Tag Archives: feminism

10 Ridiculous Lady Laws That Are Still On The Books

Ami AngelowiczNovember 18, 2009 //

Even though Paris is the fashion capitol of the world, it is still technically against the law for a woman to wear pants there. Someone should tell the police quick … they could have made a killing during Fashion Week. But seriously, how crazy is that? This ridiculous law has survived years of attempted upheaval. In 1892, the law was amended to say that trousers were permitted “as long as the woman is holding the reins of a horse.” In 1909, female cyclists were declared exempt. After a couple more attempts over the ages, I guess the ladies (and police) forgot the law even existed and went right on ahead breaking it by proudly rocking their pants. That got me thinking. What other crazy kinds of laws are there that we don’t even know about? Wait for this one. I discovered that here in New York a woman can incur $25 fine for flirting! Oops … I broke that law like a million times. After the jump, some more archaic lady laws that need to be repealed pronto. [Newser, Dumblaws] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Military Police Arrest A Single Mom For Refusing Deployment

Jessica WakemanNovember 17, 2009 //
  • Specialist Alexis Hutchinson, an Army cook, was arrested by military police and contained at Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, Georgia, after she refused deployment to Afghanistan by not showing up for her flight. Hutchinson, a 21-year-old single mother, said she hasn’t been able to find care for her 10-month-old son, Kamani, while she is gone, explaining that her mother is overwhelmed by caring for three sick relatives. Hutchinson’s attorney said one of her superiors told her Kamani would be placed in foster care if Hutchinson couldn’t find care during her deployment. A spokesperson for Hunter Army Airfield said he does not know what Hutchinson was told by her superior, but she wouldn’t be deployed unless she could find Kamani care. Hutchinson’s mother ended up flying from California to Georgia to pick up Kamani anyway, since her daughter could face charges from the Army for going AWOL. [AP]

Keep reading »

No Bras Were Actually Harmed During The Womens’ Lib Movement

Ami AngelowiczNovember 17, 2009 //

Have you ever entertained the idea of ripping off your bra in a moment of feminist passion? I know I have. What better way to express female rebellion against oppressive ideologies? What better way to salute our bra-burning foremothers in a proud act of solidarity and continuity? But then I think to myself, “It’s too cliché. Feminists have been there and done that.” That’s why I was pretty shocked to discover that this particularly irreverent act of bra-burning never actually happened. Huh? Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: FBI Had Been Warned About Abortion Doctor Killer

Jessica WakemanNovember 16, 2009 //
  • One month before late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was murdered by an anti-choice extremist, the FBI in Kansas City received an anonymous letter warning them that Scott Roeder posed a physical threat to abortion providers. The FBI said they didn’t heed the letter as a credible threat, apparently because the letter writer was involved in a custody battle with Roeder. [The Wichita Eagle]

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Today’s Lady News: Preacher Sentenced To 175 Years For Taking Girls As “Child Brides”

Jessica WakemanNovember 13, 2009 //
  • Tony Alamo, a 75-year-old evangelist preacher, has been sentenced to 175 years in prison for taking underage girls as “child brides” and molesting them. Alamo apparently threatened the girls with “the loss of their salvation.” [NY Daily News]
  • Some pregnant women are forgoing the H1N1 vaccine, saying they are more comfortable with holistic approaches, like acupuncture, yoga and “obsessive hand washing,” to fend off the swine flu. [Chicago Tribune]
  • An 18-year-old female student at Loyola University recanted an allegation made this morning that she was sexually assaulted after drinking with three men in her dorm room last night. Police said she was being evaluated at a local hospital. [ChicagoBreakingNews.com]—I wonder if she was copycatting the young woman who lied about a gang rape at Hofstra.

Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Spain Teaches Masturbation In Sex Ed Program

Jessica WakemanNovember 12, 2009 //
  • “Pleasure is in your own hands” is the new pro-masturbation slogan used by a sex ed program in the Extremadura region of Spain. The campaign has upset some Catholics in the country, despite having received funding from local youth and women’s affairs ministries. [Guardian UK]
  • The federal government released a report on Tuesday which found that DNA evidence culled from “rape kits,” which are performed when a victim visits an emergency room or doctor’s office after a rape, are often never sent to crime labs. A CBS news investigation found that when raped kids are not tested for months or even years, the rapists are walking free and continuing to commit crimes. [CBS News]

Keep reading »

Eva Mendes Says Getting Naked On Camera Is Empowering — But Is It?

Susannah BreslinNovember 12, 2009 //

“If I feel it’s appropriate to show some nudity in the scenes then I go for it. As much as I use my sexuality, I have never felt exploited. I feel like it’s on my terms and I have no problem with it.”

That’s actress Eva Mendes, who stars in the upcoming “Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,” on going naked in the movies. If she’s in control of her sexuality, her theory goes, how can she be exploited? Cinematical’s Peter Kaplan agrees:

“Speaking as someone who first noticed Mendes when Ethan Hawke opened a door in ‘Training Day’ to reveal her lying naked on a bed, I say: ‘I have no problem with it, either.’”

One imagines Broadsheet’s Kate Harding would not concur. Keep reading »

Does The Army Like To Create Female Heroes?

Jessica GoldbergNovember 12, 2009 //

Almost a week after the Fort Hood massacre that made police Sgt. Kimberly Munley a hero, the details of the ghastly shootout seem to only be getting more confusing. Kimberly might not actually have shot Nidal Malik Hasan four times while catching one of his bullets herself—the story that was presented the day after the shooting. An anonymous witness is now saying that police Senior Sgt. Mark Todd brought Major Terrifying down after Kimberly collapsed from gunshot wounds.

This is reminding many people of Jessica Lynch. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Alabama Principal Bans Lesbian Couple From Attending Prom

Jessica WakemanNovember 11, 2009 //
  • Cynthia Stewart, a 17-year-old junior in Alabama, event planner on the prom committee and out lesbian, allegedly asked her high school principal if she could bring her girlfriend as her date and was told no. When Stewart’s aunt/guardian appealed the principal’s decision to the school board, they let it stand. Happy prom, kids! [Feministing]
  • For the first time ever, the Mormon church has announced support for gay rights legislation by speaking up for Salt Lake City laws which would ban discrimination against gays in housing and employment. The church still says it doesn’t support gay marriage, though. [CBSNews.com]

Keep reading »

Today’s Comediennes Are No Joke

Ami AngelowiczNovember 11, 2009 //

On Monday night, at the Glamour “Women of the Year” awards, Amy Poehler told the girls of America, “If boys say something that’s not funny, you don’t have to laugh.” Sure, it was said with humor and naturally she got a laugh from the crowd, but her advice really hit me. As women, we are taught to be polite, to laugh at men and their jokes, and to sacrifice and compromise ourselves for the sake of their egos. That’s why Amy’s comment was profound—its meaning was multi-layered. Not only was she encouraging us to honor ourselves but she was also urging us to find something that makes us laugh—to make our own comedy. And that’s exactly what she’s been doing since she made the transition from “SNL” to a show conceptualized, written, produced, and acted by her—“Parks and Recreation.” If you haven’t seen it yet, you should. Keep reading »

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