True for Boys and Girls August 17, 2009

Jessica Hagy put up another great comic called “True For Boys and Girls.” Take a look.

http://thisisindexed.com

In the comments for the comic, several people also pointed out that the circle B should actually be partially out of the A circle, as the cultural definition of beauty is often patently unachieveable by anyone. It’s outside reality. I definitely agree with this, but love the comic even as it is. I wonder if I’ll ever run out of these?!

I’d like to also say a big thank you to all the girls I got to meet at the Calgary Women Centre summer camps. They were a great group and I’d definitely help out again next year.

Operation Beautiful July 9, 2009

There’s a woman in Florida who’s started Operation Beauty, in order to help people feel better about themselves. She encourages people to write down a positive message on a post-it note and putting it in a public place, like a public bathroom mirror. The site ( here ) shows examples of these notes all over the place and I think it’s an AWESOME idea.

I love annonymous compliments, notes or pick-me-ups so I’m totally behind this idea. The founder is trying to target the inner dialogue of women in relation to their body by reminding them via post-its that “you are beautiful” or “Smile, because you’re enough.” This definitely gives me hope that there are people out there taking steps towards a healthier beauty ideal! Check out Operation Beauty for pictures and the full story!

The F-Word July 6, 2009

Feminism. I stumbled upon the the blog http://the-f-word.org and I’m loving it. From a quick read, it looks like this feminist blogger has a history of anorexia and is now a vegetarian who at least some of her time looking at issues from a feminist perspective.

For example, this entry talks about a Self article that addressed the repackaging of diets as “health plans” or “cleasing” rituals. However, often this ritual fasting is truly just an excuse to find a way to APPEAR to be both healthy and unhealthily skinny. This conflicting desire is yet another example of the opposites presented to girls and women to achieve. Check out the article and the blog for more.

Barbie and Ken 101 June 24, 2009

Here’s another spoken word piece, this time a little bit of a harsher edge, but it has an important message nonetheless. Again, there is some very strong language here and some more mature themes, and while I don’t think it interrupts the meaning of the piece, it might not be appropriate for everyone. Viewer discretion advised for this rant about how women and men are being taught that one body standard is best and how that affects the women he loves. Here’s Rafael Casal with his explanation of “Why twelve year olds think skinny is a compliment…”  in his slam piece called, “Barbie and Ken 101.”

Rafael sends the message fast and relentlessly: walk out on Barbie and Ken 101.

Comic genius May 26, 2009

Once again, I must direct you to Jessica Hagy’s website thisisindexed.com for a comic that very simply says (via venn diagrams) what I try to tell girls. She does it so much better…

 

 

Yeah, What She Said December 14, 2008

Hey folks,

So, I haven’t been as active here as I’d have liked, but that’s because I’m incredibly busy; I’m sure you guys are all getting ready for the winter break too. I have been spending a lot of time at the Macloed Trail Chapters lately, selling/signing books, talking to people, and drinking tea. It’s been a lot of fun and I hope I get another chance to get into book stores soon.

The next event is going to be a radio interview with Yeah, What She Said on 90.0 FM. Monday night, I’m heading down to the university and from 8:30 – 9:00 I’ll be answering questions about the book, its issues and writing. Tune in!

Anyway, happy holidays everyone!

The Bechdel Test September 15, 2008

On the topic of females in the media, although less to do with body image, there is the Bechdel Test (which you can learn the origins of here). The test was originally intended for movies, but can be applied to any medium. Essentially, for a movie to pass the Bechdel Test, it has to have at least two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than a man.

Think about main stream movies for a moment and you’ll realize that this is a pretty hard test to pass, but I think it’s important to be aware of the fact that this is such a rare scenario for movies. In Beauty and the Beast I talk about being aware of the messages that the movies that you watch are sending and this is just part of noticing things about the media. Re-watch some of your favourite films and see if they pass the test, and what you think about the test itself. Girls talk to other girls about all sorts of things besides guys, but apparently not in the movies… Makes you think, doesn’t it?

I think we all knew this about A&F September 13, 2008

Here’s an article about the hiring and employee practices at Abercrombie & Fitch, which basically seems to consist of the normal requirements… plus, you have to be attractive. As in, you get rated. Check out the link and share my horror.

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/yahoolatestnews/stories/082708dnmetabercrombie.4027698.html?npc

Social Commentary, using basic math August 14, 2008

Check out Jessica Hagy’s recent blog post, called, “After a while, everyone starts to look the same.” for a comment about both the worries of aging and waistlines. For those interested in webcomics, she can generally be counted on for entertainment, as long as you understand venn diagrams.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FBXGhy-QmVw/SKLCG6-YQII/AAAAAAAAB9I/sdv6f7lUxpw/s1600-h/card1709.JPG

The First of Many Articles July 16, 2008

http://www.alternet.org/story/64439/

Head on over to this site to hear about cosmetic surgery and the worries of the journalist who wrote it that “natural beauty” is on the way out. Of course, it sounds like a lot of other articles I’ve read – and you’ve probably read them too – but it is on alternet.org… maybe that makes it more legit.

http://www.cracked.com/article_15231_7-reasons-21st-century-making-you-miserable.html

And over here, we have an article about how technology is putting more and more distance between us, even as it brings us closer. I thought I could include this here because it’s addressing a form of media and communication. Give it a look.