something no man can divide
All right, so apparently a big fandom contest was being held to determine the rightful place of queen bitch. (Their words, not mine.) This contest was meant to show who was the strongest, most awesome female character in all of TVdom, or something. And Adam Lambert won. Yes, that is a man winning a contest to determine the best female character. I can't really say what's worse, the fact that the 'best' female character gets the shining title of 'bitch', or that, out of all the women on that contest, most people voted for the one guy name. What the hell was the guy name doing there in the first place? I've seen a lot of outraged posts over this, but I can't summon up more than blank disdain.
Meanwhile, in more important issues, I wanted to talk about the role of women in the protests in Iran. And I still do, but I feel like there's a lot to talk about and a lot to grasp that's just outside my sphere of knowledge. As it is, I'm overjoyed to see so many active female protesters. I'm glad to see that there's a focus on these women and the sacrifice they're making by letting their voices be heard, in participating in something that is likely to have fatal or physically damaging consequences. Their status as women and their freedom really hinges on this election, and their form of protest really ties into femininity and feminism. They paint their nails and wear more attractive clothing: something that can get them stoned to death. One woman protester actually wore a costume that showed her as a symbolic victim of stoning. I am in awe of these women. I can't imagine the sheer bravery they have, and I have nothing but respect for what they are doing. It looks like there's a definite wave of progressive feminism there, and it's frightening- terrifying, actually, to think of how it can be stomped out and obliterated under the wrong leader. How this wave of change and hope can be so easily crushed.
Links: Jezebel: Sometimes Pretty Is The Protest
"When Ahmadinejad was elected president four years ago, the controls by the moral police got noticeably tighter. Vibrantly colored fingernails, French manicures, false acrylic nails - there was a catalogue of fines for the various looks. "
So, when you see this woman with red fingernails, she's not just risking arrest for holding that sign, she's risking it for the shade of her nail polish."
New York Times: Life and Death in Tehran
"I received this from an anonymous Iranian student: “I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to be killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow!”
And she concludes: “I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so that they know we were not just emotional under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children.”
It's painful to read these. It's painful not only because I'm reading about injustice and the deaths of people fighting for their right and freedom, but also because it makes me so aware of my own privilege as an American and as a woman in a country which, granted, is far from perfect as far as feminism goes, but at least doesn't jail people for wearing Armani. It's painful because I know that no matter how many protests I attend on this matter, and how many days I wear a green ribbon, my efforts aren't making that much of an impact. It's how I feel for so many issues: helplessness. All I have to offer these people are my thoughts, my hopes, and my presence in any protests I can attend here.
Meanwhile, in more important issues, I wanted to talk about the role of women in the protests in Iran. And I still do, but I feel like there's a lot to talk about and a lot to grasp that's just outside my sphere of knowledge. As it is, I'm overjoyed to see so many active female protesters. I'm glad to see that there's a focus on these women and the sacrifice they're making by letting their voices be heard, in participating in something that is likely to have fatal or physically damaging consequences. Their status as women and their freedom really hinges on this election, and their form of protest really ties into femininity and feminism. They paint their nails and wear more attractive clothing: something that can get them stoned to death. One woman protester actually wore a costume that showed her as a symbolic victim of stoning. I am in awe of these women. I can't imagine the sheer bravery they have, and I have nothing but respect for what they are doing. It looks like there's a definite wave of progressive feminism there, and it's frightening- terrifying, actually, to think of how it can be stomped out and obliterated under the wrong leader. How this wave of change and hope can be so easily crushed.
Links: Jezebel: Sometimes Pretty Is The Protest
"When Ahmadinejad was elected president four years ago, the controls by the moral police got noticeably tighter. Vibrantly colored fingernails, French manicures, false acrylic nails - there was a catalogue of fines for the various looks. "
So, when you see this woman with red fingernails, she's not just risking arrest for holding that sign, she's risking it for the shade of her nail polish."
New York Times: Life and Death in Tehran
"I received this from an anonymous Iranian student: “I will participate in the demonstrations tomorrow. Maybe they will turn violent. Maybe I will be one of the people who is going to be killed. I’m listening to all my favorite music. I even want to dance to a few songs. I always wanted to have very narrow eyebrows. Yes, maybe I will go to the salon before I go tomorrow!”
And she concludes: “I wrote these random sentences for the next generation so that they know we were not just emotional under peer pressure. So they know that we did everything we could to create a better future for them. So they know that our ancestors surrendered to Arabs and Mongols but did not surrender to despotism. This note is dedicated to tomorrow’s children.”
It's painful to read these. It's painful not only because I'm reading about injustice and the deaths of people fighting for their right and freedom, but also because it makes me so aware of my own privilege as an American and as a woman in a country which, granted, is far from perfect as far as feminism goes, but at least doesn't jail people for wearing Armani. It's painful because I know that no matter how many protests I attend on this matter, and how many days I wear a green ribbon, my efforts aren't making that much of an impact. It's how I feel for so many issues: helplessness. All I have to offer these people are my thoughts, my hopes, and my presence in any protests I can attend here.