Body Image, Magazines, Tyra Banks
Okay, so I love Tyra Banks. I have seen every episode of every season of America’s Next Top Model several times, I have seen quite a few episodes of her show and would probably see all of them if they were available online, as I don’t particularly spend much time out of my office and there’s no television in here. All things considered, I think that Tyra Banks is a feminist role model, so this isn’t an un-feminist guilty pleasure.
And with that, this is perhaps my favorite clip of Tyra–Ever.
Day of Blogs Was a Whopping Success!
I always end up missing some amazing news when I pull a disappearing act and this time was yet another one of those cases.
Day of Blogs took place on July 26th to the 27th to raise money for RAINN.
If you don’t know anything about RAINN, it is the rape, abuse, and Incest National Network, the nation’s largest anti-sexual assault organization and also one of America’s 100 best charities. The work RAINN does is absolutely amazing. They operate the National Sexual Assault Hotline (1.800.656.HOPE) which puts survivors and victims of sexual assault and abuse in touch with trained volunteers spanning over 1,100 local rape treatment hotlines. Since the hotline opened in 1994, RAINN has helped over 1 million people and counting. They also recently launched an online hotline, for those people who feel more comfortable opening up and talking about what is bothering them online, rather than on the phone. Their website gives survivors and friends and families of survivors information and statistics on sexual assault and healing, information on how to reach out and get help through local crisis centers near to you, how to support RAINN and also information on how to get involved yourself with sexual assault awareness and prevention.
RAINN has helped, like I said, a million people and counting and the reason why so many people support RAINN and their efforts to help survivors go on to lead fulfilling lives is because of how RAINN helps people. As a woman who has called RAINN myself when needing someone to talk to about my personal life experiences or just someone to help keep my mind off the bad stuff, just by calling RAINN, I was put in contact with my local Women’s Resource Center and it is through them that I began to heal and become a survivor, rather than a victim. It’s no wonder why RAINN has such astounding support; it’s because they care about people and want to make the world a better place.
The Day of Blogs was an amazing effort to raise money for RAINN needed to run their 24/7 hotline and online hotline, as well as to educate the public about sexual assault and prevention. Like I said, the work they do is amazing and bloggers helped spread the word about RAINN and the work they do and about sexual assault awareness through a one day blogathon! Blogging every half hour for 24 hours, these bloggers helped raise over $11,000 for RAINN, which is kick ass!
One blog in particular that I just finished reading through was the Day of Blogs by Cara over at The Curvature who raised $444 for RAINN with 17 contributors. As a devout reader of her website, I expected brilliance reading her 24 hours of posting and was not let down in the least, so I am urging everyone out there who missed The Day of Blogs, like me, to head on over to Cara’s Day of Blogs and realize why sexual assault prevention and awareness is much needed today. You rock, Cara!
If you’re a bit disheartened that you missed Day of Blogs and wish to donate to RAINN to help their efforts, you can do so right on their website.
Missing My ‘Don’t Taze Me, Bro’ Moment
It’s been way too long since I’ve had the time to sit down at the computer for more than a few minutes or haven’t been too overwhelmed with work that needed to be done for other people, so yet again, Menstrual Poetry has been neglected and for far longer than I had expected or anticipated for. To those who still visit, thank you, I love you and for those who have given up on Menstrual Poetry, well you won’t be reading this anyway so it’s all good.
I received an email last night from a friend of mine telling me that McCain was going to be doing a Town Hall Meeting only about an hour and a half away from where I live. Of course, as you can expect from a lot of the posts to grace this website, I was more than excited thinking of the possibility to be able to not only attend and see this hypocritical misogynist in person and know the truth about whatever he chose to speak about but to also ask a question of my own. Of course, this friend who had emailed me had only heard rumors that he would be in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and didn’t know exactly when this would happen and gave me the email address of someone who was spreading the word about the meeting. I emailed this person and got a response this morning and it just so happened to be a few hours before McCain was scheduled to speak and I ended up waking up to receive this email a half hour after he was supposed to go on stage. Just my luck! I missed my opportunity to see this poor excuse for a presidential candidate and I missed my opportunity to ask him a question.
I turned the television on and luckily, the local news was covering the town hall meeting so I was able to watch it on television. By the end of the meeting, I was beyond disappointed. He accepted questions from the audience and all the audience could think to ask him was about the war in Iraq, what’s going on with Israel, social security, education and No Child Left Behind and not one question on women’s rights or even women in general! I obviously needed to be at this meeting and was probably a little more disappointed than I should have been. Just watching it on television, I was yelling at the television screen more than a few times when he repeatedly contradicted himself and fed the public lies about the war and No Child Left Behind, so who knows what would have happened if I were to actually be there. Furthermore, I really wonder what would have happened if I did have the opportunity to ask a question.
After finding out about the meeting, I immediately went onto Plurk, which I am on a lot so if you want an awesome social networking site that is kind of like Twitter but actually works and is so much better, I recommend you join, and while talking with a friend of mine, calinazaret, I knew what question I wanted to ask:
Given your horrendous voting record on women’s rights, how do you expect women to be able to support you as a presidential candidate?
What was very interesting about this meeting was that he was giving people the opportunity to have a mini-debate with him. Two people had opposing views on the Iraq war and so they were able to go back and forth two or three times with McCain about his policies, what he would do if by some miracle he were elected into the presidency, and what he believes needs to be done to change what’s happening now, and thinking about my question and what McCain’s prior reactions to any question involving women’s rights, I wonder…Did I miss my ‘Don’t taze me, bro‘ moment?
I Certainly Don’t Wanna Discuss that Issue–Birth Control or Women
McCain was recently answering questions when something he hadn’t expected happened–Someone asked about the fact that many health care providers will cover Viagra but refuse to cover birth control. Apparently a man’s ability to get it up and have sex is great, just as long as the woman isn’t using birth control and exercising her right to safe sex.
Before the woman even finished asking the question, as soon as McCain heard the words birth control, he said that he certainly didn’t want to discuss that issue and hadn’t given the issue much thought at all. The woman then reminds him of the fact that he voted against a bill that would cover birth control on health care plans. The following video is of John McCain’s reaction to the question and how it took him over 2 minutes and a lot of awkward laughing to say that he had absolutely no idea how he voted, what he thinks about granting women the right to get birth control covered on their health care plans and really, that he doesn’t really give birth control or women, for that matter, much thought at all.
Glad he thinks it’s so funny.
Via Bitch Ph.D.
On a related note, I urge you to check out Feministing’s latest Friday Feminist Fuck You by Ann who covers another bill John McCain voted against because it would have benefited women and he’s a complete misogynist. But if you asked him about it, he would probably tell you he couldn’t remember.
Fox News: Nothing But Racism, Sexism and Smears
As soon as Obama was even considered for the presidential candidacy, Fox had been showing their true, biased and racist colors by digging anything and everything up they could about him and when he landed the Democratic nomination, they went out in full force after him and his family. The smears against the Obama family have been so ridiculous that on Barack Obama’s website, a section titled Fight the Smears has been added specifically to fight the right wing smears that keep getting thrown into the mass media.
In addition to the smears being put out by right-wing media and being eaten up by the right-wing population, when one person runs for president, not only are they a target of the media, but so are their families and the controversy that has been going on about Michelle Obama is astounding. But what scares the crap out of me on an even bigger level is that whatever is put in the media, people will believe and not even question it.
Fox News has a long and ugly history of racism and while throwing racist remarks and stereotypes left and right out there about Michelle Obama, they have also referred to a fist bump shared between Michelle and Barack Obama (which is nothing more than say, a high-five) as a “terrorist fist jab” and after Fox apologized for that story, they then referred to her as Obama’s “Baby Mama” because apparently, they didn’t feel as if they had enough to apologize for already. But to really see the shit that Fox News will let air, take a look at this video:
According to Fox, Michelle Obama is just an angry, bitter black woman who hates America; in fact, they even go as far as to say that all black women who are on the news, on television and in the mainstream media are all angry about something.
It’s time for Fox to stop talking shit and if you agree, go sign the ‘Stop Smearing the Obamas’ petition now!
Sex-Positivity
I'm passionate about sex-positivity and believe every sexual being should have the freedom to explore their sexuality safely and without condemnation. I even lost my ad network after my refusal to censor myself after reviewing feminist porn.So if you're in the market for sex toys, porn, books, etc. take a look at the retailers below, all of which are feminist-friendly.
Out Campaign
The OUT Campaign allows individuals to let others know they are not alone. It can also be a nice way of opening a conversation and help to demolish the negative stereotypes of atheists. Let the world know that we are not about to go away and that we are not going to allow those that would condemn us to push us into the shadows.
