Viva la Revoltion!

Oh, Children's Place! What were you thinking, marketing this "back to school" shirt? 

Stop trying to put girls in some crazy box, where we can only like shopping, doing our hair, and glitter. We can like, and be good at, everything! And my inner teacher is screaming, "You can get better at math!"

The good news is, people voiced their concerns over the t-shirt to Children's Place...and they pulled the shirt off the shelves.

This type of action is what we should be doing - working together to improve the state of the world for women. I love it when I see groups of people working peacefully together toward a cause - any cause - because it reveals who we are as humans - passionate beings.

Thank you, Missoula!

Missoula is taking a step in the right direction when it comes to preventing sexual assault with its campaign called, "Make Your Move." The posters (see below) are clear, concise, get the point across, and most importantly, aren't cheesy (because cheesiness can detract from the message). We need this campaign throughout the country - not just in Missoula! The campaign has a website and a Facebook page - so they're working on getting the message out there. 

Thank you, Missoula! Hopefully other communities will follow suit!

Um, yes I can...

This darling hashtag is a newish thing going around on Twitter and Facebook and it's disgusting. C'mon now - we need to be standing up against this kind of drivel, even on the internet. If you don't understand why this is so offensive, take out the word "girlfriend" and replace it with any minority. Then you'll understand.

Maddy Blythe, an incoming sixth grade girl in Locust Grove, Georgia, has just been informed that she will no longer be allowed to play on her school's football team. And, yes, it's because she's a girl.

But it's more shocking than just that.

She will not be allowed to play because (and please note my quotation marks coming up here...yes, a school official actually said this), "Our official policy is that middle school girls play girl sports and middle school boys play boy sports." I'm sorry, what does that even mean? Boy sports? Girl sports? Aren't sports just...sports?

Maddy's mother was apparently told that she can no longer play because they boys are going to "start lusting after her...and male locker-room talk is not appropriate for a female." (No, she does not share the male locker-room, she and her innocent ears uses the female locker room).

Her parents, however, totally rock, and they're going to appeal the decision. They want to show Maddy that "hard work and determination pay off."

Go, Maddy! We'll be watching for your story's development as football season draws near!

Judgey McJudgerson

After losing 100 pounds, Madelyn Shaeffer was thrilled to be wearing a bikini to the Adventure Oasis in Missouri for a day of sun and water slides.

Her fun was abruptly halted when the park told her to put shorts on over her bikini or go home. They determined that she was "inappropriately dressed." In a bikini. At a water park.

Well, she refused, stating that she was dressed the same as others in the park (in string bikinis) and that they were discriminating against her because she had a full figure. So they had the police escort her out. The police? Ridiculousness.

A pretty clear cut example of discrimination - and I think it's a combination of her age (she's not a teenager) and her rockin' body. I've checked out lots of pics on this story, and she's covered as much as a bikini's going to cover. The bottom covers her whole behind, the top does its job, too. Plus, she looks incredible!

Madelyn, rock that bikini, girl!

Check out the video for yourself.

Ahhhhh-mazing!

If you have been following world news lately, no doubt you've heard of the riots in Egypt. What do the riots have to do with women and feminism? Well, mobs of rioters have been attacking and sexually assaulting the female protestors - "at least 91" women have been raped while protesting. And it hasn't been stopped by the military who are on patrol.

The good news is, this information got out. Watchdog groups got a hold of the stories about the attacks and made sure that this was publicized. And talking about it is what we can do to end it.

So, what happened? This:

Male protestors formed a human shield around the female protestors so that they could protest without fear of attack.

Doesn't look like much, you say?

What about this:

Or this:

Faith in humanity: restored.

It's a Barbie world.

This picture of original Barbie next to a "more realistic figure" Barbie has been floating around the internet this morning. I've been watching the comments regarding these two dolls on Do Something's Facebook feed. There's the usual, "Yay! She looks so much better!" and "Now she looks like a bad-ass surfer chick!" to the "Dolls don't define who I am." and "I never looked at my Barbie as a child and felt inferior." Those are very typical comments whenever Barbie comes up - and they're all valid. I played with Barbie for years and years (my play time was extended, I'm sure, because I had a younger sister. So when I probably would have "grown out of" playing with Barbie, I had a younger sister with whom I would play). I really don't remember ever thinking that I would never measure up to her, but I do vaguely remember thinking that she was beyond beautiful - and wishing that I could be that beautiful, too. Although I was young, so I didn't dwell on it.

And as an adult, Barbie doesn't affect my view of my own body. However, I think it's important to note that you can't be what you don't see. And I think that might work in reverse as well - if we don't see a wide variety of body types as a child, we'll never see them as "normal" or "desirable." That includes our own bodies.

No, I don't think Barbie's all that's wrong with the world. Advertising images in print, on television, and on the Internet are much more powerful than Barbie, because they're almost always pointing out a flaw that we have that their product can fix. But I also think it's important that children have dolls that have varying body types so that they can see that they all have value - that there's more than one way to look.

I'd love to see Crossfit Barbie - she would come with her own kettlebell, barbell, pull-up bar, and plyo box. Her thighs wouldn't fit in regular jeans because they are too muscular, and she'd have to wear shirts with spandex so that her arms would fit in the arm holes. I'd model her after my favorite crossfitter, Annie Thorisdottir...badass.

(This is Annie. She totally rocks.)

I'm in love.

This blog post (which you need to go read...right now...) is reason 1,236,943 I love Crossfit. And as I was thinking about some women I know struggling with body image right now, I thought about my own issues with my body and how I view it completely differently now, because of Crossfit.

I love crossfit because when the weather turned warm and long pants turned to shorts, one of my male friends at my crossfit box said, "Your legs are looking really muscular," and it made my day (and it wasn't nearly as weird as I make it sound in writing). Okay, my week.

Crossfit gyms don't have mirrors on the wall - it's not about what you look like. At all. It's about the progress you make from wherever it was that you started. It's about building a supportive community where everyone is challenged and supported. When I stared crossfit I couldn't jump up onto a 45 lb plate ten times (that about 3 inches...). Now I use 20" boxes in my WODs and have successfully jumped a few times on a 24" (which is often the men's height for the WODs). And even though I can now do so many things that I couldn't do a year and a half ago, there are so many more things that I'm still working on (and some that I'm not even able to work on right now, they're that far of a reach for me). What crossfit did is retaught me (because, deep down, I  knew it was true) that the scale doesn't matter. Looks aren't important.

Being bad-ass is.

We need feminism.

This was not the topic I planned on writing about today, but something about this website, Everyday Sexism, has really struck a cord. I came across a video of Laura Bates discussing the website and her project today while looking for something else. (Isn't that always the way it goes?) She started the website after walking on the platform waiting for the tube (subway in London) when a man came up to her and grabbed her crotch. She didn't know what to do, where to turn, and was too embarrassed and so she said nothing. But after she spent some time thinking about what happened, she realized that this type of sexual harassment must happen to other women, too, and that women aren't talking about it. So she started Everyday Sexism so the women who faced these situations could have a place to tell their stories and be heard.

Laura was expecting maybe ten or twenty women to find their way to the site and post on the live feed. But 250,000 stories later, she's convinced it's a much bigger problem than she had realized. And while the project's mission states that it's a site for women in the UK, there are postings from women all around the world detailing everyday sexism that we face.

Now you can visit the site to read stories from other women or to post your own.

Finding sites like this is such a double-edged sword. Friggin' fantastic that we have women out there creating these spaces for other women, I want to scream because we have to. It reminded me of another site that I really like, Who Needs Feminism? This is a social media project - you can submit a picture of yourself holding a sign what reads, "I need feminism because..." with your completed statement. Solidarity around strength is always powerful to see - and this site is definitely one that you need to see (and you need to participate! My women's studies course will be doing this next semester!).

My expertise.

I consider myself incredibly lucky. Lucky that I work at a high school that, when I was hired 11 years ago, said "Yes!" when I asked if I could start a women's studies class (which is called Women in Society, WIS).  I was not a women's studies major in college (my degree is in Secondary English Education), but I am an expert.

Because I'm a woman.

I designed my class and never looked back. Eleven years ago, one of the issues that was most prevalent for young women was the visibility of eating disorders. My theory is that the internet played a huge part in this, for good and for bad. For good, sufferers and their families suddenly had educational materials at their disposal; eating disorder organizations were formed, publicized, and joined all online; sufferers and families could form communities that spanned the globe and support each other. For bad, pro-anorexia websites; and, oddly enough, what I consider so great (fast access to information), I also think has been negative: fat-shaming sites; thinspiration sites; sites where sufferers are able to form communities and discuss eating disorder tips (trust me, that absolutely happens).

Also because of the internet, we suddenly had access to other countries. We could open the door and peek into their cultures. We could ask questions and search them out. Our curiosity was sparked: What do women all around the world have in common? How are we different? And our minds were blown.

Because our world has changed so much in the past eleven years, my curriculum has changed. It's never exactly the same class from year to year (except for the fact that I always show Thelma and Louise...). With the access to information that we have now, I could run my nine week class for a whole year and still never tackle all the issues that are happening for, against, and about women. It's amazing and sobering at the same time. The fact that I can come across so many issues to discuss and debate is sometimes hard to sit with. We've come far, but we have so much further to go. And that's just the United States. What's happening globally is beyond shocking (more on that in my next post's documentary review). This past year, my nine-week class hit the following topics: advertising's effects on women; ad manipulation; sexual assault; teen pregnancy; how female politicians are portrayed in the media; our society's focus on appearance; and women's changing gender roles through history. Not to mention the fact that they each brought in a current event from a feminist blog of their choosing every week to share and discuss (15 topics x 9 weeks = 135 other topics). We scratched the surface. Just barely.

That's why there's a women's studies class.

And yes, every.single.year a few teachers (always male, sorry, guys), who think they're being funny, stop me in the hall and say, "Why isn't there a men in society class?" And I always say, "Because I'm an expert on being a woman, but you could teach that."

So far, nobody has taken me up on that...





(And, yes, I do get the occasional male student in the class. All of them have said to me (except one, who told me that he was only taking this class "because his girlfriend made him"), "Yeah, I'm taking this class to defend men." They're normally a bit disappointed to hear my reply, "Oh, goodness. Well, there's so much to talk about when it comes to women that we don't ever have time to talk about men..." And the girls always treat them just like they're "one of the girls." It's always been a positive experience for all!)

No wonder...

Warning: racy images*

It's no wonder that girls and women don't generally bat an eyelash at all the sexualization and objectification we face in the media.

It's because it's everywhere.

I mean, we're faced with this from Peta. Really, Peta?

And this little beauty from Belevedere Vodka:

Last one:

I'm talking everywhere. Even fast food joints use sex to sell.

No thank you, Burger King:

Or Carl's Jr.:

Or Carl's Jr., again:

Okay, mostly Burger King and Carl's Jr.

Faced with these images of how to treat a woman, how we're allowing others to treat us, and how to be the perfect woman, it's not at all surprising that women "hate" their bodies. This survey, in Glamour Magazine found that 97% of 300 women had at least one negative thought about their body each day. And not just a little, "Ugh, my hair's a bit nuts today" thought. Nope, an "I hate my body" thought. That's strong.

That's awful. 

We're taught that it's normal to hate our bodies. We're taught that seeing women in violent scenes is normal. We're taught that we must be constantly sexy (you know, like eating a salad in bed).

And it's not normal.

It's time to talk back to the advertisers. Write letters. Write emails. Start petitions on Change.org. Make phone calls. But you've got to do something. Even just one thing. There will be no changes until we demand them, so it's time to start demanding.

What company or corporation will you write to?

*The irony of posting a warning regarding the racy images at the top of this post did not escape me.

Powerful women and a five year old...

You need to see and be inspired by these spectacular photographs done by Jaime Moore. She decided to photograph her five year old daughter as powerful women from our history. The results are stunning and can serve to remind us of all the good that women do for our world.

What powerful women would you like to see included?

Ladies, wrap yourselves in newspapers before you leave your houses!

Women in Beijing are being told to avoid wearing short skirts and short shorts on public transportation if they want to avoid sexual harassment, you know, because it's their fault they're being sexually harassed. And if they choose to sit on the upper level of the bus, then they should "shelter their bodies with bags, magazines, and newspapers" to avoid someone taking inappropriate photos of them.

I guess we're really back to blaming the victim. And it's not like the Chinese officials aren't trying to stop sexual harassment of women. I mean, they would train public transportation workers how to stop the harassment, but it is "difficult to train public transportation workers to assist women in harassment prevention and response." Yeah, it's too hard...

Victim blaming is not isolated to China, of course. In fact, victim blaming is so bad in Scotland that there are PSAs to educate men. 

I'm hopeful because Scotland is taking the issue on, but frustrated because I can't believe that we have not figured this out yet.

Last month I had a speaker from Downeast HealthServices speak to my women's studies students regarding sexual assault in Maine. Her information was fascinating, shocking, scary, and enlightening. At the end she asked us, "So, what can you do to avoid rape?" and we said, "Carry a whistle, walk with friends if you're out after dark..." you know, all those things that victims should to to make ourselves safer. But then she shared this list with us - and a light came on for all of us:

If you have been a victim of sexual assault, there are organizations to help you. Click here for more information.

Oops, they did it again...

Maintaining positive body image is tough enough, considering the amount of ads we endure every day (that'd be 5,000/day if you live in a city). But now, Disney's messing with our princesses.

Princesses before their updated makeover:

Princesses after makeover:

I don't think I have to point out their new features, but I will. Their come hither looks are more pronounced - more makeup, bigger "doe eyes," sexier poses. I hate to be one of those people, you know, the one who can find something wrong with anything, but I'm going to be that person today. 

Disney - stop sexualizing our children's heros. Just stop it.

The most egregious makeover, however, is the makeover given to Merida. Merida's whole deal was that she was totally kick ass - she bucked the system (in this case, her parents and their outdated views of marriage) and didn't give two shakes about her appearance, focusing on more important issues - like archery. Merida is wild, carefree, and knows what she wants. But this "new, improved" Merida misses all of that.

Now she's horribly bedazzled, given heavy makeup, pouty lips, and giant eyes (they're seriously gigantic). And her hair! Ugh. It's all coiffed and puffed. 

And where is her bow? Where are her arrows?

Fortunately, the whole Internet is paying attention. Petitions, like this one, were started to get Merida back to normal. And guess what? This time, it worked! Disney pulled this image of Merida and gave us some lame excuse about commemorating her with this updated look. 

Merida would hate this update - have the people at Disney even seen Brave? Merida would want a new bow...maybe a rockin' cross-bow and some more arrows. She'd want some treats for her beloved horse, and maybe a massage after a long day of activity. But a sparkly dress and too much make up? I'm not buying it...

I'm going to try to keep my head from exploding...but it's going to take a lot...

Last week, Erick Erickson shared his "research-based," "scientific" findings that revealed that women who are the primary breadwinners in their families are ruining society. He states that women who are not staying home and playing "complimentary roles" to their "dominant" husbands (he assigned these roles based on "scientific" biological evidence...ahem...) are the reason that "society [is dissolving] around us." Oh boy. Hold on, let me try to keep my head from exploding...

Here's this gem of a video where Erickson espouses his views:

Are you still with me? Take a deep breath, because Megyn Kelly is about to take him on: 

Are we seriously having this discussion?

Now I have to worry about my kninkles??

OMG, Gwyneth's knees are so kninkly! (Or is it kninkley??)

The warm weather makes my thoughts turn to summer - long days spent lounging on my deck reading great books, gardening, taking my dogs to the beach...and kninkles.

What? Yep, you heard me. Women, not only do we have to get our bodies "bikini ready," whatever that means, but we also have to get our knees in shape! I mean, who wants unsightly knee wrinkles? I don't and I won't stand for it!

How does one get rid of the dreaded kninkle? Fillers, of course! No worries, gals, inject your knees full of restylane and be rid of wrinkly knees.

Seriously, are you kidding me?

Kninkles strike again!

How does she face the public with her knees all...kninkley?

Thank goodness my husband and dogs don't notice whether or not I have kninkles. In fact, neither do I...I've never checked, and I'm not about to start. I'd rather sip on margaritas and watch the sun set...which is exactly what I'm going to do.

I'll take that job without "getting on the pole," thank you very much...

Something is amiss at the New York Parks Department's holiday parties. Mainly, the fact that seasonal female employees are awarded with permanent jobs or even cash if they agreed to pole dance and strip for everyone's entertainment. One man was even allegedly heard yelling, "If you want a job, get on the pole."

The Parks Department's supervisor, James Cafaro, and his supervisor, Angelo Figueroa, are being investigated. I can't help but make the connection to The Invisible War - in the sense that the victims are being harassed and assaulted by their supervisors, which makes it almost impossible to report and prosecute this despicable behavior. Fortunately, in this case, the union is supporting these women and they might just see some real action taken.

And this is not an isolated incident.

Louis Harris and Associates conducted a phone poll in 2008 and found that:

    * 31% of the female workers reported they had been harassed at work
    * 7% of the male workers reported they had been harassed at work
    * 62% of targets took no action
    * 100% of women reported the harasser was a man
    * 59% of men reported the harasser was a woman
    * 41% of men reported the harasser was another man

Think you're a victim of or witnessing sexual harassment at work? Click here for more information.

What do you make?

Need a feel good pick-me-up? The documentary, Makers, has a website that includes tons of videos of contemporary women who "make" America (including the documentary in its entirety). You can stop in and watch a three-minute clip or snuggle in for a few hours for the full documentary. Either way, you'll see and hear powerful, interesting women talking about their experiences. 

My only gripe about this site/project is that it's sponsored, in part, by skin care products, so prior to watching the video of a rockin' woman talking about power, you'll told your skin is not good enough (but, hey, here's a product to buy that will make you perfect and more attractive). I try to ignore the ads...but the uber-feminist inside my head rolls my eyes every. single. time.

So, while you're watching these, think about your contribution to our society: what do you make?

Your Weight is the Least Interesting Thing About You

I stumbled across this blog post this week while scrolling through Pinterest. The blogger, Kate Bartolotta, a massage therapy student, writes about what she has learned from touching "more than 50 naked people." The title made me laugh, because it reminded me of conversations I've had with my physical therapist (I injured my back last July in Crossfit and have spent nine months in physical therapy trying to straighten it out) as she massaged my...well...left butt cheek. Being in close contact with another person in this way is a surefire way to get over any body issues one might have. But the reality is, a body is just a body. It's not a measure of your worthiness in any way. What really struck me was number six on her list of eight things she's learned: "Your weight is the least interesting thing about you."

Something about that simple phrase is so therapeutic. It's so true, but it's not what we focus on. Turn on the television and Kim Kardashian is lamenting how her pregnant body looks, crying, "How the f*** did I get like this?" Um...you're pregnant. Need we explain how that works? But people eat it up. I mean, it's being used in the promo for her show. (And, yes, it physically hurt me to write about Kim Kardashian...) And not only do they eat it up, but people comment on it and discuss it as if it were important. We are obsessed with weight. And it's just not that interesting.

So, here's a list of eight interesting things about me that have nothing to do with my weight. What are your eight?

8. I have lived in six different states.

7. I spent one month in Vietnam volunteering and living in Ho Chi Minh City.

6. My husband and I have three boxer dogs.

5. I can deadlift 235 pounds.

4. I can't grow flowers to save my life, but I'm a master gardener when it comes to veggies.

3. I have ten tattoos.

2. My laugh is incredibly loud and I like it that way.

1. My life is full of incredible people who support and love me; I'm insanely lucky!

I did not want to watch this documentary. The Invisible War, a documentary on sexual assault in the military, has been sitting in my Netflix instant queue just waiting for me to decide it was the right time to view it. But when is the right time to watch a documentary on sexual assault? As it turns out, it’s NOW.

My women’s studies course does a “blog share” every Friday. At the beginning of the semester each student chose a feminist blog to follow. Every Friday we come together and share one interesting blog post with the whole class. We watch videos, view images, and share our thoughts. One of my students has been following the stories of two members of the armed forces, one an Air Force lieutenant colonel, and one a U.S. Army sergeant first class (both men work in sexual-assault prevention offices on their bases) who are being investigated for sexual assault. My students are angered by what they are learning and asked that we learn more about this issue.

So I knew I had to watch the documentary.

This is a film that everyone should see. It will leave you infuriated. This film follows the stories of women (and one man) who were raped while serving in the military. They share their stories - of the assault and of the aftermath - and each one is more horrifying than the next. One woman fights the VA for medical coverage for a broken jaw she sustained during her attack; one woman struggles with daily life because of the PTSD she now experiences. All of the victims struggle with relationships and jobs. And the military and our government does nothing but say, “We’re outraged. This must stop.” But the reality is, the system is set up to silence the victims of sexual assault in the military, and there is no movement being made to change this. The leaders can say, “We have zero tolerance for rape” all they want, but until some real changes are made, incidents of rape in the military are going to continue.

It’s time to write our representatives and demand that they make immediate changes to the way our soldiers must report rape (to their superiors, who are often the rapists) and how the military handles the victims’ cases (oftentimes they “lose” all the evidence).

It’s time to really support our troops.