Blogs We Love: Feminist Frequency

To continue the "Blogs We Love" thread I'd like to introduce one of my new finds, Feminist Frequency and it's accompanying YouTube channel.  Led by media critic Anita Sarkeesian, this site presents "a video webseries that explores the representations of women in pop culture narratives."

Well researched and well presented, the "Tropes vs Women" video series focuses particularly on video games and traditional media.  Videos exploring recurring "stories, themes and representations of women in Hollywood films and TV shows" include:

1. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl
2. Women in Refrigerators
3. The Smurfette Principle
4. The Evil Demon Seductress
5. The Mystical Pregnancy
6. The Straw Feminist

Video game related topics have included:

• Damsel in Distress (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)
• Ms. Male Character
• Women as Background Decoration (currently Part 1).

Sarkeesian does a wonderful job presenting well balanced and well organized evidence for each "trope" gathered from both media sources and academic research.  I found the identification and naming of specific "tropes" to be an empowering approach as it ultimately offers targeted avenues for change.

The site also links to Ms. Sarkeesian's TEDxWomen talk regarding online harassment, a variety of other videos, and lists of games, TV shows, novels & comics, films, blogs, nonfiction books, etc. that might be of interest.  It's definitely worth checking out!

Article Hit List: Depictions of Women in the Media

My brain is on vacation this month so here are a few stories that caught my eye over the past few months.  They're all loosely related to depictions of women in the media.

A. Entrepreneur Barbie

Mattel recently unveiled "Entrepreneur Barbie," described as follows:

"Entering the entrepreneurial world, this independent professional is ready for the next big pitch. Barbie Entrepreneur doll wears a sophisticated dress in signature pink that features modern color blocking and a sleek silhouette. Her "smartphone," tablet and briefcase are always by her side. And luxe details, like a glam necklace, cool clutch and elegant hairstyle, are awesome extras for a smart, stylish career woman. Includes dressed-for-business Barbie doll and stylish accessories: clutch, briefcase, tablet, and smartphone."

This just looks like a professional woman to me, but apparently children need a doll to believe they can be professional women. . .

B. Empowering Stock Images

Blogs We Love: TYCI

Hi all,

Sorry I've been slacking on posts recently. Full time job + night classes + life = a lot.

I thought it would be cool to start a new ongoing thread about other awesome feminist blogs that we find on the interwebs (or elsewhere!).

I recently stumbled across TYCI on Soundcloud (via my Lauren Mayberry and CHVRCHES related feeds) and was excited to discover that they not only have an awesome self-produced monthly podcast but also a blog, zine, radio show, and cool events (sadly in the UK) that help raise money for different charities that support women.

Here is what they say about themselves on their website:

"TYCI is a collective run by women.

On this website, we explore and celebrate all things femme, providing an open forum for discussion and a place to share ideas and make connections. We write about things which affect us and put together features on art, theatre, music, film, politics, current affairs and most things in between."

It's been so refreshing to listen to commentary about female artists that actually has to do with their talent and musical ability rather than their appearance and/or who they're dating.

You should definitely check them out!

Check out truth-speaking illustrations by artist Carol Rossetti

Have you seen these illustrations about women and their stories about their bodies.  Brazilian artist Carol Rossetti manages to capture the reality of the way women's bodies are objectified and used to oppress them . . . but she also manages to craft the perfect confidence-inspiring comeback to all those instances of negativity.  Looking through the images you can't help but feel hopeful and strong.

Your freedom has no expiration date!

From article on mic.com.
Check out a complete album of the artwork at Rossetti's facebook page.

Article Suggestion: The Princess Effect

This article from Politico has been going around a bit lately.  I just took the time read it in full.

Similar (and much more sophisticated) to my complaints about profiles of artists in magazines, it delves into the complex reasons while profiles of female politicians done by women's magazines contribute to the problem of misogyny and prejudice against women in politics.

It provides a lot of great, concrete examples and touches on both the large and small consequences of the treatment of these women in these publications.  It also articulates some great insights into the mechanisms of media that harm the status of women in politics, leaderships, and in image-making in general.

One of my favorite insights from the article:

Things are “just sort of supposed to happen” to powerful women—good things, determined by fortuity instead of fortitude. For women in politics, whose responsibilities extend to a public constituency, passivity is a hard pose to hold. Politicians are supposed to make things happen – not only for themselves, but for others. But women in politics are profiled like Disney princesses: vaguely appointed, lavishly decked out in gowns, smiling, packaged and sold.

I appreciate the way this succinctly describes the conundrum women who are public figures experience.  And although, the article does not delve into this issue explicitly, it also nods to the compounding effect American consumerism contributes to the situation.  A large part of the "Princess Effect" finds its origins in our consumerist economy's need to reinforce the consumerist habits of its citizenry.

Another strong part of the piece:

The Enigma of Clothing Sizes

One of my most liberating moments of epiphany (so far) in development as a feminist was realizing how meaningless clothing sizes are.

They seriously are some of the most meaningless numbers in human history.  For the most part once you move past XS, M/L, and XL, all those numbers 00, 2, 4, 8, 10, 28, 14 etc. can almost mean anything.  Numeric clothing sizes fluctuate hugely, like roller coasters, by store, designer, country, clothing range, prince range, and age (of target customer).  To see if something truly fits, flatters, and/or is comfortable you need to do a cursory and educated guess (do you normally wear M's or L's, then you probably know not to try the 00), and then either get out the old tape measure or you need to try it on.

To brag a little, I think I always knew that clothing sizes were a meaningless measurement.  As a teenager I remember fitting into and wearing a lot of different sizes, but being confused and anxious about why I couldn't find the One True Number that I was supposed to fit into.  Little did I know that there is no such One True Number.

Also, growing up with two sisters and a large extended family, I was used to wearing 'hand-me-downs' so perhaps on some level I understood that bodies naturally change and fit into different sizes; and also being one for caring about aesthetics more than status symbols, Child Me usually cared more about whether the clothing item was fun, flashy, colorful etc. than the number stamped on a tag on the inside that no one ever saw.  But again, as I got older, I noticed a lot more of my friends and peers worrying over their 'dress size' and worried that someone would ask me about mine and I wouldn't be able to provide an accurate or definitive answer.

However, in college, I was reading the AMAZING book, The Body Project, (which all American women should read and) which chronicles the evolution of American girls through diaries and in conjunction with the history of American consumerism and body-related technologies.  (Want to know the history of feminine hygiene products?  I did.  And this book covers it.  It's a pretty great book.)

Bossy, Bitchy, Pushy

The research shows it and everyone has an anecdote: our society doesn’t like women who are assertive, aggressive, direct, or strong willed, even though these characteristics are accepted, even prized, in male leaders.  Instead, women are supposed to smile and emphasize communal harmony.  Women who don’t fit this “narrow band of acceptable female behavior” are labeled bossy, bitchy, “pushy, brusque, stubborn, and condescending.”

Some recent authors have tried to raise consciousness about this problem, including Tina Fey in Bossypants and Sheryl Sandberg in Lean In.  But the replacement of Jill Abramson as executive editor of the New York Times produced a flurry of discussion.  While we may never know the precise details, one feature stood out: she was pushy, competitive, aggressive.

Having read both Bossypants and Lean In I was generally aware of the issue, but hadn't experienced it myself . . . until about the time the Jill Abramson story broke.  I recently had an opportunity to volunteer extensively in an industry I hadn't worked in before.  The project was great and for a while everything went smoothly.  But as deadlines loomed, important things weren't getting done.  With practically no other staff to speak of, I eventually made a well reasoned plan and said, we need to do x, y, and z, otherwise we're in trouble.  The project got done on time and to specifications and I was proud of the work.

Then I found out that two significant people on the project thought my day-saving efforts were "bitchy" and, while ultimately appropriate, unacceptable on any future projects.  At first I thought I'd done something terrible, but after some soul searching I realized these people would not have responded this way if a man had acted as I had.  I remembered how often I'd been told to smile (not something you'd say to a man) and how they had loved me when I was nothing but a servile bucket of sunshine.  Having never experienced such behavior in any previous work environment, I've become bitter about the whole experience.

But what to do about it?  Despite all the recent attention to the bossy/bitchy/pushy problem, I haven’t seen anyone propose a good solution.  Raising consciousness is a good start, but will that prevent another experience like mine?  I don't believe the people asking me to smile were consciously being condescending.  Would it have helped to point out the behavior?  Probably not.  And the people telling me I was "bitchy" were doing so in a sincere attempt to help me.  They were basically saying: you're fantastically competent but to work in this industry you need to be a bundle of sunshine at all times.  While that's incredibly sexist, are they wrong in a practical sense?

Time to be depressed . . .

Untitled Musings

This was my first time being late on a post!  When I finally realized I had passed my due date, I settled down to write my post.  I usually have so many things on my mind or have read an interesting article I want to share, so I usually have no trouble putting together a post!

But this time I really struggled (so be prepared for a bit of a ramble).

A large part of this is because I feel like right now there is SO MUCH feminist stuff happening!  Celebrities are talking about feminism (Shailene Woodley, Pharrell) and feminists, I think, are having less self-consciousness in responding to those celebrities who (intentionally or not) are using their global media platforms to open discussions about feminism and defining feminism.  These 'outcries' sneak these issues and the discussions around them into more mainstream media platforms.

Also, more people are talking about women in film and the general representation of women, especially in regards to Belle, the Cannes Film Festival (go Jane Campion!), and of course, Maleficent.  Then there are the negative things, like the silly discussion around Hilary Clinton and her daughter's pregnancy, or the misogyny-fueled violence in Santa Barbara, the YesAllWomen hashtag and the varied responses to that . . .  I have so many tabs open in my web browser marking the many many articles I want to read about all of these things and more!

A big part of me is just really pleased that so much discussion is taking place, faster, and with less inhibition and apology from the feminist and feminist-ally communities and individuals.

But another part of me is really discouraged because as great and insightful and well-rounded and well-written and well-executed all these articles are,

Post Operative Obstacles, Part 2

As of this post, I’m approximately 4 ½ months post op, and my recovery is still a work in progress. I knew it would be difficult, but there are still obstacles that I am overcoming. For the most part, I am no longer walking with a noticeable limp and I’ve been out of my large knee brace for about a month, meaning I no longer need to wear baggy athletic pants to work. I do however, still need to wear jeans every day. It’s amazing how quick others are to judge when you walk in to work wearing jeans on a Tuesday instead of Friday. Little do they know, I still can’t wear heels, and finding a pair of flat-ish shoes that match my nicer pants and have a decent amount of support is proving to be quite the task.

What still bothers me most about my recovery is the outward appearance of my knee. During my surgery, I had to have 2 or 3 screws inserted into my leg (I have no idea how many my doctor actually put in). With most of the swelling gone, those screws now visibly stick out of my upper shin. I have a couple of skirts I could wear to work this summer, but I find myself gravitating towards pants that hide the gross shape of my leg. Then I basically end up scolding myself for being so vain.  

Then there are the ongoing issues with the surgical scar. Whenever I go to Target I find myself walking down the first aid aisle and staring at the scar treatment options. The same questions are constantly swirling in my mind: am I actually bothered by my scar? Would I be making it less difficult to look at because I want it that way, or would I be doing it for the comfort of others? By the time all of my knee issues are dealt with, I will most likely have had five surgeries total on both knees (three on the left, two probable/inevitable/upcoming ones on the right). Five surgeries mean five different sets of scars. They won’t bother me, so why am I so concerned with how others see them? I am a person who is usually relatively unconcerned with other people’s ideas of beauty, especially when it comes to the feminine body. I don’t own or wear makeup, unless my sister somehow manages to browbeat me into wearing some for special occasions, so why am I so concerned over scars on parts of my body that are covered the majority of the time? More so, why am I so concerned about other people’s comfort in regards to my body? Maybe I didn’t realize how pervasive socialization could be, even for those who are hyper-aware of it. Maybe deep down I am actually bothered by my leg’s appearance. Either way, I’ll have to keep working towards making decisions about my appearance based on what I want, not what others want.

Jezebel: An Alternative Analysis

I read this article a year ago, but it stuck with me and I thought I would share it. 

How Bad Was Jezebel by Janet Howe Gaines

Briefly mentioned throughout the Books of Kings, Jezebel appears as a whore, an enemy of god, and the most evil woman in the Bible.  Is this reputation justified?  Author Janet Howe Gaines takes a closer look at the text.  [Note: The article (and this post) discusses the Bible as a historical document, rather than the revealed word of god.]

The Story in Brief

According to the biblical account, Jezebel was the Phoenician wife of Israel's King Ahab.  Jezebel's people did not worship Yahweh and the queen continued to worship her ancestral gods, particularly Ball.  The king followed her lead and idol worship flourished in Israel.  Eventually, the prophet Elijah called a tournament between the followers of Ball and Yahweh to see which deity could light a sacrificial bull on fire.  Despite the best efforts of the faithful, Ball did nothing; Yahweh however, obliged.  When the king delivered the news to Jezebel she stood her ground, threatening to have the prophet killed.  In another episode, the queen defied the Torah, exercising guile and absolute power in a land dispute.  Caught in the plot she remained unrepentant.  Eventually the king died and the Jezebel's enemies led a coup to rid themselves of the queen and her family.  Faced with certain defeat Jezebel remained defiant, making herself up and waiting in full view of her enemies.  When they reached her they threw her down from the tower whereupon dogs ravaged her corpse.  Yahweh's authority was reestablished.

An Alternative Interpretation

Gaines focuses important attention on the Biblical authors and how their perspective distorts our view of the historical Jezebel.  Biblical historians group 1 and 2 Kings into the "Deuteronomist" tradition, whose authors/editors aimed to "explain Israel's fate in terms of apostasy."  From these authors' perspective, the Israelites arrived in the promised land but erred in their ways, provoking God's wrath.  Idol worship would have been the most egregious of these errors.  As a foreigner and a woman who worshiped other gods, Jezebel presented a convenient symbol of wrongdoing and evil for the biblical authors.

The modern reader might see Jezebel as a strong woman preserving her cultural identity.  Throughout the account she has many followers and her threat against Elijah shows her as "more daring, clever and independent that most women of her time."  She has sufficient influence to boss the king around, make Elijah flee in fear, and drive her enemies to murderous revolt just to be rid of her.  The biblical authors did not appreciate such female strength and depicted her behavior as evil.  Recognizing this bias, cracks appear in the traditional interpretation:

1) Detailed stories of Jezebel's plots stretch the bounds of credulity.  For example, the reader must believe that Jezebel was terribly evil and universally hated, but also that all the noblemen joined in her plot to undermine a local peasant.

2) The "whore" label likely derived from the writers' connection between "harlotry and idol worship."  In biblical contexts, "lusting after false 'lords' can be seen as either adulterous or idolatrous.” Other than the claims of her enemies, the biblical account offer's no evidence of infidelity on Jezebel's part.

3) The authors also interpret Jezebel's defiant last hours as a whorish attempt to seduce her enemies.  Their account deliberately mirrors stories of female idols or other evil women dying shameful deaths.  In contrast, Gaines suggests a more empowered a view of Jezebel “donning the female version of armor as she prepares to do battle . . . When she dies, she wants to look her queenly best.  She is in control here, choosing the manner in which her attacker will last see and remember her.”  She remains in control to the very end, taunting her enemies and never surrendering.

The moral of the story?  Perhaps Jezebel was not the whorish and wicked woman portrayed by the biblical authors.  Perhaps she was a powerful queen, maligned by religious enemies.