Oh, you were thinking of naming your son “Anal,” and you live in New Zealand? Too bad! The country’s Internal Affairs department vetoed the name, along with 76 others, claming they were inappropriate, bizarre or offensive. A sampling of some of the verboten names?
Yes, somebody wanted to name their child the punctuation symbol for “period.” Keep reading »
Students at a Swedish high school have requested and received a gender neutral changing room as part of the school’s locker room for any student that wants to use it. Soedra Latins upper secondary school already has male and female locker rooms, but students proposed last year that they have an additional space for students not defined by gender. Trans folks (and gay folks) all around the world are discriminated against by people who assume they use opposite-gender bathrooms just to leer; it’s particularly hard on trans kids who are, in many cases, already susceptible to bullying. A gender neutral space gives those bigots no excuse. This Stockholm suburb is the same place that discourages preschoolers from calling each other “him”/”her”/”boy”/”girl” and instead identify each other as “friends.” Between your progressive ideas about gender and your IKEA meatballs, you’re not doing anything to make me not love you, Sweden. [Huffington Post] [Photo of girl in gym locker room via Shutterstock]
Because skinny is more important than healthy, some modeling scouts in Sweden have taken to hanging around outside of eating disorder clinics to find new models. Yes, I’ll say that again: modeling scouts are approaching girls — some of them too weak to stand — at the Stockholm Center for Eating Disorders and offering them modeling contracts. Dr. Anna-Maria af Sandeberg, who helps run the clinic, said the scouts are “repugnant” and send the “wrong signals when the girls are being treated for eating disorders.” Keep reading »
A lingerie shop in Sundsvall, Sweden, is in trouble for requiring that employees wear placards revealing their boob size. A Swedish employment tribunal (which sounds more smiley and blond than frightening) found the company guilty of gender discrimination, and awarded employees financial compensation for the gaffe. Keep reading »
A Swedish department store is at the center of a maelstrom of controversy after it used larger mannequins in its in-store displays. Spotted in a Swedish H&M, the move was lauded by the group Women’s Rights News for offering up a more realistic example of what women’s bodies look like, and more than 30,000 commenters responded.
The decision certainly makes sense in light of research that shows that female consumers respond negatively to skinny, beautiful models selling them consumer goods. For reference, the new curvy models are much closer to the average size of American women — a size 14 — than the typical model form, which ranges from between a 4 and 6.
And in light of the fact that nearly 70 million American women are overweight, stores would likely benefit from using mannequins that actually look like us. [Yahoo]
You’ve always wanted to know what it would be like to be homeless, right? (No, not at all). Wouldn’t you like to pay for the privilege of pretending to be homeless for the night? (No, not really). Faktum Hotel, in Gothenberg, Sweden, will give you the opportunity. For just $10, you can get to be a real live homeless person. (Okay). Says the “room” description: “Feel the city’s pulse from dawn to dusk at Gullbergsvass. This delightful dwelling is just a stroll from the romantic Dreamer’s Quay: a source of inspiration to musicians and artists alike. And all under the noble eye of the Skansen Lion from his centuries old fortress.” Keep reading »
Dear Roger Tullgren AKA The Guy Who Received Disability Benefits For His Heavy Metal Addiction,
A lot of people claim to lead a heavy metal lifestyle, but as far as I know, you’re the only one who has had three separate psychologists confirm that your obsession with heavy metal is actually a clinical addiction. After you were fired for skipping work to attend metal shows and blasting Black Sabbath all day, you got the Swedish government to help support your lifestyle. How? Well, you described it best: “I signed a form saying: ‘Roger feels compelled to show his heavy metal style. This puts him in a difficult situation on the labor market. Therefore he needs extra financial help.’”
Roger, even though you’re no longer receiving disability benefits, I feel compelled to tell you that I love your heavy metal style. Never change, OK? And if you ever need a date for a hardcore show, I’m pretty sure I have enough black eyeliner for both of us.
XOXO
Winona
Mommie Dearest is The Frisky’s new biweekly column about being a mama.
I have a love/hate relationship with catalogs. There are some that I love to flip through and pretend that I have the money to burn. Who wouldn’t want her own cotton candy machine, night vision goggles, or handcrafted teak patio furniture? (I don’t even have a patio.) The holiday season provides me with an ample supply of these catalogs, depositing no less than three catalogs a day into my mailbox. However, they’re not all fantasy furnishings and expensive gadgets. The majority of the catalogs I receive actually cause me to roll my eyes, gnash my teeth and fill my already stuffed recycling bin to the brim: toy catalogs promoting tired traditional gender stereotypes. Keep reading »
With all the “fake geek girl” controversy spreading throughout the Internet, there’s been a lot of discussion about what it really means to be a geek or a nerd and how geekdom and nerddom relates—or should relate—to the mainstream.
And now campaigners in Sweden have gotten into the fracas, petitioning the Swedish Academy to change the official definition of the word “nerd” so that it no longer has a derogatory connotation. Read more…
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