From the category archives:

Sister/Woman

Giving Women Voice in Lebanon

by Anastasia on September 19, 2009

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THE KHEDE KASRA CAMPAIGN is empowering women in Lebanon by drawing attention to one simple punctuation mark in the Arabic language. How inspiring.

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That Crazy Old F-Word

by Anastasia on August 24, 2009

7cHlz7Mdhqo5qkzlyC0N4vRko1_500EARLIER THIS SUMMER, I was quite disappointed to hear many young women call in to the morning show on my local NPR station saying they didn’t call themselves feminists simply because they hated the word “feminism.” It made them uncomfortable. If I could find those women today, I would show them this lovely graphic representation of a Kate Nash quotation. It continues after the jump. [click to continue…]

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Well Said, Bob Herbert

by Anastasia on August 11, 2009

HerbertDID ANYONE ELSE READ, Bob Herbert’s Op-Ed piece, “Women at Risk,” in the New York Times last week? I thought he did an excellent job connecting brutal acts of violence against women to the pervasive misogynistic attitude of the American media. Herbert presents his argument with such clarity and intelligence that I was cheering by the time I reached the final paragraph, wherein he says: “we would become much more sane, much healthier, as a society if we could bring ourselves to acknowledge that misogyny is a serious and pervasive problem, and that the twisted way so many men feel about women, combined with the absurdly easy availability of guns, is a toxic mix of the most tragic proportions.” Well said, indeed, Bob. Plus: A sampling of insanely defensive and wacky comments from Herbert’s piece are now on display with some witty commentary on Jezebel.com.

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My Kind of Sister: Lilly McElroy

by Anastasia on July 24, 2009

picture-1HOW AWESOME IS THIS? Arizona-born artist Lilly McElroy has a series of photographs titled “I Throw Myself at Men,” in which she literally throws herself at men. The back story (via A Cup of Jo): Lilly wanders into random bars and asks strange men if she can jump on them. And then, mid-leap, a photo is taken (like the one above). The resulting series is rich with interesting commentary on relationships and, of course, hilarious awkward facial expressions. See all the photos here!

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24. Sisterless. Searching.

by Anastasia on July 19, 2009

anna-and-annaTWENTY-FOUR YEARS AGO today I was caught by my midwife, Anastasia. (We’re together on the left.) She took the ferry from Burlington, Vermont to my parents’ farmhouse in the Adirondacks when no one else would, because 24 years ago home births were illegal in New York State. So to celebrate my midwife and my namesake on the anniversary of our heartfelt meeting, I put together a little slideshow of newborns and their women who helped bring them into the world. It’s a sisterhood I’m so grateful to be a part of! [click to continue…]

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443711200_51c08de8f4MUSLIM WRITER AND FEMINIST Fatemeh Fakhraie has opened up an interesting conversation on altmuslimah.com in which she gives some helpful bullet points to keep in mind when defending the rights of Muslim women. [click to continue…]

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New Burger King Ad: Thoughts?

by Anastasia on June 30, 2009

web_587x799pixelsHOW ABOUT I START this off with my thoughts: BLECH! If you’re having trouble reading the fine print here it says, “Fill your desire for something long, juicy and flame-grilled with the NEW BK SUPER SEVEN INCHER.” No subtlety required. It makes some of the retro ads we were up in arms over look kind of tame, doesn’t it? (P.S.–Deconstructing Tampax’s new “Zack wakes up with a vagina” ad campaign on Feministing.)

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584153_13649_72c2b1c3f0_pTHERE’S BEEN A FLURRY of photos from Diana Goldstein’s series “Fallen Princesses” around the internet in the last week. And I must say, it’s been quite interesting to watch the conversation unfold. The images from Goldstein’s project were originally posted on JPG Magazine with a short description of the series in the artist’s own words. “These works place Fairy Tale characters in modern day scenarios. …The ‘…happily ever after,’” Goldstein writes, “is replaced with a realistic outcome and addresses current issues.” We see Cinderella drinking alone in a dive bar; Snow White is now weighed down with a deadbeat prince and four tykes. [click to continue…]

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Summer Reading for the Sisterhood

by Anastasia on June 10, 2009

womenlit-collageI‘VE NEVER BEEN ONE FOR light and fluffy summer reads. So as summer 2009 begins to unfold, I’m offering a few book suggestions with the theme of women’s rights and feminism. But take note brother(s): While these picks may be gynocentric, they are definitely not just for the ladies. [click to continue…]

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LAST WEEKEND I WAS BLESSED TO SEE The Glass House, an Iranian documentary that follows four women living on the fringes of society connected to each other by their involvement in a private rehabilitation center for women in Tehran. While the center’s clients have lived through unimaginable horrors, Omid e Mehr and the community of women within it, provide these desperate girls with what is often the first chance in their lives. To find out more about the documentary, filmed almost entirely on concealed cameras that miraculously emerged from Iran, visit Fictionville Studio. To learn about the center and the multitude women’s of stories that intersect around it, visit the Omid e Mehr Foundation website. Please consider giving to Omid e Mehr, as they exist solely on private funds.

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