Confessions of a Catholic Feminist

"Disney Feminism"

she-raquel — Thu, 16 May 2013 15:47:32 -0400

What is “Disney feminism”? It’s using positive messages in Disney to turn the lens inward and examine what could be better.

It’s embracing and understanding intersectionality. If a Disney movie does not treat a marginalized group well, I will not ignore it or try to make excuses for it. It’s time to be vocal about what needs to change.

Feminism means nobody gets left behind or forgotten

It’s kinda little, and sometimes broken, but it’s still good.

"No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body."

she-raquel — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:18:10 -0400

“No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her own body.”

- Margaret Sanger (via shareyourabortionstory)

Rabble: Paula's Story

she-raquel — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:13:08 -0400

Rabble: Paula's Story:

mssswitch:

shareyourabortionstory:

At the age of 22 I found out I had become pregnant. I was in college
at the time and was sustaining a very low budget lifestyle.
Immediately I knew I wanted an abortion. I was in a long term
relationship and had the full backing and support of my…

bluestockingsmag: Recommended Reading: Defending Reproductive...

she-raquel — Wed, 15 May 2013 00:29:20 -0400

bluestockingsmag:

Recommended Reading: Defending Reproductive Justice

revolution as constant

For anyone who cares about reproductive justice, reproductive health, and…

View Post

sad-teeth: So today Angelina Jolie had double mastectomy, which...

she-raquel — Tue, 14 May 2013 16:05:46 -0400

sad-teeth:

So today Angelina Jolie had double mastectomy, which is the removal of one’s breasts, to prevent Breast cancer. So instead of praising Angelina on her bravery, men on Twitter decided to ridicule her, even calling her stupid for removing her breasts. For those of you on Tumblr that are attacking Feminists for being delusional about sexism against women and misogyny here’s your fucking proof that sexism and misogyny exists.

miketooch: cerebus92: What happen when Pepper Ann tries to buy...

she-raquel — Tue, 14 May 2013 15:35:34 -0400

miketooch:

cerebus92:

What happen when Pepper Ann tries to buy a comic book?

Look at the date. Nineteen. Ninety. Fucking. EIGHT.

Pepper Ann knew what was up before anyone else.

"Here is the thing, okay? Coming into a feminist conversation with, “Have you considered that..."

she-raquel — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:03:14 -0400

“

Here is the thing, okay? Coming into a feminist conversation with, “Have you considered that sometimes women acquire free drinks at bars?” is like walking into graduate school during Philosophy finals and saying, “Have you considered that the color blue that I see may not be the color blue that you see?”

Imagine you are the guy who just walked into that Philosophy class and laid that shit down. Imagine the class full of students who have worked very hard and committed themselves and sacrificed to be here, students who have spent several years of their lives learning about this subject. Imagine now their feelings when you go to the head of the classroom with a smirk on your face and demand the professor give you an A for effort. Imagine now that they think you are a douchebag asshole, because they do, and because you are. You are a douchebag asshole because you are obviously so self-centered, arrogant, and completely ignorant of the world around you, that you thought you could walk into a high-level course with no background and no work and say something profoundly simplistic and totally unrelated and also everybody should congratulate you for having done this thing, so brave, so provocative.
[….]
You are not asking us a real question. You are simply illustrating, for all to see, your own ignorance. You are saying, “I have not considered the implications of the question I have just asked. I have not taken the time nor effort nor commitment to sit down and ask myself this question. Instead, I have come into your philosophy classroom/office/feminist blog and shat out my question with a smirk, because I believe that my two seconds of thought are worth more than your long-term analysis, because I believe I am worth more.”

”

- Fugivitus: A few things to consider when you find a feminist blog (via absolutely-spiffing)

reactmobile: Happy Mother’s Day!

she-raquel — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:46:20 -0400

reactmobile:

Happy Mother’s Day!

ramblingsofanangryirishman: Kristen Bell wins all the Mothers...

she-raquel — Sun, 12 May 2013 23:44:39 -0400

ramblingsofanangryirishman:

Kristen Bell wins all the Mothers Day awards

Especially for women who adopt children who are not of their own blood!

Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral

she-raquel — Sat, 11 May 2013 01:49:49 -0400

Disney Princess Makeover Sparks Outrage: Merida Petition Goes Viral:

ravenimage:

So is turns out that Merida, the rebellious redhead star of Disney’s Pixar film “Brave,” is true princess material after all, and Disney is coronating her as its 11th official princess on Saturday at Walt Disney World to prove it. But wait, there’s a catch.

“My little girl has unruly curls, wants to climb trees, run with wind, and challenge stereotypes everyday AND she is only 4 years old,” writes one petition signer, Kerri Gaskin of Canada. “How can I possibly tell her that her favorite character has given in and given up to become an overly sexualized pin-up version of her former self?”

Comments like these bother me. These people are outraged that Merida is supposedly turning into a feminized tramp, who wears sparkly dresses and make-up and shows skin where she wasn’t accustomed to before. Now, as a rabid fan of Brave ready to rip out the throat of anyone who discredits my beloved Pixar film, I can agree that this design make-over is completely out of character for Merida.

Or is it?

The plot of the movie, essentially, was about Merida’s progression from girl to woman. We see in the beginning of the story that she is your classic, rambunctious youth; a rebellious teenager of the days when war loomed, waiting for the wrong word at the right time. Merida’s argument that she was not ready to marry or, more universally, that she should marry the man of her choosing, is a progressive, well-loved declaration of our modern century women. And one could even say that her defiance not only saved the kingdom, in covincing the lords that marriage was not the reason that brought them together in the first place, but also repaired her relationship with her mother, whom she is seen standing beside (as equals) at the end of the film.

However, it was also Merida’s defiance that set her on her path to becoming a woman. And when I say woman, I mean a mature adult, who reigns in her home with dignity and wise counsel. In the “before” image (seen in the article) we see Merida in her comfortable wool dress, with a bow and a slouch on her back, and curls gone wild. In the “after” image what we see, or rather what I see, is the same girl, now a woman with power and dignity and wise counsel. To simplify: the image on the left, in my eyes, is Princess Merida. The image on the left is Queen Merida, fierce and feminine and still just as awesome as fuck as when she was a girl.

“Merida was the princess that countless girls and their parents were waiting for—a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure with her bow at the ready,” reads a Change.org petition, “Keep Merida Brave,” asking Disney to reconsider the character’s redesign. The petition, created Saturday by “A Mighty Girl,” a blog and online girl empowerment marketplace, had already surpassed 50,000 signatures by Friday afternoon.

“…a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure…”

Not every woman is a strong, confident, self-rescuing princess ready to set off on her next adventure, and if you think they should be you’re just as small-minded as the misogynists you claim to war against. The point of a Disney princess is someone you can relate to. Some girls, and some boys, relate to different princesses. All of them are different. The fact that the older princesses (whom I’m about to list) were “rescued from a prince” or “weren’t confident in themselves” doesn’t diminish the fact that they got shit done and were awesome as fuck.

Snow White had anxiety problems, but she was one of the nicest people you could meet. She took care of seven grown men and made sure they got off to a good start every morning. Because of her, they were happy and healthy.

Cinderella was abused, but unbroken. Her strength and kindness shook a kingdom. She didn’t need money, fame, or to dress in all the latest fashions to win the heart of a prince. She just needed her heart.

Pocahontas saw the world from all angles. Her wisdom saved all those mens’ lives and protected her tribe from future generations of settlers. And if I recall, she was half-naked.

Jasmine was wealthy and suffered from depression, yet she didn’t discriminate against the poor and married a man not because she needed him, but because she wanted him. Plus, she owned a fucking tiger. A fucking tiger. As a pet.

Ariel lived for her dreams and let nothing stand in her way. With blood, sweat, and tears, she fiercely defended the life she saw for herself. She was Disney’s first red-headed, rambunctious teenage girl who never had “no” in her heart.

Belle was smart, resourceful, and brave. She traded places with her elderly father, knowing it may well mean the end of her life. Even though she was terrified, when everyone else only saw a beast she saw a man, and tamed his heart with patient love. If not for her, he would have been slaughtered by the ignorant.

You need to be careful. When you start screaming “Disney is sexist! These girls are too sexy!” it should become painfully obvious that you’re missing the point. Disney teaches girls that the beauty—or ugly—of a person is reflected from the inside. If you can’t see behind the physical appearance of Disney’s females, that is your failing—not the company’s.

Society teaches us that femininity is wrong. That women must have “masculine” qualities to be powerful and appreciated. That only princesses like Merida and Mulan should be looked up to as role models for girls because they are tomboyish and use weapons.

We need to teach our daughters that it doesn’t matter whether she’s the “before” or “after” image. That if a girl uses it, it is a girl’s thing. That if a girl doesn’t use it, she is still awesome as fuck.

I agree 100% of what you just wrote. You do not have to use weapons or act like a man to be brave. It has no gender nor race but heart and everyone has that! I’m really getting tired of the constant slut-shaming because her shoulders are showing and she is wearing makeup from both feminists and non-feminists. I actually like the makeover design because it shows that she is a mature beautiful woman but maintains her free-spirit as shown from her loose curls and her pose. as for the waist, is not as bad as Jasmine’s tho I still look up to Merida in that pose regardless of weight. I’m not that skinny to begin with but I adore the Disney princess anyway!

"A ban on niqabs in France or mini-skirts in Uganda, or warped legislation on reproductive rights in..."

she-raquel — Fri, 10 May 2013 16:30:22 -0400

“A ban on niqabs in France or mini-skirts in Uganda, or warped legislation on reproductive rights in the U.S. — all these efforts tell women that our bodies are not our own.”

- Sara Yasin, Palestinian-American blogger, on the distracting clash that is the hijab debate in the NYTimes
(via alymeetsturkey)

she-raquel: chinad011: it took me years to understand this...

she-raquel — Sun, 05 May 2013 20:16:07 -0400

she-raquel:

chinad011:

it took me years to understand this joke

The time when Sandy realizes why we need feminism.

tenley-pie: elihzbah: putmedownpunk: #kermit you uplifting...

she-raquel — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:53:30 -0400

tenley-pie:

elihzbah:

putmedownpunk:

#kermit you uplifting motherfucker

that tag.

bluesey: The Cycle of Abuse Illustrated Through Single...

she-raquel — Sun, 05 May 2013 00:53:15 -0400

bluesey:

The Cycle of Abuse Illustrated Through Single Photos and Multiple Models

Statistics show that 70% of people who are abused as children will grow up into adults who will in turn abuse children. A recent awareness ad campaign by Mexican organization Save the Children shared this fact in single photographs that are both creative and difficult to stomach.

The advertisements were originally published back in May 2012, and were created by Mexican agency Y&R and photographer Ale Burset.

Each one uses five models showing one individual at different stages of life. In the foreground, the individual is experiencing abuse as a child. Older versions of the abused child grow up as they walk across the background of the frame, and turn into the original abuser by the time they walk a full circle.

“70% of abused children turn into abusive adults. Donate at savethechildren.mx,” the advertisements say.

"Hello, my name is [Nita], and I am Southern Cheyenne. I may not be so eloquent—I don’t have any..."

she-raquel — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:54:47 -0400

“

Hello, my name is [Nita], and I am Southern Cheyenne. I may not be so eloquent—I don’t have any notes here—but please know that I’m speaking from my heart:

Last month I visited my homeland for the first time in 15 years. Surprisingly enough, I ended up going to a tourist attraction that valorizes the man who repeatedly raped an ancestor of mine. I had to sit down with the men that run it, who were selling the relationship between this man and my grandmother to tourists as an epic love story, and tell them that they were far from the truth. She was 14 and didn’t speak English. It was rape. I’m still processing that event and expect to spend a long time coming to terms with it, but it was important to me that I bring that story home to my family.

My brother is 19, and is still learning how to navigate his relationships with women. When telling him this story, I reminded him that the women in our family, for seven generations, have each been beaten and raped. I am the seventh generation to be raped. So the question I pose to you all is the same question I posed to him—are you going to allow for an eighth generation to be raped as well? What are you going to do for our daughters so that they are not another link in that chain, what are you going to do for our eighth generation?

”

- Deborah Parker, Vice Chairwoman of the Tulalip Tribes, was the keynote speaker at this week’s Sexual Assault Summit, hosted by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center; as a part of her speech, she played this video of a press conference she gave in support of VAWA (I really recommend watching it, it’s very powerful!) and then asked each table to nominate one person to come forward and give a 2-minute speech inspired by hers—basically asking us what we would say if we had 2 minutes to speak to either a governmental body or our community at large about violence against Native women. My table nominated me, and this was my speech.

I’m sharing this on here not because it’s new information or even because I think it’s compelling—this was the first time I shared this story in person, up on a stage in front of 100 people, with a microphone in my hand. My entire body was shaking. This was a landmark for me. Speaking this out loud in this way reminded me of how healing and empowering something like that can be. As I walked back to my seat, multiple women thanked me and one even reached out to hold my hand for a moment—to have shared that and to receive so much love and support was just amazing. So I’m sharing this on here because I want a record of what I said as a reminder for myself, but also to say that even though it can be so overwhelmingly terrifying, don’t ever underestimate the power of speaking up and sharing our stories.

(via nitanahkohe)

Feminist Resources

she-raquel — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 22:42:35 -0400

Feminist Resources:

farahjoon:

Audre Lorde’s The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House

Audre Lorde’s Uses of the Erotic: The Erotic as Power

Aurora Levins Morales’s Radical Pleasure: Sex and the End of Victimhood

bell hooks’ Cultural Criticism & Transformation

Chandra Talpade Mohanty’s Under Western Eyes: Feminist Scholarship and Colonial Discourses

Combahee River Collective Statement

Dorothy Allison’s A Question of Class

Judith Butler documentary

Leslie Feinberg’s We Are All Works in Progress

Paula Gunn Allen’s Who is Your Mother?: Red Roots of White Feminism

R.W. Connell’s The Social Organization of Masculinity

Sandra Lee Bartky’s Foucault, Femininity, and the Modernization of Patriarchal Power

Sandra Cisneros’s Guadalupe the Sex Goddess

Sojourner Truth’s Ain’t I a Woman?

Susan Bordo’s The Body and the Reproduction of Femininity

And this girl is a racist! Indian girls have other traditional...

she-raquel — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:07:00 -0400

And this girl is a racist!

Indian girls have other traditional dances but belly dance is not one of them. I’m hispanic but I don’t know how to hip roll whatever but I belly dance. And to assume all black girls twerk is a stereotype. Heck I know white girls that dance salsa better than me!

househarris: penguinsledding: “To JK Rowling, from Cho...

she-raquel — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 14:26:59 -0400

househarris:

penguinsledding:

“To JK Rowling, from Cho Chang” by Rachel Rostad

Regardless of your opinion on the Harry Potter books (I’ve been madly in love with them since way back in elementary), you should watch this video. Be sure to actually listen to the poet and not immediately jump to the defense of the books that you love. It’s okay to love something and acknowledge that it has flaws.

Watch it, it’s absolutely brilliant.

I seek liberty and freedom, not for myself, but for those whom...

she-raquel — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:16:39 -0400

I seek liberty and freedom, not for myself, but for those whom such fundamental rights are denied. I am their shield, their sword, their only hope. The roads I travel are dark, but they bring me closer to the light.

bostonbrunette: alittlebitofeverything1: itslikek: esofine: O...

she-raquel — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:30:36 -0400

bostonbrunette:

alittlebitofeverything1:

itslikek:

esofine:

On days like today, you see a lot of bad in humanity. However, through the darkness, you also see a lot of good.

Goosebumps.

WOW.

Makes me think of one of my favorite quotes (which I know can be hard to believe on a day like today) - “I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart.” (Anne Frank)