I love me some B!

My internet has been down lately (soo annoying), so I apologize for the lack of posts this past week. Anyways, I  got around to watching Beyonce's new music video yesterday, and after completely falling in love with it, I realized that it was about damn time for me to make a post in here about good ol' B. I love Beyonce! People always think I'm kidding when I say that, but I'm not, I seriously love Beyonce and shamelessly have both her and Destiny Childs full discographies on my computer. 

I always hear other feminists arguing back and forth about whether or not Beyonce is in fact a feminist. Honestly, I have no idea, and I think it's really hard to come to that conclusion without knowing the individual personally. But as far as Beyonce's music goes, and weather or not that is feminist; I like to think it is, or at-least very pro-woman.  
On one hand, Beyonce's music, like most pop music, is focused on men, looking perfect, and being sexual- all things that make me, and I'm sure other feminists as well, very weary of calling her music feminist. But on the other hand, Beyonce's music also speaks openly and loudly about strong women, empowerment, and sisterhood. In my opinion, when it comes to Beyonce's music, the good definitely outweighs the bad. 

But I do think it's annoying that these days even when a women is singing about being strong and empowered, she still has to do it sexually and half-naked. It would be awesome if the majority of women in pop music didn't have to be sexual and practically naked while doing everything, but unfortunately that's a trend that I don't think any of us see going away any time soon (though don't get me wrong, I totally wish it would! Where are my 90's women of today!?). Though what makes me happy about Beyonce is that I don't see her sexual outfits and persona as promoting the idea of women being sexy for men, but rather the idea of women being sexy for themselves; because they want to be sexy, they feel and think they are sexy. And that's cool! Her songs and attitude give off a "I don't need you to tell me I'm hot; I know I'm hot!" kind of vibe. And with young girls and womens self-esteems always being so low, I think thats a great message to send. 

When talking about Beyonce, I always hear girls say things like: "Beyonce makes me feel confident, or beautiful, or proud of my curves". And honestly, anyone who can make girls feel like that is feminist enough for me! And it's true, listening to Beyonce's music definitely does makes me feel all of those things and more. I think Beyonce is a great role model for girls of all ages, and although some of her music is typical pop songs, I think that for the most part her message is understood and a great one at that.

"The most important thing is to make sure you have your own life before you're someone else's wife." -Beyonce

 Now please go and watch her new music video for her song 'Why Don't you love me', it really is awesome. I love the retro feel and her take on the pissed off 1950's house wife. Plus, let's be honest, she looks damn good in that pin-up style with those Betty-bangs!

Jezebel.com also wrote a great entry about Beyonce and feminism quite some time ago. You can check it out here.

Grrrl Zines!

Obviously I'm really into feminist and riot grrrl blogs, there are a handful that I read pretty much every morning with my cup of coffee (most of which you can find linked over on the left side of this page). But recently I have wanted to begin reading feminist and riot grrrl zines as well. A zine is a self-published work of minority interest usually reproduced by photocopier. Most zines are produced in editions of less than 100, and profit is not the primary intent of publication. If you are well-read on the riot grrrl movement of the 90's, you are probably aware that it encouraged an explosion of explicit and confrontational zines about women in music and the media, feminism, and gender issues.

The truth is that there are still plenty of girls continuing to make those types of zines today. I find that really awesome because most people think that with the growth of the internet zines became obsolete, but it's cool to see that they still have a decent underground following. Nowadays if someone has something they want to say and others to hear they can just make their own website or blog about it (shit, that's what we did!), but zines have a real sense of dedication and creativity that a webpage can't compete with.

I know for me, when I first decided to start to read zines, I had no idea where to find the kinds I was interested in. I knew there were girls out there making them, but I didn't know where to look to actually find and purchase them. So in case some of you are interested but are going through the same thing, I'm going to use this post to promote and link you guys to a few feminist/riot grrrl zines that I have recently checked out and am totally excited to buy and read as soon as I can (I know they are all super cheap, but give me a break here, I'm currently jobless and beyond broke!). I've talked to a few of these girls online before, and I must say they are some amazing and intelligent women, so I know their zines will not disappoint.

• Zines by Jolie Noggle

• Zines by Ivana Stab

• Zines by Clementine Cannibal

The last lady I linked to, Clementine Cannibal, is looking for submissions for her compilation zine of writings by grrrls called "I knew a motherfucker like you and she said...". You can read all about this zine and what kinds of writings she is looking for here. If you feel inspired and have something to say, you definitely should participate and send a piece her way. I'm pretty sure I'm going to myself, which I have to get started on. All submissions should be sent to: lickingstarsoffceilings@hotmail.com

If you write your own feminist/riot grrrl zine, or just read some awesome ones, please tell us about them and where we can purchase them in the comments!

What I'm listening to- Mika Miko

I have a terrible habit of finding out about bands right before they break up. It sucks, because then I usually never get the chance to see them perform live. This holds true with the band I'm going to write about now- Mika Miko.

Back in December, I was talking to someone online about women in punk music, when they mentioned to me the band Mika Miko. Obviously at that time I never heard of them, so I decided to look them up and listen to some of their songs. After doing so, I instantly fell in love with them and bought a few of their records. It didn't take long for Mika Miko to become one of my favorite bands. I kept checking their tour dates section of their MySpace to see if they were going to play any shows in or around the NJ area, I was so pumped to see this band perform live because of the videos I saw of their live shows on Youtube. They seemed to have such amazing, fun, high-energy shows. But instead of making my wishes come true and announcing a show in the NJ area, they announced that they were breaking up. I was pissed. January 1st turned out to be their last show, at The Smell in Los Angele's, CA. 

So who is Mika Miko? Mika Miko was a punk/noise band from Los Angele's, CA, that formed in 2003. They started out as an all-girl band with Jennifer Clavin on vocals, Jenna Thornhill also on vocals, Michelle Suarez on guitar, Jessica Clavin on bass, and last but not least; Kate Hall on drums. But then a few years into being a band the drummer, Kate Hall, left and was replaced by the then only guy in the band; Seth Densham. After forming, it didn't take long for this band to gain a large local following. They were known for their intense live shows, and their 'call and response' style of vocals (when two vocalists sing phrases back and forth). 

Their sound was reminiscent of classic 1977 punk. They remind me of a mix between The Germs and 90's riot grrrl band The Frumpies. Don't get me wrong, I love girl punk bands that have cute lyrics and overall sound (I mean hello, my first 'what I'm listening to' post was on The Coathangers) but I also really appreciate girl punk bands that can play just as hard as their male counterparts- and that's Mika Miko. These ladies are bad-ass, and they play some catchy shit! The fact that they are now broken up and no longer a band is besides the point, they still deserve a listen if you haven't heard them already. 

They have a handful of 7" and full-length albums, some of which you can buy here.

Their Myspace

Enough pixelated boobs! (Sexism in video games)

It's pretty common knowledge that the world of video games is a very male-dominated one. I'm into video games myself, but I'm far from being an "extreme gamer". I'd rather pick up a fun and cute Nintendo game then anything overly violent and serious on Playstation or XBox. Harvest Moon, Super Mario Bros., Sonic- those are my kinds of games. But when you step away from the innocent area of gaming and jump into the more serious side of it, you are bound to see some sexism.

I'll start off by saying that when it comes to the design of characters in video games, I think there is sexism to be found with both genders. The majority of male characters in video games are designed overly masculine with huge muscles, while the majority of female characters in video games are designed overly feminine with huge...well...boobs. But the sexism is quite obviously worse for the female characters. Female characters in video games are constantly sexualized and objectified. They are usually shown as damsels in distress who need the big strong male main characters to come and save them (I'm looking at you, Princess Peach), or if on the off chance the main character in the video game is a woman kicking ass, you better believe she will have to look overly-sexualized while doing it (hello, Lara Croft)! I'm talking barely-there clothing with big double-D pixelated breasts bouncing up and down, of course.

But the scary part is that the objectification and sexualization of women in video games isn't even the worst of it. It's the rape and violence against women in video games that really scares me. In Grand Theft Auto you can go to a local strip club, pay for a lap dance, have sex with the stripper, and then kill her after your done with her! Awesome (please note the sarcasm). And then there are rape video games which are surprisingly and sickeningly very popular online and actually have a cult following. One of the most well-known rape video games is RapeLay, which was released in Japan back in 2006, but just recently got a lot of media attention. I have a hard time even writing about this video game because it grosses me out and pisses me off so much. Here's the description of the game off of Wikipedia:

"The player can choose from a variety of sexual positions, and controls the action by making movements with the mouse or by scrolling the mouse wheel. It features a realistic sexual simulator which allows the player to grope and undress the characters on a crowded train. Later, the player may have forced intercourse with all three women at his leisure."

And that's not even the worst parts of the description of the game, if you'd like to read it all you can do so here. Now let me make it clear to everyone that I don't believe that just because you may play a video game with killing or raping in it you are automatically going to want to go out and do those things in the real world, not at all. But I do feel that if you continuously play video games with those themes in them you can possibly become desensitized to it. And that scares me, because for the most part people are aware that murder is wrong, but for some reason many people still don't see rape as wrong or as serious of a crime as it is.

And what makes RapeLay and other games like it worse then the typical shooting games to me is the context. Sure in Halo you shoot and kill people, but that's not the main purpose of the game, there is a whole storyline and objective behind it. But with games like RapeLay, raping women and young girls is the sole purpose of the game. And it's a realistic sexual simulator, so you're not just raping these women, but you're pretty much torturing them in detail- extra points for you if they cry or scream! Disgusting. I'm not a fan of censorship, so I personally don't believe that this game being available is the problem and that censoring it would then be the solution. I think that the problem lies with people wanting to play it, because if there wasn't anybody wanting to play it, then these kinds of games wouldn't continue to be made.

But don't fear female feminist gamers, on the brighter side, there are also a handful of video games that feature awesome intelligent and strong female characters lacking any sexism. For example- Jade from Beyond Good & Evil, Alyx Vance from Half-Life 2, and Samus Aran from Metroid, just to name a few.

Break the Cycle.

One thing I've never really understood is why menstruation is such a taboo topic. For both men and women, sometimes myself included, menstruation has always been an uncomfortable issue. It's something that most of us have learned not to bring up or discuss. Something we've learned to feel dirty and embarrassed about. For something that happens to half of the human race, you'd think we'd be a little more comfortable talking about it.

Kotex feels the same. They just released a new campaign and line of feminine care products promoting a new and healthier outlook on periods and vaginal care. U by Kotex encourages girls and women to take control of their health and bodies. They're asking us to educate ourselves, challenge the norm when it comes to the way society regards vaginal talk, and start to take better care of our bodies:

"In a recent survey, 70% of women said they wish society would change the way it talk about vaginal health, but less than half feel like they can do something about it. U by Kotex band wants to help women change the conversation about periods and vaginal care. By bringing it out into the open, we hope that every woman will learn to think differently, talk openly, take charge, help Break the Cycle and begin to feel comfortable with her body and confident about her personal care."

U by Kotex has also decided to launch a new line of advertisement spoofs on typical femcare commercials. This campaign first grabbed my attention when I heard about their original television ad being banned. You can't say "vagina" in a television and the phrase "down there" is out too. Can you believe that? We see commercials for erectile dysfunction all the time but any direct reference to female anatomy isn't permitted. Merrie Harris, global business director at Kotex says, "We're saying, enough with the euphemisms, and get over it. Tampon is not a dirty word, and neither is vagina."

"At U by Kotex, we think it's high time we all stopped being so damn shy about our vaginas. You don't need to do a Paris or Britney, but being able to talk about without going red is a good start. After all, we've all got one. In fact, we've only got one, so make sure you take good care of it with U by Kotex, where you can find information about having a healthy vagina, puberty, menstruation, and femcare products."

The campaign site offers both a Q&A and education section where you can get helpful information from health experts. You can also send in your own ad spoof or just score some free samples! You can join the campaign by signing the declaration. For every person who joins the movement, U by Kotex will make a $1 donation to Girls For A Change, a non profit organization that empowers girls to create and lead social change.

A bit of a catch-up...

These are some of the things that I wanted to write about, but didn't get the chance to while on my unfortunate blog-hiatus. I figured it's better now then never though, right? Right.

• March 7th was the 82nd annual Academy Awards, and for the first time in the history of  The Academy Awards, a woman won the Oscar for Best Director. That is pretty exciting, and a huge step forward for woman directors, since filmmaking is a field that is still unfortunately dominated by men. The win went to Kathryn Bigelow, for her film The Hurt Locker. Only four women, including Kathryn Bigelow, have ever been nominated for that category. I have yet to see The Hurt Locker, but hope to soon; it looks great!
  
  
• On March 11th Lady Gaga released her music video for her song 'Telephone' featuring Beyonce. Personally, I'm in love with this video and have watched it a few times already! Weather or not it's better then her video for her song 'Bad Romance' is up for discussion, but it's still an amazing video none-the-less. It's artistic, interesting, and of course pushes the boundaries while being filled with tons of hidden messages, like most of Gaga's music videos. Featuring a bad-ass studded leather jacket, "I told you she didn't have a dick", and the infamous "Pussy Wagon" from Kill Bill, this is a music video must-see. So if you haven't already seen it, please get out from the rock you've been living under and do so now. 10 minutes well spent. :-)
  
  
  
  
• On a sadly more serious note: If passed, New Jersey Governor Christie's budget for next year would eliminate all funds for women's health services. Please take action against this now!

What I'm listening to- The Coathangers

I apologize for the long hiatus, my personal life has been crazy these days, so I had to put this blog and the internet in general on the back-burner for a little while there. I hope we can get it back up to speed now though, and that some of you are still interested in reading it. 

It's true, Riot Grrrl's not dead, it's just unfortunately not as popular or well-known anymore. But that's why I want to start doing something new here, a weekly 'What I'm listening to'. Where once a week or so I will feature a new female band or artist in the punk/metal/alternative rock field that's making awesome music and staying true to the Riot Grrrl beliefs. Because let's face it, women still don't play that big of a role in the punk and metal music genres, and it's very rare to come across all-girl bands. 

Today I'm introducing you all to 'The Coathangers'. I found out about this band a few months ago and instantly fell in love with them. Their music is super catchy and witty, and they sound like a newer version of one of the leading 90's Riot Grrrl bands; Bratmobile. The Coathangers are an all-girl alternative rock/punk band from Atlanta, Georgia. The band features 4 totally bad-ass ladies: Julia, Stephanie, Candice, and Meredith. The band is still pretty new, having only formed in the summer of 2006, but they already have 2 full length albums out (Scramble & The Coathangers S/T), and a handful of 7" records.

The band as a whole has a very DIY feel to it. The ladies were all friends who just decided that one summer to start a band, and then went out in search of the cheapest instruments they could find in an Atlanta pawn shop. None of the them have one set instrument they play in the band either, you will often find them switching instruments throughout a performance. 

The bands name is quite obviously in relation to their pro-choice opinions, and they were quoted saying that they came up with the name on their way to an anti-Bush rally in Washington, DC. Pretty sweet. When asked if there are feminist themes in their music, the ladies replied with...

"There's feminist themes in our lives, so it's going to translate into our music. It's pro-woman, definitely, but it's not anti-man or anti-heterosexuality. It's not anti-anything. It's just about women doing what they want to do. We try to be as true to ourselves as we possibly can, and that in itself is a feminist statement."

With intelligent women, fun music, and song titles such as 'Pussywillow' and 'Nestle in my boobies' what's not to love? The Coathangers are on tour now, you can find their tour schedule and more info about them here:

Their official website

Their Myspace