The Toronto Women’s Bookstore needs your help! The 36-year-old non-profit, feminist bookstore, which is committed to anti-oppression, risks having to close its doors if it doesn’t raise $40,000 by January. The store has issued a letter to the community asking for donations so that it can remain afloat while the current managers and staff take time to devise strategies to make the store more sustainable.
For those of you who are not familiar with the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, it’s more than just a bookstore. The TWB offers workshops, courses, readings, and other events that foster a sense of community. It is an organization that offers a safe space where women of colour, aboriginals, queer people, transgendered individuals and many others can find books and community resources. Interested in how privilege operates within our society? The TWB has offered a course called “Out of the Ivory Tower and Into the Community: Unpacking and Unlearning Privilege.” Ever wanted to learn some hot burlesque moves? The bookstore has a course in that, too.
And, in case you hadn’t noticed, there’s been a serious decline in women’s bookstores (and independent bookstores) worldwide over the past 15 years. In 1994, 125 women’s bookstores existed across the globe. Wanna know how many there are now? A meagre 21.
So, please, pretty please, if you’ve got a few extra dollars in your wallet, make a donation to the Toronto Women’s Bookstore. You can do it in person at the store, or visit their website and make a donation via PayPal. And, if you need some more convincing, you can find interesting facts, details, history and information here, here, and here.
Tagged as:
books,
women
Last week, I read an article about a gender discrimination complaint filed against Toys R Us. The complaint was launched by a bunch of Swedish 6th graders who found the Toys R Us 2008 Christmas catalogue offensive because it reinforced stereotypical gender roles by featuring boys in active roles and girls in passive ones. According to the class’s teacher, the complaint brought forward by these children is the result of more than 2 years’ work on gender roles.
This story makes me want to jump for joy. To see an example of young people recognizing and trying to actively combat sexism and outdated gender roles gives me hope that today’s youth really can effect change in the world. One of the students even stated that children of either sex should be able to be whoever they want to be even if “guys want to be princesses sometimes.” How could I not swoon?
And then I read the online reader comments that followed the story. And I wanted to cry.
Although I’ve been around the block enough times to know how attached people are to the idea of gender and gender roles, I somehow am repeatedly shocked at how essentialist some people get. Several readers who posted comments seemed to confuse the Swedish children’s complaint as a desire to obliterate sex/gender altogether and homogenize all human beings, and many argued that there is a distinct, innate difference between boys and girls. Seriously, people, it’s the 21st century and you’re still trying to peddle that nonsense?
There’s really too much to address on this topic in a simple blog post, and, frankly, this whole discussion is so old that I can’t believe I’m even writing about it. But after having researched and written many an undergraduate psych paper on gender roles, I do know that an array of reputable psychologists and sociologists have studied gender and gender roles in children and have pretty much determined that gender is largely socially constructed. The types of toys children are given to play with, the types of clothes they’re dressed in, the types of activities they’re encouraged to pursue, and even how adults interact with boy babies versus girl babies: all that stuff makes a mark on a kid.
I don’t think the Swedish kids are calling for a complete erasure of sex and gender. I think the point is that we all need to be more mindful of how boys and girls/men and women are treated and represented and what kinds of expectations we have on each. The point is that difference shouldn’t be based on biological sex. Boys can be princesses and girls can be knights in shining armour. Get over it.
Tagged as:
education,
gender roles,
kids
I went to an advance screening of Whip It on Thursday night and was so pleased to come out of the theatre with my expectations having been met. To be honest, I was practically giddy afterwards. While the plot of Whip It isn’t necessarily innovative, the movie is still incredibly entertaining and fiercely feminist.
Before seeing Whip It (and before being aware of the rising popularity of women’s roller derby in North America), roller skates brought to mind an image of a 1950s/’60s woman wearing a poodle skirt and skating around serving hot dogs and french fries to patrons at a drive-in movie theatre. Contemporary roller derby has reinvented the roller skate, salvaging the retro coolness associated with this piece of sports equipment and melding it with a punk rock aesthetic and athletically challenging competitive sport that makes current roller derby chicks forces to be reckoned with. Combined with the convention that roller derby players adopt rockin’, tough-girl pseudonyms (Babe Ruthless, Iron Maven, Maggie Mayhem, Bloody Holly), it’s clear that this sport is not for the fainthearted. These girls really can body check.
Whip It showcases roller derby’s legitimacy as a women’s competitive sport complete with requisite athleticism and no-holds-barred attitude. And, while some of the appeal of this movie can be attributed to the hip, retro, punk rock aesthetic that the female figures embody, the roller derby players in the movie are clearly intended to be featured as athletes who kick ass. In fact, at no point in the movie did I feel that the roller derby girls were being displayed for the purpose of male voyeurism (unlike the women in the Lingerie Football League, who act as objects that men can ogle. So gross.).
I do wonder, however, how men figure in the real world of contemporary roller derby. In Whip It, women certainly play the dominant roles in the movie, but the team coach and the referee are both men, which hints just a little bit at the idea that men are still needed/required to regulate women’s sports. I’m not suggesting that the movie would have been better had women played these roles; I guess I’m just wondering why it ended up this way. And, for anyone who is familiar with women’s roller derby in North America, what roles do men play if any? Presumably, they must make up some portion of the fan base.
And, speaking of fandom, I think Whip It has not only converted me into a fan of women’s roller derby but also reignited my love of ripped fishnets and thick black eyeliner. Now if only I had a pair of roller skates…
Tagged as:
aesthetics,
film,
punk rock,
sports
Have you ever lain in bed, looked around your bedroom and thought, “You know what this room needs? A shadowy male stalker lurking in the corner.” Well, look no further! It appears that last year’s Twilight movie has sparked the creation of a life-sized decal portraying Edward Cullen’s silhouette and the accompanying phrase “Be safe.” The figure, which retails at $60 US, stands 6′2″ tall and can be applied to any wall in your home. The decal is intended to help you recreate the relationship between vampire Edward Cullen and teenage protagonist Bella Swan.
Okay, so am I the only one who finds this just a little bit creepy? In all honesty, if I awoke in the middle of the night and saw a male shadow lurking in my room, I’d be terrified. I also can’t help but be put off by the phrase “Be safe.” Like, ewww! It not only insinuates that women need male protection but also plays into the twisted notion that stalkers and overly-protective boyfriends/husbands/partners are really only trying to take care of their women.
I wonder if Vinyl Fruit, creators of the Edward Cullen decal, also make a restraining order decal. That’s really what I’d want in a situation like this.
Tagged as:
creepy,
film,
sexism,
stalkers
Remember what it was like being a teenager? If you’re like me, you’re probably shuddering just a little bit. Being a teenage girl is hard–especially for girls who don’t fit into the mainstream. Fortunately, the fabulous people at Shameless magazine have created She’s Shameless: Women Write About Growing Up, Rocking Out and Fighting Back, published by Tightrope Books. Edited by Stacey May Fowles and Megan Griffith-Greene, this anthology, which was launched last night in Toronto at the Gladstone Hotel, features non-fiction writing by women who share their teen experiences (with all the gory details). The writing is intended to appeal to “freethinkers, queer youth, young women of colour, punk rockers, feminists, intellectuals, artists, and activists.” Sounds like good reading to me.
While I haven’t had a chance to sink my teeth into the book yet (just picked up my copy last night), based on the sample performances I heard last night plus the crowd’s enthusiasm, I expect I’m in for some entertaining stuff. So pick up a copy at your local independent bookstore or online. Give one to your daughter, your niece, or the teenage girl who lives next door. I have a feeling she’ll appreciate it.
Tagged as:
books,
teens,
women
I’m not quite sure how to feel about a recent post at change.org announcing Oprah’s plan to make over a family homeless shelter. America’s talk show queen is pairing up with Benjamin Moore and has asked contestants to fill out an online form indicating in 100-200 words why their shelter is the most deserving of a makeover. The contest is now closed (sorry, folks), but I imagine a future episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show will be dedicated to unveiling the transformation.
My immediate response to this news included a requisite rolling of the eyes–which is often the case when I hear about yet another one of Oprah’s magical makeovers, favourite things giveaways, and other stunts that encourage endless consumption. And I always get miffed when I see corporate sponsorship disguised as benevolence. Oh, thank you, Benjamin Moore for donating what is probably a very negligible amount of paint and supplies in return for HUGE publicity.
Making over a homeless shelter seems like such a flawed idea. Is this really the best way to help homeless families that have been hit hard by the recession? It comes off as a frivolous gesture that doesn’t in any way tackle the real issues that homeless people face. Wouldn’t it be better to donate money towards the provision of basic needs like food and clothing, or perhaps building more shelters so that everyone without a home has a place to go?
But then I started thinking a bit more. I spend a lot of time enjoying the pleasures that are associated with being surrounded by beauty and beautiful things. And I’ve chosen to decorate my apartment in ways that make my space feel like a home to me. So is it fair to say that an aesthetically pleasing environment is a luxury that shouldn’t be afforded to the homeless? While Oprah’s homeless shelter makeover will in no way contribute to the elimination or reduction of homelessness or poverty, it will provide a certain amount of dignity to its recipients. And I think that feeling of dignity and overall comfort in having a reasonably updated home can go a long way to lifting people out of difficult situations.
Additionally, and perhaps more importantly, we all know that Oprah is a near-omnipotent media magnate who’s got the power to enlighten and persuade. Millions of people watch her show every day, and the topics she covers often inspire her viewers to take action and create change within their own lives and communities. If Oprah does a show that educates Americans and the world about the impact of the recession on the homeless population, I have no doubt that her viewers will respond and start making the types of contributions that do actually effect change. So Oprah redecorates a shelter, but then her viewers take on simpler yet equally meaningful tasks such as donating clothing, food and time to a local shelter.
So, as I continue to mull over the pros and cons of Oprah’s homeless shelter transformation, I’ll leave you with these questions: within the context of homelessness, is it sometimes necessary to balance pragmatic concerns with aesthetic, pleasure-driven ones? Is Oprah doing a good thing?
Tagged as:
homelessness,
Oprah
A couple of months ago, we bore witness to a vintage Spanx for men ad and had a good old laugh about it. But don’t be surprised when I tell you that the modern-day equivalent has now arrived. Introducing the Core Precision undershirt, a body-shaping undergarment designed for men. The “man-girdle,” as it has been colloquially referred to, will sell for about $90 to $98 and is designed to create a sleek and slender male form, taking inches off the waistline. Now, if men want to jump on board the body-slimming-garment bandwagon, who am I to stop them? But, really, why the hell would they want to? This is where some handy marketing comes into play.
Strangely (and yet not surprisingly), while the Core Precision undershirt and Spanx (the designed-for-women kind) were created for similar purposes (i.e., to squeeze the body into a smaller size and different shape than it actually is), the two products are marketed quite differently. The male version promises to “improve posture, support core muscles, visibly streamline and slim, control body temperature, and promote circulation.” This description appeals to one’s sense of logic and the desire to improve one’s form in a good-for-your-body kind of way. Improves posture and promotes circulation? Sign me up! On the other hand, women’s Spanx claims to “shape problem areas, accentuate your waistline, minimize your tummy and thighs, lift your rear, and make inches seem to disappear.” The focus here is on aesthetics, implying that women are actually concerned only with appearance and can’t be bothered to contemplate more practical matters such as core muscles.
Of course, women have a long history of wearing undergarments that slim down (and sometimes harm) the body. (Corsets, anyone?) And the fact that these types of products continue to sell well (I’m assuming the Spanx people make a pretty penny), means that the marketing they use must work. However, when a similar shape-adjusting product is created for men, it needs to be advertised as actually improving one’s physical form and health. (And people say sexism is dead. Ha!)
Good for the body or not, the one thing that the Core Precision undershirt and Spanx do have in common is their ability to cause discomfort. However, as a male journalist for the Times Online describes after his one-day test of the Core Precision undershirt, although the garment is rather restrictive, it does still render the wearer capable of breathing. And I’m sure many women who have squeezed themselves into corsets, Spanx, control-top pantyhose, and other body-smooshing undergarments have used the ability to breathe as a basic criterion for wearability.
Hell, if manufacturers of body shapers are looking for an advertising hook, why not go with this one: “Allows you to slim down while still retaining the ability to take shallow breaths.” But I guess this is why I never went into advertising.
Tagged as:
advertising,
fashion,
menfolk,
the body
According to a study published yesterday, Toronto teenagers want more access to sex education. The media are reporting this story as if it’s honest-to-goodness news, but I’m kind of wondering whether anyone is actually surprised at the findings of the Toronto Teen Survey, which was conducted by Planned Parenthood Toronto in conjunction with York University, the University of Toronto, Wilfred Laurier University, and Toronto Public Health. I’m sure community groups that deal with teen health and sex education, such as Planned Parenthood or Head and Hands, are more than ready to yell out a huge “I told you so” to governments and boards of education that have been slowly hacking away at sex ed classes in public schools.
I have to admit that I’m not entirely up to date on the quantity and quality of sex education classes in Canadian schools, which certainly must vary province to province, given that education is provincially regulated. But, from what I’ve read and heard over the past couple of years, my general impression is that sex ed classes are not meeting the needs of today’s teens. In Ontario, teens receive sex ed classes in Grades 7 and 9, which is not nearly enough, as far as I’m concerned. In fact, the newly published report recommends that sexual education be included in all elementary and high school grades. Far worse than Ontario is the province of Quebec, which decided last year to eliminate sex ed classes altogether in favour of an approach where teachers of all subjects are encouraged to include sex education in their classes. (I’m not sure how a math teacher is supposed to incorporate a discussion of, say, sexual intimacy while also teaching the quadratic equation, but maybe I’m just not being imaginative enough.) Not surprisingly, Sue Johanson was less than pleased with Quebec’s new mandate. And considering that just last week Alberta passed a law that allows parents to pull their kids out of classes in which religion or sex will be discussed, I’m going to guess that some kids in Alberta aren’t getting their fair share of sex ed either.
Okay, so now that this study has been conducted and published, what next? Is anything actually going to change? Are these teens who have indicated a subpar understanding of sexual health going to get more information? Or are governments and school boards going to pretend the study doesn’t exist? I suppose we’ll have to wait and see what happens, but my guess is that the sex ed battle has just barely begun.
Tagged as:
education,
sexuality,
teens
After 68 years of simultaneously dating 2 women, Archie Andrews has decided to ask one of the Riverdale girls to marry him. But which will it be? The sweet, blonde, girl next door, Betty, or the affluent, brunette vixen, Veronica? Well, it looks like nice girls finish last, since Archie will be proposing to Veronica Lodge in the comic book’s 600th issue, which is set to arrive in stores on August 19 and newsstands on September 1.
Given that the feud between Betty and Veronica has been going strong since what feels like the beginning of time, I was actually surprised to hear that Archie would be settling on one of the two iconic ladies. Isn’t part of the allure of the Archie Comics the ongoing storyline that pits the homespun Betty against the sassy Veronica? Isn’t Archie’s entire character based on his incurable dithering? Although I personally grew tired of the stereotypical characterizations of Betty and Veronica and their incessant cat fights, I’m not sure what the comic will be like once the battle for Archie is no longer being waged. (Why either girl would settle for Archie anyway is a whole other story.)
Not surprisingly, fans of Archie Comics have very strong opinions about the upcoming marriage proposal. And, according to a Globe and Mail story, relationship experts believe that whether you think Archie should choose Betty or Veronica indicates your overall view of marriage and relationships. Those who vote for Veronica are idealists while Betty backers are traditionalists.
But, while many people tend to pity Betty as the underdog and laud her for her sweet and homely qualities, I kind of wonder whether Veronica has been unfairly maligned for all these years. When I used to read Archie Comics during my childhood, I mostly sided with Betty. No matter how hard she tried, her honest, good-natured persona always seemed to lose out in the end. More recently, however, as I perused a few issues of the series, I realized that the adult me has grown to favour Veronica. Sure, Veronica can be a bit nasty and shallow at times, and her capitalist, rich-girl tendencies are less than appealing, but I can’t help but applaud Veronica for her self-confidence. Veronica isn’t worried about being a bitch when push comes to shove. Unlike Betty, she refuses to be a door mat. Veronica is stylish, shrewd, and doesn’t put up with Archie’s nonsense. She may have a few flaws, but she knows who she is.
Ultimately, the Veronica-Betty dichotomy is outdated. These two female characters reflect a 1950s sensibility that should no longer resonate with women today. Instead of having to choose between blonde or brunette, nice girl or mean girl, homely or stylish, sweet or sassy, I think it’s time to come up with an amalgam of these two girls–someone who can bake a delicious chocolate chip cookie, be a nurturing mother, speak her mind, and wear a killer stiletto heel when heading out for a night on the town. In the end, that’s who Archie should marry.
Tagged as:
comics,
marriage
Before you answer the question that looms at the top of this post, I have a small confession to make. Even before I read about nose waxing (a.k.a. the New York nose wax) as the newest beauty trend, I’d already given my own nose hair some consideration. One day, as I looked into the mirror in one of those examine-every-inch-of-my-face kind of moments, I noticed (gasp!) my nose hair. And I wondered: “Do other women remove their nose hair? Have I unknowingly become a nose hair freak?”
For those of you who are as new to the concept of nose waxing as I am, this new trend entails waxing the hairs in the lower part of your nostrils. Some will say these are pesky hairs that need eliminating; I say they’re probably not something you need to worry about. But, heck, considering I just realized yesterday that some women are waxing these hairs away, maybe I’m just completely out of the loop.
I’m not quite sure whether nose waxing is necessarily a women’s issue or even feminist one. I mean, tons of men trim their nose and ear hair, although I think these tasks are often reserved for the excessively hairy. To me, it seems like the kind of task undertaken by men who are getting on in their years. However, when it comes to women waxing their nose hairs–and not to pass judgment here–uh, isn’t it just a teeny bit excessive? And painful? I mean, how much nose hair does the typical woman have? Is it interfering with everyday functioning?
To sate my morbid curiosity, I am posing the following question: are you a nose waxer? Please post a comment (an anonymous one, if you wish). I really, really want to know how much of a trend this is becoming. Apparently, it started in the U.S. and has crossed the pond and become the new thing to do in the U.K.
As for my own nose hair, I think I’ll leave it as is. My nostrils probably work hard enough. And, frankly, I’m not ready to wage an unnecessary battle with a part of my body that facilitates breathing. I’m too afraid of bad karma.
Tagged as:
the body
Confabulous badges!
