Link Salad: Recent (ish) links that came my way for your interest:
Talking Back Without Talking Back is an article by Maesy Angelina about a different approach to activism and how the act of having conversations that simply occur and continue encourages an overall shift. The strategy described herein has immense freedom in that there is no target audience "everyone is a participant" and the aim is to form a collective with a "shared understanding" and where there is no target group identified as the opponent. Very interesting and ties in nicely to the ideas that I keep encountering around the context that there is no group labelled 'them' but simply the acceptance that instead we are all an 'us'.
Ragnell hits the nail on the head in her blog post 'Can You Be Prettier When You Cry?' discussing how we tend to blame pretty young actresses for their lack of acting talent. However, Jessica Alba discusses a different reason in an interview with Elle magazine that suggests instead that the fault lies with Hollywood and its directors hiring actresses based primarily on appearance. They encourage the actresses to act inside of that attractiveness mandate which effectively makes them flat, like greenscreen canvases where special effects and post production will erase any perceived imperfections. Meanwhile the audience is left wondering whether there was a character there at all, wondering why the actress so obviously 'phoned it in'.
The Melbourne Feminist Collective is holding a Feminist Futures Conference which quite aside from the attractiveness of Melbourne, the event sounds interesting and I'd love to go if somehow money starts to grow on trees. The structure of the event looks to be just serious enough and just social and engaged enough to really appeal to me. I also like the broad areas of discussion outlined and the aims set out.
Chally from Zero at the Bone starts of a stint writing for Bitch Magazine on Iconography in Literature. There are several posts in this series and all are thought provoking drawing the reader to consider deeply held assumptions about the everyday, privilege inherent in how we go about our lives unthinking and giving us a whole lot of new reading inspiration (not to mention a contemporary experience of what makes a text literature). I've been delighting in this series and I highly recommend it.
Bminstral provides this amusing definition of polyamory that simultaneously makes many of us already poly giggle with understanding, and provide some minor measure of insight to those who perhaps are new to the concept: "Polyamorist (n): one whose life is characterised by a set of complex overlapping calendars and scheduling conflicts and, to a lesser extent, multiple loving relationships." It's not universally true of course, just one of those astute generalisations that has enough relevance to enough people who find it amusing. Like me :)
My partner is the director behind Rebel Empire Workshops, this video is what he and and a huge number of dedicated and inspirational volunteers put together for Worldcon 2010, taking a team of just over 20 performers to Melbourne to culminate many months of late nights, creative brainstorming sessions, arguments, tears, blood, a whole lot of sweat and dedication.
Helen Mirren delights me so very much in her articulate and astute summation of Hollywood's obsession with worshipping at "the alter of the 18-25-year-old male and his penis". ABC writes an article here about the awards ceremony from which Mirren is quoted, while the YouTube clip of the event is here.
Aimee from Hook and Eye on Imposter Syndrome, key quote: "If we can't talk ourselves aggressively up, do you think we might manage to stop talking ourselves down?"
At Viva La Feminista Sally blogs for Summer Feminista about feminism and not-feminism and how sometimes it looks rather similar: Like (Un-Feminist) Mother, Like (Feminist) Daughter - "You don’t need the feminist label or a college degree to strive for women’s independence and feminist ideals. All my mother needed was three daughters to fight for, including one slightly obnoxious daughter who doesn’t let anything go. So call it whatever you want, just let it grow inside of you. I’ll keep calling it feminism and my mother probably won’t, and we’ll still agree more often than not."
News with Nipples gives us this rather apt description of how 'We've been pwned'. We are attached to this idea that we make our own decisions about a whole bunch of things. Sometimes that's true, and sometimes that's less true - or at least, guided a whole lot. This is well demonstrated in the above link.
Cindy talks about her love/hate relationship with Wired Magazine and their representation of women on their covers in her post: An Open Letter to Wired Magazine, also including the magazine's response which was such that I thought I might actually become interested in the magazine.
On a lighter and fascinating note, the Mimic Octopus doing amazing things to mimic other creatures and surrounds. Absolutely fascinating.
Beppie at Hoyden About Town looks at Intersectionality and Privilege: Addressing the Squishy Bits, by discussing the fact that sometimes there is no clear or right answer that "sometimes, every “right” answer carries a little bit of wrong in it too."
Mona Eltahawy writes for the Star about being a Muslim feminist and what that means for her. Her article explores commonly held beliefs about both Muslim women and feminism and is well worth a read: 'Let me, a Muslim feminist, confuse you'.
At Tranarchy, Asher Bauer details a must read post titled: 'Not Your Mom's Trans 101' which looks at the idea of a Trans 101 and the way in which it often perpetuates cissexual supremacy within society. This is a brilliant article that really addresses cissexual privilege and highly recommend reading. Asher also discusses how irritating it is being advised on how better to be 'Man Enough' and uncovers a whole bunch of assumptions and privilege that go into that, often well intended but rather offensive desire to offer gender performance advice.
Also on the topic of trans, personal experience with gender and navigating a cissexist world, Red rants spectacularly about the hypocritical way in which people assume gender: Questions for cis people...
Katie Makkai, a veteran poetry slammer - defining the word "pretty". Powerful and really attacks the vicious culture cycles about this idea of girls and being pretty. Also following on from Katie's piece is this post from Don't Type Angry which articulates the sublime experience of being human with all it's imperfection, in the post 'You Are Not Beautiful Enough'.
And finally at the end of this epic link salad, something to think about, something to breathe in and out, something inspiring, something to live by (if you wish): Holstee: This is your LIFE.
Manually imported from my other blog over at posterous: http://transcendancing.posterous.com/
This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/797639.html
Ragnell hits the nail on the head in her blog post 'Can You Be Prettier When You Cry?' discussing how we tend to blame pretty young actresses for their lack of acting talent. However, Jessica Alba discusses a different reason in an interview with Elle magazine that suggests instead that the fault lies with Hollywood and its directors hiring actresses based primarily on appearance. They encourage the actresses to act inside of that attractiveness mandate which effectively makes them flat, like greenscreen canvases where special effects and post production will erase any perceived imperfections. Meanwhile the audience is left wondering whether there was a character there at all, wondering why the actress so obviously 'phoned it in'.
The Melbourne Feminist Collective is holding a Feminist Futures Conference which quite aside from the attractiveness of Melbourne, the event sounds interesting and I'd love to go if somehow money starts to grow on trees. The structure of the event looks to be just serious enough and just social and engaged enough to really appeal to me. I also like the broad areas of discussion outlined and the aims set out.
Chally from Zero at the Bone starts of a stint writing for Bitch Magazine on Iconography in Literature. There are several posts in this series and all are thought provoking drawing the reader to consider deeply held assumptions about the everyday, privilege inherent in how we go about our lives unthinking and giving us a whole lot of new reading inspiration (not to mention a contemporary experience of what makes a text literature). I've been delighting in this series and I highly recommend it.
Bminstral provides this amusing definition of polyamory that simultaneously makes many of us already poly giggle with understanding, and provide some minor measure of insight to those who perhaps are new to the concept: "Polyamorist (n): one whose life is characterised by a set of complex overlapping calendars and scheduling conflicts and, to a lesser extent, multiple loving relationships." It's not universally true of course, just one of those astute generalisations that has enough relevance to enough people who find it amusing. Like me :)
My partner is the director behind Rebel Empire Workshops, this video is what he and and a huge number of dedicated and inspirational volunteers put together for Worldcon 2010, taking a team of just over 20 performers to Melbourne to culminate many months of late nights, creative brainstorming sessions, arguments, tears, blood, a whole lot of sweat and dedication.
Helen Mirren delights me so very much in her articulate and astute summation of Hollywood's obsession with worshipping at "the alter of the 18-25-year-old male and his penis". ABC writes an article here about the awards ceremony from which Mirren is quoted, while the YouTube clip of the event is here.
Aimee from Hook and Eye on Imposter Syndrome, key quote: "If we can't talk ourselves aggressively up, do you think we might manage to stop talking ourselves down?"
At Viva La Feminista Sally blogs for Summer Feminista about feminism and not-feminism and how sometimes it looks rather similar: Like (Un-Feminist) Mother, Like (Feminist) Daughter - "You don’t need the feminist label or a college degree to strive for women’s independence and feminist ideals. All my mother needed was three daughters to fight for, including one slightly obnoxious daughter who doesn’t let anything go. So call it whatever you want, just let it grow inside of you. I’ll keep calling it feminism and my mother probably won’t, and we’ll still agree more often than not."
News with Nipples gives us this rather apt description of how 'We've been pwned'. We are attached to this idea that we make our own decisions about a whole bunch of things. Sometimes that's true, and sometimes that's less true - or at least, guided a whole lot. This is well demonstrated in the above link.
Cindy talks about her love/hate relationship with Wired Magazine and their representation of women on their covers in her post: An Open Letter to Wired Magazine, also including the magazine's response which was such that I thought I might actually become interested in the magazine.
On a lighter and fascinating note, the Mimic Octopus doing amazing things to mimic other creatures and surrounds. Absolutely fascinating.
Beppie at Hoyden About Town looks at Intersectionality and Privilege: Addressing the Squishy Bits, by discussing the fact that sometimes there is no clear or right answer that "sometimes, every “right” answer carries a little bit of wrong in it too."
Mona Eltahawy writes for the Star about being a Muslim feminist and what that means for her. Her article explores commonly held beliefs about both Muslim women and feminism and is well worth a read: 'Let me, a Muslim feminist, confuse you'.
At Tranarchy, Asher Bauer details a must read post titled: 'Not Your Mom's Trans 101' which looks at the idea of a Trans 101 and the way in which it often perpetuates cissexual supremacy within society. This is a brilliant article that really addresses cissexual privilege and highly recommend reading. Asher also discusses how irritating it is being advised on how better to be 'Man Enough' and uncovers a whole bunch of assumptions and privilege that go into that, often well intended but rather offensive desire to offer gender performance advice.
Also on the topic of trans, personal experience with gender and navigating a cissexist world, Red rants spectacularly about the hypocritical way in which people assume gender: Questions for cis people...
Katie Makkai, a veteran poetry slammer - defining the word "pretty". Powerful and really attacks the vicious culture cycles about this idea of girls and being pretty. Also following on from Katie's piece is this post from Don't Type Angry which articulates the sublime experience of being human with all it's imperfection, in the post 'You Are Not Beautiful Enough'.
And finally at the end of this epic link salad, something to think about, something to breathe in and out, something inspiring, something to live by (if you wish): Holstee: This is your LIFE.
Manually imported from my other blog over at posterous: http://transcendancing.posterous.com/
This entry was originally posted at http://transcendancing.dreamwidth.org/797639.html