Greetings, one and all. Shall we take a stroll through a few internet neighborhoods and see what’s been happening in Ladyblogland? This week’s feminist dispatches center around our entertainment.
At Upworthy, World Poetry Slam champ Denice Frohman drops some truth-magic: “Dear Straight People, We Have to Talk.”
On a related note: At Feministing, Tobias Rodriguez talks about eradicating biphobia in the queer community and in gay media.
At The Atlantic, Steven Heller on “The Colorful, Subversive History of Women Getting Tattoos.”
In the world of sport, Jessica Luther covers the ongoing misogynistic reaction to basketball player Brittney Griner being asked to try out for the Dallas Mavericks. At The Guardian, she writes:
Griner faces an uphill battle against the haters, as she starts from the disadvantaged position both as a black woman and as a spectacular athlete, a skill society codes as “masculine.” Serena Williams is often attacked with slurs that she is secretly a man; it’s a common meme for powerful black female athletes.
On a different subject, but still in the neighborhood of race: At Jezebel, Dodai Stewart examines the racism still rampant in the porn industry, especially when the combination of actors is black-man/white-woman.
In the world of books, perhaps you’ve heard of The VIDA Count? The literary arts organization followed several media outlets over the year, tallying the ratio of female/male book reviewers and the female/male author ratio with books reviewed. Most publications did not do well at all in achieving parity.
In a similar, yet somewhat more involved study, the women over at Ladybusiness studied the ratios on sites reviewing sci-fi and fantasy novels. Their scientific method is fantastic to see, and the results are interesting.
Also interesting and regarding science-fiction: Liz Williams, Clarke Prize panel judge, defends this year’s shortlist made up of entirely male authors.
Target had a bit of a “whoops” this week when one “regular” size dress was labeled “Dark Heather Gray,” while the plus-sized version was called “Manatee Gray.” Yeah.
At Salon, Tracy Clark-Flory talks about the new bill headed through the Florida legislature that criminalizes “revenge porn“:
It would make it a felony to publish online nude photos or videos of a person without their permission and along with identifying information. At the same time, activists around the country are petitioning for both state and federal laws to criminalize what they call “non-consensual porn.”
The question we ask here is, do the people who posted said photos without the subject’s consent have grounds to fight it on copyright? It’s a complicated issue of jerkitude, for sure.
On the opposite end of jerkitude, what about compliments and “benign sexism?” Autumn Whitefield-Madrano, writer at The Beheld, talks about how that relates to President Barack Obama.
Finally, a little hope for the future: 14-year-old Ophélia Martin-Weber talks about the sexualization of women’s breasts, breastfeeding, and her attitude towards her own body.
Sally Lawton will be back next week with your Dispatches From Ladyblogland, but thanks for reading while I’ve been subbing. See you in the comments.
2 replies on “Dispatches From Ladyblogland: Entertainment Edition”
Nothing wrong with manatees though (yes I know what’s the point, but still) and yay times three for articles on biphobia.
I know, I love manatees! I saw a whole bunch of them when I was in Florida last month, hanging out in a harbor. The fish like to eat algae off their backs.
And yes, pretty much any time I can point out an article on biphobia, I will.