Blog posts from April 2008
Announcements….
By Louise Livesey | 30 April 2008, 13:37
Readers of The F Word over in (East?) Yorkshire might be pleased to hear there is a new feminist group. Unfortunately they met on 28th (and I didn’t know until today) but there was a piece in the Scarborough Evening…
Some feminist reflections
By Louise Livesey | 30 April 2008, 13:23
Not mine for a change…. Jessica Valenti, over at Feministing, has been reflecting on the recent racism issues in the blogosphere and publishing worlds. It includes this admission. But I think that I’ve been focusing so hard on changing mainstream…
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FEM 08
By Laura Woodhouse | 30 April 2008, 12:41
This is my own personal write up and, as ever, views expressed should not be taken as representative of those of The F Word as a whole or of other bloggers. Thanks! Jess, zohra, Catherine Redfern and myself all attended…
Three suggestions re feminism and white privilege (1)
By zohra moosa | 30 April 2008, 11:28
1. Try not to patronize/fetish women of colour*: Black** feminists aren’t right about racism because they’re black, but because they make a strong case (when we do). Otherwise, it’s like saying that women are right about sexism because they’re women…
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Fergie’s daughter inherits her “imperfect figure”
By Samara Ginsberg | 30 April 2008, 09:31
The Daily Mail is running a truly revolting article today. I mean, seriously. They have actually surpassed themselves on the We-Hate-Women’s-Bodies front. Sarah “Duchess of Pork” Ferguson’s daughter Beatrice has gone on holiday, had the temerity to wear a bikini…
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Documentary by Nubian of Blac(k)ademic
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2008, 19:38
I briefly posted about still black: a portrait of black transmen last week. But I feel compelled to post again, because I somehow missed that the film is directed by Kortney Ryan Ziegler, aka Nubian from the late, great blog…
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OK this is scary wierd, perverse and wrong
By Louise Livesey | 29 April 2008, 16:53
(With a hat-tip to Jezebel) A US chat show (Tyra) had a segment really on an 18 year old adult film actress called Summer. Nothing new in that. Except her manager is her father. And her manager is “responsible” for…
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I just have to share
By Louise Livesey | 29 April 2008, 16:44
This is an article by Rebecca Solnit called Men Explain Things to Me and it is in equal measure hilarious and frightening accurate. I advise reading it and enjoying it, and then recommending it to every man you know……
Home Office trying to send gay teenager back to Syria with £46
By Jess McCabe | 29 April 2008, 10:12
The system is broken. Via Shakesville, and the the Scotsman comes the story of Jojo Jako Yakob, a 19 year-old Syrian whose application for asylum the Home Office has refused. It has been refused despite the fact that Yakob was…
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Hooters update: Round one to the yapping virgins!*
By Laura Woodhouse | 28 April 2008, 22:43
I am delighted to announce that the No to Hooters in Sheffield campaign have successfully persuaded the developers not to take on Hooters in Sheffield’s Leopold Square. Of course, the articles in the local and national press, over one thousand…
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Sweden not going to ban sexist ads after all
By Jess McCabe | 28 April 2008, 20:55
The Swedish government has abandoned plans to ban sexist advertising, reports the BBC. “This law would be against freedom of speech, which is protected by the constitution,” said Malin Engstedt, spokesperson for Equality Minister Nyamko Sabuni. “The minister is not…
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Disability Blog Carnival #36
By Laura Woodhouse | 28 April 2008, 17:35
While I’m on the subject of listening to those who don’t share my privilege, here’s the latest Disability Blog Carnival. Having spent many school holidays working with wonderful, happy children with a whole range of special needs, I want to…
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Feminism and race
By Laura Woodhouse | 28 April 2008, 15:54
I have recently come to realise that I am woefully uninformed on issues of race, particularly as they intersect with feminism and women’s lives. I grew up in what was more or less a sea of white in Cambridgeshire, went…
Berlusconi shifts Italy to the hard right
By Jess McCabe | 28 April 2008, 14:58
Since coming back into power in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi’s most high-profile move has been to indulge in some sexist comments about Spain’s majority-women government. I’ve seen some speculation about the impact of his election on LGBT rights, as well, but…
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Kyriarchy not patriarchy?
By Jess McCabe | 28 April 2008, 11:47
Is the concept of patriarchy too limited? Sudy at A Womyn’s Ecdysis explains why she talks about “kyriarchy”, not patriarchy. So, what does kyriarchy mean? (Any how do you pronounce it?!) Let me break this down for you. When people…
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Elizabeth Fritzl case
By Louise Livesey | 28 April 2008, 09:50
Reports are emerging from Austria of a woman held captive for 24 years by her father and repeatedly raped and forced to bear him seven children. One child died. A series of underground rooms equipped for sleeping and cooking, and…
Bin the Bunny Tshirts now on sale
By Louise Livesey | 28 April 2008, 09:26
According to Beyond Feminism you can buy your very own Bin the Bunny tshirt for just £12. £7 from each sale goes to supporting the Radical Feminist Summer Gathering in Manchester on 26th July….
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Profiles for the Women’s Movement
By Louise Livesey | 28 April 2008, 09:19
The Guardian has profiled Carmen Callil who founded the Virago Press. Carmen Callil set up Virago to publish books that celebrated women - and dreamt of shelves of green paperbacks all over the world. The Modern Classics list gave voice…
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And now blackamazon has quit blogging
By Helen G | 27 April 2008, 19:56
Her final post is up at Problem Chylde. And when you’ve read that, you might want to go and re-read blackfemipower’s final post. Having Read The Fine Print is now invite only but the angry black woman is still around…
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FEM 08
By Jess McCabe | 27 April 2008, 19:01
Zohra*, Me, Catherine and Laura all spent our Saturday at the FEM 08 conference in Sheffield, organised by the amazing Kat Banyard - seen here with Germaine Greer! No doubt we will have a proper post up on the…
The sun has got hir hat on, hip hip hip hooray!
By Helen G | 27 April 2008, 07:26
I’d like to start a new thread, based on a couple of comments in response to my post below, in which I said, jokingly, that I was putting on my ‘humourless trans feminist’ hat to write it. Amongst the responses,…
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Lancashire Police To Widen Scope Of Incidents It Will Record As Hate Crimes
By Barbara Felix | 26 April 2008, 17:34
According to The Big Issue In The North, Lancashire constabulary is to broaden the scope of incidents it will record as hate crimes to include offences against disabled and elderly people. They will also record incidents against what the magazine…
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Women Warriors, not in Woolworths…
By Barbara Felix | 26 April 2008, 17:04
There is an interesting short piece in The Economist concerning atlatlists, that is, spear throwing. Atlatl is an Aztec word, which refers not to the spear itself, but to the device used to throw it. Said device is apparently “a…
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Oxfam mothers campaign
By Barbara Felix | 26 April 2008, 16:48
From The Big Issue In The North, 14-20/4/08: “Oxfam wants people to knit nine inch squares for a giant baby blanket, with each square representing a mother who did not survive pregnancy or childbirth. The aim is to get 250,000…
58th Carnival of Feminists
By Helen G | 26 April 2008, 12:57
I seem to have turned into the carnival queen this week but no matter - I’m more than happy to announce that the 58th Carnival of Feminists is now up at Be A Good Human - and the link is…
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Speechless - you will be…
By Louise Livesey | 25 April 2008, 22:18
Hat tip to Feministing I have always had a difficulty with the sexism of the Wayan’s brothers’ work whilst at times appreciating their criticism of white privilege. But this put an end to any sense of latitude I had previously…
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That joke isn’t funny any more
By Helen G | 25 April 2008, 21:21
The notion that ‘feminists have no sense of humour’ is a bit of a cliché so I thought I’d update it a little and put on my ‘humourless trans feminist’ hat. So here goes: Graham Norton’s recent ‘jokes’ about Thomas…
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Friday round-up
By Jess McCabe | 25 April 2008, 13:49
Hoyden alerts us to the ridiculous “Open-Source Boob Project”. What is such a thing, you ask? Well, a couple of men distributed badges to women attending a sci-fi con. If you take the green badge, it signals you’re happy for…
Research into why men think “no” means “yes”
By Louise Livesey | 25 April 2008, 09:03
I feel kind of torn on this one because it kind of suggests we should feel sorry for men who are just doing their best to understand nasty women’s ambiguous statements. Or maybe I’m just angry this morning… Anyway American…
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State of the nation
By Louise Livesey | 25 April 2008, 08:50
If you can judge a civilised society by the way it treats it’s children then we’re in trouble. The BBC reports two interesting things this morning. Girls are more likely to self harm than boys and 1 in 5 parents…
New feminist group launched by and for Black British women: TrUe BLaCk-BeRrY
By Jess McCabe | 24 April 2008, 22:39
I love, love, love getting to post about all the new feminist groups that are springing up around the country. And here is another one to add to the list: TrUe BLaCk-BeRrY, a brand new group set up this month…
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FEM08 this Saturday!
By Laura Woodhouse | 24 April 2008, 18:42
The national feminist conference, FEM08, is taking place this Saturday in my delightful home town, Sheffield. Germaine Greer will be there, people! I’ll be floating around in a lovely purple t-shirt doing various volunteery things, as well as helping coordinate…
Support the NUT strike
By Laura Woodhouse | 24 April 2008, 18:23
OK so I know this isn’t really a feminist story, although 87% of primary and 57% of secondary school teachers are women, but the BBC News coverage of the NUT’s strike action today has absolutely enraged me. Rather than focusing…
Day of Silence
By Helen G | 24 April 2008, 13:07
Tomorrow (Friday, 25th April) marks this year’s Day of Silence in America. The Day of Silence has been held each year in April since 1996 and its purpose is to highlight the bullying and harassment of LGBTQ students, and their…
FARK off - misogyny on the internet, again
By Jess McCabe | 24 April 2008, 11:03
Earlier this week at DollyMix, Katie Lee posted a list of the top 10 websites for women. In this post, she mentioned that “sites such as Digg and Fark, tend to be pretty unwelcoming - if not positively hostile -…
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Can men be feminists?
By Samara Ginsberg | 24 April 2008, 09:42
Cath Elliott is pondering this question on Comment Is Free today. Can men ever really be feminists, or should pro-feminist men be consigned to the sidelines, welcome allies in the struggle for gender equality, but disqualified from full membership by…
Don’t stop the carnival
By Helen G | 24 April 2008, 08:27
Three bloggy carnivals for your delight and delectation: The Disability Blog Carnival (37th edition) is hosted by Cripchick. The Disability Activist Collective, a group of disability activists working to create change within the disability community by shifting focus towards culture…
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Judge Hall’s shocking record on sentencing cases of sexual violence
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2008, 17:38
Judge Julian Hall has handed a two year sentence to a man accused of raping a 10 year-old girl. You can read this Daily Mail report for the full story. However, pc bloggs, the anonymous blog of a female police…
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The Trucks
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2008, 15:00
I’ve added The Trucks’ album to our shop, and feel the need to quickly recommend the all-women electropop band here as well, because, hey, a band with an explicitly feminist message? That’s got to be worth calling attention to. Feminist…
Walkies!
By Helen G | 23 April 2008, 10:54
After the, umm, lively debate following Samara’s More on shoes piece, well, how could I not mention these two links? First, is an interesting take on the old adage "walk a mile in my shoes": The student newspaper of the…
We care more about donkeys than abused women
By Louise Livesey | 23 April 2008, 08:53
Evidence from New Philanthropy Capital shows that the British public give more money to a single Devon donkey sanctuary than to Women’s Aid, Eaves and and Refuge combined. Yes dear readers that’s more to one group of donkeys than to…
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More nonsense research….
By Louise Livesey | 23 April 2008, 08:36
Today it’s reported if you want to conceive a boy you should eat breakfast cereals, bacon and banana’s. For a girl you should go on a diet. A survey of 740 pregnant women found that boys were slightly more likely…
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“I wish women were more like Pot Noodles”
By Jess McCabe | 23 April 2008, 00:08
How do you even chose the most offensive and misogynist moment in this ad for instant noodles? (The line “Farewell to guilt trips, nagging and random tantrums”, accompanied by a woman slapping a man, competes with “If she lived…
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Earth Day for feminists
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2008, 16:21
Today is Earth Day. I feel like I bang on all the time about the interconnectedness of environment and gender oppression (most recently here). And only yesterday, the UN released a report warning that large-scale production of biofuels (substituting petrol…
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13th Carnival of Radical Feminists
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2008, 16:02
The latest Carnival of Radical Feminists is up at Shut Up, Sit Down. Check out the Feminist Peace Network’s post about a children’s book called My Beautiful Mommy, which tells the tale of a mother who gets plastic surgery to…
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Exact specifications of what magazine industry considers acceptable have changed slightly - shocker!
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2008, 15:39
In response to criticisms about use of skinny models, fashion mags are now using the power of Photoshop to make women look more “naturally” healthy, according to The Telegraph. Both Shakesville and Feministing have skewered exactly why this is just…
Messy Tuesdays
By Lynne Miles | 22 April 2008, 12:16
One of my oldest and dearest friends, Lara at KnitWit, has developed a concept which I think is rather fab. Lara’s into crafts, knitting most particularly, and craft blogging. Part of the joy of craft blogging is proudly displaying photos…
Norway to adopt Swedish-style prostitution law
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2008, 11:36
The Norwegian government is planning implement its promise to copy Sweden’s approach to prostitution, which involves criminalising men who buy sex, while protecting people in prostitution from prosecution, reports Reuters. “People are not merchandise, and criminalising the purchase of sexual…
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Abolish No Recourse Day of Action
By Jess McCabe | 22 April 2008, 00:06
One of the ways our immigration ‘system’ discriminates against women is the “no recourse to public funds” rule, which prevents any person who has migrated to the UK on the basis of marriage to a citizen from using public services…
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Lithuania considers abortion ban
By Samara Ginsberg | 21 April 2008, 09:14
Apparently, Lithuania is considering a ban on abortion. This has been pretty much covered at Feministing so I’m not going to say too much about it here. How utterly depressing. There are three countries in the EU that have a…
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Honda’s “woman turns into bike” ad
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2008, 23:54
Honda describes itself as a “a company society wants to exist”. It’s a shame no-one passed on the message to whoever commissions their advertising. [Update: Just got an email response from Honda about this, saying that “the commercial itself…
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Danica Patrick makes motor-racing history
By Carrie Dunn | 20 April 2008, 23:01
Props to IndyCar driver Danica Patrick, who’s become the first woman to win an IndySeries race, having finished top of the podium in Japan. She finished just over five seconds ahead of Helio Castroneves (who non-petrolheads may know from his…
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Forest rights leave women worse off
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2008, 12:33
Women cannot claim land rights under a law meant to grant deeds to tribal people living in India’s forests, according to Women’s eNews. The point of the legislation is to give tribal peoples formal, legal rights over forest land occupied…
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Womynspace survives attempted eviction
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2008, 00:32
An attempt to evict the womynspace in Hackney has failed. This is most likely only a temporary respite, and the organisers are looking for help - contact details on their blog, which carries this message: THANKS TO EVERYONE’S SUPPORT…
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Feminist, resistance fighter, anthropologist Germaine Tillion dies age 100
By Jess McCabe | 20 April 2008, 00:27
Germaine Tillion died yesterday. Over her 100 year life, she fought in the French resistance during World War II, she survived the Ravensbrück concentration camp, mediated in the war between France and Algeria and wrote about the oppression of women…
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Wii Strip
By Jess McCabe | 19 April 2008, 21:08
Do you remember the pole-dancing kits that Tesco was forced to remove from its toys section, after it provoked an almighty uproar? Well, the company that made those “temporary at-home stripper poles” is planning to develop a “strip aerobics” game…
March comments up now!
By Jess McCabe | 19 April 2008, 16:54
Although comments on blog posts are now live, we’re still doing a round-up every month of comments on features and reviews. (And you can add to the list older blog posts, written before our current commenting system was put in…
Disabled woman not a “reliable witness”; prosecution refuse to charge alleged rapists
By Jess McCabe | 18 April 2008, 12:26
Men accused of raping a Scottish woman with a learning disability that means she has a mental age of eight will not be prosecuted, because she is not considered a “reliable witness”, reports The Guardian. The Mental Welfare Commission said…
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Gwyneth Dunwoody (1930-2008)
By Helen G | 18 April 2008, 10:44
Gwyneth Dunwoody - the ruling Labour Party’s longest serving woman member of parliament - died yesterday. Mrs Dunwoody was fiercely independent and although a Labour MP, was nevertheless very outspoken about New Labour and its values. At the heart of…
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Round up!
By Jess McCabe | 17 April 2008, 23:31
Women’s studies are not dead after all! The Independent runs a story featuring our very own Louise. As well as tackling the inaccuracies in previous coverage, this is interesting: Around half of York’s intake is made up of overseas students,…
Feminism, racism and bfp
By Helen G | 17 April 2008, 21:58
After the recent row over ‘intellectual theft’ - explained here: http://highonrebellion.wordpress.com/2008/04/09/intellectual-theft-is-still-theft/ - and here: http://www.feministe.us/blog/archives/2008/04/10/this-has-not-been-a-good-week-for-woman-of-color-blogging/ - and here: http://guyaneseterror.blogspot.com/2008/04/thats-all-she-wrote.html - and her resulting blog closure: http://brownfemipower.com/ - brownfemipower has written this: http://bfpfinal.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/3/…
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Major prostitution case sees powerful male ‘clients’ escape witness box, while women interrogated
By Jess McCabe | 17 April 2008, 16:34
The “DC Madam” trial, which already felled US politician Eliot Spitzer, has taken a turn for the even-worse, we learn from the Washington Post, by way of Jill at Feministe. It transpires that numerous politicians who were apparently ‘clients’ will…
Berlusconi - Spanish government “too pink”
By Jess McCabe | 17 April 2008, 08:57
Only a few days after being elected prime minister of Italy again, Silvio Berlusconi has said that Spain’s female-majority government is “too pink”. EUObserver reports: When asked by an Italian radio to comment on the composition of the Spanish cabinet…
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16 years of Sh!
By Jess McCabe | 16 April 2008, 20:34
Sh! - the “women’s erotic emporium” - has just celebrated its 16th birthday. Tonight they marked the occasion with a party, and, ever eager for free champagne and the promise of a goody bag, I went along. Today, relatively woman-friendly…
Money for nothing but the choc’s for free
By Helen G | 16 April 2008, 17:00
This year’s Information Security Awareness week starts on 21st April and to highlight its approach, the organisers of a corresponding IT industry trade show, Infosecurity Europe, have carried out their annual survey and once again found that a lot of…
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The man who would be mayor
By Jess McCabe | 16 April 2008, 12:09
I have to admit something: I’ve been studiously ignoring Boris Johnson, the Tory candidate for London mayor in the upcoming 1 May elections. But I was given a bit of a rude shock when I glanced at a headline proclaiming…
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Is it possible to be a feminist and still like “Sex and the City”?
By Samara Ginsberg | 16 April 2008, 09:25
Alice Wignall ponders this question in The Guardian today. For a show about women, it displays a singular obsession with men. As Miranda, the character most likely to consider herself a feminist, points out in one episode: “How does it…
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Write your own sexual history
By Jess McCabe | 15 April 2008, 21:08
One of the many brilliant resources that I’ve come across through our sex-ed for adults project is the About.com sexuality blog. Today they recommend an exercise about writing out your own sexual story. Not in the sense of a sexual…
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Passover for feminists
By Jess McCabe | 15 April 2008, 16:22
[Update: quench zine is asking for “ways you celebrate passover in a radical, progresive, feminist, queer, environmental, peace-loving, or other change-creating, social justice, or anti-oppression tradition?” Through quench, Miriam’s Cup, an excellent resource on feminist rituals to integrate into your…
Latest Carnival Against Sexual Violence out now
By Jess McCabe | 15 April 2008, 16:07
The 45th Carnival Against Sexual Violence is up at abyss2hope. As usual, the carnival includes lots of brilliant posts. One of the highlights is this post by Raving Black Lunatic, partly about the difficulty he has as a man, to…
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Black women MPs speak out about racism and sexism in Parliament
By Jess McCabe | 14 April 2008, 15:13
Update: The report which this story is based on, and edited by zohra, is now available online. It includes a full interview with Dawn Butler MP, which is well worth reading, as well as other commentary on the intersection of…
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The 21st century ‘witch’ hunt
By Jess McCabe | 14 April 2008, 10:57
A few weeks ago, a 45 year-old woman accused of being a “witch” was rescued by the Indian police. It seems they almost certainly saved her from being murdered, but she had already suffered at the hands of residents of…
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Domestic Violence Act deters victims from seeking help
By Helen G | 14 April 2008, 09:16
Jennifer Drew’s recent feature The epidemic of male violence against women has been depressingly underlined by a report in The Times which states that "applications for non-molestation orders have fallen by between 25 and 30 per cent since implementation (of…
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Spain gets majority-female Cabinet
By Jess McCabe | 14 April 2008, 09:00
Spain has a female-majority Cabinet for the first time ever, reports The Guardian. Newly re-elected prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has handed out top jobs in government to women, including the appointment of Carme Chancon as Spain’s first female…
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New review: A modern maiden?
By Jess McCabe | 13 April 2008, 22:21
Louise Livesey reviews another guide to life as a modern woman which blithely ignores everyone who isn’t white, middle class and straight There is always a fundamental problem, I find, when authors deny association with feminism but then rely on…
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Rape Crisis Petition
By Laura Woodhouse | 13 April 2008, 17:00
Please sign this petition to demand the government provide proper funding for Rape Crisis centres. Charliegrrl reports that they need 2,500 signatures in the next week to make an impact. While you’re at it, why not get in contact with…
Those horrible hyphenators!
By Jess McCabe | 13 April 2008, 12:10
Why is it that people still get so riled up when women marry and, well, pretty much do anything except take their husbands’ name? What Tami Said reminds us that it is not just women who keep their last name…
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Porn and abuse.
By Laura Woodhouse | 12 April 2008, 18:13
Disclaimer: I’ve had to focus on heterosexual relations and sex here, as I have little experience of anything else. It’s always seemed logical to me that porn use could affect the sexual behaviour of the user. After all, there’s a…
Gladiators is coming back…!
By Catherine Redfern | 12 April 2008, 17:39
Gladiators is coming back to Sky One. You see images of the gladiators here. “Compare the descriptions of the women, with those of the men!” said Andrew, who emailed this to me. Yes, let’s! Men SPARTAN - Roderick Bradley, 24,…
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NHS Services - Aimed at Women?
By Catherine Redfern | 12 April 2008, 17:14
I had this leaflet through my door - it’s a colour leaflet setting out the local health services in my Borough. The front cover shows some people walking down the street - presumably the type of people the leaflet…
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Violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo
By Catherine Redfern | 12 April 2008, 16:45
If you missed it on Radio 4’s Today programme on April 10th, you should listen to this very moving and upsetting interview with Zawadi Mongane, a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo who suffered appalling violence by the Interahamwe…
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The Numbers Game
By Holly Combe | 11 April 2008, 21:01
Reporting on Kira Cochrane’s article about Nick Clegg admitting to having slept with ‘no more than 30’ partners, Dodai on Jezebel is asking whether the number of people we’ve slept with actually means anything. Personally, I’ve always refused to count…
Justice for “Ugly People”
By Holly Combe | 11 April 2008, 19:40
Now here’s an idea that seems fair in theory but would be an administrative nightmare to put into practice: Gonzalo Otalora is arguing that good-looking people should pay more tax. This would make up for the better deal they get…
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Hooters debate on Five Live Tonight
By Laura Woodhouse | 11 April 2008, 17:48
I’ll be discussing the opening of Hooters in Sheffield and nationwide on BBC Radio Five Live tonight at 11pm: listen here. It’s a phone-in debate, so feel free to get involved! Call 0500 909 693 [free from BT landlines; charges…
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How to be a feminist boyfriend? And other questions
By Jess McCabe | 11 April 2008, 17:43
A reader wrote into the blog Feministe with the question “how do I be a feminist boyfriend?” The comments thread is going strong, but Bitch PhD has some particular advice worthy of passing on, including this: Dick Move #2: Being…
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News from Afghanistan
By Jess McCabe | 11 April 2008, 16:38
Here is a screenshot of the latest newsletter from the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan, set up in 1977 and still going strong. I wanted to pick out some stories for an update on the situation there. But…
Irish anarca-feminist group plans gathering for May bank holiday
By Jess McCabe | 11 April 2008, 16:03
RAG - the revoluntionary anarcha-feminist group and magazine - is organising a feminist gathering in rural Leitrim, (Via womensphere). You can read about how to register for the 2-5 May event on their temporary blog. More info here: There will…
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Daily Mail attacks “curvy” Miss England finalist
By Samara Ginsberg | 11 April 2008, 15:57
You may have noticed that the Daily Mail seems to have developed a bit of an obsession recently with Miss England’s first ever size 16 finalist. Chloe Marshall has been praised in lavishly patronising drivel full of godawful cliches about…
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More on Hooters
By Jess McCabe | 11 April 2008, 13:56
As Laura has posted about, Hooters is planning to open a branch of its “breastaurant” in Sheffield, then expand across the UK. Today’s Guardian Women includes a feature by Julie Bindel, who visited Hooters in Nottingham and also interviewed some…
Girls play the flute; boys play the trombone
By Carrie Dunn | 11 April 2008, 13:16
Seriously, single-sex orchestras are the best recommendation people can come up with in their report showing that girls play smaller, higher-pitched instruments and boys have the hefty brasses? How about, I don’t know, working on changing attitudes - as the…
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Dickhead of the day
By Laura Woodhouse | 11 April 2008, 13:13
With apologies to dicks and heads everywhere. Union electioneering is in full swing at Sheffield Uni, and as ever, there is one “funny” candidate. Said “funny” candidate has today placed a board in a prominent position on the Union concourse…
Sexual good manners
By Guest Blogger | 11 April 2008, 09:08
The author of this guest post wishes to remain anonymous. The debate about the BNP/chocolate cake analogy continues to rage, which made me want to share an experience, which still confuses me even after some time has passed. I was…
Male-dominated sport in ‘sexist’ and ‘nationalistic’ shocker
By Carrie Dunn | 10 April 2008, 19:57
I love me my darts, which is handy, being a sports journalist, but seriously, the more I go to Premier League Darts the more I wish I didn’t. If you’re not an arrows enthusiast - and let’s face it, there’s…
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More Silly Research Reporting
By Holly Combe | 10 April 2008, 17:50
Following the bollocks that Samara reported on a couple of days ago, is the Daily Mail’s report on a study apparently claiming that women with big eyes and small jaws are perceived by men as being more into the idea…
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Gok Wan: Not so Nice After all?
By Holly Combe | 10 April 2008, 17:39
I’ve always felt a bit ambivalent about Gok Wan (i.e he’s very charming, I want to like him but often find him patronising etc etc) so the latest news that he may not be as much of a crusader for…
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The anti-Barbie… sort of…
By Jess McCabe | 10 April 2008, 15:29
Cruel Brittania posts a photo on Flickr (shared under a Creative Commons license), of what she calls a “feminist Barbie”. From the tags, it looks like this doll lives at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New…
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57th Carnival of Feminists out now!
By Jess McCabe | 10 April 2008, 15:16
The latest Carnival of Feminists is up over at pandemian’s place. As usual, there’s lots to get your teeth into - including a couple of links to The F Word. Also check out the International Carnival of Pozitivities at mshairi,…
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Stop the Strip Pub - update
By Lynne Miles | 10 April 2008, 15:09
A quick update on the ‘Stop the Strip Pub’ campaign currently running in Stoke Newington, Hackney. It aims to block the application of local pub and former jazz bar ‘Satchmo’s’ to become a sex entertainment establishment, with pole dancing on…
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Mind the Gap: Criticism and Leadership in Feminism
By Holly Combe | 9 April 2008, 22:40
Warning: this post contains speculative generalisations. Following up on the allegations recently levelled at us, Zenobia at Mind the Gap has offered some wise words about the importance of open and fair criticism. Successful debate obviously requires co-operation on both…
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All candidate for London mayor support immigration amnesty
By Jess McCabe | 9 April 2008, 13:24
Every single candidate for the London mayoral elections in May - even Tory Boris Johnson - supports an amnesty which would allow illegal immigrants living in the UK for four years or more to follow a “path to citizenship”, reports…
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Nurtameen?
By Helen G | 8 April 2008, 17:25
Lately I’ve been thinking about language, and how I use it in the context of My Life As A Trans Woman™. I’ve adjusted to some parts of the language but not to others. For example, I’m comfortable with pronouns: I’m…
Map of “state-sponsored homophobia”
By Jess McCabe | 8 April 2008, 14:55
The ILGA has produced a map of state-sponsored homophobia, and a “world survey of laws prohibiting same sex activity between consenting adults”, to mark its 30th anniversary. You can see the map here in English, but it is also available…
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Brunettes have more fun!
By Samara Ginsberg | 8 April 2008, 09:37
Your ball-busting brunette blogger read the above headline on The Times website this morning with a mixture of delight, amusement, scepticism, and visions of proudly linking it from her facebook profile. When I clicked through to the article though I…
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‘Adopt a Clitoris’
By Jess McCabe | 7 April 2008, 22:15
Clitoraid’s ‘adopt a clitoris’ campaign is coming from a good place: the idea is to help pay for women who have been subjected to female genital mutilation to get reconstructive surgery. (Although it’s certainly not the best campaign name in…
Defend the abortion time limit
By Laura Woodhouse | 7 April 2008, 21:33
Abortion Rights are urging all pro-choice supporters to write to their MPs quick smart urging them to protect the abortion time limit. Anti-choice MPs aim to use the Human Fertilisation and Embrylology bill to reduce the time limit from 20…
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Is it Better to be a Woman or a Man?
By Holly Combe | 7 April 2008, 18:40
This was the theme of the debate that Kate Smurthwaite, Vince Graff and I took part in on last Tuesday’s Phil Williams show on BBC Radio 5 Live. (Scroll through to the second hour of the programme.) I was pretty…
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Push-ups - exercise of the patriarchy or feminist?
By Jess McCabe | 7 April 2008, 14:43
If this was a film set in the army, rather than a feminist blog, it would inevitable involve a drill sergeant saying “drop and give me 20”. But it’s not, and so I must admit I haven’t previously directed much…
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Hoax e-mails
By Holly Combe | 6 April 2008, 22:30
Ever received one of those pathetic scaremongering e-mails from an apparently well-meaning colleague and told them the story is an old hoax, only to get a touchy “can’t be too careful” response? Ever got forwarded the same one again months…
Party at the womyn’s space
By Jess McCabe | 6 April 2008, 20:50
[UPDATE: I neglected to mention the drag and knicker making(!) workshops going on during the day before the party. Sounds like fun. Here’s the full details: Saturday 12th April: Knicker Making Workshop 12pm - 5pm, Saturday 12th April, at the…
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New feature: Do It Yourself? How about Do It Ourselves
By Jess McCabe | 6 April 2008, 19:25
Is it feminist to be able to fix your own plumbing? Where are all the female tradespeople? Rhona-Mairead Sweeting considers the place of feminism in the construction industry and manual trades All those years of reading books, absorbing the feminist…
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From PETA to sci-fi
By Jess McCabe | 6 April 2008, 13:31
PETA is a prime example of a charity that feels like it’s OK be as sexist as it wants in promoting its cause. But, as this piece in the Guardian by Julie Bindel shows, this tactic is becoming ever more…
New feature: The epidemic of male violence against women
By Jess McCabe | 6 April 2008, 12:29
A spate of convictions has put femicide into the headlines again. But, as Jennifer Drew reports, the media is still blaming women - and ignoring ‘everyday’ incidents of male violence against women It has been a particularly horrible few weeks…
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More fucked-up reactions to Thomas Beatie’s pregnancy
By Jess McCabe | 5 April 2008, 23:39
Thomas Beatie, the pregnant trans man who told his story in the Advocate a few weeks ago, went on Oprah this week with his wife, reigniting the ‘controversy’ (read: bigoted and ignorant media response). Last month I highlighted the problems…
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New feature: Ask a feminist - The F Word problem page
By Jess McCabe | 5 April 2008, 15:38
What can you do if your crush is sexist and homophobic? How can you channel righteous feminist anger into something positive? In our second installment of the new ‘Ask a Feminist’ feature, we field these questions and more Answers will…
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New review: Girl Power?
By Jess McCabe | 5 April 2008, 10:49
The Spice Girls’ come-back tour re-opens some questions about the nature of ‘Girl Power’. Jennifer Thomson looks back fondly - but critically Last week I got to relive a childhood dream. I went to see the Spice Girls in concert….
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New feature: Stopping violence against women at its primary root
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 21:17
Matthew Provost draws the connections between male violence against women and bullying in the playground Mention the words violence against women and most will immediately think of an example involving adults. If children are mentioned at all, it will be…
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New feature: Abortion and disability - whose voices are heard?
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 20:23
Are disabled women’s voices silenced in the abortion debate? asks Clare Laxton Like the majority of people in the UK, I am pro-choice when it comes to abortion. I feel that it is a woman’s right to choose whether she…
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Hooters: coming to a town near you?
By Laura Woodhouse | 4 April 2008, 18:04
Well, most probably, unless you do something about it! The tacky and sexist US chain is currently on the look out for “high visibility” restaurant locations in (take a deep breath): Aberdeen Basildon, Birmingham, Blackburn, Bournemouth, Bristol Cambridge Cardiff, Chelmsford,…
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New review: Tales of low-paid work
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 18:02
Monica Dickens worked as a cook, servant, nurse, in an aircraft factory and as a junior reporter. Cazz Blase reviews her unsentimental portraits of working life in the first half of the 20th century Monica Dickens, the great-granddaughter of Charles…
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Rape victim arrested for sex with minor
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 14:26
So a woman reports being drugged, then repeatedly raped by three teenagers. Those teenagers video the attack, and post it on YouTube. She is initially too scared to report the crime to the police, but eventually does so. No charges…
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"What do you mean by ‘What do you mean?’?"
By Helen G | 4 April 2008, 12:24
I’m still struggling with the questions I was asking in my previous post What is transfeminism? and wonder if it’s actually possible to combine the two in some sort of pragmatic symbiosis. What if - despite my personal conviction that…
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Sex contracts!
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 11:45
An Australian politician has proposed that women should have to sign a contact before having sex with a man, reports news.com.au (via Jezebel). First off, this is a reactionary measure against proposed legislation “which make it an offence to continue…
More women doctors bad news?
By Jess McCabe | 4 April 2008, 10:16
A doctor writing in the British Medical Journal has argued that it is bad news that women outnumber men in medical school - because more women want to work part time, leading to “staffing problems”, reports the BBC. Writing in…
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Judges ignore the rules on rape and more
By Jess McCabe | 3 April 2008, 10:56
Judges routinely work around the law which is meant to prevent women being cross-examined about their sexual history when giving evidence in rape cases, reports the Guardian. Interviews with 17 judges in London and Manchester found that some insisted they…
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New review: Tracey, Tomma and the Turner conspiracy
By Jess McCabe | 3 April 2008, 00:19
Why have so few women won the Turner Prize? Sue Gilbert argues that the award’s youth has not protected it from sexism in the art world The Turner Prize comes around every year, like Christmas or your dental check-up, depending…
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Doctor Who and Catherine Tate
By Catherine Redfern | 2 April 2008, 23:02
So Doctor Who starts again on Saturday, yippee! And the Doctor’s new companion will be Catherine Tate. Now, like many other people when I first heard the news Tate would be in this series I have to admit I really…
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Government scores 2/10 on tackling violence against women
By Jess McCabe | 2 April 2008, 22:55
The UK government scored only two out of 10 in an assessment of how it is addressing violence against women. You can read the whole report - by the End Violence Against Women coalition - here. One of the co-authors…
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New feature: Walking on eggshells
By Jess McCabe | 2 April 2008, 22:49
Approaching men on the street and asking them to undress and be photographed can be frightening - and highlights the struggle for women to find equality. Alex Brew explains “Why do so many female artists put themselves in their work…
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Is The F-Word homophobic?
By Jess McCabe | 2 April 2008, 09:09
Following on from the comments over Samara’s post yesterday, I think it’s timely to re-state some general principles. The question has come up: is The F-Word heteronormative (meaning that we assume a heterosexual viewpoint, and marginalise or ignore the perspective…
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Carnival Against Pornography and Prostitution now up
By Lynne Miles | 1 April 2008, 17:04
Up at The Burning Times, the Third Carnival Against Pornography and Prostitution, hosted by Debs. The highlights for me are the Twisty entry (when is the Twisty entry *not* anyone’s favourite?): I’ve said it before and I’ll again: patriarchy isn’t…
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London Assembly candidate - rape ‘no big deal’
By Jess McCabe | 1 April 2008, 12:30
A BNP candidate for the London Assembly elections in May has been outed by the Evening Standard as the author of a far right blog, where he has said both rape and domestic violence are no big deal. As “Sir…
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More on shoes
By Samara Ginsberg | 1 April 2008, 09:32
Jess’ post yesterday got me thinking, or rather, inspired me to actually blog about something to which I’ve always given a lot of thought. A couple of years ago I was on a quick lunchtime shoe shopping binge with a…
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