season of the bitch

Denise has a story that will break your heart.

(link fixed and story back up)

Because I should write about it but I just can’t today. I have too much to do. So please read these. And think about what happens when we make a person “it.”

At La Chola.

At TransGriot.

At Questioning Transphobia.

At Shakesville.

At Feministe.

(Violence against women and its portrayal in the media is one of my major topics of study, and I’ll be all over this soon, I promise. Because violence against trans women is both violence against women and boundary policing, both abusing a victim that is easy to pick on, that society won’t blame you for, and the media portrays it consistently like the trans person in question was asking for it. And fuck them.)

The absolutely fabulous Caroline at Uncool gave me a blog award. Seriously, I heart that girl. She’s not only got one of the first blogs I check on a daily basis, but she’s a good friend, too. Love.

So here are the rules:

1. Put the logo on your blog.
2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.
5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog.

In no particular order -

1. Pop Feminist. This lady is smart as hell and uses her powers for evil–if one’s inclined to think pictures of the Rolling Stones and tributes to unlikely-yet-fabulous feminist icons (right now, The Spice Girls!) sprinkled with some heavy theory are evil. I think she’s brilliant.

2. Flight Papers. I’ve mentioned this before, but this blog is truly one of the best-written out there. I wish she updated more.

3. FeministGal. Just…love. Love love love. Plus, we may secretly be sort of the same person. She’s got an excellent post up currently on Beauty Privilege. Because yes, you can examine it without making other women feel like shit!

4. A Secret Chord. She has the Carnival of Progressive Christians up right now, but she’s much, much more than that. Plus, we both like to objectify hockey boys.

5. My Private Casbah has been on a roll lately, and I love it.

6. Galling Galla because I think I’m still allowed to link to her, and because she’s fierce, and fabulous.

7. Letters from Gehenna. Her most recent post would be enough for me, but it’s definitely not the only reason.

8. Natalia Antonova. Do I have to explain why I love Natalia? Really? Zombies? Colossal squid? Cockroach songs?

Ren and Caroline.

What we seem to be discussing a lot here is the famous double bind that women have been dealing with for centuries upon centuries. If you do, you’re a slut, and if you don’t, you’re a prude. See, I’ve tried very hard to avoid calling anyone a prude or anything else. I don’t feel that I’ve gotten the same consideration from others. Being called “deluded” and told that I “miss the point” and accused of planning to say next something about “hairy-legged” feminists aside, I have not made personal insults against anyone.

I did say that appearance-bashing and slut-shaming under the guise of accusations of upholding the patriarchy were the same old Mean Girls shit.

Let me rephrase that.

Patriarchal society has kept women terrified of straying too far into either end of the pool, of being too prudish or too slutty. Different time periods have had different levels of acceptable behavior, but in all of them there was excess–the whore–and lack–the weird old maid, the witch. Because if we’re constantly worried that we’ll cross the line in either direction, we can’t accomplish anything. We’re too worried about acceptance.

Blaming women for upholding the patriarchy by their choices in clothing, dance, and expression is still placing them in a state where they have to worry that their behavior is appropriate. The amount of thought that goes into self-policing (where’s my Foucault when I need him) can’t be put into other activities. And I can assure you that it takes me a lot less time to put on lipstick than it does to worry about whether or not I might be crossing someone’s boundary of “appropriate.”

So yes, Twisty didn’t say that it was “bad.” She said that it was “antifeminist” to be a burlesque dancer, or by inference, to do anything that upheld “rape culture.” But on the blog of a self-professed “radical feminist” one can assume that “antifeminist” = “bad.”

1. Sudy would like to remind us of the political killings in the Philippines.

2. Bitch, Ph.D. links to an excellent TNR article about Republicans’ use of racism. And as usual, she’s got some good comments of her own. If you aren’t reading that blog, you should be.

3. Cassandra Says that it’s fucked up to hate women for their appearances, whether it’s because they’re mainstream-pretty or anything else. This is an excellent, excellent post on something that I was just thinking about and will probably blog on later, but you should read hers now.

4. Scott at LGM on torture. Which really should not be something we’re still arguing about, should it?

5. So many things at Obsidian Wings that I want to link to, so just go and add them to your blogroll already, will you? I think I get more news from them than any place outside of NPR.

6. Pop Feminist on of all things, Michael Jackson. God, this girl is good. Love.

7. The Feminist Carnival of Sexual Freedom and Autonomy is up (and I’m not just linking this because I’m linked there.

That I’ll finish later today, I promise.

For now, I recommend this, Hilzoy on the government’s bailout of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and this, wherein Latoya asks what we’re fighting for when it comes to feminism. Interestingly, both those writers are feminist bloggers who do not primarily center feminism in their blogging, yet I think it comes through in everything they say and do.

And for you to check out the new category in my blogroll: comics & art. Since they didn’t really fit in my regular blogroll and all.

1. Belle has a nice long analysis of the Kyle Payne situation.

2. Ren has been the super-queen of this whole Kyle Payne deal, but here she’s got a particularly great post on male feminists. Read.

3. Karnythia at AngryBlackWoman about what it means to vote for John McCain.

4. The Cruel Secretary on Michelle Obama Watch and Geraldine Ferraro still being ignorant.

5. Wendy Kaminer on FISA: “Civil libertarianism is a game for outsiders.”

Seriously. I’ve had a blogcrush on this lady for a while now. And she got us started on the fun tradition of beautiful people posts (see below!) and had the guts to throw out a guest post on Feministe about objectifying men. Something I take part in wholeheartedly, in case you hadn’t guessed. Her guest stuff at Feministe was generally rad, too.

Ms. Caroline at UnCool, another of my blogcrush ladies, wrote an awesome shout-out to Ms. Antonova yesterday, and I’m sharing the love. Go forth and read. Who doesn’t love a beautiful woman who writes about feminism, zombies, and the giant squid

And for everyone’s enjoyment: Adrien Brody, Viggo Mortensen, and Edward Norton!

Yeah, today’s my Saturday. I’m still trying to decide if I give a crap about the 4th of July or if I’m going to stay home and catch up on the metric tons of work I’ve taken on (that I’m not getting paid for). So until I get through some of these articles I’ve got to write, you have to wait on my posts on patriotism and on the male and female gaze in comic books. Whet your appetite with linky goodness instead.

1. AngryBlackBitch has some background on the release of Ingrid Betancourt.

2. This is so fucked up words don’t describe it.

3. BFP links to Summer Of Our Lorde: Audre Lorde Summer Reading. And Audre Lorde rocks, so I’m linking.

4. Scott at LGM (Monday! I swear!) on Obama and same-sex marriage.

5. Lucky White Girl on the Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, violence, and presidential qualifications.

6. Bint Alshamsa on why you don’t want to say “differently abled.”

7. I think Bq at Problem Chylde’s (sorry!) response to the Fourth of July is the best so far.

8. What was I saying about the death penalty? WOC PhD has more. Way more.

This is funny. It came from here: