Feminism

Here's a very interesting article on how Japanese women are utilizing dating agencies to connect with highly-educated western husbands. Primary reason: it's a well to do demographic that these days, treats their wives more like equals and romantic companions. Japanese men, according to the article, are comparatively conservative and view women (helped along by the culture) as maids, homemakers, and child rearers. Period. I remember hearing about the first Japanese female office manager in Japan and how that was a big deal. I took a east Asian culture studies class in college. My prof. was a Japanese woman and she said how if you're a woman with a Ph.D. or Dr.

A year ago, Jezebel writers Tracie Egan and Moe Tkacik were invited to appear on Lizz Winstead's show "Thinking and Drinking" to discuss their unabashed sexual adventures and the explicit recounting of such on their popular blog. Both ladies showed up to the set inebriated and ready to speak with Winstead.

As a unnecessary lush (nursing a hangover as we speak), I must say that to watch these lasses slur their way through a conundrum-fuck was mildly entertaining. Also, I completely and utterly understand what they were trying to say. But, the fact that they were drunk and can't even solidify their statements makes it a failed attempt to offer a new and controversial approach to the sensitive issue that is rape.

I knew Ellen Willis back in the day when we were feminists together. This trailer is for a book written by her daughter who went on a road trip across the country interviewing young women about their lives and what feminism means to them.  I look forward to reading Girl Drive:

Girldrive trailer! from Girldrive on Vimeo.

I'm sure you've heard about the crazed gunman at Fort Hood who went on a shooting rampage.  Well, this is the woman who brought him down...literally.  Sgt. Kimberly Munley is an expert in firearms and a member of the local police SWAT team.  She was on her way to take her car into the shop when she heard about the shooting on her police radio.  She raced to the scene, jumped out of her car - gun drawn - and exchanged direct fire with Nidal Malik Hasan and took the motherf*cker out.  Don't worry...she's fine but she did get shot in both thighs and in the right wrist.

I love Mary's music because it's so real. On October 23, 2009 The Mary J. Blige Center for Women opened right here in Yonkers. The Center will focus on reaching out to young, single mothers who need help with parenting, education, and vocational training. I cried when I watched this video:

This is one of the best ways to show WOMEN how we can participate in creating change. Fashion began as my first true love to become my worst enemy. It's all STUFF we must do to be more acceptable to men? Other women? The society? Or the corporate work place? 

If I would have had Sarah Hrdy's information sooner, there would have been far less sexual guilt in my life. I tried so hard to be monogamous with several different lovers and especially after I got married. The first year of being Mrs., I cheated. The thought of only having sex with my husband was just too depressing especially since we had not managed to make what my therapist called our "marital adjustment". He remained a premature ejaculator while I engaged in compulsive secretive marital masturbation! What a waste of our youthful sexlives. Here's the review of Sarah Hrdy's research straight from Harvard:

Women are naturally monogamous. Men tend to rove.

That assumption is not only part of popular belief, it has also been enshrined by science.

Ever since Roman Polanski's arrest hit the proverbial presses, almost everyone has been talking about it. No... Actually, everyone has been talking about it. Polanski supporters and naysayers are overwhelmingly spurned by a majority of the feminist press because, of course, they're anti-rape. But, what has always upset me about the discussion of rape (or, specifically, "date-rape") is that we make it so black and white when it just isn't.

Betty and I love resourceful women who refuse to be victims.  This story proves that wit and resolve trump force and aggression: 

The Athens Banner-Herald reported Monday that the woman scared off the suspect around 11 p.m. Saturday. According to police, the woman got on the floor and began scratching at the door and acting like a large dog when the suspicious man tried turning the woman's door knob.

The police report did not say what specific dog-like behaviors, such as barking, the woman mimicked.  The woman said the man, who appeared to be homeless, quickly ran from the porch.

While it seems that Hollywood is becoming more female-friendly with films based on the lives of Julia Child, Amelia Earhart, Virginia Wolfe, and Co Co Chanel, it took the NY Times and Manohla Dargis to slap me across the face and hit the point home: all these women were dead (for decades).  Not only were they accomplished, beautiful, and famous but they were "legitemized by history".  They're not just interesting stories they're f*cking icons. 

When I covered gender imbalance in the workplace and how the number of women employed INCREASES during recessions, everyone weighed in.  Somehow the image of Rosie the Riveter didn't conjure up any feelings of nostalgia.  However, women were quickly approaching the 50% mark and numbers don't lie.

Fast forward to the latest employment news from USA Today: Women are on the verge of outnumbering men in the workforce for the first time, a historic reversal caused by long-term changes in women's roles and massive job losses for men during this recession. 

Everyone knows that light fabrics become see through when wet.  That's why only Paris Hilton runs around in white bikinis.  That's why we have wet t-shirt contests.  Then throw on top of that a very thin fabric you can see your hand through in sunlight. 

I really can't believe that the fire department official who chose the new uniforms for their female personnel didn't realize that

a. Yellow is a bad color choice when you're dealing with fire hoses and burning buildings (why not go with navy blue)

b. Once wet, this type of light, flimsy fabric would = nipplage

They really have thought of everything.  This week 2LoveMyLips debuted their anti-rape lipgloss - a new must have for the part girl on the go. 

It comes in a variety of colors and looks just like regular lip gloss.  However, your lipgloss turns blue immediately when signs of substances such as GHB or ketamine (better known as ruffies or the date rape drug) are present in your drink.  It retails for $15.00.

I was ruffied once during a business dinner with a law partner (I know).

It's pretty misogynistic and twitter's been a buzz: