Tag Archives: sexism

Rick Santorum Frets Your Ladylike “Emotions” Are Bad For Military Combat

women in combat
The military is recommending women for combat roles. Read More »
Military Sister
My brother joined the armed forces. Read More »
2012 Election
All of The Frisky's posts about the 2012 election. Read More »

“I want to create every opportunity for women to be able to serve this country … but I do have concerns about women in front-line combat. I think that could be a very compromising situation, where people naturally may do things that may not be in the interest of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved. It already happens, of course, with the camaraderie of men in combat, but I think it would be even more unique if women were in combat. And I think that’s not in the best interests of men, women or the mission.”

Yesterday the Pentagon announced new rules that will open up 14,000 more positions for women in the military that put them closer to combat positions, like missile launcher crew members and tank mechanics. The new rules go into effect this summer. But Sen. Rick Santorum told CNN’s John King he’s not too sure us ladies would be able to handle combat roles because of “other types of emotions” getting in the way, whatever that means. Fear? Having a sadz because of our periods? Does it matter? Keep reading »

British PSA About Male Rape Proves It’s Hard To Please Everybody

Date Rape PSA
date rape poster
This date rape PSA has been accused of blaming the victim. Read More »
Dating Good Guys
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Not every woman wants to date an a-hole. Read More »
Depressed Men
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Threats to masculinity lead to depressed men. Read More »

The issues of male rape and sexual abuse get plenty of sensationalistic air time on “Law & Order: SVU,” but not so much substantive awareness in our day-to-day lives. While it is true that reported sexual abuse of girls and women is far more prevalent than male abuse, I also assume acknowledging or discussing male sexual abuse brings up uncomfortable feelings amongst guys about masculinity and what it means to be a “strong man.” There’s even vicious stereotypes that dog gay guys — who are routinely denigrated as being “not manly enough” — that they must have been sexually abused as kids. In a way, that’s kind of all you need to know about what some (perhaps many) people think of male sexual abuse survivors. 

So it makes sense then, from a messaging standpoint, that to reach male victims of sexual abuse, the UK group Survivors UK would address “masculinity” head-on. Their new campaign, which launches this week in time for a rugby tournament in London, features a rugby ball (speared by a nail, I think?) and the slogan: “Real men get raped: and talking about it takes real strength.” Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Pregnant Woman Asked To Resign

  • A pregnant woman in Connecticut was asked to resign by her employers instead of taking maternity leave. Amy Zvovushe, 31, told her employers she was pregnant on Sept. 23 and was soon told she would have to resign, as she had not been with the company for 12 months, after which she would be eligible for up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave under the federal Family Medical Leave Act. This is completely ridiculous — instead of giving her temporary and unpaid leave to give birth, they got rid of her. The person interviewed for the piece called it a “sexist irony” that the FMLA was used to fire, not protect, a working woman’s job — well put!  Fortunately, Amy Zvovushe recorded her crappy HR folks and had a lawyer contact them; as a result, she was able to take temporary leave to give birth and then return to her job. [ABC News]
  • Following a conservative “pro-family” group’s threat to boycott JC Penney for sponsoring Ellen DeGeneres’ lezbo-riffic TV program, Howard Stern has announced he will “defend her to the end” and will call on all his listeners to boycott JC Penney if they do drop Ellen.  That’s awesome. [Think Progress] Keep reading »

Rolling Stone Mouth-Shaped Urinals Called Sexist

Once upon a time the Rolling Stones lamented that they couldn’t get no satisfaction. Today, the Rolling Stones Fan Museum in Germany has similar woes, since it’s under fire from feminists who have taken issue with the museum’s urinals.

The iconic urinals are in the shapes of a big, juicy pair of red lips — the Rolling Stones logo. The logo was originally modelled off Mick Jagger’s iconic pout, created in 1971 by art designer John Pasche. Yet the urinals remove the tongue and brighten the original icon, making the already androgynous Jagger mouth appeal quite womanly. And, needless to say, feminists are pissed.

Roda Armbruster called the urinals ”discrimination against women,” and her sentiments are shared by a growing number of people in Germany and internationally. Read more…

Afghan Woman Reportedly Killed For Bearing Baby Girl

Victims Of Abuse
abused woman photo
NGOs speculate 90 percent of Afghan women are victims of abuse. Read More »
Girls Run The World?
pregnant Beyonce
Not so much, Beyonce. Read More »
Pink Stinks For Toys
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Some parents are upset their little girls are given pink toys. Read More »
Frisky Feminism!
Everything The Frisky has ever written about feminism! Read More »

Today in News That Makes You Want To Crawl Back Under The Covers: police in Afghanistan say a woman was reportedly strangled to death by her husband because she gave birth to a baby girl. The husband reportedly warned his 22-year-old wife after she gave birth to their first daughter that he’d kill her if she did it again. The husband fled his home last week around the same time a neighbor found the wife’s body in their house; he has not been found, but his mother has been taken into custody for allegedly helping him plot how to kill her. This alleged murder is just another example of the ways women are still horrifically abused and killed in Afghanistan to this day. [CBS News]

Girl Talk: Why Am I Scared Of Men?

Dentist Pick Up Lines
10 things my dentist said that might have been pick up lines. Read More »
Find A Therapist
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Seven tips for finding the right therapist. Read More »
Sexist Beliefs
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Sexist beliefs are passed down more from mothers than fathers, study finds. Read More »

After hours in front of my laptop, my back is usually gnarled into a “C” shape. I’ve learned to remedy the Ladyblogging Hunchback with some yoga. But this afternoon, when I checked the schedule and read the instructor’s name, Matthew, I started making excuses not to go. I don’t know Matthew, but I might have felt differently if his name were Melissa or Miranda. It isn’t just about my fear of a dude adjusting my warrior pose, it’s a pattern. I have always been like this — with male dentists, doctors, therapists, even Santa Claus. Why am I scared of men? Keep reading »

AZ Governor Jan Brewer Shoves A Finger In The President’s Face, People Flip Out

2012 Election
All of The Frisky's posts about the 2012 election. Read More »
Sexism Vs. Michele
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Michele will have to deal with sexist BS on the campaign trail. Read More »
Sexism Vs. Pelosi
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Nancy Pelosi portrayed as the Wicked Witch of the West. Read More »

Maybe I shouldn’t get so worked up about things that I read on other people’s Facebook feeds. But I couldn’t help but feel a lump in my stomach this morning when I saw a former classmate from NYU — from the gender studies program, no less — post the now-infamous picture of Arizona Governor Jan Brewer shoving her finger in President Obama’s face, mouth open as if in mid-lecture, with the comment “President Obama really needs to learn to get angry and slap-a-bitch.” Keep reading »

The Soapbox: Gizmodo’s “Pinterest Is Tumblr For Ladiez” Is Insulting To Everyone

Soapbox
Thoughts on the OK Cupid/Magic the Gathering controversy. Read More »
Downton Glamour
Our imagined gossip mag inspired by "Downton Abbey." Read More »
Skills For Women
Here are 15 skills every woman should master. Read More »

I’m not a big fan of the tech blog Gizmodo. While I am a self-professed geek-girl who loves technology, I often find their tone to be a little too snarky, a little too condescending, and the comments to be some of the worst the troll world can offer. And after the nasty Magic the Gathering article last year, it was all the incentive I needed to move on to other tech sites.

That is, until my husband sent me a link. “Pinterest is Tumblr for Ladiez”! And I officially hit the ceiling. Keep reading »

Whitney Cummings Defends Lana Del Rey’s Right To Be A Human Being Who Makes Mistakes

Lana Bombs "SNL"
Lana Del Rey was overly husky, nasal and out of key on "SNL." Read More »
Whitney On "Whitney"
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Whitney Cummings on her new sitcom. Read More »
"Video Games"
We love Lana Del Rey's sultry song "Video Games." Read More »

The interwebsphere is a buzz with Lana Del Rey post SNL hatred. I just thought I would do something I never do and give my opinion on it. (irony)

I have many random thoughts. First, everybody calm down. It’s a little troubling that when a young girl fails at something that we keep kicking her why she is down. I get very protective of girls, especially young performers, because they live a hard, emotionally challenging, often physically challenging life where you are constantly given reasons to be insecure and have panic attacks. I totally get the stuff about her not deserving to be there and I don’t mean to insult musicians in any way if that’s how they feel obviously, but this is an opportunity to show us how hard being a performer is so maybe they can all be cut some slack. Flack?  I think we take our performers for granted. It’s super fucking hard to entertain people and it takes a lot of work. 

– Whitney Cummings took to her Tumblr on Thursday to defend Lana Del Rey’s right to be a human being who performed poorly on live TV for three whole minutes. Quel horreur! Whitney’s spot-on assessment about how the pile-on is a mix of jealousy and pretty-girl-hatred (which Whit knows a thing or two about), after the jump: Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: 50 Percent Of Elementary School Teachers Hear Sexist Comments At School

  • Almost 50 percent of elementary school teachers surveyed by the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network (GLSEN) say they have heard sexist comments in their school. Nearly the same percentage of teachers surveyed said they heard the word “gay” frequently used in a negative way (such as “that’s so gay”). We’re talking about elementary school here, folks. [GLSEN: Playgrounds & Prejudice]
  • Samantha Garvey, a high school senior and semifinalist in the Intel Science Talent Search competition who has been living in a New York homeless shelter, will be a guest at President Obama’s State of the Union address next week. Samantha’s currently waiting to hear back from admissions at Yale and Brown. [Think Progress]
  • I’m sure you were all breathlessly waiting to hear what Jim Bob Duggar (that reality show dude who got his wife knocked up, like, 37 times) had to say about the transgender Girl Scout. [Buzzfeed] Keep reading »