New York State Senator Diane Savino

NYS Senator Diane Savino speaks on the Marriage ...

This is a great speech.  Too bad the marriage equality bill was defeated.

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Look forward to a new post soon ...  :)

Target Women

'Have a Happy Period'

This is a forward I got from my mom. It was so funny that I had to post for all to see. I hope you enjoy it. I like the first two paragraphs the best. It is a great summary of the several ways feminine products are sold.


This is an actual letter from an Austin , Texas woman sent to the American company Proctor and Gamble regarding their feminine products. She really gets rolling after the first paragraph. It's PC Magazine's 2007 editors' choice for best webmail-award-winning letter.

Dear Mr. Thatcher,

I have been a loyal user of your 'Always' maxi pads for over 20 years and I appreciate many of their features. Why, without the LeakGuard Core or Dri-Weave absorbency, I'd probably never go horseback riding or salsa dancing, and I'd certainly steer clear of running up and down the beach in tight, white shorts. But my favorite feature has to be your revolutionary Flexi-Wings. Kudos on being the only company smart enough to realize how crucial it is that maxi pads be aerodynamic. I can't tell you how safe and secure I feel each month knowing there's a little F-16 in my pants.

Have you ever had a menstrual period, Mr. Thatcher? I'm guessing you haven't. Well, my time of the month is starting right now. As I type, I can already feel hormonal forces violently surging through my body. Just a few minutes from now, my body will adjust and I'll be transformed into what my husband likes to call 'an inbred hillbilly with knife skills.' Isn't the human body amazing?

As Brand Manager in the Feminine-Hygiene Division, you've no doubt seen quite a bit of research on what exactly happens during your customer's monthly visits from 'Aunt Flo'. Therefore, you must know about the bloating, puffiness, and cramping we endure, and about our intense mood swings, crying jags, and out-of-control behavior. You surely realize it's a tough time for most women.

The point is, sir, you of all people must realize that America is just crawling with homicidal maniacs in Capri pants... Which brings me to the reason for my letter. Last month, while in the throes of cramping so painful I wanted to reach inside my body and yank out my uterus, I opened an Always maxi-pad, and there, printed on the adhesive backing, were these words: 'Have a Happy Period.'

Are you f------ kidding me? What I mean is, does any part of your tiny middle-manager brain really think happiness - actual smiling, laughing happiness, is possible during a menstrual period? Did anything mentioned above sound the least bit pleasurable? Well, did it, James? FYI, unless you're some kind of sick S&M freak, there will never be anything 'happy' about a day in which you have to jack yourself up on Motrin and Kahlua and lock yourself in your house just so you don't march down to the local Walgreen's armed with a hunting rifle and a sketchy plan to end your life in a blaze of glory.

For the love of God, pull your head out, man! If you have to slap a moronic message on a maxi pad, wouldn't it make more sense to say something that's actually pertinent, like 'Put down the Hammer' or 'Vehicular Manslaughter is Wrong.'

Sir, please inform your Accounting Department that, effective immediately, there will be an $8 drop in monthly profits, for I have chosen to take my maxi-pad business elsewhere. And though I will certainly miss your Flex-Wings, I will not for one minute miss your brand of condescending bullshit. And that's a promise I will keep.

Always. . .

Best,
Wendi Aarons
Austin , TX

West Coast Swing

No more talking about taking back the night - News

No more talking about taking back the night - News

I will DANCE if I want to

Last Saturday I was at a friend’s house when two guys from downstairs came up to visit. One mentioned going to the dance club, I had just been the week before (see post below for more details). He said there was a girl there that “was on some stupid ‘I just wanna dance trip’ that night” and she was rejecting all the men that went and tried to dance with her. He called her a “cunt” because of it. Yes, I just said it. A c-u-n-t. I have never in my life actually heard anyone ever call a woman that. I don’t hang with “those people” apparently.

I regret not having the energy or desire to call him out on his shit but I was so shocked by the sheer audacity of this asshole, in a room of four women, to call another woman that. And yet when he said that, all of us women remained silent. Our silence implied it was okay that he just said that. We were bystanders. However, I would hope that we all are not okay with the derogatory use of that word. Of course, I think it is funny that the worst thing he could call her was something in reference to female anatomy. That’s shocking. What will he come up with next? Vagina? Wow! Good job thinking of something creative. Obviously, part of me still wants to go yell at him. But that would not be productive.

So…Why shouldn’t a woman have the ability to go out and dance without being hit on and danced with by many different men. It might be shocking news for this dude but I know I don’t go out to dance so some creepy guy can start grinding up on me or my friends. I go out to dance and have fun. If you want to dance with me you can ask. You can talk to me when I am not dancing. You could buy me a drink. I will turn you down if I want. I will push you away if you act like a creeper. And I will dance when I want to dance. Don’t treat me like a sexual object and I won’t treat you like one.

Rejection hurts but you don’t need to go around calling women names to boost your depressed ego. Please grow up.

Creeper Patrol

It’s a Saturday night and you and your girl friends decide to go out to a bar/dance club. You all have a few drinks before heading out on the dance floor. Two songs later there is a guy coming over to dance with you and your friends. In an effort to dodge the creeper you all move around the dance floor away from the guy that approaches. But he gets closer and starts dancing close to your friend who obviously doesn’t like what is going on. She moves in between two friends to get away from him but he just dances with the girl closest to him. What do you do?

This is just one of many things I have seen happen out at dance clubs and I don’t go out very often. It amazes me that it is okay for guys to do this. And even more amazing is that women put up with it. I think women feel helpless in the situation. They want to dance and have fun and not ruin the moment so they do subtle things like moving away. Thinking the creeper will take the hint.

I have felt this way when a strange guy tries to dance with me and my friends. I have let it happen, not knowing what to do in the situation. I had not prepared myself for the situation one of the first times I went out. For this reason alone, I really disliked going out to clubs where it might occur.

So about a week ago, I went out with a few friends (it was the first time in a long time). The dance floor was not crowded and I was happy to see a group of slightly older women out dancing the night away. But it didn’t take long for some creeper to come dance with me and my friends. My friends tried to move around the dance floor to get away. They tried to dance with each other but he just joined the end of the line. When he finally got close to me, I just pushed him away. I put my hand on his chest and pushed slightly so he would know he was not welcome to dance with us. And it worked! He backed up, shrugged his shoulders and left. I was surprised by how easy it was to dodge this guy with direct contact. My friends’ mood instantly improved as they felt comfortable to dance once again.

Later that night another guy did the same thing but this time I was confident and got rid of him fast. I am all for people picking up people at bars and clubs but just because I am a woman dancing does not give you permission to come start grinding up on me. I go out to have fun, NOT to be turned into a SEXUAL OBJECT on the dance floor. Some people might be okay with it but if they start running away you should take it as a sign that “they’re just NOT that into you” (apologies for quoting a stupid book that became a movie). And women if he is too dim or drunk to get the hint, direct actions work well. Although I promise he will call you names to his friends later (see next post above).

So I am sure most, if not all, women have experienced this before. I am interested in what you have done about it? Leave answers in comments ...

Just for Fun

What!!

I see these too often and I hate the image they are promoting. The "super mom" image. Instantly your life is better by this amazing product. And it is women who do it all. It is women who are expected to do it all. Anything less is not acceptable. It sets women up to feel like failures if they can't do it all. Women who have already been told so many times that they are not good enough for one reason or another. Where are the spouses? Why are husbands not using the appliances? Don't they wash clothes? Don't they help with parties and slumber parties. Why is it a one woman show? Why is the woman in charge of everything to do with the children? I can't believe Kelly Ripa is even doing this commercial. I have just seen this commercial too many times ... and am sick of it...

Sandra Oh as Emma Goldman

I love Sandra Oh. We watched this in my feminist theories class. Hope you enjoyed it.

Bicyclist

I was giving my friend a ride the other day. He has no car and I knowingly let him use me for occasional rides to places. I would say we are good friends but it seems that when he calls he usually wants something. This is not to say that he doesn't actually value me as a friend but I have more value in owning a car. I know that if I ever had a serious problem he would listen and help. And he is usually good for a good laugh on some opinion he has about women, fashion or some other random thing.

Anyway, so as we were driving back and we started talking about bicyclists and how he doesn't like them when he is a pedestrian. To which I replied that as a bicyclist I don't much like stupid pedestrians that get in the way. (Note to pedestrians: the worst thing you can do is stop walking. I won't hit you as long as I know where you are going.) He promptly told me that I was not a bicyclist that I was a pedestrian. I ride my bike to class everyday why am I not a bicyclist? He told me that to be a bicyclist I would have to have a "nice" bike and go riding for the sole purpose of riding not just for class. He also mentioned the dress of the "real" bicyclist as the wearing of those skin tight shorts and such. That is a pretty narrow stereotype of a bicyclist. I told him that my brother owns a very nice bike and will ride it to work but he can't be a bicyclist by his standards because of those shorts. Haha! At this point we had reached the destination and the conversation ended.

I thought about the way he approached the topic of being a bicyclist. If we applied it to being a woman by picking ridiculous items that we had to do or have it would be funny to see who would and would not fit into that category. For example you have to be able to walk well in high heels and enjoy wearing them out and about, you have to have a skirt or dress or something equally feminine in the way of clothing and you have to have a real nice purse. By these standards only the women of Sex and the City would be real women.

What makes us women or bicyclists has nothing to do with what we wear or how much time or money we dedicate to the task. I am a bicyclist not by the virtue of those spandex shorts or the quality of my bicycle but because I do ride my bike just like being a woman doesn't mean you are completely feminine all the time.

Average Starting Age of Prostitution in the US = 13

This is a trailer for the documentary "Very Young Girls" When I was in NYC a few years ago our feminist group was able to speak with GEMS and a girl who had been in prostitution. It was heartbreaking to hear about it from her. It has been an experience that has stayed with me since then. If you can I would highly recommend you watch this documentary. I have not yet been able to see it as I don't get showtime or cable but I am interested in getting a showing put together, possibly on campus. Join the cause on facebook here and check out the GEMS website here