Feminism | Posted by Laura D on 12/17/2010
Survival of the Fittest
Survival may seem like a drastic way to describe the experience of living in a modern Western society, however sexist it is. I have the privilege of geography to thank for the fact that I don’t face an arranged marriage or a ban on education as many other women do. However this shouldn’t stop us from talking about and acting on the challenges we still face. “Survival” may not seem like such an extreme word when we consider the leading cause of death for pregnant women in the US is murder. Anyone in doubt that an ability to negotiate sexism is a sadly vital skill need only look to one recurring symbol of patriarchal power: street harassment.
It’s an assertion of power, a threat described as flattery, a small reminder …
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Feminism | Posted by Emily S on 11/15/2010
Reclaiming The Night
On Thursday, November 11, 2010, I took back the night. Joined by a small group of passionate college women, I marched across my campus at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to protest the perpetuation of sexual violence against women and to raise awareness regarding the rising seriousness of this issue on college campuses. Proudly walking down busy Franklin Street, we blew rape whistles, chanted verses that asserted our rights to safety at all times, and, most importantly, we walked into the night without fear. For the first time in a while, I wasn’t looking over my shoulder. I didn’t have to carry a can of pepper spray, get out my cell phone and pretend to be talking to my mom, or avoid streets on which I ordinarily …
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Feminism | Posted by Courtney F on 10/12/2010
A Modern Rant on Modern Feminism
The past few days I’ve noticed some hating going on towards modern feminism on tumblr, and hey, everyone’s entitled to their own opinions, but it still frustrates me. I don’t think people really understand what modern feminism is and that there’s still reasons to fight, even if it’s not necessarily the reasons of the 60′s. I mean, I didn’t even really understand what modern feminism was until about a year ago.
People hear the word feminism and associate it with the fight to stay out of the kitchen. It’s just not. I mean, if you want to talk feminism and the kitchen, feminism believes it’s a woman’s choice to stay in or out of the kitchen. I for one, try to avoid the kitchen at all costs because I can hardly …
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Feminism | Posted by Liz P on 10/5/2010
Street Harassment and Sluts
I’m currently studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador, and I love nearly all of it so far. One of the things I do NOT love, however, is the prevalence of harassment here. I’m kind of accustomed to harassment because I go to school in Philadelphia. Usually when guys yell, “I loove youuu!” or call us pretty and stuff we’re on the street and they’re in cars, or we can easily get away from them.
However, last Friday, a few friends and I had to sit diagonally across from some 3 drunk harassers while we were trying to enjoy a French-fry break from our discoteca-night. And they would not give up. We ignored them for a while, and then one of them came over with a half-full glass of beer and offered it to us.
“Absolutamente no (Absolutely not),” I said …
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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 09/22/2010
Ines Sainz: Sexual Harassment Handled Well
By now, most people have probably heard about the latest news in sports related sexual harassment. This time around, the media has zeroed in on Ines Sainz, a Mexican sports reporter, who was reportedly harassed by members of the Jets.
When I first saw this story reported on the Today Show, I was actually surprised at the way it was being handled. It seemed that the media may actually be coming to the aid of Sainz, recognizing that she did not “ask” to be sexually harassed just because she was named one of the sexiest sports reporters in the world and has “suggestive” photos on her website. I was also impressed that the guys in charge at the Jets were taking her claims seriously and even investigating her claims.…
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Feminism | Posted by Anonymous on 09/7/2010
A Reason to Believe in Feminism
I have for you a tale of feminism in its physical manifestation.
It was only weeks ago that I, a nineteen-year-old girl, sat at a window seat on a bus swindling its way down a road in the city one night. Ere long I felt another’s presence, and turned to find a beefy drunkard leering at me as he stumbled to sit by my side. He had prickly grey stubble covering his weathered cheek; bloodshot eyes and thin lips smacked together as he looked me up and down.
‘How ya going, alright?’ He grunted, and I nodded curtly before stepping away and re-settling myself on a different seat, a couple of rows back. I had smelt the Red Label on his stale breath and seen how his eyes had rested …
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Feminism | Posted by Rachel P on 07/2/2010
Seixsm and the Double Bass
Like Esperenza Spalding, I too, am a female double bassist, with the greatest of respect for the wonderful things that Esperenza does – especially with first-hand knowledge of the blatant misogyny that accompanies being a female double bassist, and how hard it is to even get your instrument through the door, let alone forge a successful musical career.
My double bass teacher was turned down by a professional orchestra, because, simply put, “he wasn’t strong enough”. The nature of orchestra playing means that you’re rehearsing for hours on end, and then playing your instrument non-stop in a concert that can last anywhere from 40 minutes to literally hours. When your instrument is quite literally bigger than you, and when it takes flexing your arm to its full length to …
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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 07/1/2010
Starbucks, Sexual Harassment and Teens
It is not a secret: I am addicted to coffee. There was a time in my life when I was ignorant to the bliss that accompanies those deliciously bitter beans. I was cynical, sarcastic, and tired. Now I am cynical…sarcastic…and a little less tired (read: manic) until I crash! Maybe the effect of coffee on my life is found less in its benefits and more in an unhealthy chemical-dependency-like-addiction. Hm.Either way, I’m in that place in my life where I know every Starbucks barrista in my neighborhood’s name, life story and favorite frappuccino flavor.
So when I heard that a while back there was a pretty significant sexual harassment case against Starbucks involving a teen girl, I was pretty bummed. I actually felt personally let down – that is how …
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