Debbie says:
We got out of the habit of posting lists of links, and we want to get back into it–there is so much interesting stuff out there that we don’t have time to write about. Here’s a bunch from the last few weeks.
Well, it got people’s attention: Femen, a Ukranian feminist organization, expresses its opposition to sex tourism by staging a topless protest in Kiev on Friday prior to the draw for the Euro 2012 soccer tournament.
It’s a small step: The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology tells its members to prepare to start treating transgender patients. “This is a huge win in the area of health care access, a major issue for trans folks. … We are starting to see some important wins, and they all have that same feeling, like how is it possible this is even an issue? These are the kinds of obstacles we face every day.”
Annalee Newitz looks at body image in the Twilight series: “Twilight: Breaking Dawn … is basically a surreal, humiliating music video about teenage body panic. Every fleeting moment of self-hatred you’ve ever had about yourself is chronicled in excruciating detail here — and I think that’s why so many of us love to watch. It’s also why we hate ourselves afterward.”
Plus-size models and what that means: “Plus-size models… must utilize their bodies as capital and embark on a variety of body projects. If their measurements are not in perfect proportion, some stick padding onto their hips, “chicken cutlets” onto their breasts, and squeeze themselves into a pair of Spanx. If a model loses weight, clients tell her to do whatever it takes to gain the weight back, even if that means binging on fat-laden foods that can wreak havoc on any individual’s body. Failure to do so would mean the end of her career.”
(A small antidote to that horrible story: “I’m not posting this picture in solicitation of compliments, or insults, though I’m sure I’ll get both. … I’m posting it just to put one more picture out there in the world of a fat woman with a pixie cut. Other women might look at it and think, “Hell yes,” or they might look at it at think, “Hell no,” but the point is, they’ll have something to look at
Who causes autism? Women, of course. Echidne is fabulously nasty about this piece of junk science. She also notes, quite correctly, that this is not the first time mothers have been blamed for autism.
Sorry, I can’t help you: Siri, the the iPhone 4S voice-recognition based assistant, won’t help you find an abortion clinic? She’s fine on sources for Viagra, however.