Should kids be pole dancing for fitness?

There's a really interesting article in the Calgary Herald today about Tantra Fitness, a company that operates in BC, which offers pole dancing classes for kids.

Tammy Morris, owner of Tantra Fitness, says that pole dancing does not have to be erotic. Pole dancing is a great work out that requires fitness and technique. Morris acknowledges that the activity is steeped in sexual history, but nonetheless, thinks any moral panic around its instruction to young people is misplaced. She says that children don't associate the pole as a sexual thing - they see poles at the playground or in the circus, and just see it as something fun to play on.

So, is pole dancing just a fun way for girls to get some exercise, or is there something sinister about sending your daughter to a pole dancing class?

On the one hand, I can totally see Tammy Morris's point. If I was a 9 year old girl, I would probably LOVE to swing around on the pole, hang upside down and learn all kinds of cool tricks. The problem is that pole dancing is inherently sexual... in our society everyone associates it with erotic dancing. So, while it may be perfectly legal to teach pole dancing to kids, our society dictates that it's immoral.

Scanning through the comments on this article, I see that almost everyone is disgusted or outraged by this idea. I am still undecided... what do you think?

Top 7 reasons why American Apparel sucks

1. Internal documents reveal that ugly people shouldn’t bother applying at AA.

2. The company's Guide to Grooming describes in detail how staff should look. No bangs! No gauge earrings! No liquid foundation! No goatees or mustaches! No Uggs, flip flogs, gladiator sandals, vans, converse or winter boots! (Oh, no, we’re not a dictatorship. Whatever would make you think that?)

3. AA won’t make some of their women’s clothing above a size 6.

4. They doesn’t want any of those “trashy Black girls” to work there. Only the ones with the nice hair.

5. Current employees must submit photos to be promoted or receive a raise. Cos, you know, we don't want any uglies being promoted.

6. AA has a Best Bottom Contest to find the sexiest ass. Well, I don’t know about the sexiest ass, but I know who the biggest ass is… Don Charney (CEO of American Apparel).

7. They pretend that they're really progressive cos they don't photoshop their ads and they use "real women" to model their clothes. I guess "real women" only come in a size 4 or smaller and look about 16. And guess what? Sleazy porno-style ads aren't progressive and edgy. It's the same old shit that Calvin Klein has been doing since the 80's. Just admit that your ads are as sleazy as every other shitty clothing company and stop trying to pretend that you're so original and cutting edge.

Well, there is a light at the end of the tunnel... apparently AA is in pretty serious financial trouble.

Feminist issues in the news

Here are links to the feminist news stories we're covering on tonight's show (July 26).

Is cheerleading a sport?
A federal judge in Connecticut ruled that cheerleading is NOT a sport.

Man in Jerusalem convicted of "rape by deception"
An Arab man and a Jewish woman meet randomly and had a fleeting sexual encounter. Later when the woman discovered the man was an Arab, she accused him of rape.

Lesbian teen banned from prom will receive settlement
A lesbian teen who was banned from taking her girlfriend and wearing a tuxedo to prom sued her school earlier this year. In March, a US District Court judge ruled that the school board infringed upon her First Amendment rights.

Obama Administration Announces New Programs and Action for Equal Pay
"Paycheck discrimination hurts families who lose out on badly needed income. And with so many families depending on women's wages, it hurts the American economy as a whole. In difficult economic times like these, we simply cannot afford this discriminatory burden." - Barack Obama

Monday's show: Disabled bodies ignored in mass media

On Monday July 26 we're talking about body ideals in advertisements and media. More specifically, we're discussing how disabled bodies are completely missing from mass media. The "invisibilizing" of disabled bodies serves to make the general public feel that disabled bodies are not or cannot be sexual or beautiful. So we're speaking to a gal who created a photography project that challenges the notion that disabled bodies are asexual or undesirable.

Holly Norris is a women's studies student and a photographer. She and her friend Jes Sache came up with the American Able project as a way to challenge our society's fears and misunderstanding about sexuality and disabilities:

"In a society where sexuality is created and performed over and over within popular culture, the invisibility of women with disabilities in many ways denies them the right to sexuality, particularly within a public context."

Check out Holly's website for more info on this amazing and inspiring project!

Another interesting website to check out is GenderAds.com.

As always, we're on-air from 8:00 to 9:00 pm (MST) on CJSW 90.9 fm in Calgary, but you can listen from anywhere in the world on cjsw.com. You can also download our podcast if you miss our live show!

The American Able project spoofs American Apparel ads


The original American Apparel ad

Jeffrey Paul Emery Sought by RCMP After Setting Wife on Fire

Jeffrey Paul Emery, 54, is wanted by the RCMP after he disappeared four years ago right before a scheduled court date. His crime? Setting his common-law wife on fire because he believed she took his medication. After dousing his partner's body with hairspray, Emery lit the woman on fire. As a result, she suffered third degree burns, but he tried to treat her injuries himself for a month instead of taking her to a hospital for fear of being caught. A relative alerted police and Emery was caught, charged, and convicted in absentia for aggravated assault. According to an article on msn news (linked through the title of this post), Emery is wanted on a Canada-wide warrant, and "police describe him as Caucasian, six feet three inches tall, weighing about 225 pounds, with grey hair and hazel eyes. He usually has a grey beard. He is known to fix boats for a living and police suspect he may live near a lake, river or ocean" (msn 2010). Although his wife did not wish to be identified, she urges anyone with any information on Emery's whereabouts to come forward and contact police.

Confidence and maturity trumps beauty

Another reason to stop obsessing about age and start loving yourself. According to a recent survey of more than 2,000 British men and women, the "youthful look" was rejected in favor of women in their late 20s and early 30s. Confidence was also found to be more important in defining beauty than good looks. The peak age of beauty was identified as 31.

Almost two-thirds of women questioned agreed that "with age, comes beauty", and more than half said they became more confident in their looks as they grew older.

Tonight on the show we'll be joined by Kelly. co-host of CJSW's Film Clips to review the film Precious: Based on the Novel "Push" by Sapphire. We'll be talking about some of the films themes and sharing our general ideas regarding what we thought of the film overall, the performances and it's message.

Join us tonight at 8:00PM (MST) live on CJSW 90.9 FM and www.cjsw.com!

I'm Pro Choice Because...

Our friend Juliet just tweeted about this great website called Prochoice Because. People can submit a few sentences on why they're pro choice, and each time you refresh the web page a new story pops up. Responses range from the hilarious ("I'm pro choice because I don't tell you what to do with your semen") to the serious ("I am pro choice because I have seen a 12 year old incest victim deliver a child and then proceed to have a pulmonary embolism and die. She never had a choice not to have sex. She never had a choice to use birth control. She never had a choice to terminate her pregnancy. She never had a choice to live.")

I am pro choice because... since the dawn of time, women have tried to abort unwanted pregnancies. They'll use coat hangers, drink poison, or do any number of dangerous things to their bodies. Women have always tried to abort fetuses, and they always will. Make it legal, keep it safe, and we'll spare the lives of many women who die attempting to have an abortion.

Why are you pro choice?

Argentina legalizes same-sex marriage & adoption

From guardian.co.uk:

Argentina's senate passed a same-sex marriage bill today, clearing the way for the country to become the first in South America to allow gay couples to marry and adopt children.

Following more than 14 hours of charged debate,the upper house voted 33-27 for the proposal.
Argentina's female president, Cristina Fernández, supports same-sex marriage on human rights grounds and is expected to sign the bill into law after her return from a state visit to China.

Not everyone was in support though... tens of thousands of opponents, from children to elderly nuns, braved near-freezing temperatures to protest outside the congress since Tuesday, causing traffic jams in Buenos Aires.

However, opinion polls show a majority of Argentines support same-sex marriage, but there is less backing for same-sex couples to adopt children.

Same-sex marriage currently is legal in Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Iceland and Argentina. In the US, same-sex couples can marry in five states and in the capital, Washington.

Monday's Show: Fat in the Media

On Monday July 12th we’re discussing fat – in particular, reality TV programs about fat people, celebrities that deal with weight gain in the public eye, and the pressure that every-day women feel to maintain a slim body.

In recent years there has been a huge influx of reality TV programs about fat people trying to lose weight, fat families, kids at fat camp, and much more. How do these programs affect the viewers – especially viewers who identify as fat? How do the programs affect the people who participate in them? Is reality television exploiting obesity?

Just like us regular folk, celebrities also deal with fat. The only difference is that when they gain a few pounds, it becomes a massive media frenzy. In 2009 Jessica Simpson gained 10 pounds and it was splattered over the tabloid covers for the ENTIRE YEAR. People are STILL talking about it. For shame! A few other celebs we’ll be discussing who have dealt with very public weight gain are Kirstie Alley, Oprah and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Images of "Fat" Celebrities
(Wow, "fat" celebrities look pretty regular to me...)

These pictures of Jennifer Love Hewitt were all over the media. She was slammed for her saggy ass and cellulite on her thighs.

Jessica Simpson's infamous "Mom jeans incident" which graced tabloid covers throughout 2009.

This is a clip from Jessica Simpson's recent reality series, The Price of Beauty, where Jessica and two friends travel around the world to see the extremes that women go to for "beauty."


Related articles/websites:
Biggest Loser finalist says the show gave her an eating disorder
Oprah and her weight
Jessica Simpson talks about her weight gain on Oprah
Kirstie Alley’s weight struggle
Something Fishy - website about eating disorders

Tonight: Celebrating Canadian Women and Talking About Vaginas!

Tonight on the show we're discussing two very different topics. First up, a belated Canada-day celebration where we'll focus on a few awesome Canadian women from the past and present.

Later in the show, we get down to business and discuss one of our favourite subjects - VAGINAS! In particular, we'll be discussing alternative names for "vagina" (things like Vajayjay, pussy, etc), and we pose the question: why do we even come up with these silly names in the first place?

Tune in from 8-9 pm on CJSW 90.9 fm. Remember, you can listen online at www.cjsw.com, and you can also subscribe to our podcast.

Is it sexist to ogle male athletes?

With the Fifa World Cup on right now, women all over the globe are being treated to some seriously soccerific eye candy. Yeah, that's right, I called the athletes "eye candy." Let's be honest, those soccer playes are HAWT, and I have definitely enjoyed watching the games on two levels: for the sport and for the hotties. But this begs the question, is it sexist to ogle the soccer players?

One of my favourite blogs, Jezebel, has been posting "Abs of the Day" and "Thighlights" featuring the hottest abs and thighs from the day's matches. Naturally, I quite enjoy these blog posts and their accompanying photos, but I've noticed a trend among the comments. Many people are saying things like, "When articles or blog posts are written about female athletes looking good with their hot butts or nice tits, you get up in arms! So why are you doing that to the male athletes?" Others have accused the bloggers of shameless objectification and degrading the male athletes.

This got me thinking about the difference between sexually objectifying athletes and just enjoying their beauty. I personally feel that it is NOT sexist to ogle the male soccer players, and here are my reasons:

1. I don’t watch the game for the hotties
I enjoy watching soccer - I don't just watch it just to ogle men. Not only do I enjoy watching it, but I played it for 10 years. I understand the game and would watch it whether it was played by men or women no matter what their appearance.
Now take certain women’s sports that are aired on TV, such as beach volleyball. The women’s outfits (which are skimpy bikinis) are strictly regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Volleyball, and are kept skimpy in order to attract more male viewers to the sport.

2. I don't value the player’s looks over their athletic ability.
Although it may sound like I'm gaga over these soccer players, the fact is that I'm not watching Fifa World Cup for the "eye candy." It's just a nice bonus. I wouldn't watch any old crap on TV just cos it featured hot men. You can put all the hot men in the world in Speedos and make them play cricket and I wouldn't watch that, cos cricket is pretty much the most boring game in the world.

3. Their hot bodies are HEALTHY hot bodies
There is a difference between enjoying an athlete's body who has worked hard and is at the top of their game, and gawking at female models who are likely to have been photoshopped, have an eating disorder, altered their body through plastic surgery or other non-natural procedures, etc. Also, the soccer players are out there having fun doing what they love. They’re not being posed in unnatural positions, made to squeeze their breasts together, cup their breasts, stick their booties in the camera, make a ‘sex face’, tousle their hair around, make out with another person of the same-sex, or do any of that crap that we constantly see female models being subjected to.

4. Guess what? Women like to gawk too.
Why does nobody even question the fact that (straight) men love to stare at tits, ass, legs… all parts of women’s bodies. But when women stare at men, people don’t accept that so easily. Enough of the double standards! Let me enjoy these skilled athletes in all their glory…

Jezebel also has a similar post on this topic… check it out.