Being Amber Rhea

It’s finally here - the 21st Carnival of Feminists! Who’s going to do the first keg stand?

But seriously, folks. I’ve had a lot of fun putting together this carnival, and reading all the amazing writing from feminist bloggers near and far. I hope you have as much fun reading as I did hosting!

So, without further ado…

Women and technology

In her post Silencing Women Gamers, Netwoman writes about a new piece of software that will alter the sound of women’s voices to make them sound more masculine:

Why should women have to disguise their voice? How about we look at why this harassment happens in the first place? How about we do something about the people who are harassing women and making them feel unwelcome in virtual spaces? How about we turn the gaming world upside down and ensure that people know (and hear) that women are gamers?

S A J Shirazi questions the reasoning behind the term “geek girl”:

A woman pilot is called a pilot and not a girl pilot, a female driving a car is called a driver and not a woman driver, and a girl cook is called a cook, not a girl cook. Why limit computing skills to gender?

In Geeky Gals Who Think Like I Do, Elayne Riggs chronicles her experiences with sexism (and sometimes the lack thereof) in the “geek community.”

The author of Men Are From Earth, Women Are From Earth talks about the odd intersection of technical instruction and women’s desirability (and the sexist equation of “woman == sex”):

[I]t is interesting that some of the reviewers not only defended their positions but lambasted those who didn’t like the show. “Women with a sense of humor” should like it, says one. I wonder how open they would be to a technical instruction show seductively hosted by hot, muscular, shirtless men.

What does “sex-positive” mean to you? / Describe your particular brand of feminism.

For Nio of Solidly Average, feminism is about being inclusive and learning from one another. She laments that the feminist movement sometimes appears to be about exclusion instead:

As I see it, the feminist movement is more about maintaining (and gathering) power for a specific set of wome(y)n: college educated white middle class, so that they can maintain their lifestyle and play the politics game with their kin. The feminist movement is more concerned with maintaining class distinctions than breaking down the walls that enclose womyn and isolate them from their own gender.

Sage agrees that feminism should be naturally inclusive, and explains why “humanist” is not an appropriate replacement term:

I hate when people insist the term “humanist” is preferable. Yes, I want ALL human beings to have equal rights and opportunities, but my stance involves actively raising women’s rights to the same level as men’s without any hatred or bitterness towards men in general.

Belledame of Fetch Me My Axe identifies as a sex-positive feminist and frames her reasoning in terms of energy, self-recognition, and claiming ownership of one’s body:

you can’t shut down one part of yourself and expect the rest to be unaffected.

teach people to become disconnected from their own bodies and desires and you can fill them with pretty much whatever crap you want to.

This is why “my body belongs to me” is so fucking important.

Michelle Stover of Campus Progress examines how the virgin/whore dichotomy is reinforced in the debate over pornography. She states that for her, feminism is about personal choice - and this involves respecting other women’s rights to make their own choices, even if they are at odds with hers.

Along the same lines, Candy of Feminism Without Clothes defines feminism as doing what is right for yourself, regardless of what others tell you to do:

Isn’t feminism about saying “fuck you” to the status quo? Isn’t it about not doing what you’re told, not being what others think you’re supposed to be? Well, that’s what it is for me.

New blogger twf eschews pigeonholing, and admits that it can be easier for her to describe her feminism in terms of what she’s not.

For Renegade Evolution, feminism is about women making their voices heard - and hers is loud and clear, even in “whorephobic” environments.

Bitch | Lab wonders if it’s time to take a break from feminism and re-evaluate what the priorities are. She also questions whether sex-positive feminism can even be considered an actual branch of feminist thought:

As I’ve mentioned before, sex positive feminism tends to be an adjunct to a broader, base feminism. Thus, proponents tend to come from a variety of political traditions: liberal (as in Enlightenment liberal), socialist, libertarian, Marxist, Freudian, post-structuralist. And, if I ever get time, maybe I’ll show how these are very different approaches that don’t sit well together at all. That doesn’t mean alliances can’t be forged, just that… well… for me, it’s means being upfront about those differences, rather than sweeping them under the rug.

Clare of Ink and Incapability describes her feminism as “no frills.” The emphasis is on choice, plain and simple.

Lorraine Berry calls bullshit on the “shut up and vote for the anti-choice Democrats” sentiment circulating in much of the American political blogosphere. (I place this post in this category because choice is sex-positive.)

It tears at me, grates me that I am told, repeatedly, that a woman’s civil rights are ultimately less important than “party unity.” That we have to allow a few people who oppose women’s civil rights into our party in order to gain power, and that once we have power, we will restore women’s civil rights. This argument does not make sense to me. In fact, it’s insulting. It asks me, as a woman, to make the sacrifice that I’m always asked to make: Put others first. Put other causes first. You are not important, but your support is important.

The role of male allies in feminism

Commenting on the recent Guardian story about male feminists, Rhetorically Speaking appeals to the concept of functional coalitions in advancing feminist goals.

Also, there’s a post at Feministing about that same Guardian article, that has a very interesting conversation going in the comments.

Here’s a question that’s not often discussed: where do transmen fit as feminist allies? Piny has a fascinating post at Feministe about the varied and conflicting feelings transmen often experience when confronting male privilege:

What I see … are transmen who consider themselves to be deeply feminist, so much so that they cannot cope with the idea that they are becoming men. They cannot admit to the privilege they receive by virtue of doing so. This would be analagous to the baby anti-racist white kid so suffocated by shame and guilt that he becomes obsessed with negating his whiteness and white privilege. That white kid has failed to understand that neither one is consensual, but rather inalienable, and that the point is not self-delusion but awareness.

Hugo Schwyzer poses some questions about the difference between aggression and assertiveness, and why it’s important for male feminists to appreciate this distinction.

Geo of Feminist Allies argues that terminology is unimportant; it’s the actions that really count:

For men to really be supportive of feminism we need to both support women and to affirmatively work with men to help end misogyny.

Such work can clearly be at many levels from confronting sexist jokes and statements to working with batterers and “normal men” (who aren’t visibly misogynist) to help change our whole culture.

When we as men do even 25% of the work that women do, I’ll start being concerned about what title we have.

On the other hand, Punkass Marc of PunkAssBlog states his case for why semantics do matter, and encourages men to examine their reasons for wanting to assume the title “feminist:”

It goes without saying that no man has personally experienced the same patriarchal oppression a woman has. … Perhaps, then, men should shy away from any title that implies he could be qualified to direct feminism. We also shouldn’t run the risk of eventually co-opting it, even if we don’t mean to.

And, I’m sure everyone has read this by now (it’s from March), but on the off-chance you haven’t… Be sure to check out Chris Clarke’s post, Why I am not a feminist. Even if you have read it already, it’s worth revisiting, since it sparked a lot of good discussion in the blogosphere.

Meanwhile, Figleaf is a het male blogger writing about sexuality in a way few men do - blending the academic, the observational, the stream-of-consciousness musings, and the prurient. His blog is a refreshing reminder that to be male and unapologetically sexual, one need not be a misogynistic ass.

Other assorted topics

Sex-negativity and societal perceptions – with a dash of porn and sex work

Tekanji of The Official Shrub.com Blog demonstrates how modesty and “raunch culture” are two sides of the same sex-negative coin: one that encourages women to define their sexuality solely in terms of how it affects men. (This is a point I have been trying to articulate for some time, and I like the succinct way Tekanji does it. The reference to Ariel Levy made me bristle, but I think I’ll live!)

Ever since that LA Times article came out last week, a lot of bloggers have been writing screeds against millionaire rapist-next-door Joe Francis. The inimitable Susie Bright has a fabulous post about the real problem with the Girls Gone Wild videos (hint: it’s not the boobies):

Francis’ dirtiest secret is that he traffics in porno-puritanism, in sexual shame. His profit lies in young women snookered into doing something “shameful” that they will want to hide the rest of their lives - once they sober up. They have been ruined - the ultimate GGW turn-on. It’s the frisson of humiliation that makes him, and his audience, hard.

If, like me, the mere thought of that scumbag is making you feel like you need a shower, turn your attention instead to Audacia Ray, who is producing an awesome, sex-positive porno film called The Bi Apple. In Desires and demands (or theory and practice, episode 612), she talks about the gap between fantasy and reality in porn, and how the size of that gap has a lot to do with which side of the camera you’re on.

Iamcuriousblue examines the myriad complexities within the sex industry, and explains why eradication is not the solution:

Trying to get justice for the most downtrodden sex workers by wiping out “pornstitution” is a bit like trying to obtain justice for exploited farm workers by wiping out not only agribusiness, but small organic farms, farmworkers’ unions, and restaurants all together. Yes, this would be the “radical” solution, but only in its sheer overkill.

Body image issues

Apparently, when you get your medical license, you also get a license to be an unfettered asshole. Via Hasta Los Gatos Quieren Zapatos, we hear about a doctor who blithely informed one of his patients, “Nobody likes fat women” and, “Men might want you, but not the types you want to want you. Might even be a black guy.” Hey, he’s a racist and a self-appointed spokesman for his gender!

While we’re on the topic of body image and all things related: Nubian of Blac(k)ademic studies the ways in which black women’s body image issues have - and haven’t - changed over the years.

Cheryl of Claiming My Inner Bitch writes about getting in touch with herself - and in particular her sexuality - as a middle-aged woman:

Since I began cultivating a relationship with myself that is as weighty and important to me as any external ones, I’ve been the recipient of many wonderful fringe benefits. I’m more likely to stand up for myself and what I believe in or feel passionate about. I am less fearful of confronting an issue head-on, I’m not as driven by a motivation to avoid conflict at all costs.

Natalie Bennett offers a review of Swooning Beauty by Joanna Frueh, which she concludes could be a manifesto for body-positive feminism.

And everything else!

Antiprincess wonders what it means to be accused of “sounding like a man” online:

I’m just sort of curious - what kind of gender markers stand out in an online environment? Or is it not a matter of gender markers, but that the term “man” is shorthand for “I am using the worst possible insult I can come up with in order to convey my boundless contempt for you”?

Blackamazon is pissed that a very specific subset of young women is being used to represent all young women. Generation … ME ?@!# is a kickass rant; in particular, her observation about the upper class being granted the privilege of “youthful folly” is spot-on:

They are granted all the space in the world to fuck do dumb shit and WITHOUT FAIL someone will regard their mistakes as “youthful folly” or “young indiscretion.” That same person will take basically the SAME ANTICS from a person of lower class/ or different race and pathologize the ever living fuck out of them.

M. of Scribble Pad talks about human nature, sex, and science, and how “survival of the fittest” is often used as a cop-out.

Natalia of Indiscretions ponders the unfairly high and narrow standard rape victims are expected to meet in order to be believed - a standard we don’t apply to victims of other crimes:

Culture demands that rape-victims be perfect little virginal angels; if we can find any fault with their behaviour, they are hung out to dry. It doesn’t matter, of course, that none of us have spotless records when it comes to making bad decisions and/or trusting the wrong people. It doesn’t matter that we would hardly attack a male victim of a mugging in similar fashion.

Indian feminist blogger sthreeling writes about how the language surrounding rape reinforces a culture of shame:

We as a nation suffer for not being able to see a naked truth. We suffer for not being able to call a spade, a spade; or a rape, a rape. We, as a nation, will continue to suffer as long as we refuse to move the focus of the crime from the victim to the perpetrator.

In Ghost Child (shades of gray), Monica of The Girl Who reflects on the abortion she had twelve years ago, musing over what she knew (and didn’t know) at age 17.

Nicki of Casa de Nicki has some thoughts about how the U.S. welfare system needs to change to be more effective at helping single mothers and women in general.

And finally… it’s the first ever Carnival of Feminists podcast, brought to you by the Georgia Podcast Network! I interviewed Atlanta business-owners, friends, and acquaintances about feminism, and packed their responses into a 30-minute MP3 for your aural enjoyment.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this carnival! The next Carnival of Feminists will be at Redemption Blues on September 6.