Which 1/2 has more rights?

It's here! Happy International Women's Day!

Unfortunately, it is not a national holiday in the United States, otherwise women here (like in Armenia, Burkina Faso, Mongolia, and Kazakhstan) would be able to get the day off.


Take today to look back - and forward. There's still so much to be done! Don't let this be a daunting task; consider it a challenge, an adventure. People are completely up-in-arms, for example, about Rush Limbaugh's recent onslaught of sexism toward Sandra Fluke [whose namesake has been put to use for t-shirts that say 'Sandra Fluke: Original Feminazi', no doubt in a ploy to side with Rush]; sponsors were called to pull from his radio show and he was forced into a (non-)apology.


If women and men can rally this quickly over widespread hate speech, think of all the other sexist hurdles we can jump!

So where does this leave me? Ah, a plug for activism, of course! Please consider, particularly if you are from Missouri, signing this petition to disallow a bust of Rush Limbaugh to become a memorial in our Capitol's Hall of Famous Missourians alongside others like Dred Scott, Walter Cronkite, Scott Joplin, Samuel Clemens, and Sacajawea. There is a difference between being famous and infamous. I encourage both of you to sign a petition against his celebration on a state level. One writer says, if he is allowed in, "we can look forward to tour guides under the dome of the Missouri Capitol pausing groups of students in front of Limbaugh’s bust to explain “This famous Missourian gave us the Barack the Magic Negro song and recently demanded sex tapes from women in exchange for access to birth control without co-payments!”

Please enjoy this International Celebration of academically-, socially-, family-, artistically- and independently-driven women! We are strong, brave, creative, and important. We are powerful and proud. We are here!

K.O. for Fashion Requirement!

After hearing from the more than 55,000 people who signed Eli Plank’s petition, the President of the Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) has publicly stated that female boxers will not be forced to wear skirts during the Olympic Games.

Men-only panel discusses men-only hearing on contraception without a hint of self-awareness?

"Beat me, Chris Brown"

We have a serious problem in this society when women think it's funny or okay to want to be beaten by someone they find attractive or talented.

Chris Brown's mediocre singing is apparently one such exception. During his (lip-synched) performance at the Grammys, Twitter women were abuzz with pleas for the rap star's violence, proclamations that they would be willing participants in any potential future abuse.

Is violence really endearing? One girl posted that she would gladly be punched in the face by Brown if he kissed her afterward. Apologies and false love do not discount abuse! They perpetuate the cycle of violence!

So not only are women and girls accepting these apologies, they're seeking situations in which they are (or are NOT) evident before/during/after violence against themselves. Truly disgusting.

To see the Twitter feed, click here.

"In a world..."

Ever noticed how movie trailers are almost ALWAYS voiced by men? Recent movies are moving away from voiceovers all together, which may be a bit of a solution, but why are women never chosen to be the bearer of news about upcoming films?

Are their voices not strong enough? Are their voices not trusted?

Do moviegoers want to hear female voices? Research indicates that our brains are wired to prefer theirs to male ones; that’s the reason robotic voices, like those in GPS devices, tend to be female. (This probably has an evolutionary explanation: fetuses in the womb, identifying with their caretaker, can distinguish their mother’s voice from others, a study published in the journal Psychological Science found.) When it comes to credibility, however, research into the perceived believability of a voice — an important quality for the omniscient narrator of a trailer, as well as the spokesman or -woman for any product, which is the function a trailer serves — tells a different story.

“On average both males and females trust male voices more,” said Clifford Nass, a professor of communications at Stanford, noting some gender disparity exists in that women don’t distrust female voices as much as men distrust them. In one study conducted at Stanford two versions of the same video of a woman were presented to subjects: one had the low frequencies of the woman’s voice increased and the high frequencies reduced, the other vice versa. Consistently subjects perceived the deep voice to be smarter, more authoritative and more trustworthy.

"It’s a fascinating subject. I’d never given much thought before to why the voices telling me to see movies are men’s voices; it’s something I’ve simply always taken for granted. But now, I can’t stop noticing it. Every time an ad comes on the TV or radio, I’m making a note of whether it’s voice by a man or a woman, and whether their voices are noticeably deep or high. Gender is everywhere, folks, and it’s amazing how often we don’t even see it."

Female Boxers: Work in Skirts Mandatory?

Women's boxing will make its debut at this year's Olympic Games in London -- a huge victory for female boxers who have fought for years to be taken seriously. But now it seems their participation will come with an outrageous catch: female boxers might be required to wear miniskirts in the ring.

The Amateur International Boxing Association (AIBA) is reportedly considering the new dress code because it thinks skirts will make the female athletes look "elegant" and help "distinguish" them from their male counterparts.

Sign the petition against this mandate here.

Girl Scout Demands Boycott of Cookies as per GSUSA Allowing Transgendered Members

I was a Girl Scout, too. And the Girl Scout Law states one should be: "friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong [obviously what the transgendered members are doing]...to respect [one]self and others, respect authority...and be sister to every Girl Scout." Planning a boycott (an unnerving noun in this situation anyway) is not respecting authority, nor others, nor is it friendly, helpful, considerate, or caring.

Yes, not disclosing the information of this inclusion by the organization was not "honest" or "fair", as the Girl Scout Law requires. However, how UNfair would it be to exclude that willing member? Furthermore, if this scout believes so strongly in the organization as a member of it, why take away a main source of profits for Girl Scout activities, charity, community service, and outreach programs?

To see the video argument in its entirety, click me.

Dr Pepper says, "No Girls Allowed"

Dr. Pepper's new 'Dr. Pepper 10' drink is being targeted toward men. ONLY men.

With an aluminum can cloaked in 'gun-metal gray' and accented with bullets/rivets, this drink is promoting a healthier option of the drink without the label of 'diet.' Because everyone knows (or Dr. Pepper seems to think so) that "Dudes don't drink diet."

One particularly nauseating commercial shows a man shooting a gun in a rainforest and punching a snake before catapulting himself onto an army jeep. The action is, of course, not for faint-hearted ladies. As the spokesman boasts, "Hey, ladies. Enjoying the film? Of course not. Because this is our movie. And Dr. Pepper 10 is our soda. It's only ten manly calories.... It's what guys want.... So you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good."

And, with a final chokehold on humanity, the slogan comes up: "Dr. Pepper 10. IT'S NOT FOR WOMEN."

So that's the story of how Dr. Pepper mutilated advertising with all the tact of a "no girls allowed" treehouse. Although, they were completely stereotyping and being sexist towards men in this ad, too.

It does give me hope, however, that the YouTube clip of this commercial shows more dislikes than likes, and a full page of complaint comments.

LEGO thinks girls don't like LEGOs

In a recent marketing shift, the iconic toy brand is promoting a new line of products...for girls.

The new line is called LadyFigs, and it's made up of busty, pastel-colored figurines that come with interests like shopping, hair-dressing, and lounging at the beach. The uninspired toys even come with pre-assembled environments -- so there is no assembly (or imagination) required.


This line is cheating girls out of discovery and creative power.


The company claims its research shows girls just don't appreciate the original LEGO line. But Bailey and Stephanie argue that with LEGO's renewed emphasis on boys -- featuring only boys in its ads and stocking products in the boys' aisles of toy stores -- it's no wonder young girls wouldn't think LEGOs were meant for them.


Petition here for a return to gender neutrality in building blocks.


*Huge thanks to Abbie N for sending this info my way.

Women voiceless at decidedly womanly event

Jerusalem's adherence to ultra-orthodox Jewish customs is excluding women from speaking at conference on Gynecology and Obstetrics. Complaints are not making much of a difference, although some human rights groups are giving it their all. At least two male speakers have withdrawn in protest of women not being able to speak there.

Women are allowed at the conference, in a section separate from men.

Read the full story here.

(Skip to 2:58)

Mr. Paul, do you now realize that not every AIDS victim is gay, that not every AIDS victim acted in a way that resulted in his/her contraction of HIV? This situation is in no way comparable to smokers who knowingly harm themselves through their habit.

And we have to wait for sexual harassment to get violent for something to be done to stop it? For shame.