The Myth of Female Privilege

Here is a great article from Everyday Feminism on the myths of female privilege.

As the author points out, just because something is a disadvantage of being male, doesn't mean that it is automatically a privilege of being female. In fact, the disadvantages males experience come from the same patriarchal forces that give them privilege. And in fact, many of the disadvantages men experience are the result of the narrow constraints of masculinity.

Social Media Bingo

This is awesome! Check out the book: Feminist Activity Book.

There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé

Check out the review of "There Are More Beautiful Things Than Beyoncé". This book is definitely worth picking up!

Nope nope nope

There are many sexist products out there in our world, but I think I want to nominate this one to take the top spot.

Mensez is a lipstick that will glue your labia shut while you have your period. Then when you pee, it will unglue and everything will fall clean away into the toilet.

Yes, that's right... GLUE. GLUE your labia together.

Do you want to guess who invented this?? A chiropractor. Not a gynecologist, a chiropractor. And it gets better? No woman would create this product, it was of course created by a man. A man who thinks, "a woman should have come up with a better solution than diapers and plugs, but you didn’t. Reason being women are focused on and distracted by your period 25% of the time, making them far less productive than they could be. Women tend to be far more creative than men, but their periods that [sic] stifle them and play with their heads."

WTF?!?!

Do you want more? He also said in an interview: “It makes more sense than putting the plug up there,” he told Forbes. “We’re using the vagina like a bladder just like tampons do.”

Yes, ladies. Your vagina should function like a bladder. It should hold all of your period blood until you're ready to empty it. Gross.

Periods are a natural bodily function and not gross. This man's ideas are gross. Women have many awesome period options these days that make dealing with menstruation easier. The vagina is not a storage device, it is a passageway. 

If you can stomach it, read more about the product from Bust.com.

Things to Read and Watch

• From last year, Sam Bee talks about the redo of the $20 bill.

• TV's first gender non-binary character!
• Fighting back against anti-abortion legislation with anti-Viagra bills. While these type of bills don't end up getting very far, they help to highlight the ridiculousness of legislating women's bodies.
• A great piece on how "Take Back the Country" just incites violence and hatred.
• Equal pay is bad for families? Maybe equal pay is bad for GOP members in Utah.
• Free tampons in NYC schools, jails, and shelters!

Racism and Infant Mortality

What's Killing America's Black Infants? is a fascinating and distress read. As the author writes:

White, educated American women lose their infants at rates similar to mothers in America’s peer countries. Most of the burden of the higher mortality rate here is borne by poorer, less-educated families, particularly those headed by unmarried or black women. Across the United States, black infants die at a rate that’s more than twice as high as that of white infants. 

What is causing this disparity in outcomes? Why are black infants dying more frequently? The author reviews the common reasons (poor maternal healthcare, poor nutrition, just poverty generally), but finds that the constant stress of racial prejudice and discrimination may be at the root:

Chronic stress raises amounts of cortisone, a hormone that at elevated levels triggers labor. It can also cause an inflammatory response that restricts blood flow to the placenta, stunting infant growth. But it’s not just stress during pregnancy that matters: Health experts now think that stress throughout the span of a woman’s life can prompt biological changes that affect the health of her future children. Stress can disrupt immune, vascular, metabolic, and endocrine systems, and cause cells to age more quickly. 

Some cities are working to decrease infant mortality with a specific focus on black infants. This article, however, reminds us that experiences of discrimination may go well beyond the immediate pain and when repeated throughout one's life may result in negative generational outcomes.

A piece of history...

Ever wonder about consciousness raising? Want to know more about second-wave feminism?

TRYING TO MAKE THE PERSONAL POLITICAL: FEMINISM AND CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING

This is an update and reprint of the 1975 pamphlet on consciousness raising. This is an important and interesting piece of history that may help as we move forward in fighting for women's rights. The website contains scanned images of the pamphlet as well as links to purchase your own copy.