The Canadian literary scene lost one of it’s stars last week, when author Nelly Arcan was found dead, allegedly by suicide, at her apartment in Montreal. Arcan wasn’t just any writer: she’s Canada’s version of Diablo Cody! Her autobiographical novel, Whore recounted her life as…well…a whore. Arcan (neé Isabelle Fortier) was raised in heavily Catholic community in rural Canada and, like many a good Catholic girl before her, was drawn to Montreal’s XXX scene when she moved to the for college. In Whore, her character Cynthia gives us a peek at the life of a young woman whose sexuality was stifled as a young adult but burst open like a pipe bomb with the help of an escort agency. [$8.50, Powells.com]
Profile for Jessica Wakeman
What’s Fair Punishment For Lying About Rape?
The Hofstra University freshman who lied about a gang rape and sent four innocent young men to jail won’t spend any time behind bars herself. Last week, a prosecutor opted not to file criminal charges against Danmel Ndonye, 18, in exchange for her undergoing one year of mental health treatment and performing 250 hours of community service. Keep reading »
Friday Roundup: It Happened This Week On The Frisky
Hoo-ray! Nobody famous died this week! (Well, except Susan Atkins from the Manson family, but seriously, that whole story is creepy.) Healthy, robust celebs means Frisky bloggers get to turn our attentions elsewhere, whether we were casting the “Sweet Valley High” movie (written by Diablo Cody!), figuring out why we’re bad at dating, cooing over three-year-old Suri Cruise’s kitten heels, or covering Mackenzie Phillips‘ unbelievably disturbing announcement that she had an incestuous relationship with her dad. After the jump, everything you might have missed this week on The Frisky: Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: Mackenzie Phillips Spurs 26% Increase In Rape Reports
Travel Diary:
talked out of narc-ing it up Valley Of The Dolls-style by our own John DeVore Keep reading »
Serena Williams Takes On Mother Nature!
I may be the only woman in America who guffaws out loud at those Tampax commercials with Mother Nature. You know, the one where the lady who sounds so much like my WASPy mom shows up with your “monthly gift” right before you’re about to have sex? Affection aside, it’s highly entertaining to watch Serena Williams nearly whack tennis balls at her Aunt Flo. Keep reading »
Today’s Lady News: Make It A Carrie Prejean Halloween!
Parents Blame Facebook For Their Daughter’s Suicide
Here’s the saddest news ever: Holly Grogan, a 15-year-old Catholic schoolgirl in Britain, jumped off a road bridge and killed herself last week, allegedly after a barrage of mean messages on her Facebook wall appeared. Her parents blame “cyberbullying” and said in a statement, “Holly struggled to cope with the huge pressures placed upon her by the modern complexities of ‘friendship groups’ and social networking. Every responsible parent will empathize with our constant battle to instill self-belief and confidence in our children.” [NY Daily News] Keep reading »
“Save The Boobs”: A Breast Cancer PSA For A 14-Year-Old Boy In Your Life
Whoa, check out this hawt “Save The Boobies” PSA from Rethink Breast Cancer! It sure gets the point across: check your ta-tas for breast cancer, cuz it’s so awesome getting ogled at the pool! M.J. Decoteau told the New York Daily News“The spots are definitely not for everyone.” She says younger women are probably “tossing” breast cancer pamphlets with “a 65-year-old woman on the cover.” Decoteau added, “We’re hoping that they get the take-away message [from the PSA] to be breast aware.” The viewer’s aware of the breasts, all right!
I’m wondering if campaigns for breast cancer awareness becoming gratuitous, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals? PETA’s #1 stunt is to use women’s bodies—like their “fat women are whales” ad—to get their message across. Sex and controversy get some people to pay attention, sure, but they also reinforce other less-cool ides, like healthy boobs are important so a woman can show them off. I poked around the Rethink Breast Cancer and I dig the loving, supportive, pro-women activism it organizes for breast cancer survivors. But is manufacturing controversy with a PSA that looks like what goes on inside of a 14-year-old boy’s head really the way you want to educate women about a disease? [NY Daily News] Keep reading »
Swords, Knives, and No Men: Ukraine’s All-Women Amazon Tribe
Running away to the forest with an all-women tribe of ass-kicking Amazons is a fantasy few of us will ever realize, despite the vows we decree when we’re pissed off at some bozo. But in Ukraine a tribe of 150 women, who call themselves the Asgarda, live in the Carpathian Mountains completely separate from society and train in the martial arts. The Asgarda aren’t jilted lovers, though—some of the tribe members are quite young. The women have seceded from society because sexual trafficking is rampant in Eastern European countries like Ukraine and gender oppression is a fact of life everywhere in the world. But the fed-up women of the Asgarda isolate themselves from men in a statement of female empowerment and independence. Keep reading »
