist' from Alas, A Blog!

Some of my faves from the list are noted below. I also think it's important to mention that the ladies of Yeah, What She Said are not posting this to slam men or anything like that - we love men and realize that the vast majority of men are not cool with sexism and other forms of oppression. However, it's important that all people in positions of privilege (men, Caucasians, etc.) should be aware of their privilege.

Some of my faves from the Male Privilege Checklist:

• If I fail in my job or career, I can feel sure this won’t be seen as a black mark against my entire sex’s capabilities.
• If I choose not to have children, my masculinity will not be called into question.
• If I seek political office, my relationship with my children, or who I hire to take care of them, will probably not be scrutinized by the press.
• I can be loud with no fear of being called a shrew. I can be aggressive with no fear of being called a bitch.

rosie

this is my valentine to myself.

passion for flowers

mirror mirror

plaid meets senorita

its all in her eyes.

photo by tony duran

current beauty must-haves

top left: Chanel lipgloss - color 25
top right: Covergirl Lashblast mascara - waterproof in very black (the waterproof version helps to keep my lashes curled and looking longer)
bottom left: Clinique supermoisture foundation - lightweight; tinted moisturizer texture
bottom right: MAC eyelash curler; I have about 5 curlers and this one is by far the best

Hello Lovah...

Robert Pattinson from Twilight makes me drool. Just thought I'd share that... you have to see the movie to understand it completely but the pictures tell their own story.

Bristol Palin - Abstinence Doesn't Work

Bristol Palin, the 16-yr old daughter of Sarah Palin, admits that abstinence as a form of birth control DOES NOT WORK. Bristol was pregnant during her mom's campaign for vice-presidency, which sparked a lot of debate about issues of family values, sex education and teen pregnancy.

The Bush administration really pushed for schools to only teach abstinence-only sex education, but many studies prove that it doesn't work. Now we're hearing it from a young teen herself.

my friend caitlin is so fabulous.
dress - actually a skirt from H&M
belt - local vancouver designer.
shoes - prada.

you know your friends have style when they can turn a skirt into a dress with no question.

me & my fashionably smart wife caitlin. the headband on me was a genius idea; we bought the sequined pieces from a store on Queen West (in downtown Toronto) and hand stitched elastic at the 2 ends to create chic and unique headbands.
on me: dress - H&M
on caitlin:
shirt - costa blanca
jumper - urban outfitters
hair pin - urban outfitters

inspiration

i love this issue. it came with a map of New York including all the hot spots from the hot show. i live through the eye s of Carrie Bradshaw... although i'm not looking forward to an addition to the 1st movie - i'm obviously still going to be first in line to see it. i just wish they would leave the fans in the unknown. its nice to assume our own wishes for these 4 fierce ladies.sex.
and the city.

including not only SJP and the girls but also Miss Port's version on MTV. New York. Fashion. I'm in.






traveling ...
suitcases make me smile, it means i'm not staying in one place for too much longer. i love this picture especially since i plan to buy the Eiffel tower decor item (1. because i love Paris; 2. because i want Paris in my home)
-i need to find a vintage suitcase. classic.

here are some more inspirations in my life...

rachel bilson. my style icon...in Herve Leger -
gorgeous. im currently obsessed with Herve Leger bandage dresses.







after a chance to see a friends blog; realized it was time for my spot in the wild world of blogging.
check out goldieoldiecharms.blogspot.com to see where the inspiration started.

inspiration: a divine influence directly and immediately exerted upon the mind or soul (www.dictionary.com)

Tonight's Show - V-Day

Tonight's show is a bit of a mixed bag. We're discussing both Valentine's day and V-day - both of which are celebrated on February 14th.

Here are some links and information about the things we're discussing tonight:

Valentine's Day
The history of valentines day is pretty interesting - it kind of makes me respect the holiday a little bit more. To watch a brief video about the history, check out History.com.

V-Day
V-day is a global movement to end violence against women and girls. This year V-day organizers are focusing on the issue of rape in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Another great international initiative for ending violence against women is Amnesty's International's Stop Violence Against Women campaign.

Violence Against Women
In light of V-day, we're talking about some recent incidents of violence against women that have been in the media.

• Obviously, the incident between Chris Brown and Rihanna has been all over the blog-o-sphere, and we'll be discussing that tonight.
• We'll also be talking about a very cool movement in India - A Consortium of Pub-going, Loose and Forward Women. Check out the Facebook group and Fan Page.

Domestic Violence in Nunavut
Finally, we will be discussing the very serious issue of violence against women in northern Canada. Nunavut territory has a violent crime rate 8x greater than the rest of Canada, and 90% of the victims are women.

Iqaluit singer Lucie Idlout wrote a song called "Lovely Irene" in honour of her friend who suffered domestic abuse. When the acoustic version of the song (which is titled Angel Street) was discovered by the mayor of Iqaluit, Elisapee Sheutiapik, she started a campaign to have each capital city in Canada use the name "Angel" in a street name as a way of paying tribute to victims of domestic violence.

Below is a video about the only women's shelter in Iqaluit. The video features the acoustic version of Lucie Idlout's song Angel Street.

Remember to tune in tonight at 8:30 pm on CJSW 90.9 fm or stream it live from CJSW.com.

"Rapelay" - Raping Women in Virtual Reality

This is sickening. Illusion, a Japanese video game producer, has developed "Rapelay" - the video game where you stalk and rape victims.

The Belfast Telegraph reports:

One website review describes "tears glistening in the young girl's eyes" as she is attacked in graphic detail.

Players begin the game by stalking a mother on a subway station before violently raping her. They then move on to attack her two daughters described as virgin schoolgirls.

Players are also allowed to enter 'freeform mode' where they can rape any woman and get other male game characters to join the attacks.

I am so disgusted by this - I can hardly believe anyone would produce, let alone purchase, a game like this. Video game simulation is used by the U.S. military because it allows people to practice killing and helps to emotionally detach a soldier from acts of war. If that strategy works for the military, imagine what this rape game is teaching the men who play it.

Must See - Eve Ensler's New Monologue

Megan, a blogger from Jezebel, writes:
I cried watching Eve Ensler performing her new piece, A Teenage Girl's Guide To Surviving Sex Slavery. She ends it, "No one can take anything from you if you do not give it to them."

Un-Valentine's Day for Girls - This Saturday

A group of rad Calgary women are putting together an Un-Valentines Day for teenage girls on Saturday Feb 14th. Girls aged 11-15 are invited to participate in this workshop which will teach them awesome skills like skateboarding, how to play guitar, t-shirt making and more!

The purpose of the event is to provide teenage girls with positive role models and self image. You can check out their website here.

We will also be interviewing the organizers on Monday Feb 23rd - so be sure to tune in at 8:30pm!

All Female Taxi Service in Mumbai

Women in Mumbai are setting the ultimate example! Check out this article about Forsche, an all-women taxi service in India's bustling metropolis, and then watch the video clip below.

Woman Auctioning Off Her Virginity

Now this is interesting. Twenty-two year old Natalie Dylan (a Women's Studies graduate, by the way) is auctioning off her virginity. It sounds like a crazy idea, I know, but when you read her justification for doing so, it actually makes a lot of sense.

A couple of the most thought-provoking sentences from her justification are below:

"Like most little girls, I was raised to believe that virginity is a sacred gift a woman should reserve for just the right man. But college taught me that this concept is just a tool to keep the status quo intact...
When I learned this, 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? It is mine, after all. And the value of my chastity is one level on which men cannot compete with me. I decided to flip the equation, and turn my virginity into something that allows me to gain power and opportunity from men. I took the ancient notion that a woman’s virginity is priceless and used it as a vehicle for capitalism."

I actually think this is pretty cool. Personally, I am sick of our society thinking that a woman's virginity is sacred and pure. But if men out there want to believe that, then why not capitalize on it and sell it to the highest bidder?
Thoughts?

Orgasms are Good for Women (well, duh!)

A quick news hit from news:lite

Psychologist Dr Lisa Turner says while men lose energy through orgasm, women are empowered by them and gain clarity of thought.

She argues that this means women who do well in the bedroom will generally also do better in the office. "Women who orgasm regularly are healthier, can think more clearly and are more likely to be successful at work," she said.

Tonight's Show - Celebrating Black History Month

Once again we are celebrating Black History Month by highlighting some influential and inspirational black women. Our show last week was so much fun, and we had so many women we wanted to talk about and musicians we wanted to play that we just had to do a second show dedicated to Black History Month.

Tonight we'll be featuring the likes of Oprah, Queen Latifa, Rose Fortune (the first police woman in Canada), Audre Lorde (a poet and feminist), Jemeni (Canadian radio personality/poet), and we'll also give you a little bit of info about the Black Panthers.

Tune in for our special one-hour program tonight - Monday February 9th - from 8:00-9:00pm.
You can listen online via the fabulous CJSW website.

The "PMS Buddy"

What on earth is this? A PMS Reminder to help friends and family understand when and why you might become irritable at a certain time in the month, apparently. Looks like talking about PMS is so taboo that internet applications are encouraging us to keep virtual tabs on one another to avoid having "dinner plates being hurled across the room", as we're told by the folks behind this proposed solution. Seems kind of lame to me.

Maybe women have come to their senses?

Have women come to their senses and stopped reading rubbish "women's magazines"? You know, the ones that claim to empower and educate us, but really just make us feel shitty about ourselves.

The following magazines reported double-digit declines in the second half of 2008. Which ones will survive 2009?

• O, the Oprah Magazine
• Redbook
• Teen Vogue
• Glamour
• Harper's Bazaar
• W
• Marie Claire
• Allure
  

*PS - if you're looking for a rad feminist-minded magazine to subscribe to, check out Bust and Bitch.

Free Film: A Darker Side of Fair

A Darker Side of Fair
February 25, 2009 at 7pm
2500 University Drive NW
Murray Fraser Hall room 160
No cost

Shedding new light upon issues of global diversity, this documentary focuses on the extent to which a "fairness fetish" has permeated various levels of Indian society. Today in India fairness is a benchmark for beauty and marriages are decided on the basis of skin colour. Although historically women have been burdened with the need to conform to the societal perception of the "light-skinned beauty" increasingly even young Indian men feel this pressure.

While the origins of the fair-skinned ideal can be traced back to the ancient Indian epics of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, today Western influences and media pressure have resulted in a growing market for fairness products and skin lightening treatments. With a focus on the emotional and psychological impact, this film addresses the historical and contemporary factors that contribute to the pressures thrust upon Indian women and men by a society obsessed with fair skin.

For more information on the film, click here.

"The most beautiful Indian woman alive" - Aishwarya Rai, former miss world and current bollywood princess. Notice her very light skin colour...

Men Prefer Real Boobs over Fakies

A few days ago the question popped into my head "do men prefer real boobs or fake boobs?" So I decided to google it.

It turns out that a survey completed in '08 questioned 2,000 men about their breast preferences, and found that 89% of men prefer real breasts over fake ones. As an interesting side note, 87% also said that bigger is not always better.

I think this is wonderful news - but it raises an important question: Why do women feel the need to get boob jobs? I understand why women get reconstructive breast surgery if they have a deformity or are "replacing" what breast cancer took from them. But I don't understand people like Posh Spice, who had perfectly fine breasts to begin with, but just want them a little bigger, rounder or perkier.

Maybe one of the up-sides of this financial crisis will be that people will stop spending money on ridiculous things like boob jobs. Keep 'em natural and wear 'em proud - whatever size or shape they come in. Men love them in all their many varieties - and we should too!

This Week's Show - Black History Month

Oh, what a time for Black History Month! Right after Obama becomes the first Black president, we now have a month to celebrate and remember the achievements and contributions of Black folks in North America. It is also a time to reflect on the struggles that Black people have faced - and continue to face.

Join us on Monday February 2nd for a special one-hour program about Black History Month - with a focus on Black women. We will highlight both Canadian and American Black women who inspire us and have achieved wonderful things.

Obviously, one of the most exciting women to inspire us lately is Michelle Obama, who we will be discussing.

Tune in from 8:00 to 9:00 pm on CJSW 90.9 fm - or listen online here.