Today marks the long-awaited release of "Now We Can See," the fourth album from Portland’s own The Thermals. The album was reviewed in the "Buzz" issue of Bitch, but as a huge fan of the band, I thought it deserved a bit of blog attention as well. Check out the video from their single, "Now We Can See"! It just came out today. I should warn you, though, it contains enough handclap-y happiness to last you all week long:
I love The Thermals, and what’s not to love? They’re an amazing band; they tackle a variety of important political issues in their catchy songs; they’re super-fun live; they recently signed with the awesome, feminist, Kill Rock Stars; and they were nice enough to sit down for an interview with yours truly! (All that and I didn't even mention their extreme cuteness.) Read on for some of Kathy Foster’s (bass) and Hutch Harris’s (vocals, guitar) thoughts on the new album, and of course, feminism. Hooray!
When most people think of underground and alternative comics, Robert Crumb’s Zap Comix or Art Spiegelman’s and Bill Griffith’s Raw may come to mind. But San Francisco was home to more than a few alternative cartoonists, and when women such as Trina Robbins found out what a boy’s club the underground scene seemed to be, they took matters into their own hands and published a collectively edited women-only comic book.
Fox News is giving half the story again, this time in a report about bra sales in Australia and the cup sizes associated with them. The message the Fox story sends is that these giant-breasted women got that way because of birth control, obesity and artificial hormones. In a story from The Daily Telegraph story, which Fox links, the causes are defined as age, estrogen from plastics and cosmetics and the reality that even smaller women have larger breasts these days, in addition to the obesity and birth control arguments. And that is just the beginning. Read more after the jump!
I came into the office today prepared to blog about just one creepy, sexist, bizarre television commercial, but since that time three more have been brought to my attention. You know what that means, right? It's time for a commercial showdown!
In this showdown, four commercials will compete, but only one can be named the most offensive! Will it be the Carl's Jr. ad featuring Padma Lakshmi sucking on a strip of bacon? The Orangina ad featuring anthropomorphic animals getting busy in the jungle? The Schick Quattro ad asking women to mow their "lawns"? Or the Axe Body Spray "Dark Temptation" ad that takes black face to a whole new level? YOU make the call!
Vote for the most offensive ad after the jump, and add your own submissions as well! Four ads enter, one ad leaves! It's showdown time!
I got a full night's worth of sleep and the weather is beautiful in Portland, but sometimes you just need a little more to get through a Monday. So, consider this clip my gift to you:
Seeing those girls give Kathleen Hanna a run for her money just makes my riot grrrl heart grow three sizes bigger.
Last night I had the chance to attend a screening of Handmade Nation at the Museum of Contemporary Craft
here in Portland. Most of you are probably pretty familiar with the
culture of DIY, but author and director, Faythe Levine has done a great
job of bringing many of the diverse activities within the community
(whether it be people who make things for fun or profit, galleries or
shops, etc.) in to an inspiring film for anyone who makes things, wants
to make things or who supports those who make things. (more after the jump)
When people talk about Madonna as a symbol of female empowerment, I have to ask, "Empowering to whom?" Certainly not to the black and brown people populating her Sex book, her videos, or her film Truth or Dare. It is through this lens of Madonna's messy racial and sexual politics that I viewed her adoption of a child from Malawi three years ago, and her recent, thus-far-unsuccessful effort to adopt a second child there.
I wasn’t even alive for the 70s, but there’s something about looking at photos from the decade – with their washed out lighting, feathered hair, and polyester galore – that makes me nostalgic. I picture myself cruising between N.O.W. and Black Panther rallies, with a stopover at a Germs or Blondie show thrown in for good measure. The 70s got to see some of the idealism from the late 60s take form in both policies and protests, but aside from free love, Black Nationalism, and second-wave feminism (and aforementioned polyester), the decade also provided us with some great music from some stellar ladies. This list took me weeks of thought and is my eight favorite tracks, all female-fronted, all 70s-licious.
This week in reality TV girlfights...
Hello! I'm the new reality TV blogger for Bitch! Please be warned in advance, these posts won't be terribly deep. Also, there are some spoilers.
Just me, or has this week on reality TV just basically been women arguing with each other? A terrible affront to feminists everywhere, or the very reason why reality TV was invented in the first place???? We're ranking 'em (on a scale of 1 to 5 doorslams), here!
When most people think of underground and alternative comics, Robert Crumb’s Zap Comix or Art Spiegelman’s and Bill Griffith’s Raw may come to mind. But San Francisco was home to more than a few alternative cartoonists, and when women such as Trina Robbins found out what a boy’s club the underground scene seemed to be, they took matters into their own hands and published a collectively edited women-only comic book.
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