I’d prefer my lunch without the sexually objectifying images thanks #everydaysexism (at Edi house)
(Source: whisperingwordsofwisdom)
[Self-portraits by Carrie Mae Weems, Käthe Kollwitz, Judy Baca, and Frida Kahlo, text “Never apologize for selfies”]
(Source: gorgonetta)
Slut-shaming in Italy
Hopefully this grassroots shift will start teaching Italians that you can like sex and be a feminist too, seeing as they seem to commonly mistake feminism for prudish moralismo. And believe me, I get how much more attractive it is to side with the sexual freedom fighters if you’re faced with a ridiculous false binary like this. Especially because Italians have this gift for making sex appreciation verge on the holy. There is something intoxicating about it if you aren’t sexually repressed. As I’ve mentioned before, I discovered how to celebrate my feminine side here, and it felt wonderful. The shitty, confusing and ultimate paradox for women in Italy is how we are at once raised on a pedestal and made to feel like second-class citizens.
From my latest at Maple Leaf Mamma.
Meet Cécile Kyenge: Italy’s First Black Government Minister
How much do I love the fact that Italy’s first-ever minister of colour is a woman?
A LOT.
Cécile Kyenge was born in Kambove, Congo and was elected Italy’s Minister of Integration on April 28, 2013 as part of Prime Minister Enrico Letta’s new government. Kyenge is an ophthalmologist and married mother of two who lives in Castelfranco Emilia, near Modena.
Interestingly, she doesn’t like being called a “woman of colour”:
I don’t think it’s the right expression. Either you say what colour my skin is or, better, you say my country of origin, or at least that I am of “foreign origin.” In my case you should say Italo-Congolese, just like you say Italo-American or Anglo-French…It better describes the person you’re talking about and, most importantly, implies the belonging to two places, the double identity.
In fact, to combat racism, she believes it’s important to focus on language:
Kyenge says that the words that bother her most are “negro,” which today is “a pejorative, derogatory term. Originally it meant something quite different, but now it’s disturbing.” Equally unacceptable is “vu’ cumprà” [an imitation of how African street-sellers pronounce “vuoi comprare” or “do you want to buy”], as is “ ‘extracomunitario’ [meaning non-EU immigrant, but generally only used to refer to Africans], now invariably used as synonymous with ‘foreigner.’ We can fight discrimination by using the right words.”
(From here.)
Change: it is happening!
(Source: theongrayjoy)
Hip Hop, Cunnilingus and Sex as a Gendered Issue
Wow. This post by Maddie Collier is freaking brilliant.
In spite of near-universal agreement that sex is fun and feels nice, the backseating of women’s sexual pleasure is still a stubborn stain on our cultural fabric, and we can’t seem to get past the idea that sex is really for men. Take the world of porn, for instance, which is a steadfastly dude-centric affair for no good reason at all. On a mainstream aggregator site like PornHub.com you can find 60+ categories of porn. Fifty-nine of those are aimed at men, who can choose between bukkake and creampie, POV and BBW, or any of the other colourful and creative tabs tailored to their every whim. Women, on the other hand, get one catch-all category: “female friendly”. It’s a yawnfest full of pristine white people wearing pristine white underwear humping on pristine white sheets and gazing into each other’s pristine white eyeballs (zzzzzzzz). The condescension is palpable, and besides, this stuff isn’t for us: it’s just the softest of the stuff that’s made for men. If I’m a girl and I’d rather watch interracial gangbangs (and, really, who’d blame me) then I can; but I’ll be jacking off through a compulsory male gaze either way.
Or take the soul-deadening world of Cosmo sex advice. Ostensibly “for women”, these articles are usually preoccupied with maximising men’s sexual pleasure, e.g. “His 6 Secret Sex Spots Revealed!” (Balls aren’t exactly shrouded in secrecy where I’m from, but thanks anyway, Cosmo). Women are bombarded by can’t-win commands on how they can best please men: Be available! But don’t be too slutty! Be adventurous! But don’t be too freaky! Be into kinky stuff! But don’t be into weird kinky stuff! Interracial gangbangs!!?? FOR THE LOVE OF GOD NO, NO MAN WILL EVER WANT YOU.
(Thanks blue milk)
