Tag Archives: feminism

Violence Against Women On TV Is Increasing

Jessica WakemanOctober 29, 2009 //

Do you scratch your head when people shriek about sex being too graphic on TV when someone is getting punched or shot before every commercial break? Yeah, me too. A new study by the Parents Television Council (granted, a conservative organization) should have everyone concerned. It counted over 400 acts of violence against women and female teenagers on prime-time ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox shows from February until May of this year. When the group conducted the same study five years ago, they counted less than 200 acts of violence against women. The PTC clocked an increase of over 120 percent for beatings, murder, threats and rape of adult women, as well as an over 400 percent increase against teenage girls. I don’t even know what to say about these stats. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Bea Arthur Does Good & Iceland Is Best For Women

Jessica WakemanOctober 28, 2009 //
  • Bea Arthur, the “Golden Girls” star who passed away earlier this year, left $300,000 for a homeless shelter for LGBT youth. Thank you for being a friend, Bea! [PinkNews]
  • Iceland is the best place in the world for women, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index. The index ranked 134 countries based on women’s access to resources and opportunities like income parity, health care, paid maternity leave, and political empowerment. Iceland took Norway’s place this year as the best place in the world for women to live, while both the USA and the UK slid down the list. [Forbes]
  • Five people have been arrested in connection with the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a homecoming dance in Richmond, California, last week. So far all of the men arrested are under the age of 21, which is depressing. But what is even more horrifying is how police say possibly as many as 10 suspects took part in the gang rape while as many as 20 stood by and watched. [ABC News]

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What Are Women Fighting About? Ask Emily Gould

Jessica WakemanOctober 28, 2009 //

Emily Gould should know about women writers and criticism. In the spring of 2008, the former editor at Gawker published an article in the prestigious New York Times Magazine about nastiness in the blogosphere—to a certain extent, it was her own nastiness towards Gawker’s victims that she was referencing. Plenty of other writers responded in kind, mostly critical, and some of the critics were women annoyed with both Gould’s gossip-blog past as well as her sexily-reclining-on-her-back cover photo, saying: Emily Gould does not represent us.

Recently in an article called “What Are Women Fighting About?” for More Intelligent Life, Gould tackles the issue of how “women are often the cruelest critics of other female writers” for not accurately portraying women’s lives. Gendered critiques of women writers are a problem that’s dragged on for a long time (Anna Clark wrote about their “ambition condition” for Bitch magazine over a year ago). But Gould’s analysis is at least refreshing because, by her essay’s end, she has pledged to be more aware of her overly-critical-towards-women ways. Keep reading »

Did You Have More Chores Than Your Brothers?

Jessica WakemanOctober 28, 2009 //

Cue a sarcastic “We’ve come along way, baby!” joke: A recent study by the children’s magazine Highlights found girls are assigned more chores at home than boys. The survey polled 845 kids between the ages of 5 and 12 and found 73 percent of girls do chores, while 65 percent of boys do. Eight percent may not sound like much; however, these findings are consistent with a 2006 study by the University of Michigan. Researchers polled 3,000 10- to 17-year-olds and discovered girls spend seven hours a week doing housework, while boys only spend five hours a week. Possibly explains why some grown-up dudes aren’t so proactive with the Clorox, doesn’t it? Was this your experience growing up? Did you do more chores than your brothers did? [NY Times] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: 15-Year-Old Girl Gang Raped After Homecoming Dance

Jessica WakemanOctober 27, 2009 //
  • A 15-year-old girl was gang raped, beaten and robbed by as many as seven people after a homecoming dance at Richmond High School in Richmond, CA. Police say the girl left the dance and was invited by a friend to join a group drinking in a court yard near the school, where she consumed “a large amount of alcohol.” After being sexually assaulted, she was left semi-conscious near a picnic table and eventually found by someone who alerted the police. A 19-year-old and a 15-year-old have both been arrested, but cops say five others may have been involved. [MSNBC]—This incident would be sad enough if it hadn’t happened just last week at a school dance in the U.K., too.

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    Woman Who Wrote For Letterman’s Show Says Workplace Flirting Was “Hostile”

    Jessica WakemanOctober 27, 2009 //

    David Letterman, we haven’t forgotten about you and your staff member-diddling ways! Nell Scovell, the second female ever hired to write for “Late Night with David Letterman” recently penned a piece for Vanity Fair‘s website alleging that sex between high-level male and lower-level female staffers led to a “hostile” work environment:

    “Without naming names or digging up decades-old dirt, let’s address the pertinent questions. Did Dave hit on me? No. Did he pay me enough extra attention that it was noted by another writer? Yes. Was I aware of rumors that Dave was having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Was I aware that other high-level male employees were having sexual relationships with female staffers? Yes. Did these female staffers have access to information and wield power disproportionate to their job titles? Yes. Did that create a hostile work environment? Yes. Did I believe these female staffers were benefiting professionally from their personal relationships? Yes. Did that make me feel demeaned? Completely. Did I say anything at the time? Sadly, no. Here’s what I did: I walked away from my dream job.

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    Today’s Lady News: Beauty Queen’s Fake Boobs So Heavy She Falls Over

    Jessica WakemanOctober 26, 2009 //
  • A hopeful beauty queen for the Miss Plastic Hungary pageant (only for silicone-laden beauties!) fell over onstage and tore a ligament in her foot, allegedly under the weight of her new boobs. A friend told a newspaper, “She had not got used to the extra weight on top and her new hair extensions got in her eyes—she just lost her balance.” [News.com.au]
  • Pro-life extremists have taken to eBay to sell their “memorabilia”—a cookbook compiled by a woman in prison for abortion clinic bombings and arson, anyone?—to raise money for the defense of Scott Roeder, the man charged with murdering late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller. Other items include artwork by Roeder, an autographed bullhorn, and a pro-life manual by the extremist group, Army of God. EBay has not revealed whether it will allow November 1st auction to be held. [McClatchy]

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    Today’s Lady News: Bikinis 4 Babies!

    Jessica WakemanOctober 23, 2009 //
  • When it comes to bikinis and abortion protesters, the blog posts just writes itself. Behold: “Millions of girls around the world need a great looking bikini to wear to the beach. Millions of babies around the world need to be saved from being brutally butchered. Bikinis 4 Babies combines these two needs by raising funds to help these innocent and defenseless children through selling some of the best looking bikinis, short sets, skirt sets, rompers & dresses at some of the lowest prices available anywhere.” It’s not quite as ridiculous as National Pro-Life Cupcakes Day, but it’s close! [Bikinis 4 Babies]

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    Today’s Lady News: Women Kicked Off Roller Derby Team Because Rink Owner Stalked Her

    Jessica WakemanOctober 22, 2009 //
  • A woman who was stalked by the co-owner of a New Jersey skating rink was kicked off her roller derby team so they could keep practicing there. Marc Giaquinto, manager of InLine Morristown, was convicted of stalking a team member of the Morristown Madams by showing up at her home and office unannounced and tweeting about her online. In the d-baggiest move ever, the management of InLine Morristown told the Madams the stalking victim would be arrested for trespassing if she came to the rink to skate, so they took a vote. The other members of the Madams (who, ironically, raise money for women’s charities!) voted to stay at the rink, which meant asking the stalking victim to leave the team. The only good news here is that several of the Madams quit the team in protest. But interestingly, the victim said she is more hurt by her team members than by Giaquinto. She told the New Jersey Star-Ledger, “Roller derby is supposed to be about sisterhood and women supporting women. And they (the Madams) are turning their backs on me. I did nothing wrong. It’s the team that made me feel victimized, not the case.” [New Jersey Star-Ledger]

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    Today’s Lady News: A Lawsuit Is Filed In Illinois Over Parental Notification Law For Abortions

    Jessica WakemanOctober 21, 2009 //
  • A Chicago doctor and a women’s health clinic have filed a lawsuit in Illinois over a “parental notification law.” If the law goes into effect on Nov. 3, it would require a doctor to tell the parents before performing an abortion on girls under age 18. Girls can bypass notifying their parents by going before a judge, but the judge has 48 hours to rule. Parental notification also isn’t required in the case of a medical emergency or if the girl declares in writing that she is the victim of sexual abuse. [Chicago Tribune]
  • School officials in Huntington Beach, California read aloud the child rape scene in Maya Angelou‘s autobiography, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, by way of encouraging the city council members to ban it. Book banning? In California? In 2009? Seriously? [Jezebel]

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