Blog posts from December 2007
Surprise, surprise?
By Abby O'Reilly | 31 December 2007, 23:03
A man known as Melvin Polatnick has written a blog titled ‘Horny men are not selective,’ in which he claims “a man will screw any female that is available,” and that most men prefer a “less than attractive sexual…
Internet application supposed to help women orgasm
By Abby O'Reilly | 31 December 2007, 21:20
Wondering how to while away those winter nights during the new year? Well, look no further than the new iPhone application Rubmyclit, a programme which claims to be able to enhance one’s capacity to “please your girl” as a…
Read 'Internet application supposed to help women orgasm'
Does excess oestrogen cause anorexia?
By Abby O'Reilly | 31 December 2007, 16:01
According to a report by The Times today, anorexia may be a condition incubated in the women by surplus oestrogen. The investigation found that twin girls are at greater risk of developing the eating disorder, and boys who shared…
Read 'Does excess oestrogen cause anorexia?'
If only instant soup really could end the patriarchy…
By Jess McCabe | 31 December 2007, 14:37
Presscue links to a series of Romanian ads for instant soup which I can’t help both loving and hating at the same time: On the one hand, these images rather effectively illuminate the way that sexism operates in the media…
Read 'If only instant soup really could end the patriarchy...'
Anti-Rape Campaigns
By Louise Livesey | 31 December 2007, 13:27
Today has been the day of visual anti-rape campaign posters for some reason. We don’t tend to do this much in the UK which is a shame. Lets start here with a poster from Germany. The tag-line reads “More than…
Book worth a look
By Abby O'Reilly | 30 December 2007, 17:50
There’s an interesting review over at The Times of The Naked Man: A Study of the Male Body, by zoologist and author Desmond Morris. In his new book, Morris offers insights into why men look, behave and mate in…
When to battle the bulge?
By Abby O'Reilly | 30 December 2007, 14:43
With Christmas comes the obligatory over-indulgence that means for the next six months whenever we break wind we can smell a turkey dinner. As New Year’s Eve approaches and our waistbands become tighter, we reflect on our overwhelming gluttony…
Read 'When to battle the bulge?'
Abby Lee on the need for change
By Abby O'Reilly | 29 December 2007, 23:14
I read this post by Abby Lee over at Girl with a one-track mind a few days ago, but owing to the devastatingly honest nature of this blog, I wanted to ensure that when writing about it I did it…
Read 'Abby Lee on the need for change'
What an expression! Must be the work of man, apparently!
By Abby O'Reilly | 29 December 2007, 21:53
The following sequence of facial expressions was posted over at Oomsa, a site described by the owner through a plagiarised statement as “about me and why everything I like is great.” I am assuming the brains behind this endeavour is…
Read 'What an expression! Must be the work of man, apparently!'
Men want 'lobotomised' women
By Jess McCabe | 29 December 2007, 14:02
A woman carries out a speed dating experiment. She goes to one such event as a human rights lawyer, interested in economics, politics and Proust. She strikes out: the men are terrified. She goes to a second night as a…
Read 'Men want 'lobotomised' women'
Riot grrrl film on YouTube
By Jess McCabe | 28 December 2007, 15:45
Coilhouse points out that the entire film All Over Me is available on YouTube. In 1997, director Alex Sichel was given a grant to make a film about the riot grrrl music scene. She created the film All Over Me,…
Read 'Riot grrrl film on YouTube'
Government encouraging boys to play with toy weapons
By Jess McCabe | 28 December 2007, 14:59
The government has produced guidance advising nursery schools to let boys play with weapons, because it aids their learning development, reports the Guardian. OK, so there’s a lot to untangle here, but I want to particularly concentrate on the gender…
Read 'Government encouraging boys to play with toy weapons'
New method could determine time when drinks spiked
By Jess McCabe | 28 December 2007, 12:38
A scientist has developed a method which could help police determine when rapists spike drinks, down to a two-hour time frame, reports the BBC. The method obviously relies on the victim managing to keep a sample of the drink that…
Read 'New method could determine time when drinks spiked'
Careers advisor slams up against sexism in the workplace, etc
By Jess McCabe | 28 December 2007, 00:00
I have a love/hate relationship with careers blogger Penelope Trunk, but today I just feel really bad for her. After her popular careers advice column was dropped by Yahoo!, Trunk posted this missive on how to deal with being fired….
Read 'Careers advisor slams up against sexism in the workplace, etc'
Benazir Bhutto assassinated in suicide bombing
By Jess McCabe | 27 December 2007, 16:12
Former prime minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto has been assassinated, reports the BBC and everyone else. Ms Bhutto had just addressed an election rally in Rawalpindi when she was shot in the neck by a gunman who then set off…
Read 'Benazir Bhutto assassinated in suicide bombing'
Some Boxing Day reading…
By Jess McCabe | 26 December 2007, 12:09
Hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas/day off yesterday. If you’re looking for something to read today, you could do much worse than the latest Carnival of Radical Feminists. As usual with this particular Carnival, there’s lots of thought-provoking stuff, which…
Read 'Some Boxing Day reading...'
Who to blame for sexist Xmas cards? Feminists, obviously!
By Jess McCabe | 23 December 2007, 23:17
Today’s Sun features a column about ridiculing of men in Christmas cards. OK, so I agree with the basic premise of William Coulson’s column. Cards for all sorts of occasional tend to be rife with sexism. A few days ago,…
Read 'Who to blame for sexist Xmas cards? Feminists, obviously!'
Abortion Rights Public Meeting
By Laura Woodhouse | 23 December 2007, 10:33
Abortion Rights is holding a public meeting on January 16th 2008 entitled “Defend the Abortion Act - Campaigning for a Woman’s Right to Decide”. Details below. 7pm for a 7.30pm start, Committee room 10, House of Commons, nearest tube Westminster…
Read 'Abortion Rights Public Meeting'
The rise of the 'bridesman' and 'groomsmaid'
By Jess McCabe | 21 December 2007, 17:05
It sometimes takes a story like this one in the New York Daily News, to get your head around just how mired down in conventional gender-role thinking the world really is. Ostensibly a piece about the growing popularity of the…
Read 'The rise of the 'bridesman' and 'groomsmaid''
Testosterone causes humour? Oh, please
By Jess McCabe | 21 December 2007, 11:23
A Norfolk professor has concluded that women are naturally less funny because of lower testosterone levels. What evidence does he have for this? Women were less likely to make stupid jokes when they saw him ride a unicycle through the…
Read 'Testosterone causes humour? Oh, please'
Spice Girls feminism
By Jess McCabe | 21 December 2007, 08:46
The concept of ‘Spice Girls feminism’ has been resuscitated recently - perhaps unsurprisingly, given the group’s own reunion. Check out this snippet from the Today programme, split into two sections put together by different journalists. The first section is quite…
Boxers don't cry. Women do
By Carrie Dunn | 21 December 2007, 08:22
“I feel like a woman. I can’t stop crying. All that’s missing is a pair of tits.” Ricky Hatton doesn’t seem to be taking his loss to Floyd Mayweather with particularly good grace. He does, however, have some very interesting…
Read 'Boxers don't cry. Women do'
Oh so 'funny' satire on what turns girls on
By Jess McCabe | 20 December 2007, 21:15
For a minute let’s set aside the rights and wrongs of porn, to consider this hilarious take on what turns girls on. Brought to us by the cretins who thought ‘the internet in book form’ was a good idea, this…
Read 'Oh so 'funny' satire on what turns girls on '
What does the 50th 'anniversary' of the Feminist Carnival mean?
By Jess McCabe | 19 December 2007, 22:45
The 50th Carnival of Feminists has been published at Jaded Hippy. As is so often the case, the Carnival is hosted by a blog which is completely new to me. It is also stuffed full of feminist posts, branching out…
Read 'What does the 50th 'anniversary' of the Feminist Carnival mean?'
'Feminine' road signs banned in Sweden - but are they a good idea anyway?
By Jess McCabe | 18 December 2007, 21:26
You know how the green man telling you it’s OK to cross the street seems to be… well… a man? If a human needs to appear in a road sign, it’s more than likely to be a stick figure which…
Read ''Feminine' road signs banned in Sweden - but are they a good idea anyway?'
Lesson from Monster.com on Application of Gender Stereotypes
By Holly Combe | 18 December 2007, 20:49
Monster are a web-based careers service where users can upload their CVs for employers to view, browse jobs and access general careers advice. Unfortunately, it seems they also offer a lesson in how to apply gender stereotypes in the workplace….
Read 'Lesson from Monster.com on Application of Gender Stereotypes'
Bunny v Hefner
By Jess McCabe | 18 December 2007, 20:19
You can now watch the ‘Bin the Bunny’ trilogy on YouTube!…
Raped? No, you know him!
By Abby O'Reilly | 18 December 2007, 19:08
Only a small percentage of women who are raped report the attack to the authorities. Of those crimes that are reported, very few rape cases end in conviction. This has been a controversial issue lately, with the general consensus being…
Read 'Raped? No, you know him!'
On the Tube
By Abby O'Reilly | 18 December 2007, 16:30
I am not a small woman. I’m short, about 5’ 2,” but I am overweight. I have always felt that if a situation arose, I would be able to protect myself to some extent. Yesterday, however, I was doubtful,…
Saudi rape victim pardoned
By Jess McCabe | 18 December 2007, 16:21
The Saudi woman who was sentenced to 200 lashes for the crime of being gang raped has been pardoned by the king, reports AP. Which is brilliant news, of course. However, before we get too excited, the king’s decision has…
Read 'Saudi rape victim pardoned'
A small thing made me cross today
By Lynne Miles | 18 December 2007, 15:49
So here is what has made me cross today. It’s a little thing that I happened to read. It wasn’t because I thought it might make good blog fodder but, lo, I am ranting. There’s an article on BBC online…
Read 'A small thing made me cross today'
Tad Safran does it again…..
By Louise Livesey | 18 December 2007, 11:26
Further to his article on British Women being ugly and smelly (see here for the F Word’s take on it) Tad Safran has written a defence of his position. It goes along the lines of “I’m a man, I have…
Read 'Tad Safran does it again.....'
Wanna make feminism No1 in the Charts?
By Louise Livesey | 17 December 2007, 13:07
The organisation Tender has come up with a novel new way of making domestic violence a national issue. They are releasing a single in January and aim to top the charts with it. The single, “Let It Be Mine”, by…
Read 'Wanna make feminism No1 in the Charts?'
Compensation payments for sex trafficking victims
By Laura Woodhouse | 16 December 2007, 21:36
The Guardian reports that four women have received £140,000 between them after suffering a ‘sustained period of abuse’ at the hands of sex traffickers and (I’d like to make clear) the UK males who exploited them. This is the first…
Read 'Compensation payments for sex trafficking victims'
Toys R Strictly Gender Specific
By Laura Woodhouse | 16 December 2007, 18:55
Anyone else sick of seeing the Toys R Us Christmas TV advert for a toy kitchen set featuring three girls playing at cooking ‘just like Mum’? A quick newsflash for the Toys R Us adpeople: this is 2007. Dads cook…
Read 'Toys R Strictly Gender Specific'
Cleaning out the basement
By Abby O'Reilly | 15 December 2007, 23:00
Have you ever heard of Lysol? I hadn’t – not until I found this enlightening post over at bitchslapp. Lysol is the brand name of a line of disinfectants sold in America and Asia. It’s used to scrub down a…
Read 'Cleaning out the basement'
Some men like to wait
By Abby O'Reilly | 15 December 2007, 01:26
Breezing through cyber space this evening I found a really interesting article over at Sirens Magazine, which was actually very uplifting. As a woman in my early twenties I am suspicious of most men who show a romantic interest…
'Protecting and maintaining your heterosexual house of cards'
By Jess McCabe | 14 December 2007, 21:14
This episode of the video blog Goodie Bag does a great job of sending up the lengths that men go to, in order to demonstrate that they are not gay. (Thanks to Irina from GETV for the link!)…
Read ''Protecting and maintaining your heterosexual house of cards''
Nativity shmativity
By Guest Blogger | 14 December 2007, 20:59
This is a guest post by Charlotte Cooper, the art director of Subtext Magazine Christmas is coming, the geese are getting fat and then mass slaughtered because of bird flu. Amongst the hustle and bustle of newspapers reporting political correctness…
'This is why we need feminism' round-up.
By Laura Woodhouse | 14 December 2007, 20:02
Shakesville’s Melissa McEwan emphatically sets out why victim blaming is not only offensive and dangerous, but entirely wrong-headed: That’s the thing about rapists, you see. They rape people. They rape people who are strong and people who are weak, people…
Read ''This is why we need feminism' round-up.'
"The advance of freedom in the Middle East has given new rights and new hopes to women…" George Bush.
By Laura Woodhouse | 14 December 2007, 15:53
Further to the report on women being killed for dressing in a ‘Western’ manner in Basra, yesterday’s Guardian featured a special report on the situation of women in Iraq since the invasion. Here are some of the highlights of…
Men looking for a quick way to demonstrate your feminism? Choose a pink phone
By Jess McCabe | 13 December 2007, 23:44
Jeff of the blog Feminist Allies has a very specific suggestion for how men can do a bit of feminist work: embrace pink phones. Here at The F Word, we’ve moaned about the tendency of tech and gadget companies to…
Read 'Men looking for a quick way to demonstrate your feminism? Choose a pink phone'
'If you're pre-born you're fine, if you're pre-school you're fucked'
By Jess McCabe | 13 December 2007, 22:23
George Carlin, a US stand-up comic, skewers the anti-choice crowd: (Thanks Graham!)…
Read ''If you're pre-born you're fine, if you're pre-school you're fucked''
Violence against women petition
By Laura Woodhouse | 13 December 2007, 21:11
As Julie Bindel pointed out at the end of last month: Most women in the UK do not have access to a rape crisis centre, and fewer than one in 10 local authorities provide for minority ethnic women escaping or…
Read 'Violence against women petition'
'Westernised' women being killed in Iraq
By Laura Woodhouse | 13 December 2007, 01:36
Another awful result of this disastrous war: Religious extremists have killed at least 40 women this year in Basra because of their “un-Islamic” dress, according to Iraqi police. The police said women were being apprehended by men patrolling on motorbikes…
Read ''Westernised' women being killed in Iraq'
Cheating: Who's to Blame?
By Holly Combe | 12 December 2007, 18:20
If you ever visit the Yahoo homepage to look at the news, you will be aware that it regularly has links to dating advice articles associated with match.com. These generally tend to buy into the most banal “Venus and Mars”…
Read 'Cheating: Who's to Blame?'
More on internal trafficking
By Laura Woodhouse | 12 December 2007, 12:10
Further to my post on internal sex trafficking, here’s a report from Amelia Cook, a member of Sheffield Fawcett Society, on a talk the group attended on Project Reflex. The project focuses on rescuing and caring for sex trafficking victims…
Read 'More on internal trafficking'
Belle du Jour? Here's the real story
By Louise Livesey | 11 December 2007, 13:43
Belle du Jour has been commissioned for a second series. But this isn’t a review of it. This is about the reality of prostitution in the UK. The Guardian has a piece on the realities of prostition for the (now…
Read 'Belle du Jour? Here's the real story'
Abby Lee – Blogger, Author, Sexual Health Ambassador
By Lynne Miles | 11 December 2007, 11:22
‘Abby Lee’, the Girl With A One Track Mind, has agreed to get on board (ho ho!) with Brooks sexual health clinics to be a sexual health ambassador. If you don’t already know ‘Abby’ (real name Zoe Margolis) from her…
Read 'Abby Lee – Blogger, Author, Sexual Health Ambassador '
British girls are ugly and smelly
By Carrie Dunn | 11 December 2007, 08:17
I got to work this morning, opened up my email, and read a message from my boyfriend, entitled: ‘Here’s one to get you going…’ He was right, too. He’d emailed me a link to this story from the Times….
Read 'British girls are ugly and smelly'
More Joss Whedon
By Jess McCabe | 10 December 2007, 16:10
Fans of Joss Whedon rejoice! According to AfterEllen.com, Whedon is working on a comic book follow up to his space Western series Firefly. The comic is scheduled to hit the shelves of comic shops in March 2008, and will be…
Warning - this is strong stuff
By Louise Livesey | 10 December 2007, 14:58
Video from the Helen Bamber Foundation on the impacts of trafficking - Trafficking is Torture…
Read 'Warning - this is strong stuff'
Is Feminism Dead? Can't we put this one to bed too?
By Louise Livesey | 10 December 2007, 14:35
There is yet another defence of feminisms continuing existence in the New Statesman. Written by Courtney Martin, author of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters: The Frightening New Normality of Hating Your Body. The most exciting thing about feminism, is that it…
Read 'Is Feminism Dead? Can't we put this one to bed too?'
Rape sentencing - a global issue
By Louise Livesey | 10 December 2007, 14:02
It’s not just the UK which suffers embarrassing judicial responses to rape trials. Now Australia has also had the same problem as a judge failed to imprison a group of men who gangraped a ten year old claiming the girl…
Read 'Rape sentencing - a global issue'
The failings of the feminist blogosphere
By Jess McCabe | 10 December 2007, 00:12
Everyone has failings, and one of the major problems to be seen in the feminist blogosphere has been manifestations of forms of prejudice, such as racism, classism, transphobia and (perhaps to a lesser extent) homophobia. In the first episode of…
Read 'The failings of the feminist blogosphere'
When will the "slut" meme die?
By Jess McCabe | 9 December 2007, 21:14
Girls are now more interested in appearing sexy than intelligent, argues a new book by Carol Platt Liebau. As reported in the Observer today, the book sets out very sensibly that “popular culture is undermining girls’ sense of worth in…
Read 'When will the "slut" meme die?'
Latest Feminist Carnival up now!
By Jess McCabe | 8 December 2007, 21:04
The 49th ever Carnival of Feminists is up at Days in a wannabe punk’s life. One of our posts is up there, but as usual there’s loads of interesting stuff to read….
Read 'Latest Feminist Carnival up now!'
New features! New reviews!
By Jess McCabe | 8 December 2007, 19:37
Anorexia may be a very specific medical condition, but, argues Katie Muller, self-hating image-obsession is something most women experience. On the political front, Jessica Metheringham takes apart the way that women are dismissed as depoliticised, floating voters. Crime reporting of…
Read 'New features! New reviews!'
More horribly offensive Christmas gifts…and Mens' Rights Activists
By Laura Woodhouse | 7 December 2007, 16:05
EDIT: Mankind Initiative contacted us to say that they now have a new chairman (as opposed to the one cited below) and the organisation has changed. Hot on the heals of the ‘rape-me-with-a-pen’ holder, allow me to introduce you…
Read 'More horribly offensive Christmas gifts...and Mens' Rights Activists'
The 'full-on gender indoctrination mind-control programme'
By Jess McCabe | 7 December 2007, 15:43
I generally love ‘overheard’ posts, and this one by PortlyDyke at Shakesville is no exception. Here is the exchange overheard at a Safeway’s supermarket between a mother and her 18 month-old: Mommy: “No, that’s the little girl bear. See her…
Read 'The 'full-on gender indoctrination mind-control programme''
Bin The Bunny Trilogy!
By Laura Woodhouse | 7 December 2007, 12:31
Produced by the Bin The Bunny campaign….
Latest fashion in Japan? Fake injuries!
By Jess McCabe | 6 December 2007, 12:29
TOKYOMANGO reports that the latest trend among Cosplayers in Japan is to fake injuries, with fake bandages and fake eyepatches. Mainichi news has more analysis of why this trend is popular, ranging from undertones of bondage, to overtones of virginity…
Read 'Latest fashion in Japan? Fake injuries!'
F Word shop is Go!
By Jess McCabe | 6 December 2007, 10:32
The F Word has launched a shop with Amazon. You can find it here, stocked with lots of lovely feminist potential Christmas pressies. Me and Catherine have had an enormous amount of fun stocking the shelves of our perfect virtual,…
Advice on how men can prevent rape, and more…
By Jess McCabe | 6 December 2007, 00:41
We all know about the rape epidemic. But what can male readers of this blog, and the men in our lives, do about it? Heather Corinna has a brilliant article on just this subject, up at Scarlateen. Here’s a small…
Read 'Advice on how men can prevent rape, and more...'
Worth more than a thousand
By zohra moosa | 5 December 2007, 23:12
In Jess’ round-up yesterday she included a link to the Daily Mail’s piece on sexist ads. Please can I draw your attention to the third picture which suggests that a wife deserves corporal punishment if she gets it wrong…
Read 'Worth more than a thousand'
The Women's Memorial
By Laura Woodhouse | 5 December 2007, 21:19
Debs at Feminist Fire has dedicated a page of her blog to women who have died as a result of unsafe, illegal abortion: The World Health Organisation estimates that 200 women a day die from unsafe abortions. If I knew…
Sex Slavery in the UK
By Laura Woodhouse | 5 December 2007, 18:53
I’m left feeling sick to my core after watching a BBC Look North report on sex slavery in the UK, specifically in the North (I’ll post up the link once it goes up on the BBC website). Police from the…
The Spice Girls have killed feminism
By Carrie Dunn | 5 December 2007, 08:05
I’m struggling here, so if anyone can shed any light on what exactly Fay Weldon’s argument is in this piece from the Daily Mail (of course), I’d welcome their assistance. As far as I can work out, young women…
Read 'The Spice Girls have killed feminism'
Round-up!
By Jess McCabe | 4 December 2007, 17:08
Is the new Beowulf film sexist? Revena at the Hathor Legacy thinks not, and she has an interesting perspective on why: Don’t get me wrong – the bulk of the characters in the film are pretty damn sexist. There’s much…
Male cheerleaders hit the Premiership
By Carrie Dunn | 3 December 2007, 09:04
It’s one male cheerleader, to be exact, and he’s on the staff at Blackburn Rovers, who are remaining tight-lipped about their trailblazing recruit, but this is the first Daily Mail story that’s surprised me in a good way for…
Read 'Male cheerleaders hit the Premiership'
Pilot 'cut domestic violence by two thirds'
By Jess McCabe | 3 December 2007, 08:58
A scheme which gives victims of domestic violence their own advocate in dealing with police, social services, housing authorities and other services, has cut the incidence of violence by two thirds, reports the Independent. As well as helping women to…
Read 'Pilot 'cut domestic violence by two thirds''
Right-wing press jumps on opportunity to condemn women who have casual/non-vanilla sex
By Jess McCabe | 2 December 2007, 22:48
The British student Meredith Kercher was sexually assaulted and murdered while studying in Italy. The story, which is quite sensational, has been avidly reported in the media. Now, I hesitate before posting about this - there can be no doubt…
Read 'Right-wing press jumps on opportunity to condemn women who have casual/non-vanilla sex'
Latest right-wing conspiracy theory: soya will make your kids gay!
By Jess McCabe | 1 December 2007, 20:00
Jim Rutz is so convinced that soya will “feminise” children, and, as he puts it, lead to a reduction in penis size and homosexuality, that he has written a five part column setting out his views. I will sum them…
Read 'Latest right-wing conspiracy theory: soya will make your kids gay!'
Iran bans word 'women' from TV
By Jess McCabe | 1 December 2007, 18:51
Are you a fundamentalist regime, with a poor record on women’s rights? Getting a bad rep in the international community? Perhaps you’re coming under pressure at home, with grass roots activists gathering signatures in an attempt to get discriminatory laws…
Read 'Iran bans word 'women' from TV'
Because a war in Chechnya is still a war
By Barbara Felix | 1 December 2007, 17:50
A former conscript of the first Chechen war (1994-6) and volunteer in the second one (1999 onwards) has written a book about his experiences. Entitled ‘One Soldier’s War in Chechnya’, Arkady Babchechenko tells, in full unflinching detail, of “the taste…
Read 'Because a war in Chechnya is still a war'
Cameron’s bid to make the Tories sympathetic towards rape victims
By Barbara Felix | 1 December 2007, 17:34
David Cameron has been speaking out against Britains low rape conviction rate, and has been calling for longer prison sentences for convicted rapists, plus changes in school sex education, and more rape counselling centres. As the report shows, our statistics…
Read 'Cameron's bid to make the Tories sympathetic towards rape victims'
Feeds