"What I don’t understand, or rather, I do understand all too well, and don’t like, iswhy in these situations it is almost always the girl branded as the criminal for the “confessional” and asked to feel bad, to feel guilt or shame for writing the truths of their experiences, are sometimes even diagnosed as being borderline, inappropriate, toxic, messy, etc., while men have written of their affairs and sexual relationships always and their ethics are rarely questioned. This to me is a form of discipline and punishment that we internalize, which is why so many women writers self-censor. You know what it’s called when male writers write of their sexual exploits? LITERATURE."
— I’m very grateful for this essay by Kate Zambreno (via nightmarebrunette)
(via stratifiedsquamousepithelium)
January 26, 2012
"[Abstinence-only sex ed curricula] rely on offensive, sexist stereotypes about men and women, boys and girls, as a foundational teaching tool and pass it off as “biology.” They portray “real” boys as unable to control themselves, unemotional (particularly about sex), not interested in female desire or sexual satisfaction, not ultimately responsible for their own sexual feelings (which are portrayed as dependent on how girls chose to tempt them) and definitely heterosexual. Girls, on the other hand, are shown as controlling monitors of aggressive male sexuality. In classic Madonna/whore manner, girls, despite being chaste objects of male desire and not “naturally” interested in having sex, are portrayed as temptresses that need to control what they wear and the messages they send. Also heterosexual, they are definitely not capable of managing their own reproductive lives."
—
Did Abstinence-Only Ideology Create a Bully Generation? (via grrrlstudies
)
(Source: sparkamovement, via rosemary--and--time)
January 20, 2012
shin8shin:
sherlockedandnotginger:
onlyslightly:
Fixed it.
Give this ALL THE NOTES please.
brilliant.
This girl is my hero.
(via rosemary--and--time)
January 5, 2012
supjeffreydahmer:
dumblesnore:
Okay, I love Beyonce with all my heart, I have mad respect for that woman, but just fuck you Wiz Khalifa. What the hell do you even know? Do you not realize that sometimes not everything works OUT in that order for some people? People make mistakes, and sometimes, things happen that are out of another person’s control, not to dig too deeply here, but maybe, oh, I don’t know, sexual misconduct? I think I can speak for myself and do what feels right to me. Cause I don’t live to please you, or Beyonce, I live to please myself. I don’t really think you have any room to talk, Wiz.
Flawless commentary. I love the movie Knocked Up (which is probably a shocker, but whatever, I adored it) because it makes a point out of one of my favorite sayings: Life is what’s happening when you’re busy making other plans. Not to mention, the main character chose to complete her pregnancy and ended up being happy overall, even though she didn’t get married at the end. You don’t need to be married to have a kid, if that’s what you want. Seriously, telling someone there is one right way to live is just asinine.
Reblog for all of the above commentary. Hey, guess what? I don’t make my life decisions to please every person in existence. And I’m guessing when Beyonce made her life decisions, she wasn’t doing it for Mr. Khalifa’s approval. So how about we stop telling people (read: mostly women) what they can and cannot do with their bodies?
(Source: karabro, via supjeffreydahmer)
January 5, 2012
"Slut-bashing is a cheap and easy way to feel powerful. If you feel insecure or ashamed about your own sexual desires, all you have to do is call a girl a “slut” and suddenly you’re the one who is “good” and on top of the social pecking order."
—
[Leora Tanenbaum (Harper Paperbacks, 2000.): Slut! Growing Up Female with a Bad Reputation, p. 238.] (via wewantrevolutiongirlstylenow
)
(Source: ch-urchmouth, via supjeffreydahmer)
December 21, 2011
December 19, 2011
"I don’t want young women to continue to grow up in a world that shames them and gives mixed messages about sexuality and tells them that all they’re worth is their bodies and their sexuality."
—
Jessica Valenti (via nephrotoxicity
)
(Source: alliluyeva, via stratifiedsquamousepithelium)
December 15, 2011
http://kateharding.net/2009/10/14/have-you-tried-not-being-so-sexy/
ontheshine:
such a great explanation of gender issues in the U.S….just goes to show how deeply American culture has internalized patriarchy.
God, this sort of thing is hard to read. I’d like to stop looking at it in general, but the fact is that we live in a rape culture, and looking the other way won’t make it stop. Christ. So upsetting.
Again, shouldn’t have to say this, but in case anyone was wondering NO you are not responsible for being raped, harassed or molested. NO. The rapist, harasser, or molester is 100% responsible. Always.
December 14, 2011
Angry Brown Matriarch: This is what I fail to understand
angrybrownbaby:
Every day I see cleavage everywhere. Billboards putting liquor bottles between breasts, television showing women in tiny, tight shirts, and yet somehow this isn’t offensive. What is offensive is seeing a baby’s head in the way of a breast. When I was nursing my son, I had a tank top under my…
