Feminism is, in essence, a social justice movement—it wants to take the
side of the alienated and the marginalized, and that includes alienated
and marginalized men. Please stop turning us against you.
(...)
Feminism isn't about striving for individual fairness, on a life-by-life basis—it's about fighting against a systematic removal of opportunity that infringes on women's basic freedoms. If a woman and a man have
equal potential in a field, they should have an equal opportunity to
achieve success in that field. It's not that we want the least qualified
women to be handed everything just because they're women. It's that we
want all women to have the same opportunities as all men to fulfill (or
fail to fulfill, on their own inherent merits) their potential.
by Lindy West
31.3.13
From Manly to Sexy : The History of the High Heel
Why do women wear high heels? Because men did.
Men were the first sex to don the shoe. They were adopted by the European aristocracy of the 1600s as a signal of status. The logic was: only someone who didn’t have to work could possibly go around in such impractical footwear. (Interestingly, this was the same logic that encouraged footbinding in China.)
Women started wearing heels as a way of trying to appropriate masculine power. In the BBC article on the topic, Elizabeth Semmelhack, who curates a shoe museum, explains:
The lower classes also began to wear high heels, as fashions typically filter down from elite.
How did the elite respond to imitation from “lesser” people: women and workers? First, the heels worn by the elite became increasingly high in order to maintain upper class distinction. And, second, heels were differentiated into two types: fat and skinny. Fat heels were for men, skinny for women.
This is a beautiful illustration of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of class distinction. Bourdieu argued that aesthetic choices function as markers of class difference. Accordingly, the elite will take action to present themselves differently than non-elites, choosing different clothing, food, decor, etc. Expensive prices help keep certain things the province of elites, allowing them to signify their power; but imitation is inevitable. Once something no longer effectively differentiates the rich from the rest, the rich will drop it. This, I argue elsewhere, is why some people care about counterfeit purses (because it’s not about the quality, it’s about the distinction).
Eventually men quit wearing heels because their association with women tainted their power as a status symbol for men. (This, by the way, is exactly what happened with cheerleading, originally exclusively for men). With the Enlightenment, which emphasized rationality (i.e., practical footwear), everyone quit wearing high heels.
What brought heels back for women? Pornography. Mid-nineteenth century pornographers began posing female nudes in high heels, and the rest is history.
source : here
Men were the first sex to don the shoe. They were adopted by the European aristocracy of the 1600s as a signal of status. The logic was: only someone who didn’t have to work could possibly go around in such impractical footwear. (Interestingly, this was the same logic that encouraged footbinding in China.)
Women started wearing heels as a way of trying to appropriate masculine power. In the BBC article on the topic, Elizabeth Semmelhack, who curates a shoe museum, explains:
In the 1630s you had women cutting their hair, adding epaulettes to their outfits…
They would smoke pipes, they would wear hats that were very masculine. And this is why women adopted the heel — it was in an effort to masculinise their outfits.
They would smoke pipes, they would wear hats that were very masculine. And this is why women adopted the heel — it was in an effort to masculinise their outfits.
The lower classes also began to wear high heels, as fashions typically filter down from elite.
How did the elite respond to imitation from “lesser” people: women and workers? First, the heels worn by the elite became increasingly high in order to maintain upper class distinction. And, second, heels were differentiated into two types: fat and skinny. Fat heels were for men, skinny for women.
This is a beautiful illustration of Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of class distinction. Bourdieu argued that aesthetic choices function as markers of class difference. Accordingly, the elite will take action to present themselves differently than non-elites, choosing different clothing, food, decor, etc. Expensive prices help keep certain things the province of elites, allowing them to signify their power; but imitation is inevitable. Once something no longer effectively differentiates the rich from the rest, the rich will drop it. This, I argue elsewhere, is why some people care about counterfeit purses (because it’s not about the quality, it’s about the distinction).
Eventually men quit wearing heels because their association with women tainted their power as a status symbol for men. (This, by the way, is exactly what happened with cheerleading, originally exclusively for men). With the Enlightenment, which emphasized rationality (i.e., practical footwear), everyone quit wearing high heels.
What brought heels back for women? Pornography. Mid-nineteenth century pornographers began posing female nudes in high heels, and the rest is history.
source : here
24.3.13
Chromatic Typewriter Prints
Tyree Callahan has recycled (or upcycled, perhaps) a classic 1937 Underwood typewriter by replacing letters with sponges soaked across the spectrum with bright yellows, reds, blues and combinations thereof.
from Rookie
Je ne veux plus qu’on m’aime Qu’on me sourie Qu’on m’invite au
restaurant Qu’on me tienne la porte Qu’on m’offre des fleurs Je m’en
fous Oui Je m’en fous Parfaitement Je ne veux plus qu’on m’aime Si je ne
peux pas me loger travailler me réaliser arriver tout en haut Je ne
veux plus qu’on m’aime si je ne suis pas dans les livres d’Histoire dans
les livres tout court A la tête des institutions et de tout ce qui a
une tête Je m’en fous qu’on me Courtise Qu’on me trouve sensuelle avec
ma voix grave ma cambrure ma peau ambrée mes fesses rebondies ma peau
d’ébène mon port de tête ma peau mes jolies tresses ma peau et tout le
reste Qui n’est pas moi d’ailleurs mais c’est un autre débat Je ne veux
plus qu’on trinque Qu’on se taille une bavette Qu’on se fasse une
raclette Ni rien J’en ai soupé de la fraternité sans égalité Ce serait
quoi la fraternité si ça ne marchait pas avec l’égalité Ce serait quoi
la fraternité ce serait quoi à part une plaisanterie douteuse La
fraternité si ça ne marchait pas avec l’égalité
Leonora Miano
Leonora Miano
22.3.13
20.3.13
Dirty Girls
Shot in 1996 and edited in 2000, this is a short documentary about a group of 13-year-old riot grrrls in Los Angeles who were socially ostracized at their school by their peers and upperclassmen. Everyone in the schoolyard held strong opinions about these so-called "dirty girls," and meanwhile the "dirty girls" themselves aimed to get their message across by distributing their zine across campus.
Directed by Michael Lucid
19.3.13
18.3.13
17.3.13
La colère dessert-elle la cause?
Pourquoi devrais-je être douce, tranquille et mettre toujours de l'eau
dans mon vin? Quelles qualités prétendument "féminines" attend-on de moi
quand je m'exprime? Est-ce qu'aux hommes qui s'affirment avec poigne,
laissent parler leur colère et versent parfois eux aussi dans l'excès de
forme, on dit qu'ils sont hystériques et mal sucés et qu'ils se
desservent eux-mêmes? Les disqualifie-t-on en tout quand ils osent aller
loin, quand ils ont besoin d'interpeller, quand ils demandent à se
faire entendre?
by Marie Donzel (Ladies & Gentlemen)
by Marie Donzel (Ladies & Gentlemen)
14.3.13
13.3.13
12.3.13
Eating : A Manifesto
Stick this on the fridge.
Here I am making a vast and sweeping gender stereotype, but do you ever, ever hear dudes say “I just want a little bite” or “This is so bad, you guys, but I totally ate a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s last night”? No! Because it’s OK for men to eat!
I want women to allow themselves to want food. I want women to be hungry and ask for what they want to eat without apologizing. I want women to stop looking for permission from others before they eat something that is not a carrot or spinach. I want my friends to get the chili fries if they want the chili fries, and not say something like, “It all goes straight to my ____” (hips, thighs, butt, etc.). I want to see a girl sink her teeth into a huge cheeseburger and fries and not cut the burger in half to save some for later. I want my mother to allow herself more than one small square of dark chocolate per day. I want women to take pleasure in food, without punishing ourselves for wanting it.
Hear me, womenfolk : I want all of us, everywhere, to stop apologizing, stop rationalizing our behavior, and just eat the damn brownie already.
by Krista
Here I am making a vast and sweeping gender stereotype, but do you ever, ever hear dudes say “I just want a little bite” or “This is so bad, you guys, but I totally ate a whole pint of Ben & Jerry’s last night”? No! Because it’s OK for men to eat!
I want women to allow themselves to want food. I want women to be hungry and ask for what they want to eat without apologizing. I want women to stop looking for permission from others before they eat something that is not a carrot or spinach. I want my friends to get the chili fries if they want the chili fries, and not say something like, “It all goes straight to my ____” (hips, thighs, butt, etc.). I want to see a girl sink her teeth into a huge cheeseburger and fries and not cut the burger in half to save some for later. I want my mother to allow herself more than one small square of dark chocolate per day. I want women to take pleasure in food, without punishing ourselves for wanting it.
Hear me, womenfolk : I want all of us, everywhere, to stop apologizing, stop rationalizing our behavior, and just eat the damn brownie already.
by Krista
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