Jennie Thunder's feminist adventures in Windsor

I was invited to speak at the University of Windsor as part of their International Women's Day events this year. It was a real honour to be invited to share my knowledge about the representation of women in advertising, plus my experiences as a feminist radio program host and blogger.

Me (left) with Nicole and Meghan, hosts of Milk & Vodka

One of the coolest experiences was being a guest on another radio program. The University of Windsor has a campus radio station much like our beloved CJSW in Calgary. CJAM is smaller, but they do have a feminist radio program - Milk and Vodka. I was interviewed by the fabulous hosts Nicole and Meghan.

It was really fun to be the guest rather than the host, and it was awesome to meet other feminist radio program hosts! We share a lot of similarities regarding our goals and hopes for strengthening the feminist communities in our respective cities.

I gave three presentations while in Windsor, all of which involved ad-busting - my specialty! I taught students how to identify things like sexism and racism in ads, and showed them how advertisements work by making us feel ugly, wrinkly, fat and generally inadequate. The shittier we feel about ourselves, the more we'll spend on products that supposedly make us thinner, more beautiful, less hairy, less wrinkly, and so on. Below is a typical example of what my ad-busting looks like. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and it's so much fun. I like challenging the mainstream messages in advertisements and inserting my own message of empowerment (or maybe just something funny that makes people think twice about the images they're seeing). 

My whole experience at Windsor was thanks to a group of women's studies students who were asked to find a presenter for Women's Day. They wanted a young feminist who was active in her community, and they found me via this blog. As I mentioned, I felt very honoured to be asked to present. Spending time with the students who organized the events was a real treat. They reminded me of myself six years ago - a keener student (I mean that in the most affectionate way!) with a passion for women's issues and a desire to make a difference. 

The students who organized the event: Sapphire, Marianne, Alexis, me and Laura

On my final night in Windsor I attended a button-making event at a local cafe. Tons of students from all faculties showed up to make buttons. I made a few myself - pictured here. This was actually my first time making buttons - hard to believe since that's practically a right of passage for feminists!

Well, that's my trip to Windsor in a nut shell. The best aspects of the whole experience were spending time with other young feminists and hearing feedback from my presentations like, "I learned a lot" and "That was really interesting." I have returned to Calgary with renewed feminist spirit and I'm ready to keep on rockin'!

Calgary's Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women - Feb 14, 2012

The Native Women's Association of Canada has documented over 600 cases of Native women who have disappeared or been murdered over the past 30 years in Canada. Young Indigenous women are 5x more likely than other women of the same age to die as the result of violence.

Every year on Valentine's Day a memorial march is organized to grieve the loss of our sisters and to remember the women who are still missing.

Calgary's 4th Annual Memorial March for Missing and Murdered Women

Date: Tuesday February 14, 2012

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.

Location: United Scarboro Church (134 Scarboro Ave SW)
Speakers at 6:30 p.m. with the march beginning at 7 p.m. Light meal to follow. Open mic for families of missing loved ones. Check the Facebook event for more details.

Just some good ol' fashioned ad-busting

I used to do a lot of ad-busting when I was in university. I even taught ad-busting workshops to teens and university students. I haven't done any in a while and I kinda miss it, so I thought I'd post a few of my favourite busted ads and maybe it'll help inspire me to do more!

Call to performers for Take Back the Night

If you're a singer, poet, dancer or just passionate about ending violence against women, then you should consider being part of Take Back the Night 2011 in Calgary. The Call to Performers was just released - check it out!

Call to Performers for Take Back the Night - Calgary, 2011

Calgary’s 28th annual Take Back the Night event will be held on Friday, September 23, 2011 at 8 p.m. in Connaught Park at 11 Street and 14 Avenue SW. Take Back the Night is an international movement designed to raise awareness about violence against women and to support the well-being of those who have been and are in abusive situations. Each year between 200 to 500 women, men and children attend this free event in Calgary.

The evening begins with a rally featuring local speakers, musicians and artists. Attendees will then take to the streets for a march to symbolize the right women have to walk the streets and feel safe. 

The Take Back the Night planning committee is seeking individuals or groups to perform or speak during the rally. The tone of the rally is respectful and serious, so only performances that are sensitive to the nature of this event will be considered. The types of performers we are seeking include:

• Musicians, singers, songwriters


• Spoken word poets


• Dancers


• Speakers (i.e. someone who has been personally affected by violence, or has a loved one that has been affected)

Performances are short – if you are speaking, dancing or performing spoken word poetry, we ask that your presentation be no longer than 5 minutes. Musicians/singers will have the opportunity to perform one to three songs, depending on the total number of musicians chosen.

If you are interested in applying to be part of the Take Back the Night rally, please email tbtncalgary@gmail.com by Thursday, September 1 at 5 p.m. and tell us:

1. Who you are and what you do


2. The type of performance would you like to share at Take Back the Night


3. Why you want to be part of Take Back the Night


4. If you require or if you will be bringing any special equipment for your performance

We will confirm that we have received your email and will let applicants know which performances were chosen for the rally on or before Sunday, September 4.

If you have further questions, please email tbtncalgary@gmail.com or phone 403-816-5818. You can find out more about the event by visiting the website or Facebook page.

Next show: Fat and Fashion / Fat Acceptance

On Monday July 11th we are discussing the fat acceptance movement and the challenges fat ladies face when shopping for fashionable clothing. Our special guests are Juliet and Britt, creators of this super-awesome fat-positive poster, which you may have seen posted around Calgary.

Tune in from 8 - 8:30 p.m. (MST) @ CJSW 90.9 fm in Calgary, or listen online.

Check out these fat-friendly blogs:

• Riots not diets
• Axis of Fat
• The Fat Nutritionist
• Fat Heffalump
• The embodied

A new SlutWalk Calgary is being planned

Attention Calgary sluts and slut allies - a new SlutWalk Calgary has risen from the ashes of the former! Their mission is to provide an open, safe and inclusive forum for peaceful protest against victim blaming and sex shaming, to debunk rape myths, and to raise awareness about the pervasive nature of rape culture in our community.

Event organizers are committed to inclusive planning and implementation, and invite anyone interested to participate and volunteer. You can get involved by emailing contact@slutwalkyyc.com.

Their Facebook group says organizers acknowledge they are dealing with an explicitly feminist and political issue and will not seek to reclaim the word slut, leaving it to individuals to decide what labels they feel comfortable in adopting.

The exact date of the march has not been decided yet. Follow SlutWalk Calgary on Facebook to stay updated.

Tonight's show - SlutWalk: Criticism and Controversy

SlutWalk began earlier this year in Toronto after a police officer told a York University law class that "Women should avoid dressing like sluts in order not to be victimized." The comment prompted the creation of SlutWalk Toronto, and after that events sprouted up in cities across North America.

Since the very beginning, SlutWalk has been controversial among both feminists and non-feminists alike. One of the most controversial aspects of SlutWalk Calgary was the organizers decision to partner with CJAY92 and the Forbes and Friends Morning Show. CJAY92 has a long history of misogynistic advertisments and the DJ's regularly make sexist comments on-air. Some Calgarians who previously supported SlutWalk Calgary were so upset they started a protest group on Facebook - Individuals Against CJAY92's Participation in SlutWalk Calgary.

Incidentally, SlutWalk Calgary has been postponed due to a myriad of logistical difficulties, inability to secure insurance and liability concerns. FFWD Calgary recently published a good overview of the problems that plagued SlutWalk Calgary organizers - check out The rise, fall and rise of SlutWalk Calgary for details.

But there are other issues with SlutWalk. Many people are uncomfortable with the term "slut" - including most feminists I've spoke to. Some people feel the message or purpose of SlutWalk has become muddled and murky. Others say there has been no real discussion or analysis around the root cause of sexual violence; the only point being raised is "slutty outfits are not an invitation to rape," which is obviously an important message, but the majority of sexual assaults do not occur because of slutty outfits.

On tonight's show we have two special guests who are both feminists that have been watching and analyzing SlutWalk with a critical eye:

• Joanne Costello has a Masters degree in social work and identifies as a socialist feminist. Her work has focused on the oppression of women with particular attention to the role of capitalism and imperialism. You can check out her blog at marginalnotes.typepad.com.
• Meghan Murphy is an MA candidate at Simon Fraser University in the department of Gender, Sexuality and Women's Studies. She is the co-host and producer of the F Word radio show in Vancouver, and her writing and radio work can be found at feminisms.org.

Please join us from 8:00 - 8:30 p.m. on CJSW, 90.9 fm in Calgary, or you can listen online at cjsw.com.

Have you seen this poster? It might just make your day.

As you stroll about Calgary, you might stumble upon one of these “Booty Camp” posters and wonder what they’re all about.

The posters were created by “Two Big Fat Revolutionaries” (two self-identified fat feminists) who were tired of seeing posters advertising boot camps, which are fitness programs geared towards women. They were pissed off that these advertisements make women feel shitty about their bodies and imply that only slim bodies are healthy and sexy.

So the Two Big Fat Revolutionaries decided to do something about it. They got together, ate a giant pizza without feeling an ounce of guilt, and came up with their own Booty Camp poster in hopes of starting a movement of self-love through fat-positive guerilla art.

The Revolutionaries and their friends postered the city in early April, and continue to put up posters whenever they can. A few weeks after the posters went up, I met up with a friend and she was excited to tell me about the Booty Camp poster she had seen, and how she was absolutely thrilled by it. She took one of the “You are beautiful” tear-offs, and kept it in her pocket. The next time she wore those jeans she rediscovered the note and was stoked to be reminded that she is beautiful.

A poster like this can really make a person’s day. It’s nice to see something that reinforces a positive message about our bodies and doesn’t make us feel like we need to be slimmer, fitter or firmer. As the poster says, “The widespread depiction of uncommonly thin women defines what we consider beautiful, so sometimes it’s hard to remember: YOU are BEAUTIFUL!"

If you want to get involved, put up some posters or just get more info, email the Two Big Fat Revolutionaries at juliet.burgess@gmail.com.

Tonight: Activism & Feminism in Spoken Word Poetry

Spoken word poetry has become, and is traditionally based on, activism. It's a tool utilized mostly by younger generations to express their opinions and tell their own stories. Spoken word is the poetry of people who have been repressed in some way; it has been an important aspect of the feminist, anti-war and anti-discrimination movements (among many others).



Tonight we'll feature works and stories from some amazing men and women of Spoken Word. Below are some links and videos to works and interviews from some of the artists that we'll be discussing on the show tonight:



Sonya Renee - What Women Deserve



Alix Olson - Cunt Cuntry



Lauren Zuniga - Girl:Exploded





Sunni Patterson - We Made It





AlJazeera's One on One : Suheir Hammad

Wheels are in motion for Slutwalk Calgary!

On April 3, 2011, thousands of women and men in Toronto rallied the streets to take a stand against Toronto Police, who announced earlier this year that women could reduce their risk of sexual assault by not dressing like “sluts.” Join Slutwalk Calgary in their mission to spread the word that those who experience sexual assault are not the ones at fault. The onus should not be placed on women to reduce their risk of rape... it is the assaulters themselves who bear full responsibility for their crimes.

SlutWalk is coming to Calgary (date to be announced) – and if you want to be a part of this, make sure you follow Slutwalk Calgary on blogger, Facebook or twitter! If you'd like to get involved please email slutwalkcalgary@gmail.com

To see more great pictures from Slutwalk Toronto check out The Best 30 Signs at Slutwalk Toronto

Adbusting at Market Collective

Last weekend, volunteers from Take Back the Night Calgary set up an ad-busting workshop at Market Collective. People were invited to flip through magazines and find advertisements, images and articles that they wanted to “bust.” Busted images were then plastered over the walls.



I organized this adbusting workshop, and I’ve been doing these for about 5 years now. I define adbusting as “Defacing images that are offensive because they portray unrealistic beauty standards, are sexist, classist, homophobic, racist, insulting or demeaning."

Here's what the adbusting workshop looked like:

The workshop drew large crowds and we received so much positive feedback. One woman came up to me and said, “Thank you so much. I really needed to see this.” I think that seeing busted ads helped to remind people that we shouldn’t passively accept images we see in media: we should be thinking about them, what they really mean, and what they’re really telling (and selling) us.



We received over 100 “busted ads” but I can’t post them all here, so below are some of my favourites.

Jennie's Picks: The Best Busted Ads from Market Collective

THIS is beautiful? But it's fake!

Who can compete with Photoshop?

I miss my Mommy

Did you see she has such pretty eyes?

There's more to life than being pretty

That's cool... I'll just wait over here

Women are food? Consume, dispose, repeat.

Remember what food tastes like?

A wonderful feminist spoken word piece

Lauren Zuniga performs a poem for the Oklahoma legislators that are trying so hard to take away women's reproductive rights. The bill in question will require women to receive an ultrasound and listen to the baby's heartbeat before an abortion.







Thanks to Lemon of Choice for telling me about this video!

The 2nd Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering – Winnipeg, May 2011

The RebELLEs Movement wants to see YOU at the 2nd Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering! It's being held May 20-23, 2011 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.



What is the purpose of the gathering?

If you want to learn about feminism and what it means to other young women, if you are interested in connecting with other active, engaged, community-building young women who are fighting for social justice across the country, if you want to make friends from every province and territory in Canada, if you want to help young women across the country have their voices heard and if you want to join up with an amazing group of like-minded queer-positive, sex-positive, pro-choice women then this is the event for you!



Who can attend the gathering?

The gathering is a women-only space and is open to all persons aged 14 - 35 who currently identify and live as women, and those who were born female who claim no particular gender identification, who identify as two-spirit or gender queer. It is up to each individual to reflect on whether or not they see themselves in this definition.



What will it entail?

At the gathering you will have the opportunity to attend various workshops, small and large group discussions, engage in skill-sharing, creative resistance, as well as a mass action.



How can I get involved?

Join the RebELLEs movement, mobilize women in your community, and head to Winnipeg in 2011 to join up with hundreds of feminist activists from across the country!



Contact rebelles@femrev.org if you want to get involved in organizing, have any questions, or want to learn more about the RebELLEs movement!

Visit RebELLEs.org for more details.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Alberta women looking to get involved?



Calgary meeting - January 22

The meeting is a consulta for feminist women who are interested in attending or contributing to the Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering.



Date: Saturday, January 22, 2011

Time: 1:00 p.m.

Location: The Marquee Room - inside The Uptown Stage & Screen, 612 8 Ave SW Calgary

Contact: rebelles-calgary@hotmail.com





Edmonton meeting - January 17

We are looking to organize a group of Edmonton area feminists to attend the 2nd Pan-Canadian Young Feminists Gathering in Winnipeg May 20-23. We are organizing a consulta for woman and feminists to discuss issues that they would like raised at the conference during lectures and work shops.



Date: Monday January 17, 2011

Time: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM

Location: Remedy Cafe, 8631 109 St NW

Contact: edmonton.rebelles@gmail.com

Website: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=172252129478163

Make your own 'It Gets Better' anti-homophobia video!

Based on the efforts of Dan Savage’s “IT GETS BETTER” viral anti-bullying campaign, the Calgary Police Service, Fairy Tales and EMMEDIA have teamed up to launch a new program in which youth will be provided with the tools to create their own anti-homophobia public service announcements.



The program will begin with a series of workshops hosted by EMMEDIA Gallery & Production Society, where youth will be taught about the practicalities of filmmaking such as editing, video production and how to make an effective PSA. After acquiring the “how-to” knowledge they will then have access to the equipment at EMMEDIA to create their PSAs, which can be no longer than one minute.



Open to high school students and college/uni students up to age 24. All details and applications are on the Fairy Tales website.

December 6 - National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

Every year on December 6th we gather to commemorate the Montreal Massacre of 1989, and we reflect on the issue of violence against women in our society.



It deeply saddens me that gender based violence is so prevalent in our society. It's one of those things that if you don't experience it yourself, you may not realize how common it is. But it's happening all around us: about one in four Canadian women will experience sexual assault in her lifetime. On average 178 women are murdered each year in Canada. As a comparison, 153 members of the Canadian Forces have been killed in the eight years we've been serving in Afghanistan (numbers current as of Dec. 4/2010).



Because so many assaults happen in the home, they are invisible to the public and thus easily ignored. The privacy and silence around gender based violence is one of the major reasons why it continues to exist at such high rates. Furthermore, many women who experience violence may not even consciously admit to themselves that they are experiencing it: they make excuses for their abuser, blame themselves or feel they deserve to be abused. But nobody deserves it, nobody asks for it, and nobody wants it.



Violence against women does NOT just affect the woman – it impacts the entire society. The social and economic costs of violence against women are enormous and have ripple effects throughout society. Women may suffer isolation, inability to work, loss of wages, lack of participation in regular activities, and limited ability to care for themselves and their children. Their children, family and friends also suffer in immeasurable ways.



On December 6th we remember our fallen sisters and we call for an end to gender based violence.



University of Calgary's December 6th Memorial Ceremony

Mon. Dec 6, 2010. Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Great Hall, The Rozsa Centre, University of Calgary

Tonight's Show: Celebrating Women's History Month

October is women's history month! In light of that, we are celebrating a few women who have made a mark in history and have inspired us with their intelligence, determination and passion.

Clara Hughes - Canadian Olympic athlete and the only athlete in history to win multiple medals in both the Winter and Summer Olympics.

Jane Goodall - A primatologist, ethologist, anthropologist, and UN Messenger of Peace. Jane is best known for her 45-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania.

Alanis Morissette - Jagged Little Pill was released 15 years ago (that makes me feel old!) and as far as Canadian women's contributions to music goes, this was MASSIVE. The album became the 2nd biggest seller of the 1990's and spent 12 non-consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart.

Alice Jamieson - In 1914, Alice was appointed the first female judge of in the British Commonwealth of a juvenile court. In 1916, she became the second female magistrate in the British Commonwealth - after Emily Murphy (one of the Famous Five).

Annie Gale - In 1917 she became the first woman in the British Commonwealth to be elected to a position in any level of government. She served as alderman for The City of Calgary municipal council.

Margaret Sanger - An American birth control activist. In 1916 Sanger and her sister Ethel Byrne, opened the first birth control clinic in the United States.

Happy Person's Day!

On this day in 1929, women became "persons" in Canada, making women eligible to run for senate. This epic battle was won by five Alberta women, commonly known as the Famous Five.

Most Canadian women had been able to vote since 1918, but they couldn't run for senate due to some specific wording in the Canadian Constitution, which was written in 1867. It stated that only "qualified persons" could run for senate. The prevailing view of the legal establishment at that time was that "persons" did not include women.

So this group of gusty women fought to have the definition of "persons" changed. They were eventually successful, but it was quite a hard battle. To learn more about this, check out CJSW’s Today in Canadian History podcast for October 18, which features The Persons Case. It’s a 10-minute long podcast which was produced by me!

So, happy Person’s Day everyone! If you live in Calgary, please vote today! Women have only been allowed to vote in Canada for the last 92 years… so remember how lucky we are. Get out there and do your civic duty!

Calgary's Take Back the Night planning committee is looking for volunteers!

Take Back the Night is an international organization, but most major cities have their individual planning committees that organize an annual rally and march. These events bring awareness to the issue of violence against women in our community.



Calgary's TBTN planning committee is seeking ladies with the urge to do something good, to make some new friends and those who wish to apply their event planning and coordination skills to this important cause.



If this is you, or if you know of anyone who may be interested, email tbtncalgary@gmail.com for an application form and let the planning begin!

French women protest Burqa Ban in niqābs and booty shorts!

On October 8th, France’s Constitutional Council approved the “Burqa Ban” – a law that bans burqas, niqābs, full body and face coverings in public spaces. However, the law will not apply to places of worship. The new law will impose a fine of approximately $190 and/or a citizenship course for a woman wearing a niqāb or a burqa. Additionally, any person forcing a woman to wear a full-face veil will face a year in prison or a $19,000 fine.

I think this new law is pretty ridiculous, and xenophobic to say the least. We don’t need laws that control women’s bodies and women’s choices. I realise some may claim that not all women choose to wear a veil and that it’s forced upon them. This is probably true in some circumstances, but I bet there’s a lot more women that wear it by choice – to honour their culture, religion or traditions. Either way, I don’t think the government belongs in any discussions about what we wear.

In response to the new law, two anonymous French students recently geared up in niqābs and booty shorts and strutted through the streets of Paris. They stopped at several government ministry buildings to protest the Burqa Ban.

The women, one of whom is Muslim, call themselves Niqabitches. “We were not looking to attack or degrade the image of Muslim fundamentalists – each to their own – but rather to question politicians who voted for this law that we consider clearly unconstitutional," they said. "We want to de-dramatise the situation."

Art of Social Conscience

Norm Magnusson's public art, The I-75 Project, is an "art of social conscience." The artist uses signs that look like state-sponsored historical information signs, located at rest stops along the Interstate-75, to display messages about everything from the male-female pay discrepancy to homophobia to healthcare. Norm describes his signs/messages as "gently assertive and non-confrontational, firmly thought provoking... and just a little bit subversive."

Interstate-75 starts in Michigan (on the Canadian border), and then travels south down to Florida. After leaving Michigan, the highway doesn't touch another Democratic (Blue) state - it's Republican territory all the way down. These left-wing messages are likely to ruffle some feathers in the States! What a cool art project, and a great way to challenge people's ideas on some very sensitive topics.