Look, I believe in love. When I am in love, I am all the way in–silly letters, pet names, sexual favors, extravagant baking, whatever. I am very into all of it and have learned how to be a pretty great girlfriend at this point. But I try not to lose my independence or my backbone. I try because for a long time I did sacrifice these things for “love” and guess what? I always ended up the loser, in terrible relationships. It is just not healthy to suggest that imprinting or stalking or codependency is romantic. It’s unhealthy. It means that your partner has no interests outside of you. I’m interesting but I’m not THAT interesting. If you date me, you are going to need a hobby because clearly, I have lots of hobbies and I can’t sit around staring at you while movies like this are being made. If your man (or woman), can’t be apart from you ever? SOMETHING IS WRONG.
Roxane Gay, American hero. Read the full recap: And Then There’s the Apologia for Pedophilia: Breaking Dawn Part Deux

Source: roxanegay.com

My body is a secret. My body is my shield. My body reminds me that even in moments when I am blindsided by how easily I am ignored, meant to only stand by instead of engage, my muscles are working beneath the surface. They are silent and hard, a sleeping giant when my neighbor shouts another joke across our shared yard but only to my husband, this time about how men make money only for women to spend it. They brace me against thoughtless comments. They replace the void that being unexpectedly shut out of a conversation leaves. They remind me that I am stronger than the world will ever make me feel.
My Body, My Machine - The Rumpus.net

Source: therumpus.net

Listening to loved ones talk about their (beautiful, functional, human) bodies as if they’re the enemy makes my heart ache.

redlotusrise:

My final project for Women and Gender Studies - Liberation Act. 

I made these posters as a way to challenge socially constructed ideals of body image and fat shame. As a “plus size” person, I have encountered fat shame through out the entirety of my life and have struggled with insecurities stemming from socially constructed yet self-perceived inadequacies regarding my body image. I am tired of feeling ashamed, assumed as being lazy, and glanced at with disgust - all because of my weight.

I am not inadequate because of my weight. I am not broken, or mutated, or wrong - society is. 

(via lacigreen)

Source: redlotusrise

What is the personal misconduct here? That they besmirched the reputation of the United States and endangered the President by dallying with sex workers? That they used US tax dollars to stay in a five star hotel and live the high life with a party so loud that it apparently disrupted other guests? That they failed to set a good example for the residents of Colombia, that ‘lesser’ and ‘inferior’ nation?

Or that they carelessly flexed their muscles as the colonisers, as the abusers, as the takers?

We know nothing about the women involved in this scandal; they are the faceless ‘prostitutes’ and we need know nothing more about them. They don’t matter; they aren’t human beings, women with lives and careers of their own. In every story they are simply the vehicle for the shame and embarrassment. How awkward for the US Secret Service, to be caught with whores.

Disposable women. Chiquitas!

We are all in danger here.

Flavia talks about the desecration and violation of nameless brown bodies, the treatment of these bodies as things, the objectification of women who are inhuman by virtue of who they are: This is what she means when she talks about this.

That we, the coloniser, should enter the colonial subject and take what we will.
Tiger Beatdown › How To Win Friends and Influence People: The Secret Service In Colombia

Source: tigerbeatdown.com

As I’m working on the site, I’m watching Star Trek: Voyager. It got me wondering about the character trope of the talented-bad-girl-turned-officer (think Starbuck, Ro Laren, B’Elanna Torres).

Outside the system, they are just rebels — dangerous and uncontrollable, in need housebreaking. Once they are incorporated into the system, then they become valuable/safe/subordinate.

Let’s tame those dangerous women, y’all.

Bryson’s attorney disputes the woman’s account. “This incident was at most a situation at a drunken college party where a boy tried to get ‘lucky’ with a girl and she refused,” according to the filing from Bryson’s attorney John Leunig.

Just in case you needed a new villain, how about a good old boy lawyer who’s eager to dismiss assault as “aw shucks, he was just trying to get lucky!”

(via MinnPost)

Source: minnpost.com

The father said he had been worried about his daughter’s safety for months before the assaults. She had been sneaking out of the house two or three nights a week, he said, climbing out a bedroom window. Some nights she would come home as late as 11 p.m. or midnight, saying she had visited girlfriends. He said he and his wife had scolded her almost daily.

Texas Rape Inquiry Shows a 3-Month Ordeal - NYTimes.com

The NYT tried to make good on the victim-blaming mess of a story they originally published about this crime. This article is better, or at least more thorough, but that’s not saying much.

I am likely preaching to the choir, and this should go without saying (alas, we have to keep saying it), but a woman’s age, appearance, career aspirations or parental disobedience do not:

1. mean she was asking for it

2. indicate that she somehow brought this on herself

3. explain or excuse this horrific crime in any way.

Source: The New York Times

mayjah: utnereader: minnpost: MinnPost surveyed 158 public defenders in Minnesota, and the results paint a bleak picture of justice for the poor. See the full results of the survey here. (MinnPost graphic by Kaeti Hinck.) Some very nice data-assisted reporting. Totally off-topic, I just find it interesting that the illustration is of a woman. I couldn’t find data about the percentage of Minnesota public defenders who are female, but over 70% of lawyers (in general) are male. Then again, this is a graphic about lawyers being unprepared fuck-ups who can’t do their job… We talked about this very issue as I was creating the illustration. The first draft had a man, and we found that problematic/limiting, too (in a “what, every lawyer is a male?” sort of way). I’d also like to mention that this graphic isn’t about lawyers being unprepared fuck-ups, but rather about a system that has completely overworked its already meager staff. So many public defender positions have been cut, which has left the remaining lawyers with enormous, unmanageable case loads. They responded to this survey with striking honesty about the real limitations they experience every day. That doesn’t mean they’re not good at their jobs or not trying to do everything they can to help the people they’re defending (certainly there is a wide spectrum of dedication in any industry). We appreciate the feedback, very very much. I just wanted to make it known that I was, in fact, thinking about the “lady lawyer” problem.
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mayjah:

utnereader:

minnpost:

MinnPost surveyed 158 public defenders in Minnesota, and the results paint a bleak picture of justice for the poor.

See the full results of the survey here.

(MinnPost graphic by Kaeti Hinck.)

Some very nice data-assisted reporting.

Totally off-topic, I just find it interesting that the illustration is of a woman. I couldn’t find data about the percentage of Minnesota public defenders who are female, but over 70% of lawyers (in general) are male. Then again, this is a graphic about lawyers being unprepared fuck-ups who can’t do their job…

We talked about this very issue as I was creating the illustration. The first draft had a man, and we found that problematic/limiting, too (in a “what, every lawyer is a male?” sort of way).

I’d also like to mention that this graphic isn’t about lawyers being unprepared fuck-ups, but rather about a system that has completely overworked its already meager staff. So many public defender positions have been cut, which has left the remaining lawyers with enormous, unmanageable case loads. They responded to this survey with striking honesty about the real limitations they experience every day. That doesn’t mean they’re not good at their jobs or not trying to do everything they can to help the people they’re defending (certainly there is a wide spectrum of dedication in any industry).

We appreciate the feedback, very very much. I just wanted to make it known that I was, in fact, thinking about the “lady lawyer” problem.

Source: minnpost.com