women

So Women Are Obscene but Men Aren’t?

So… I’ll admit that when we saw this story last week we laughed about it and rolled our eyes at yet another example of an overly prudish society that is clearly too uncomfortable with sex and sexuality to even conceive of visualizing someone’s lady parts. But then The Daily Show brought a whole new different understanding to this issue (brought to you by Decades of Deep Sexual Repression).

The Daily Show
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The festival that Stewart discusses is a reality. The Festival of the Steel Phallus is an actual thing. This is an actual excerpt from GaijinJapan.org:

According to legend, a demon would have unhealthy hidden in the vagina of a young lady, and with the use of his sharp teeth would have castrated two young men on their wedding night. Following this, a blacksmith carved an iron penis to break the teeth of this demon. This object, ultimately, became an object of worship. This is why we celebrate the Kanamara Matsuri in Kawasaki every year.

Why can’t we all just value each other …. genitals and all? And for once, not diminish one while glorifying another? It’s a silly fantasy, I know. Maybe it can be a reality before I die.

Why Aren’t There More Women in Movies?

A new action adventure film is coming out, which means it’s yet another opportunity to ask the age old question of why there aren’t more women not only in leading roles, but in movies to begin with. The New York Film Academy asked exactly that question last year during the launch of the last Hunger Games movie which features another female lead (albeit some women take issue with whether or not she’s a real feminist). I could probably go off for hours on whether or not Katniss is a real feminist… but I’ll spare you.

I digress… The real question is… What’s up with the ratio of dudes vs. ladies in films? Here’s a friendly infographic that helps illustrate:

Michelle Obama remembered Maya Angelou in a powerful and beautiful way

Michelle Obama is a strong, smart, amazing woman for whom I have always had great respect. But today when she spoke of the ways in which Maya Angelou empowered her as a woman… indeed as a fellow human being, I felt a special kinship with our First Lady.

Here are some excerpts and the video – the full text of the speech is below:

“The first time I read “Phenomenal Woman”, I was struck by how she celebrated black women’s beauty like no one had ever dared to before. (Applause.) Our curves, our stride, our strength, our grace. Her words were clever and sassy; they were powerful and sexual and boastful. And in that one singular poem, Maya Angelou spoke to the essence of black women, but she also graced us with an anthem for all women –- a call for all of us to embrace our God-given beauty.“Her message was very simple. She told us that our worth has nothing to do with what the world might say. Instead, she said,

“Each of us comes from the creator trailing wisps of glory.” She reminded us that we must each find our own voice, decide our own value, and then announce it to the world with all the pride and joy that is our birthright as members of the human race.

“Dr. Angelou’s words sustained me on every step of my journey –- through lonely moments in ivy-covered classrooms and colorless skyscrapers; through blissful moments mothering two splendid baby girls; through long years on the campaign trail where, at times, my very womanhood was dissected and questioned. For me, that was the power of Maya Angelou’s words –- words so powerful that they carried a little black girl from the South Side of Chicago all the way to the White House.

“And today, as First Lady, whenever the term “authentic” is used to describe me, I take it as a tremendous compliment, because I know that I am following in the footsteps of great women like Maya Angelou.”

(Pardon the video quality – this was the most inclusive one I could find)

LEGO Acknowledges Women Are Scientists Too!

I loved playing with LEGOs when I was a kid. In fact, I personally still fantasize about investing in the Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Waters LEGO kit even as a semi-adult. But the gender neutral toy has taken a turn for the gender specific in the last several years, focusing more on action figures for boys and princesses for girls.

Well, no more! This week LEGO announced it was joining the advocates of female STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) by launching their Women in Science LEGO sets.

The final results feature The Research Institute comprising the labs of the Astronomer, the Paleontologist, and the Chemist:

Women in Science LEGOs

How did something like this come to pass? The awesomeness of the internet. Last year an online campaign was started and check out the tweets the campaign got in just 24 hours:

Here are several other designs that were up for consideration as well that LEGO should totally make happen: Women in Science LEGOs

Falconer with two birds, Geologist with compass and hammer in the field & Robotics Engineer designing a robot arm

Zookeeper with tiger, Judge & Mail carrier with bicycle

Mechanic, Fire fighter & Construction worker

A Guide for Dudes: Here’s What to Do and What Not To Do

I’d just finished a fun dinner with my bestest girl friends, jumped in my hot car and took off the shirt that I was wearing over my low cut tanktop and cranked on the A/C. I stopped on the way home at a 7-11 to fill my car up with gas, but before I got out of the car I grabbed the shirt and put it back on over my tanktop. Why did I do this?

As a Millennial woman, I was raised in a culture that has taught me that if I don’t want to get raped I need to take steps to prevent the rape. In the sex-ed classes across the southern states like the ones where I grew up, we spread lies in abstinence only education, we shame girls and women for what they wear, God forbidyour breast be exposed during the halftime game at the Superbowl. But we never teach our sons and men this key message: ASK CONSENT FIRST.

Here’s one way to do it:

RIP Maya Angelou

As an English major I was required to read some of the best pieces of literature of all time and some of the most pathetic pieces of crap ever penned and published. Maya Angelou has long been one of my most favorite authors. The rhythm of her words, whether poetry or prose, roll off a mental tongue in a way that made my mind dance among the letters scrolled on the page.

Via the AP:

“Author and poet Maya Angelou, who rose from poverty, segregation and violence to become a force on stage, screen and the printed page, has died. She was 86…

She gained acclaim for her first book, her autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” making her one of the first African-American women to write a best-seller.”

Her talent will live forever in her words, but her presence will be missed.

Historic art is Beautiful but I Guess the Women Were Fatties?

Best idea ever brought to you by the good people at TakePart.com: historic pieces of art that show the shift in body image in our culture from beautiful voluptuous woman to too-skinny manish photoshopped models whose thighs don’t touch.