Go, Maya!

World renown poet, author and activist Maya Angelou has joined the fight for marriage equality. Along with a number of other high profile citizens , she is lobbying New York Senators to vote for equality when it comes to gay marriages.

Having placed three phone calls to senators last week, it's clear that the issue is one of importance to Maya and not just some silly and useless publicity stunt. She has said,

"To love someone takes a lot of courage... So how much more is one challenged when the love is of the same sex and the laws say, ‘I forbid you from loving this person’?”

This is such a great and simple way to put it. The concept of marriage as an institution is still a complex one for me, anyway. I've never understood how we as a civilization came to regulate and legislate love in the first place. However, since we are living in the age of governed oppression where we often make up ridiculous rules for one another, I'm glad to see that Maya has chosen to fight the battle of fairness. She's reminding us to keep it real and think about the big picture.

Go, Maya!

Archie Finally Commits and Picks his Wife

Well, after 67 years of being entangled in a cartoon love triangle, Archie has finally decided to tie the knot. The woman he chose? The vixen Veronica Lodge.

I've always been a fan of Betty, so I was a little disappointed to hear that Archie chose Veronica. I'm not alone in my disappointment - 78% of people surveyed by the Globe & Mail wanted Betty to be the bride, and only 22% chose Veronica. I always thought Archie and Betty were destined to be together, and Veronica and Reggie would make a good couple.

So, what is the significance of Archie's choice? Betty is definitetly the "girl next door" - a sweet, innocent girl that a man could walk all over and she would remain loyal to him. She's the kind of woman a man in the 1950's would love to take home to meet the parents.

Veronica is the opposite. She's spoiled, she always gets what she wants, and she doesn't seem to give much in return. Maybe there's something about unattainable, hard-to-reach women that turns Archie's crank. With Betty it was all too easy... was she too available?

As polar opposites, Betty and Veronica have always represented the good girl / bad girl dichotomy. Why did Archie go with the bad girl? Maybe he was just trying to be smart in these tough economic times. In today's Globe and Mail, feminist professor Maureen Bradley from the University of Victoria said "the spoiled rich girl is still more appealing, and maybe that's a wise thing to pick in these uncertain times."

What are your thoughts and/or theories on Archie's choice?

Should kids be taken away from racist parents?

A current news story about white supremacist parents in Winnipeg brings up many questions.

Winnipeg's Child and Family Services removed a two-year old boy from the parents of proud white supremacists. This high-profile story has received national attention and sparked a debate over whether children can be taken from their parents on the basis of suspected racism.

Should children be taken away from racist parents? Would this case be treated differently if the parents were ethnic minorities preaching racism? How much freedom do parents have when it comes to teaching hate? This is a news story that leaves me thinking...

Could Marijuana be GOOD While Pregnant?

Ahh, the internet. What can't you find on here?Today I found a super-interesting little piece on the news website, Current.
A study was conducted that documented the effect on new-born babies if the mother had been a heavy marijuana smoker. The report's conclusions may come as a surprise to some.

On the newborns third day of life, there were no significant differences between newborns that were exposed to marijuana and those that were not. The newborns of heavy marijuana-using mothers had better scores on autonomic stability, quality of alertness, irritability, and self-regulation and were judged to be more rewarding for caregivers.

Marijuana is known to have many proven health and therapeutic benefits. There are thousands of published scientific studies on the benefits of medicinal marijuana. I am not surpised that this study found it could actually promote neonatal development - but somehow I don't think the idea of a pregnant lady smoking pot will be accepted by society anytime soon. Thoughts?

Tonight's Show: Women in Prison

Tonight we'll be discussing women in prison, with a particular focus on the issue of pregnancy within prison, as well as the programs in place to help reform female prisoners. Tune in from 8:30 to 9:00 pm (MST) on CJSW 90.9 fm in Calgary, or http://www.cjsw.com/.

Below are some links to articles / websites / statistics that we came across while researching this topic.

Canadian stats on women in prison
- Corrections Canada's 2006 profile of Federal inmates
- Fact Sheet: Women in Canadian Prisons
- PrisonJustice.ca

Articles on pregnancy in prison
- Lullabies Behind Bars - Ms. Magazine, Fall 2008
- Woman Gives Birth in Jail Cell, Alone - Feministing.com

Other
- Women in Prison - UK organization supporting women in prison

Celebrate Your Lady Parts!

Uterus jewelery for only $7 (US)

Celebrate your lady parts with uterus-inspired ultra cute artsy things! I stumbled upon these delightful uterus earrings on Etsy.com - an awesome website where people sell hand-made arts and crafts. Just type "uterus" into the search bar and you'll find uterus jewelery, cards, t-shirts, stuffed toys, art and more! What better way to celebrate womanhood?!

Best Blow Job Quote Ever

Sex and the City is one of my all-time favourite shows. I've watched all six seasons over and over again, and I never get sick of it.
Last night I was revisiting season 3, episode 9, aptly titled Easy Come, Easy Go. In the episode, Samantha is sleeping with this guy, Adam, who has "funky tasting spunk," and eventually she refuses to give him another blow job. This, my friends, sets the scene for possibly the best quote on blow jobs ever.

Adam: C'mon, give me a little BJ! Up and down a couple of times, you're done. It's easy!

Samantha: Easy? You men have no idea what we're dealing with down there. Teeth placement and jaw stress and suction and gag reflex. And all the while bobbing up and down, moaning, and trying to breathe through our noses. Easy? Honey, they don't call it a "job" for nothing.

So true!

While Economy Slumps, Birth Control Increases

The Los Angeles Times reports that the slumping economy is causing more women to inquire about abortion, adoption and long-term birth control options. And it’s not just the young single girls who want to avoid pregnancy. Married women who already have children are afraid to have another child while the threat of losing jobs is so high.

ACCESS, an Oakland-based women’s health organization, says 72% of women who call want information on abortion, which is up from 60% last year. A Chicago adoption agency has seen a 30% increase in pregnant women asking about adoption. Furthermore, a recent survey conducted for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists found that one in five women is more conscientious about using birth control, and one in ten married women say the economy is a factor in their decision to postpone a planned pregnancy.

Tonight's Show - Feminist News & Opinion

Tonight's show will be a news round-up of the latest feminist and women-related issues and events that are making news locally and globally.
Tune in to hear our show from 8:30 to 9:00 pm (MST). If you're in Calgary you can tune in at 90.9 fm, and from anywhere in the world you can stream it online at www.cjsw.com.

Feminist News Round-Up

• Student debt causes Calgary student to sell sex
• Canadian women's emergency shelters see increase in visits
• Kuwaiti women win first parliamentary seats
• May 17th was International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia
• Notre Dame University students protest Obama's appearance on graduation day because of his position on abortion
• Sweden steps up DNA collection in rape cases
• A look at Mother's Day as it was intended by its feminist founder
• Sex, drink and fashion. Is this the new face of American feminism?

Young Men Give Props to Women

This is a beautiful and touching "Slam Poem" that gave me chills. These young men were National Youth Poetry Slam finalists in 2005 with this piece.

My favourite line? "If you don't believe in abortion, don't get one, you asshole. And don't you ever call my women murderers for wanting control over their bodies. Besides, our current welfare system couldn't feed a family for a weekend."

Props to these talented, intelligent young men.

Ms. Pac Man - A Feminist Hero!

This charming little video makes a pretty good argument for why we should consider Ms. Pac Man a feminist hero! As the video points out, Ms. Pac Man was a strong female protagonist that wasn't afraid to "eat constantly, kick ass and look good."

Throw your very own B-Word/ Bitch Party!

Now, how much fun would it be to gather a handful of your coolest feminist friends together for drinks, snacks and a good cause? A crapload of fun, that's how much!

Bitch Magazine is asking all lovers of alternative women's media to support B-Word Worldwide, the non-profit organization that publishes Bitch magazine (one of our favourites) by throwing your own house party fundraiser.

We at Yeah, What She Said are pretty passionate about having the ability to voice our fiesty opinions. Publications such as Bitch magazine have played a huge role in allowing the women of our fine generation to do this, so we thought it would be nice to spread the love and encourage you to get involved. The goal is to generate a minimum of $1000.00 at each party. There's an in-depth House Party Planning Kit available to print or download if you would like some guidelines on how to make it all happen. Of course, the nature of your house party can take on a number of forms depending on your
preference (a chilled out sit-down dinner, perhaps? Or a cool mixer with tons of drinks and rad tunes!) There are few things better than socializing for a good cause and B-Word Worldwide is giving each of us the perfect excuse to do just that.
Grab the planning kit here and visit this link for further contact and donation details.

Tonight's Show: Condi Takes on Calgary

Sorry for the late post everyone! This evening, Geea and I had a chat with Joanne Costello, a local activist, feminist and grad student who has started a petition asking the University of Calgary to rescind its invitation to former U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice. The U of C's new school of public policy will be opening shortly and to celebrate this event, the school has invited Dr. Rice to speak at the opening gala. The Bush Administration was a tumultuous one as several of you know and as the Secretary of State, it is said that Condoleezza Rice played a large role in much of the instigation of what is called an illegal war by many.

For this reason, Joanne is collecting signatures in protest of Dr. Rice's visit since having her speak at the event would in some ways condone her involvement in the invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan. In support of the efforts made by Joanne and fellow anti-war citizens, you can sign the petition and/or attend a protest that will take place on the 13th of May outside of the Hyatt Regency Calgary where the gala will take place.

If you missed tonight's program you can listen to it by clicking the link to the right of this post.

Disclaimer: Please excuse the brief technical difficulties! We had some issues getting Joanne on the air but we sorted it out and the discussion was very engaging.

British Model says her Breasts are for her Hubby, not her Baby

This really irks me. British TV star and model Nicola McLean has made headlines in the UK with some of her recent comments on the purpose of her breasts.

Nicola, who is married and has a three-year-old young son named Rocky, defended her choice to bottle-feed him by saying, "[My breasts are] a sexual thing for me – I don’t want Rocky sucking on them... after Rocky was feeding on them, I wouldn’t then be able to go and have sex with Tom and him be sexual with them. "

She goes on to say that because she was a "Page 3 girl" (similar to Calgary's "Sunshine Girl") for five or six years, she only sees her breasts as sexual. "I just didn’t like the thought of my child feeding off them."

Um... does anyone else find this incrediably disturbing? Let's not even get into the whole "nurturing your baby is what breasts are designed for" argument, cos that's just too easy. And I'll even leave out the "breastfeeding your child has proven health benefits to both the mother and child" argument. Let's just leave it at this: How about the fact that breasts can be both functional AND sexual? Why does Nicola think it has to be one or the other?

Happy Mum's Day!

In celebration of Mother's Day in North America, it's probably very appropriate to give a shout out to Anna Jarvis, the Mother of Mother's Day.

Back in 1907, following the death of her mother Ann Maria Reeves Jarvis, Anna launched a campaign to make Mothers Day a nationally recognized holiday, encouraging families everywhere to honor their own mothers. Her efforts were greeted with the implementation of Mother's Day as a nationally recognized holiday in 1914.

Unfortunately and somewhat inevitably, Mother's Day quickly turned into a cash-in for most businesses. Anna herself was quite put off when she began to see just how much greeting card companies were benefiting from the sale and distribution of Mother's Day greeting cards.

I commend the fact that she was pissed off enough to point out that a "printed card means nothing except[...] you are too lazy to write to the woman who has done more for you than anyone in the world", and that buying candy to accompany these cards is even more ridiculous since you end up eating most of it yourself. True that - as much as we may hate to admit it.

Anyway, props to Anna Jarvis and her moms, Ann Jarvis (Sr). In their honor, please skip the Hallmark cards, maybe even the flowers too. Instead, get together with your mom, if possible, or break out those DIY craft books you keep untouched on the bookshelf so you can whip up something cute, useful and handmade.

Happy Mother's Day!

Bristol Palin - Do As I Say, Not As I Do

Bristol Palin, daughter of Alaska governor Sarah Palin, is the new face of the abstinence movement. It may seem like a funny choice, considering she became pregnant at 17, now has a little boy named Tripp, and just a few months ago said that "abstenence doesn't work." Despite that, I think she's probably a good person for the job because she knows how hard it is to be a single teenage mom.

Bristol made the rounds of the American talk-show circuit on Wednesday morning to promote abstinence on the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. She is the "teen amabassador" for the Candie's Foundation, a national organization that educates teens about the realities of being a teenage mom. Although the organization says it also advocates for safe sex (and not just abstinence), Bristol has said that "abstinence is the only 100 per cent fool-proof way of preventing teen pregnancy."

Speaking about her life as a teen mom, Briston said, "You don't have friends, can't just go to the movies, get your hair done. You put your baby first." Had she not had Tripp, "I would have been to college out of state, hanging out with my friends, a lot more freedom."

It's great that she's using her experience to warn other teens about the consequences of teen pregnancy, but I wish she would also promote safe sex as another option. As I mentioned in an earlier post, abstenence only education DOES NOT WORK, and countries that openly teach young people about birth control and give them realistic options have much lower rates of teen pregnancy. The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the industralized world - twice the rate of Canada's.

"Coming Out" of the Feminist Closet

Have you ever had to "come out" to friends, family or co-workers? And by "come out" I'm not talking about homosexuality - I'm talking about that other dark secret... feminism.

Admitting that you're a feminist can be hard in our society. Do you tell someone on a first date that you're a feminist? When do you become comfortable enough with your co-workers to call them out if they're saying/doing sexist shit? These are all very tricky questions.

I proudly list my experience hosting a radio show on my resume, but I never mention that it's a feminist radio show. Often times I've been asked in interviews, "So, you host a radio show. Tell us about that." I've discovered how hard it is to talk about the show without mentioning the "f-word." Usually I just give a vague answer like, "Oh, I host a talk show discussing local and global issues..." but if I think the interviewer is cool, I might throw in, "and it's about women's and gender issues." I've never used the word "feminist" to describe the show in an interview. With all the stereotypes of "hairy, angry, lesbian feminists" out there, it's just too risky.

So, how about you? Who do you admit your dark secret too? And why the f**k does it have to be a dark secret in the first place?
Watch the video below (which is what got me thinking about this in the first place) and let us know how you deal with "coming out" of the feminist closet.

Girl Guides Promote Self Esteem With New Badge

The Girl Guides of Canada is introducing a new badge on May 11th designed to promote positive body image. Girls aged five to 17 can earn the Love Yourself Challenge badge by completing three tasks that promote self-esteem, healthy eating and a positive body image.

The program was designed with the help of the National Eating Disorder Information Centre, and girls complete different activities to earn the badge, depending on their age.

I think it's cool that the Girl Guides are making an effort to tackle this important problem. Apparently, Girl Guides periodically surveys its membership and found they wanted to deal with things that are relevant to their lives, and body image is a big issue for young girls.

It's scary that girls as young as five can have body image issues, but children are very influenced by the environment around them. If Mom is always on a diet, obsessed with her weight, has low self-esteem and a negative body image, it's no surprise that her daughter will follow suit. We need to break the cycle and do all we can to promote positive body image and a healthy lifestyle for our young girls - kudos to Girl Guides for taking a step in the right direction and recognizing this issue.

Tonight's Show: Women & Guilt

Lady Bee and myself are totally STOKED for tonight's show. We're going to be talking about women and guilt. The idea for this show came when we were discussing the things we feel guilty about, and then realized that most women feel guilty about a lot of things, a lot of the time. We feel guilty about what we eat (or don't eat), about not exercising, about being a stay at home mom, about being a working mom, about our sexual desires or masturbation... all kinds of things!

We're gonna kick-start the show with a little discussion of "Original Sin" - which many believe is where this whole feeling of guilt really began, at least in the Christian world. And then we'll talk about how guilt is used in advertising, "mommy guilt" (to work or to stay home?), food guilt, diet guilt, and all kinds of other interesting tid-bits.

Be sure to tune in from 8:30 to 9:00 pm (MST) on 90.9 fm in Calgary, or on http://www.cjsw.com/ from anywhere in the world. As always, our shows are archived online, so if you aren't able to catch it live, we'll post a link to the show so you can listen at your convenience.

Laura von Holt (a.k.a.) von Hottie

Check out von Hottie! She's pretty much my latest role model. Strutting her stuff on the beach at Coney Island or in the middle of the street somewhere in Manhattan, Laura von Holt -a write and performer based in New York- takes getting comfy with yourself to the next level. Since the von Hottie concept began, it's turned into an underground cult of sorts, so that fans of von Hottie have even gone so far as to track down where she might show up next.

Basically, she puts on a slick 1-piece swimsuit which happens to be a fabulous throwback to mid-century glamour, along with giant pearls and diva-esque shades and then hits the streets of New York with a friend and a camera. The result is a yearly calendar chronicling all the photographs she's stopped to pose for. The best part is that she is not your average model (as in, she's not starving to death) and she's very proud of that. The von Hottie phenomenon has built itself an impressive fan base and continues to encourage women everywhere to get comfortable with their bodies.

"Official Poet" of Britian is a Gay Woman!

Britian named it's first female - and openly gay - poet laureate today. Carol Ann Duffy is now Britain's offical poet, a post that has been occupied since the 17th century and has been held by the likes of William Wordsworth and Alfred Lord Tennyson.

Sincere congrats to Ms Duffy. After 341 years of having male poet laureates, I say it's about bloody time they had a woman on the job!