Randomness | Posted by Julie Z on 05/23/2011
I’m Writing A Book. And You’re Going To Help Me.
When I was a freshman in high school, I read Jessica Valenti’s book Full Frontal Feminism and it changed my life. It’s what sent me to Feministing, which introduced me to the feminist blogosphere, which in turn inspired me to start a blog for teenage feminists. Because just like Feministing, Full Frontal Feminism can be applicable to the lives of teenagers in many ways, and has been passed around plenty amongst teen feminists, but ultimately Full Frontal is geared towards women in their 20’s and 30’s.
And as absolutely fabulous as Full Frontal is, I think we can all agree that it’s about time that teenage feminists have a book that is really ours – about and relevant to our lives and written from a teenage perspective. We’ve proven …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Brian C on 05/22/2011
Support Women Artists Sunday: Girls In Trouble
Alicia Jo Rabins hails from Brooklyn, New York. Alicia started violin lessons at the age of three and has trained herself to be a classical violinist. While growing up with such aspirations, Alicia also snuck out of her house to go see punk concerts while growing up. Alicia soon left New York on a schooner where she first mastered her playing of old-time folk pieces on the fiddle.
Alicia’s first rock band was known as The Mammals and allowed her to play with the likes of Pete Seeger and Jay Ungar. She spring-boarded from this experience to form trio Underbelly which described themselves as “new old-time.” Seeking out music that more fit her roots, she joined band Golem. Golem had a smashing success in reinventing Klezmer songs into punk pieces. …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 05/21/2011
Saturday Vids: Out of the Vinyl Deeps – Ellen Willis on Rock Music
In 1968, the New Yorker hired Ellen Willis as its first popular music critic. Her column, Rock, Etc., ran for seven years and established Willis as a leader in cultural commentary and a pioneer in the nascent and otherwise male-dominated field of rock criticism. As a writer for a magazine with a circulation of nearly half a million, Willis was also the country’s most widely read rock critic. With a voice at once sharp, thoughtful, and ecstatic, she covered a wide range of artists—Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin, the Rolling Stones, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and the Velvet Underground,—assessing their albums and performances not only on their originality, musicianship, and cultural impact but also in terms of how they made her feel.
Because Willis stopped writing about music in the early 1980s—when, …
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Feminism | Posted by Alli B on 05/20/2011
Tales From The Other Side
I grew up in the suburbs of Dallas, Texas. My parents divorced when I was five years old and after living with my mom and grandparents for two years I moved in with my father who raised me as a feminist. He always told my sister and me to be independent, to not rely on a man for anything, and to get an education and career before ever thinking about marriage. “Books not boys!” he would always tell me as I was growing up.
Then I fell in with a bad crowd and got lost. I had always considered myself a Christian but never really fully believed, just went along with the flow. Then when I turned fifteen I went to a church that my crush went to (stupid reason I …
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Feminism | Posted by B.P. on 05/19/2011
Magazines, T.V. and Disney: The Negative Portrayal of Beauty in the Media
From a young age, I recognized a pattern in the movies I frequently watched. Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White – their major goal is to find Prince Charming. Being young and impressionable, I too started dreaming of my prince charming I would one day come to meet.
As I got older, around my pre-teen years, I developed a collection of magazines due to my interest in style and fashion. I’d flip through so many each day, and without even noticing how and why, I began to feel less and less confident in myself. And more and more self-conscious about the way I looked. Pretty soon I felt as though no guy would ever want me because of the way I looked. I began to think I’d …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Katie E on 05/18/2011
Wanna Be A Victim? No Thanks.
I love music. From Tchaikovsky to T-Pain, my iPod has it all. I also love to sing. I’m not all that good at it, and my off-key crooning is usually confined to my shower or car, but nevertheless I enjoy it. It puts me in a good mood.
On my way home this afternoon, I was listening to my usual pre-set pop radio station when a relatively new song called Extraterrestrial by Katy Perry and Kanye West came on. I’d heard it before, but never paid much attention to anything other than the catchy beat. It wasn’t until today that I realized what the lyrics were actually saying. For those of you who aren’t fans of top-40 radio, here’s a partial transcript. You can also listen to the song here…
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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 05/17/2011
Looking Back: Advice For Teenage Feminists
Technically, I am done with high school. My classes are over. My AP tests have been taken (just barely…I pity the person grading my Stats AP). I am just a few weeks and random final presentations away from the day I actually graduate. My high school experience was less than ideal (and, really, whose isn’t?) but a funny thing happens when you reach this point in time (or, at least, a funny thing is happening to me). You start to feel nostalgic and sentimental anyway.
Maybe it’s the constant stream of slide shows consisting of childhood pictures that are presented. Maybe it was the bonding our senior class experience while planning senior pranks. Maybe it was the realization, every time I talked with somebody, that, “Huh, I didn’t realize how …
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Feminism | Posted by Fiona L on 05/16/2011
10 Things Hillary Was Thinking When Osama Was Shot
Osama Bin-Laden’s death a week ago has caused speculation, excitement, relief, concern, and yet another totally uncalled for hyper-examination of Hillary Clinton’s body language. This time it’s not her cleavage or her tearing up…it’s her hand.
A photo of the situation room released shortly after the raid on Osama Bin-Laden’s compound has everyone talking about our Secretary of State’s hand—was she gasping? Stifling an allergy-related cough? Showing signs of feminine weakness? Hillary’s position in the photo has been scrutinized more than anyone else’s (big surprise), including Joe Biden, who is holding a rosary.
I haven’t heard any murmurs about Biden’s position (was he clinging to religion? Feeling nervous? Feeling regret?), but all anyone can talk about is Hillary’s “gasp” and what it “means.” So, for all the talking heads …
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