For me, the 1920s stand out as one of the coolest times to be alive. The music, the parties, the changes in social mores, the fashion, the burgeoning of film and radio. (This is of course, with rose-tinted glasses neglecting the poverty, the subjugation of classes, ethnicities, and women—not to mention the violence brought on by prohibition.) Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby introduces high school English classes everywhere to the roaring twenties and its lavish galas filled with copious amounts of glamour and booze—set to a soundtrack of swinging tunes.
On the other hand, the trailer for Baz Luhrmann's Great Gatsby, released this week, gives us a Leo Dicaprio trying his best Paul Newman imitation and an indulgent take on an already-indulgent literary masterpiece. This includes using contemporary music instead of music from the renowned Jazz Age (didn't we learn this was a bad idea from A Knight's Tale?).
To right this terrible wrong, here's a playlist of some of the period's finest. (Sorry Yeezy and Hov, but Bessie Smith makes for a better Jazz Age soundtrack than Watch the Throne does.) You're encouraged to play these songs while watching the trailer or when re-watching episodes of Boardwalk Empire. More bathtub gin please...
We haven't heard it yet, but the new radio show Cabinet of Wonders sounds amaaazing. [NPR]
A Gallup poll released this week showed that the percentage of Americans who identify as “pro-choice” is at an all-time low of 47 percent, while 50 percent identify as “pro-life.” Jessica Valenti wonders, "Does it really matter?" [The Nation]
If you haven't been reading Bitch contributor Anne Helen Peterson's "Scandals of Classic Hollywood" series, this entry on Marlene Dietrich is a good place to start. [The Hairpin]
Back in the day, infants of all genders wore white frocks—white, because it could be bleached of any infant spewage, and frocks, because it's easier to wriggle a baby into a dress than into britches. Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1884 toddler photo depicts our dignified to-be president sitting primly in a white skirt and patent leather shoes.
Eventually, parents began dressing their infants in "the colors of springtime," but it wasn't until World War I that those colors became gender signifiers. In June 1918, the Earshaw Infants' Department instructed parents, “The generally accepted rule is pink for the boys, and blue for the girls. The reason is that pink, being a more decided and stronger color, is more suitable for the boy, while blue, which is more delicate and dainty, is prettier for the girl.”
It is no surprise that India is a Big Brother-esque figure in South Asia, especially, in histories of nation-building (the Partition, the 1971 Bangladeshi War of Independence, the decades under IPKF in Sri Lanka are just the tip of the iceberg), as researchers, we carry these legacies on our bodies and words. What kind of “secular” feminism are we advocating, if this “secular” voice comes from one platform only? Who talks of one kind of history only? What happens when this margin is speaking to you and you don’t have enough slots to categorize them? Why are stories of the Partition by Indian authors the narrative that we are mostly familiar with (Shauna Singh Baldwin, and Bhism Sahani come to mind here)—no matter how sympathetic they may be to other margins?
Inga Muscio’s Rose: Love in Violent Times is a heart-wrenching journey, with ups and downs, depressing moments mirrored by inspirational ones. It is beautiful, and though it largely continues with Muscio's usual themes of feminism and antiracism, I would file this book under “ecofeminism” as well.
Muscio’s latest, published last year, picks up where her classic Cunt: A Declaration of Independence left off. Rose is divided into two sections: Violence and Love. It's written in Muscio’s standard conversational yet highly informed tone, touching on history, culture, and anecdotes from her own life, seamlessly sewing it all together in a beautiful, diverse patchwork quilt. “Violence” talks about violence in our culture, engrained as it is, and speaks much about rape and safety.
When a rape victim went public with her story earlier this year, Jim Foley, Vice President of the University of Montana, sent an email asking if she could be punished under the Student Code of Conduct.
With its thumping soundtrack, glitz, glamour, tragic romance, and frenzied edits, you'd know this thing was a Luhrmann production from a mile away. And if opinions around the Bitch office are any indicator, you either LOVE it or you LOATHE it. To help you further appreciate (or hatepreciate as the case may be) the Great Gatsby, let's look at the trailers all of Baz Luhrmann's feature-length films (don't worry, there are only five) and rate them on what I'm calling The Luhrmann Index.
Be friends with the other women (unless they really suck), learn some sports, avoid businesses that promote boys clubby tendencies, and other ways to deal if you can't play golf (I am awful at it, not that I was invited) and you don't smoke cigars.
Need some new reading material? These three new indie comics by Kate Skelly, Angie Wang, and Julia Gfrörer will take you from an outer galaxy to a zombiefied forest, and will keep you occupied (and perhaps up all night with every light turned on). Click through for more!
I am an organic farmer and co-owner of Radical Root Farm near the lovely, blustery city of Chicago. I am also a writer of both fiction and non-fiction. Here at Bitch I will be mainly discussing issues surrounding ecofeminism, or green feminism, or the role of environmentalism as it pertains to feminism. Other things I am include: a medicine-making herbalist, tree-hugging health nut, insatiable bookworm, bicycle enthusiast and mama to a baby boy named Huckleberry.
What I'm watching:
Downton Abbey, Daily Show, Frontline documentaries, Dirt! The Movie, Ken Burns' Prohibition, Revenge
What I'm reading:
I read too many books at one time. Right now they are: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions (yes, it's a cookbook, but it provides endless reading material. It's huge and you always go back to it!), Kristin Kimball's The Dirty Life, Junot Diaz's The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Vandana Shiva's Soil Not Oil, Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Richard Heinberg's The End of Growth
What I'm listening to:
Balkan Beat Box, Voltio, M.I.A., Micheal Franti, Andrew Bird, Billie Holiday, Jill Scott, Austra, NPR podcasts like The Splendid Table and This American Life
I read too many books at one time. Right now they are: Jennifer Egan's A Visit from the Goon Squad, Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions (yes, it's a cookbook, but it provides endless reading material. It's huge and you always go back to it!), Kristin Kimball's The Dirty Life, Junot Diaz's The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao, Vandana Shiva's Soil Not Oil, Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Richard Heinberg's The End of Growth
What I'm listening to:
Balkan Beat Box, Voltio, M.I.A., Micheal Franti, Andrew Bird, Billie Holiday, Jill Scott, Austra, NPR podcasts like The Splendid Table and This American Life
What I'm watching:
Downton Abbey, Daily Show, Frontline documentaries, Dirt! The Movie, Ken Burns' Prohibition, Revenge
Andi is the co-founder of Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture. A longtime freelance writer and illustrator, Andi's work has appeared in numerous periodicals and newspapers.
She passes her non-Bitch hours watching television and embroidering portraits of dogs, often simultaneously. Her other interests include painting, walking, candy, Scrabble, and the interrobang.
What I'm reading:
Special Exits, by Joyce Farmer and Half Empty, by David Rakoff
What I'm listening to:
Electric Light Orchestra, The Thermals, Belle and Sebastian, Johnny Cash's children's album.
What I'm watching:
Boardwalk Empire, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Project Runway, 30 Rock, Parks and Recreation, basketball, dog shows
Born and raised in San Francisco, Annalee moved to Portland to attend Reed College, where she received her B.A. in Sociology. She wrote her senior thesis on the news media and its relationship to feminist activism. For as long as she can remember, Annalee has been fascinated by pop culture and, after a Bratmobile-inspired political awakening at 15-years-old, has connected that interest to a feminist framework. Her post-graduation life has been filled with playing video game "drums" in Rock Band, working as the Operations and Development Assistant at Bitch (while moonlighting as a gelato-scooper/barista), and, most recently, moving to Seattle.
What I'm watching:
Mad Men, The Office, Wonderfalls, Freaks and Geeks, 30 Rock, Twin Peaks, Project Runway
What I'm reading:
Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid On Earth, Invincible Summer, Feminist Methods In Social Research
What I'm listening to:
Vivian Girls, The Shangri-Las, Patsy Cline, Black Tambourine, Lykke Li, New Bloods, and the usual riot grrrl crew.
Heylo. I have a few names across the interwebes. Mostly, I get called battameez — in many languages and contexts.
Battameez (pronounced: buh. tuh. meez) is a Hindustani word for someone who has no manners -- pretty self-explanatory, no?
I had hoped to be "going somewhere" with my life until early last year, now I live in an apartment with a lot of plants, frames and studying to get my MA in women's studies. Hopefully, the plants will still be alive by the time I'm done.
I write for Colors Magazine in Treviso, Italy. In addition to playing soccer/eating pasta/translating feminist philosophy, I spend my free time thinking about the best and the worst books that I've encountered in 21 years of school. Those thoughts go here. If you'd like to have a favorite text from high school or college (or onwards) reviewed in the "Required Reading" series, send me a note! Reading on recommendation is always fun.
Born in Sydney, Australia, Jyoti has been living in the U.S since 2006. She is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Writing and Publishing at Portland State University, and is the publishing intern here at Bitch Media. Her main area of interest is the changing face of the publishing industry, especially in the rise of independent presses.
What I'm reading:
My favorite writers are: Helene Cixous, Kathy Acker, Jeanette Winterson, and Margaret Atwood.
What I'm reading:
My favorite writers are: Helene Cixous, Kathy Acker, Jeanette Winterson, and Margaret Atwood.
As a young feminist growing up on the mean streets of Portland, Kelsey dreamed that one day a kickass, independent, feminist media organization would move its headquarters to her beloved home city. Well kids, Gabrielle was right: "Dreams can come true"! Bitch moved to Portland, and one MA in Media Studies from the University of Oregon later, Kelsey moved in as web editor. She hasn't looked back since.
When not editing the interwebs at the Bitch office, Kelsey can be found lecturing reluctant students, listening to podcasts, and hanging out with her French Bulldog, Edith. She also enjoys making things out of fabric and watching pretty much anything on television (preferably at the same time, and preferably with Edith). If you're looking for a new pal who loves both LOLcats and Linda Ronstadt records, she's your gal.
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
What I'm reading:
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
Graduate school and the Internet have relegated Kelsey (and her attention span) to the land of short stories. It's a nice place to be, especially when Lorrie Moore and George Saunders are there.
What I'm listening to:
King Khan & BBQ Show, Girls in the Garage, The Blow, NPR
What I'm watching:
Arrested Development, The Twilight Zone, Mad Men, Parks and Recreation
I work to improve B-Word's web presence by beefing up our blog, working on our podcasts, managing Bitch's social networking sites (be my friend?), and spreading the good b-word all 'round the Net.
Always into what you have to say! Email me at online{at}b-word.org with suggestions or kind words.
Inga Muscio’s Rose: Love in Violent Times is a heart-wrenching journey, with ups and downs, depressing moments mirrored by inspirational ones. It is beautiful, and though it largely continues with Muscio's usual themes of feminism and antiracism, I would file this book under “ecofeminism” as well.
