Cool your JETS

The recent attack on Mexican sports reporter Ines Sainz has brought back to date a very age old idea: that women "ask" for certain negative attention from males based on how they dress.

For some reason, I was under the impression that that school of thought had been dying out; but apparently, I am wrong. Men, especially sports players, are exempt from being held accountable for their own behaviors and actions. Men are portrayed as uncontrollable sex crazed animals and we as women have to walk on egg shells in order not to risk provoking the sex hungry beasts. Instead of portraying men as human beings who have a conscience and a knowledge of acceptable and unacceptable behavior, we point fingers at the females victims.

Sainz has awoken the many terrible aspects that the whore/virgin dichotomy proposes. The "whore" is a "bad" woman and therefore, justifiably subjected to all types of lude male behavior such as harrassment, groping, rape, etc. Had Sainz entered that locker room in a long skirt and turtle neck sweater and possibly been less physically attractive we would know nothing about her. In all honesty, is she dressed any less provocative than the any of the JETS cheerleaders? What is the difference? The difference is sometimes men are intimidated by an attractive woman with power and use lude sexual behavior as a way to intimidate and patronize her in order to feel a sense of power within themselves. And when we as women say that women like Ines Sainz's code of dress gave men the right to condescend her, we are giving men like the Jets players right to treat us all this way.

But what is it about women who are comfortable with their sexuality that scares men and brings out the worst in their behavior? What is it about them that makes men AND women focus the blame entirely on women and not on men? Have we not advanced that much as a species that we still believe men suffer from some primate-like inclination to act like animals? I like to think that we know better and we know that, man or woman, we are human beings with the ability to rationalize better conduct towards the opposite sex.

With this consciousness we know that no one "asks" for negative attention in the same way no one conducts themselves to attract muggers or bullies. The rationalization of an idea like this can not exist; it's impossible. In 2010 I am sorry I even had to hear a phrase of that nature, coming out of the mouths of female news reporters no less!

If you still go around believing that certain girls and women "ask" to be harrassed or raped and somehow deserve to be treated brutally because of how they dress then I am sorry but I have to honestly question your mental capacity to rationalize.

Both women and men need to put an end to this type of mentality so we do not teach our sons that that type of behavior will be excused or teach our daughters that harrassment or rape is something they brought upon themselves.

Feminism at the Brooklyn Book Festival

Feminism was definately not dead in brooklyn today. The Brooklyn Book Festival was rampant with many feminist writers as well as publishers and feminist literature.
Despite the weather, the streets were full of publishers, agents, writers and fans and a good number of them feminist!

At a panel entitled "You've Come a Long Way Baby, Or Have You?" several feminist writers:Rebecca Traister, Leora Tanenbaum, and Jennifer Baumgardner discussed feminism and how it related to the 2008 election. They brought up and discussed many important topics but one that I really thought was amazing was the fact that no one brought up the historical achievements of the women involved in the election. For instance, Hillary Clinton made history as the first woman to win the New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary; yet no one made reference to it at all!

But what I enjoyed most about the panel was that feminism is still alive and kicking! It was so exciting to see all these women and men gathered to listen to and discuss how many more obstacles women have yet to face. It's a small reminder that maybe feminism is not completely dead afterall

Pop Starlet Vs. Rocker Chick

Rocker Chicks like Shirley Manson and Courtney Love have always been amazing to me as a girl and even now. The idea of a woman able to dress how she wants, rock the guitar, spew out "fuck you" lyrics and just not give a shit about the rules of being "a lady" has always impressed me.

Now when you compare them to the pop star who always worries about being in shape, wearing the sexy clothes and making the sugary love songs, it seems they are almost the epitome of the female societal role, the sex symbol. Don't get me wrong there are pop stars who teeter on the edge and break some rules but the rocker chick seems to exhude a more powerful woman.

However, the bad ass rocker chick seems to have died down, and in a world where the American woman can exert more power, the bimbo like pop star is what has become prevalent. I don't understand why bands like Halestorm are not more popular than they are and instead American girls choose to listen to Mandy Moores and Britney Spears'.

Not only do American girls listen to alot more female pop music but they also want to be just like them. The shallow, materialistic image who looks like a porn star but acts like a submissive doll. I am not saying all pop stars are like this but this is overall the image that they portray.

I don't think we give enough credit to guitar playing, song writing rockstars and i think it is because no matter how many liberites women enjoy for some reason the new generations of women are reverting back to gender roles and trying harder to be the submissive, image-obsessed automaton that American society and the media want them to be.

We need to stop promoting women to act and remain like little girls. We need to stop glamorizing the school girl image and encourage women to act like full growm adult women. The school girl image sells because it promotes this idea of innocence and passivity but also brings with it a load of sexual implications.

The image of an adult woman is a more powerful one, less virginal and let's face it america is obsessed with women being virgins even in a day and age where our hymen isn't being traded for cattle and a suitor!

Women, put down your Coach bags and Botox injections for a minute and look at the example you are setting for your daughter! It is enough that she is getting this idea from the music she is listening to so perhaps you can set a different example: That women are worth more than their virginity and their looks and that they have the opportunity to be powerful and make changes, something too many women outside of this country know nothing about.

Let's not waste our opportunities.