Dare to Compete

I have been privileged to travel extensively. I've seen the many different ways women contribute. I've met activists working to advance human rights from Belarus to Uzbekistan. I've met with young women standing up for representative government in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. I've watched entrepreneurs in Africa, Asia, and Latin America working to improve their lives, the lives of their children, their employees, and local economies. And today, we are addressing another way that women can make a great contribution through public service.

I have been fortunate to serve in different capacities in my life, and have had the support of so many people. But even with all that support, I remember the trepidation that I felt when I was being pushed to consider running for a Senate seat in New York. I had never run for elected office. I wasn't sure it was the right thing to do. And one day, I would wake up and say absolutely not going to do it. The next day, I'd wake up and say, well, so-and-so called me, maybe I should reconsider. And I was on this rollercoaster of emotions until I got what I chose to take as a sign.

I was at an event promoting a documentary about women in sports, in a gymnasium in a high school in New York City. And we were gathered under a giant banner that happened to be the name of the documentary, which was Dare to Compete. (Laughter.) And—you know where this is going, right? (Laughter.)

So just as I stepped forward, having been introduced by this very incredibly dynamic young and tall woman, who happened to be the captain of the high school basketball team, I went up to shake her hand to thank her, and she leaned over to me and whispered in my ear, "Dare to compete, Mrs. Clinton. Dare to compete." (Laughter.)

So, soon after that, I decided to enter the race, and it was one of the best decisions of my life.

—From Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's remarks to the Women in Public Service Colloquium in Washington DC today.

You can watch the speech and read the entire transcript here. Clinton's speech begins at about minute 25 in the video.

Photo of the Day

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga (right) and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leave the room after signing an agreement between the two countries on December 14, 2011 at the State Department in Washington. [Getty Images]

(A picture of the two of them working, in which their faces are visible, can be seen here.)

@scatx: @Shakestweetz >> Clinton being amazing in pink once more >> Photo from Getty Images bit.ly/sKvwXa

@Shakestweetz: @scatx I saw that set last night, and the same picture you picked out was also my favorite (of course).

@scatx: @Shakestweetz one day, we are going to meet and we are just going to talk for like three straight days. #samebrain

@Shakestweetz: That picture could totally be the Knope/Perkins ticket on inauguration day. #icanmakeanythingaboutparksandrec

@scatx: YES IT COULD.

I Write Letters

Dear Western Pop Culture and Everyone Who Pays Attention to It:

The Kardashian Sisters are human beings. I just thought we all needed that reminder, since it seems like many of us are incapable of speaking about them without using the most hateful, objectifying, exploitative, and straight-up eliminationist rhetoric.

While I have everyone's attention, I'd also like to specifically address famous men, like Daniel Craig or Jonah Hill, for whom publicly trashing the Kardashians has become a great new pastime: The constant whinging about how the Kardashians aren't famous for "doing anything," because what they do—put themselves out there as entertainers—doesn't meet your threshold for the sort of entertainment that deserves fame, is really ugly.

You don't have to like what they do, and you don't even have to like them. But there's a market for reality programming, and it's a niche they're willing to fill. I sure as shit wouldn't be willing to live my life, or some partially-scripted and highly-edited version of my life, on camera, for the entertainment of others—not for all the money in the world. I wouldn't be interesting enough, anyway, even if I did.

That's not incidental. People want to watch the Kardashians. Whether it's to love them or to hate them, people want to watch them. I don't know if they've got talent, but they've evidently got charisma.

I get that there may be some haunting Video Killed the Radio Star anxiety about the increasing popularity of "unscripted" television, when your multimillion-dollar paychecks are dependent upon the popularity of mega-produced mega-polished mega-productions. But, listen, if there's really not enough room in this media-saturated world for the Kardashians and James Bond, that's not really their fault. Fame is fickle because it's based on the whims of the consumer.

(And the television executive. And the tabloid editor.)

Now back to the general audience for one last thing: In many (most) of these multitudinous attacks on the Kardashians, I have detected a little (a lot) of the sneering hostility that tends to get reserved for women who have the temerity to take up space in the world. Which is really gross, and really pathetic in the year 2011. And don't even get me started on the transmisogynist "humor" used against them, or the heinous ubiquity of "jokes" intending to demean them sheerly on the basis of observing some of their partners are/have been Black men.

Maybe we can all just lay off the Kardashians already. By which I mean: Save our criticisms for things that deserve criticism (like, say, the casual use of transphobic slurs), and stop talking a stream of nonstop rubbish auditing their "right" to be famous.

I'll end with his note of irony: Despite my well-known reputation for consuming all manner of garbage television, I have never seen an episode of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, or any of the spin-offs. The primary reason I even know who the Kardashians are is because of all the people who can't shut up about how horrible it is that they're famous. Whoooooops!

Love,
Liss

Quote of the Day

"It presents her as a professional woman writer; there are pens on the table, a sheaf of paper. She seems to be a woman very confident in her own skin, very happy to be presented as a professional woman writer and a novelist, which does fly in the face of the cutesy, heritage spinster view."—Jane Austen scholar Dr. Paula Byrne, who may have discovered a lost portrait of Austen. The image, done in graphite on vellum, undermines the traditional narratives of Austen that cast her as a one-dimensional irascible spinster, and instead "shows a writer at the height of her powers and a woman comfortable in her own skin."

[H/T to Iain, whom I love even more now than I did in the moment before he passed this along with a note about how much I'd like it.]

Iron Ladies

L-R: Chef Guarnaschelli, Chef Falkner, Chef Burrell.
One of my favorite things on television right now is the camaraderie between Chef Alex Guarnaschelli, Chef Elizabeth Falkner, and Chef Anne Burrell on this season of Next Iron Chef. I routinely despair at the lack of pop culture with stories about strong, talented, individual women who complement each other and aren't in competition for (male) attention—but here it is, on a reality food show, where the women are in actual competition and yet are clearly friends and colleagues with an enormous amount of respect for one another.

I love all of these women, and their individual styles. Their food always looks amazing, although sometimes I hardly notice, because I am so busy enjoying the opportunity to watch a group of women I admire, and lamenting the damnable rarity of such an event.

[Note: The results of last night's episode are off-topic for this thread, in case anyone hasn't seen it yet. No spoilers!]

Here Are Some Neat Things to Read!

This is a good article about Chelsea Clinton in the New York Times. Too bad about that dud of a closing quote from Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, though. Amy Chozick should have given the last word to Chelsea Clinton, who says the most interesting things about Chelsea Clinton in the piece. She is very self-aware!

This is an extremely moving piece by Yasmine El Rashidi in the New York Review of Books, titled "Choosing Egypt's Future," about the elections in Egypt. Egypt's future remains uncertain, and it is refreshing to read the perspective of that uncertainty from a woman who stood in line six hours to vote, since so much of the available punditry, is, typically, provided by white male outsiders.

And this is a fun interview with comedian Jim Gaffigan, who is one of my favorites (and not just because we grew up about 10 minutes apart). I don't believe I've ever seen a male comedian give credit to his wife as a writing partner before, unless they were co-performers (e.g. Stiller and Meara), even though Jeannie Noth Gaffigan is certainly not the first woman whose writing talents have assisted a husband's career.

Number of the Day

32.8%: The percentage of the 4,342 speaking characters from the top 100-grossing movies of 2009 who were female; 67.2% were male, and the percentages remained unchanged from 2008, according to the study done by the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism.

"We see remarkably stable trends," said USC Annenberg associate professor Stacy L. Smith. "This reveals an industry formula for gender that may be outside of people's conscious awareness."

It's not just the ratio of female to male characters that continues to be imbalanced but the manner in which they're depicted, according to Smith.

The USC study determined that women were still far more likely than men to wear sexy clothing in movies, such as swimwear and unbuttoned shirts (25.8% versus 4.7%), to expose skin (23% versus 7.4%) and to be described by another character as attractive (10.9% versus 2.5%).

Revealing clothing and partial nudity was just as prevalent among 13- to 20-year-old female characters as it was among those 21 to 29, suggesting that females are sexualized on-screen at young ages, Smith said.

Behind the camera, the gender inequality is just as dramatic: only 3.6% of the directors and 13.5% of the writers on the top-grossing films of 2009 were female, according to the study.

Researchers found that the sex of the storytellers had a significant effect on what appeared on-screen. In movies directed by women, 47.7% of the characters were female; in movies directed by men, fewer than a third of the characters were female. When one or more of the screenwriters was female, 40% of characters were female; when all the screenwriters were male, 29.8% of the characters were female.

Marginalization is a snake eating its own tail: The more any non-privileged group is marginalized, the more they're marginalized.

Hells Yeah News

True facts:
1. I am a lady
2. I like teh sports
3. I like teh sports video games

I'm a particularly big fan of hockey, because I grew up in Minnesota and hockey is part of my religion. :cough:

Stop me if you've heard this one before, but sometimes the people who design video games (always) forget that I exist. So, if you're playing EA's hockey game, you can create an avatar, provided that avatar represents a dude.

Lexi Peters, a 14-year-old girl from Upstate, was all like 'What the fuck, yo?' So, she wrote to EA.

In a show of savvy public relations, EA decided to add an option for a female avatar, using Peters' likeness as the model. Score.

Via @ShelbyKnox

History Made in Gary, Indiana

Karen Freeman-Wilson takes the podium for her acceptance speech during her election party at the Genesis Center in Gary, Ind. Tuesday November 8, 2011. With her victory, Freeman-Wilson has become the first female mayor of Gary. | Stephanie Dowell for Sun-Times Media

Last night, Democratic candidate Karen Freeman-Wilson won the mayoral election in my neighboring town of Gary, Indiana, making her the city's first female mayor in its 106-year history. Freeman-Wilson, 51, handily won with 86% of the vote.

Making history came easy Tuesday for Democrat Karen Freeman-Wilson who now faces the tougher challenge of resurrecting a city ravaged by crime, corruption and lost tax dollars.

Voters overwhelmingly elected Freeman-Wilson, 51, [daughter of a steelworker and community activist, valedictorian of her Roosevelt High class, and graduate of Harvard Law School,] as the city's first woman mayor in its 106-year history.

"It's an honor to make history, any way you make it," said Freeman-Wilson shortly before she met supporters at the Genesis Center. "You can finally breathe a sigh of relief. Now, the real work begins."

Rock on Mayor-Elect Freeman-Wilson.

#mencallmethings

Yesterday I mentioned the #mencallmethings hashtag that Sady Doyle of Tiger Beatdown had started on Twitter so female bloggers could share some of the vitriol they receive from a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of thunderfucks in their inboxes and comments sections. It's still going strong, and, again, I encourage you to check it out and participate, with the note that much of the stuff people are submitting is triggering.

For those who aren't on Twitter and/or can't view Twitter from work, I've published below the fold (on most browsers) my contributions in chronological order to #mencallmethings. If you can't (or don't want to) participate on Twitter, but have experience(s) you'd like to share, please feel welcome and encouraged to submit your own experience(s) in comments.

[Trigger warning for rape culture, threats, violence, misogyny, fat hatred, disablism.]

● Everything @sadydoyle has already said, plus every variation on fat, ugly, and unfuckable under the sun and the moon. #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] Also unrapeable, despite the fact that I have been raped. #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] Here is Shakesville's famously unmoderated Opie & Anthony thread, for a breathtaking example of #mencallmethings: http://bit.ly/txe8KM (link)

● My most recent post on the subject of #mencallmethings: On Keeping On Keeping On. http://bit.ly/tzgdVf (link)

● [TW] "id have to rape her with 3 Popsicle sticks taped to my flaccid wang" http://bit.ly/tYspMG #mencallmethings (link)

● A "dumm bith." http://bit.ly/s45ah7 #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "No one wants to rape you, Shakes. Sorry to inform you." http://bit.ly/ltrQKM #mencallmethings (link)

● A steampunk abortion robot: http://bit.ly/uBoLLA #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "only tragedy is that a bullet didn't rip through ur brainstem after u were used 4 ur 1 & only purpose in this world" #mencallmethings (link)

● My "I Get Letters" section is a plethora of fun correspondence from anti-feminists: http://bit.ly/tbq5YN #mencallmethings (link)

● "What a raging, lunatic, hypocrite u are. And despicable. What a despicable person u are." This, b/c I criticized a movie. #mencallmethings (link)

● "gigantic feminazi pig" -- The subject heading on an email the entirety of which read, "How much do you weigh?" #mencallmethings (link)

● "Why you lazy dope smoking fat hog, sitting on your fat ass every day writing bullshit, you're so opressed." [sic] #mencallmethings (link)

● "wretched cum dumpster" / "rape-murder fail" / "cunt bucket" / "fat whore" / These are all from recent emails. #mencallmethings (link)

● "The problem is this there are soooooooo many liberals…and so few bullets." Sent by a gov employee from his gov email. #mencallmethings (link)

● When I start compiling this stuff, I do find it slightly worrying how inured I've become to vicious bullying & threats. #mencallmethings (link)

● "Oh, well, just another day being wished raped and killed, and called a fat stupid cunt! Totally normal job, I'm sure!" #mencallmethings (link)

● [Like @KateHarding] I've also gotten emails imagining in vivid detail my sex life, while calling me disgusting/unfuckable & pitying my husband. #mencallmethings (link)

● Wonder passingly if it's the same guy, then realize I don't actually care. #mencallmethings (link)

● An "anti-Catholic, vulgar, trash-talking bigot." http://bit.ly/v9XBVe #mencallmethings (link)

● "I know where you live." Also: My street address used as a commenting handle. #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "If you can look at her without wanting to punch her in the face, you're not looking hard enough" http://bit.ly/tYspMG #mencallmethings

● [TW] "she is just hoping someone will get pissed enough at all her feminist shit & revenge rape her." http://bit.ly/tYspMG #mencallmethings (link)

● "Please die, PLEASE??????????????????????? Fat and Ugly is noway to go through life." http://bit.ly/t3mK18 #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "I hope you whiny cunts find your way on top of a pinball machine in the near future." http://bit.ly/t2VER8 #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "too bad that terrible rapist didnt kill your fat ass…. Cunt" http://bit.ly/s3ZNGr #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "guess the guy who raped you somehow left his dick behind b/c you have a major pole up your ass." http://bit.ly/s09Ygk #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "lying pinko-commie-feminist-bitch complains abt the 1 time in ur life where u served a purpose!" http://bit.ly/samGyw #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "If you stopped being such a stupid bitch & accepted the raping, you wouldn't have gotten beaten" http://bit.ly/vIVuDD #mencallmethings (link)

● [TW] "Oh and that guy that raped you. Fucking owned your ass." http://bit.ly/t60iIp #mencallmethings (link)

● Also, I have been called a liar by rape apologists. Over and over and over. #mencallmethings (link)

● @mistyclifton was the 1st Shakesville mod (besides me). We could write an entire #mencallmethings book from deleted comments alone, lolsob. (link)

● A member of The Weaker Sex. LULZ. #mencallmethings (link)

● I do so love the irony of the women who put up with this shit day in and day out being called "oversensitive." #mencallmethings (link)

● Weak! Hypersensitive! Reactionary! Hysterical! Easily offended! Possessor of delicate lady fee-fees! LULZ. #mencallmethings (link)

● Whoooooooooooops turns out we're not weak or oversensitive; we do not crumble, even under 10 metric fucktons of harassment. #mencallmethings (link)

● [in response to @SadyDoyle tweeting: "'Self-absorbed/bragging/self-involved' thing might be my favorite #mencallmethings. Makes it clear that you liking yourself is the problem."] Liking and respecting other women seems to be a pretty big sticking point with these harassers, too. #gofigure #mencallmethings (link)

● #mencallmethings: Stupid. At least, that is the implication when people feel obliged to inform me "not all men are like that." (link)

● #mencallmethings: Unfair. That, too, is the implication when people feel obliged to inform me "not all men are like that." (link)

● #mencallmethings: Mean. That, too, is the implication when people feel obliged to inform me "not all men are like that," as if I don't know. (link)

● It's not that I'm asserting "all men" harass women. I'm reporting that all the harassment I've received is from men. #mencallmethings (link)

● Deliberately eliding that distinction in order to call ME stupid, irrational, reactionary, etc. is a rich irony indeed. #mencallmethings (link)

● #mencallmethings just since this hashtag started: Head hog / Fat bitch / Cunt / Ugly / Whore / Liar / Evil / Hysteric / Easily offended (link)

● #mencallmethings just since this hashtag started: Hypersensitive / Toad / Unfuckable / Unrapeable / Every variation on fat imaginable. (link)

● Oftentimes, it's not that #mencallmethings. It's just that they don't link to me or support my work because they quietly agree [with the harassers]. (link)

● There are men who are ostensibly political allies who quietly call me "too strident, too hysterical, too FEMINISTY." #mencallmethings (link)

● They fancy themselves fundamentally different from trolls who want to silence by shouting, but silencing by marginalization is different only in that it lacks the honesty of its misogynist convictions. #mencallmethings (link and link)

#mencallmethings

Sady Doyle started a hashtag on Twitter so female bloggers could share some of the vitriol they receive from a seemingly never-ending cavalcade of thunderfucks in their inboxes and comments sections. Check out #mencallmethings, where I direct you with a trigger warning. It ain't pretty. And it's almost certainly worse than you even imagine.

I've contributed a bunch of stuff already, and will continue to submit as time allows.

Quote of the Day

"This is not a favor to women; it is not simply a nice thing to do. No country can get ahead when it leaves half of its people behind."—Melanne Verveer, a US State Department Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues, at a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing called this week to examine the role of women in the aftermath of the Arab Spring.

The full inclusion of women into policy-making roles has been an issue championed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her entire career. She has spoken to the need for equality, and the rich mine of ideas and passion and energy that goes untapped when women are marginalized, on countless occasions. It is no surprise, but no less delightful for its predictability, that her State Department would take an active approach to addressing inclusion in what blooms from the Arab Spring.

Less charming is this, buried deep in the same article:

The United States, which along with states like Iran and Somalia, has yet to ratify the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, should do so, said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California. She said repressive governments could use that fact as a pretext to not live up to their own obligations under it.

The U.N.-sponsored treaty has languished in the U.S. Senate since its adoption in 1979.

I will note that the US Senate currently has a Democratic majority. Still no action for the nation's women.

What do black women really think about love and marriage?

by Tamara Winfrey Harris, of What Tami Said


[Graphic created using image from nedari06]
The way our society talks about black women and marriage—from the daily paper to the pulpit to movies and self-help books—is flawed, sexist and damaging. When black women tell their own stories, a more thoughtful truth emerges.

I am working on a project juxtaposing the authentic experiences of African American women with the tragic common narrative about black women and marriage—a narrative that narrows lives, turns black female successes into failures and unfairly burdens us alone with responsibility for the success of black male/female relationships, black families and the black community. My goal is that my efforts will result in a published book.

I am currently working to identify black women to have frank discussions about how they navigate relationships, sexuality, singleness, marriage and divorce. If you, or someone you know, is willing to be a part of this effort, please contact me at Tamara@BackTalkBook.com.

Some things to know:

I am interested in interviewing black women of all ages, backgrounds, geographic locations and experiences. One goal of my effort is to illuminate the lives of women often erased in discussions of the black marriage rate, including married women, divorced women, women who don't wish to marry, lesbian women, women in interracial relationships and others.

Subjects should be willing to participate in multiple one-on-one interviews both in person and through technology. Initial interviews will be conducted by phone in November. While I will not require an inordinate amount of time from interviewees, I will need to interact with them enough to understand their stories, experiences and perspectives.

Elements of participants' stories, including quotes, will be included in a published work, written by me. Women have the option of being referred to by their full, real names, first names only or a pseudonym.

Beyond the ABC specials, "think like a man" romantic advice tomes and panic-inducing women's magazine articles, exist the real stories of black women—too often told from another perspective and voice. Everyone is talking about black women and marriage. I want to talk back.

Please help by responding to and sharing this call for participants through your networks. Please direct questions about this project to Tamara@BackTalkBook.com.

[Cross-posted.]

Women: How to keep your boyfriend/husband from drinking your beer

At least, in public:

Yep, the latest effort to niche market beer to women is this pink-packaged "premium light" beer. And it hits all the 21st Century marketing-to-women stereotypes:

"We are proud to introduce Chick Beer, the only American beer created just for women.
Chick Beer is a premium, craft-brewed light lager that has just 97 calories and 3.5 carbs. We brew Chick at America’s second-oldest brewery, located in beautiful southern Wisconsin. 

For centuries, beer has been created, produced and marketed by and to men.  At Chick, we think that it’s time for a new choice. 

Chick Beer celebrates women: independent, smart, fun-loving and self-assured women who  love life and embrace all of the possibilities that it has to offer.

Above all, we think that beer is supposed to be fun!  For centuries beer has been the most sociable of beverage……good times with good friends!

So enjoy! Grab a cool Chick and Witness the Chickness!"

Okay, I guess. But if they want to appeal to more women drinkers I'd rather see mainstream beers just stop insulting women in their ads.  Most of the women I drink with like the same brands I do.

Tip via eater