Why aren't the women doing better on the Sci Fi Network's new video-game competition reality series, WCG Ultimate Gamer? Gaming seems like something where women should be able to compete on fairly equal ground with men -- there's no real physical strength component to it; it's a fairly objective standard (numerical scores); and if a woman's interested in getting into it, there's no real historical barriers to entry. The show also seems to have gone out of its way to be gender-inclusive in the setup and in the editing -- so what's the deal? Is it sexism in the gaming industry, sexism in reality TV shows, or are women just not as comfortable in a purely competitive setting?
During the '08 campaign season, I cringed at comments made about former Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s “hotness” and at the idea of the porno “Nailin’ Sarah Palin”--even though Palin's politics, her demeanor, and pretty much everything about her, made me throw up in my mouth a little. And to be sure, if Palin had become vice president, continued objectification of her and ongoing commentary about her of sexual nature would have bugged me to no end--even as I packed up and headed to Canada. And yet...
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.
Why aren't the women doing better on the Sci Fi Network's new video-game competition reality series, 
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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