Are you grateful that the Obama administration has stood with women and protected access to contraception? Do you believe, as the United Nations does, that access to contraception and family planning services are a fundamental right?
Then sign this thank you note to Obama!
I promise you, anti-choice extremists are protesting Obama's decision, so it is important for him to know that the majority of those in the US support him and access to contraception.
Saturday, January 28
Friday, January 27
Shit People Say to Feminists
I know the "shit people say" videos have already made the rounds on the internet, but this was too funny - and accurate! - not to share.
Favorites:
"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't get all crazy feminist on me!"
"I believe in equal rights for women, but I am NOT a feminist."
"Men are discriminated against ALL the time too."
"But you're too pretty to be a feminist!"
Thursday, January 26
Military Spending
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| Source: The Global Fund for Women |
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| Source: Informed Comment |
With all this talk about how to reduce the deficit, I thought it might be fun to share these two graphs that show just how much we, as a country, spend on the military.
And people are worried that we spend too much on food stamps, education, and poverty reduction.....
Wednesday, January 25
State of the Union
Yesterday Obama delivered the State of the Union, the one day we all get to feel happy about everything we as a country are going to get done in the next year before realizing that none of it will actually happen.
I'm not going to give you a thorough analysis of Obama's speech, because there are a million of these on the internet that are much better than mine could ever be, but I will share with you ten things I learned yesterday about the state of our union.
1. Mitt Romney makes more than what I make in a year - every single day.
After releasing his tax returns to the public, we've learned that he made 21.7 million dollars in 2010. According to the IRS, the average median adjusted gross income is around $33,000. Romney makes more than that in a day. He also paid a tax rate of 13.9 percent, which is much less than the average middle-class American pays and less than other people in his income bracket pay.
2. The wealthiest 400 people in America now have more wealth than the bottom 150 million Americans.
3. Obama said that women should earn equal pay for equal work. Yay Obama! But Boehner couldn't even clap. Did I miss something? Is equal pay a divisive, controversial, partisan issue?
4. Obama focuses on jobs and the economy, while it seems that Republicans and the Religious Right are mostly concerned with limiting access to women's rights. State of the Union vs. State of my Uterus!
5. The auto industry is back and there are going to be lots of green jobs and initiatives happening. That is great! But don't forget that these industries only employ a small number of women (approx 22% of jobs in the auto industry are held by women). Let's not make it a he-covery. Include women in recovery plans and jobs initiatives!
6. Obama wants all students to stay in school until they are 18 or get their diploma.
7. I love Gabrielle Giffords so much I tear up every time I see her.
8. I tear up every time I see Gabrielle Giffords' husband because he loves her so much that you can just feel it and it is the sweetest thing in the whole world.
9. Obama's joke was lame and Michelle Obama knew it. Major eye roll from Michelle (who totally rocked that blue dress).
10. The Republican response can be summed up by saying that the only thing they think Obama did right was kill bin Laden, and that they think Obama's statement that the rich should pay their fair share means he is super bossy and mean.
Tuesday, January 24
The Feminist Mystique: On Finding Feminism in Beauty, Fashion, and the Everyday
I have a secret to share with you!
I like to read blogs about beauty, decorating, and fashion.
Gasp! Am I the only one who finds this hard to admit? I actually had a total crisis in college and thought I couldn't be a Women's Studies major because I enjoyed reading the US Weekly's my mom would bring me way too much. Then a professor mentioned reading US Weekly, and a feminist writer came in and talked to us about her analysis of The Bachelorette, and I felt redeemed (and then I found Jezebel and felt like I had entered some sort of snarky, feminist, pop-culture savvy heaven).
Being a feminist can be emotionally draining and difficult - we're aware of the sexism that surrounds us and spend a good portion of our time working on or reading about issues such as gender-based violence, sex trafficking, poverty, and attacks on reproductive rights. It is difficult stuff! And even though it can be very rewarding, sometimes I find that it takes its toll; that I feel overwhelmed by the sexism, violence, and inequality around me.
So sometimes I check out and look at pretty pictures of dresses, or decorating ideas, or hair tutorials (I'm fast becoming a pinterest addict). It is a fun little escape and offers a respite from the serious things in life. Indeed, sometimes I feel like I need these little escapes to remind myself that life can be fun and beautiful, even while we're working on the hard stuff - like destroying patriarchy.
One of the things you hear about doing feminist work is that it isn't sustainable. People usually mean this in two ways; that it isn't sustainable because it doesn't pay very well, and/or that it isn't sustainable because being a feminist is emotionally exhausting (this is a variant of the classic: you'll only be liberal while you're young. In the words of a friend, "don't you ever get sick of analyzing every article, every tv ad, every show, every tradition for sexism!"). The latter has already been addressed, and the former...well, it is true that feminist work, like most non-profit and advocacy work, doesn't pay very well. And that is a very real social and economic problem. It is unfortunate that so many professions, such as teaching and non-profit work, mean a trade-off in quality of life, or even that one can only do it for a few years because it is impossible to exist on such a salary.
I, however, am trying very hard to make it sustainable. I think the work is necessary, and I'd rather change my lifestyle and become less capitalistic - I'd rather learn to live simply on less- than give up the work.
My perusal of pretty dresses, decorating ideas, and beauty tips are all being shaped by these goal, by a desire to remind myself of the fun and the beautiful, and by a desire to live a more simple, natural, and chemical-free life (the many reasons for this last one will have to wait for a separate post). I've been thinking a lot about how much I buy and consume, and how much I have that I could give to others who need it more. I've been thinking about my impact on my fellow humanity and our planet. I've been thinking about how everything -- from the food you eat, to the shampoo you use, to the way you decorate -- can be political. After all, the personal is political! That is feminism 101.
This is actually one of the reasons why I started this blog, and why I named it the Feminist Mystique. I started writing a few months after I had graduated with a Master's and was suddenly thrown into the real world. A world where I couldn't just spend all day reading feminist theory, but had to live my feminism. And yet, I wasn't sure what feminism meant to me and how I could bring those values into the everyday. I'm still not sure.
So, while this is hardly a lifestyle blog, I'm going to start blogging a little about my desire to live more simply; to live as a feminist in every sense of the word. I'm going to share with you some things I do that make me happy and give me a fun break from the hard stuff, while also (hopefully) helping me to live a better, more simple life. And I'll share some fun, all-natural, not budget-breaking beauty, fashion, decorating, and cooking things as well.
I hope you find these posts helpful and fun!
I like to read blogs about beauty, decorating, and fashion.
Gasp! Am I the only one who finds this hard to admit? I actually had a total crisis in college and thought I couldn't be a Women's Studies major because I enjoyed reading the US Weekly's my mom would bring me way too much. Then a professor mentioned reading US Weekly, and a feminist writer came in and talked to us about her analysis of The Bachelorette, and I felt redeemed (and then I found Jezebel and felt like I had entered some sort of snarky, feminist, pop-culture savvy heaven).
Being a feminist can be emotionally draining and difficult - we're aware of the sexism that surrounds us and spend a good portion of our time working on or reading about issues such as gender-based violence, sex trafficking, poverty, and attacks on reproductive rights. It is difficult stuff! And even though it can be very rewarding, sometimes I find that it takes its toll; that I feel overwhelmed by the sexism, violence, and inequality around me.
So sometimes I check out and look at pretty pictures of dresses, or decorating ideas, or hair tutorials (I'm fast becoming a pinterest addict). It is a fun little escape and offers a respite from the serious things in life. Indeed, sometimes I feel like I need these little escapes to remind myself that life can be fun and beautiful, even while we're working on the hard stuff - like destroying patriarchy.
One of the things you hear about doing feminist work is that it isn't sustainable. People usually mean this in two ways; that it isn't sustainable because it doesn't pay very well, and/or that it isn't sustainable because being a feminist is emotionally exhausting (this is a variant of the classic: you'll only be liberal while you're young. In the words of a friend, "don't you ever get sick of analyzing every article, every tv ad, every show, every tradition for sexism!"). The latter has already been addressed, and the former...well, it is true that feminist work, like most non-profit and advocacy work, doesn't pay very well. And that is a very real social and economic problem. It is unfortunate that so many professions, such as teaching and non-profit work, mean a trade-off in quality of life, or even that one can only do it for a few years because it is impossible to exist on such a salary.
I, however, am trying very hard to make it sustainable. I think the work is necessary, and I'd rather change my lifestyle and become less capitalistic - I'd rather learn to live simply on less- than give up the work.
My perusal of pretty dresses, decorating ideas, and beauty tips are all being shaped by these goal, by a desire to remind myself of the fun and the beautiful, and by a desire to live a more simple, natural, and chemical-free life (the many reasons for this last one will have to wait for a separate post). I've been thinking a lot about how much I buy and consume, and how much I have that I could give to others who need it more. I've been thinking about my impact on my fellow humanity and our planet. I've been thinking about how everything -- from the food you eat, to the shampoo you use, to the way you decorate -- can be political. After all, the personal is political! That is feminism 101.
This is actually one of the reasons why I started this blog, and why I named it the Feminist Mystique. I started writing a few months after I had graduated with a Master's and was suddenly thrown into the real world. A world where I couldn't just spend all day reading feminist theory, but had to live my feminism. And yet, I wasn't sure what feminism meant to me and how I could bring those values into the everyday. I'm still not sure.
So, while this is hardly a lifestyle blog, I'm going to start blogging a little about my desire to live more simply; to live as a feminist in every sense of the word. I'm going to share with you some things I do that make me happy and give me a fun break from the hard stuff, while also (hopefully) helping me to live a better, more simple life. And I'll share some fun, all-natural, not budget-breaking beauty, fashion, decorating, and cooking things as well.
I hope you find these posts helpful and fun!
