More Self Promotion....

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my new blog about body image

Yellow Rage

I'm Blubber, You're Glue...

I'm feeling pretty fucking ferociously pissed off about sizeism lately. I'm so over it. I mean really. Sizeism takes up so much space, which is pretty ironic.

I'm so bored by the idea that thinness = hotness/fashion/sex. For the love of god. Is anyone else bored?

I'm also tired of queers pretending like sizeism doesn't infect our "community," like queers don't participate in judging each other's bodies, falling for traditional beauty standards.

I'm tired of pretending that it doesn't affect me. I'm tired of how sizeism makes all of these wonderful people around me wish their bodies looked differently, how it's okay for women much smaller than me to talk about (right in front of my sweet, fat ass!) how they want to lose weight, how they feel fat, how they shouldn't be eating whatever cupcake or french fry is currently in their hand. It's thoughtless, mind-numbing, and just really sad. There are so many important things to care about, to love, to be excited for.  And there are bigger things to be upset about.

I know it's really complicated. I know we all breathe in this same stupid air, and body image is super hard and intense to unravel. The messages become a part of us, we internalize them and we all struggle with that.

But when I was a wee junior high chubster, tormented by my peers and desperately longing for a thin body, crying and trying not to eat, my mom stood me in front of the bathroom mirror and said, "Erin. This is your body. I wish you saw what I saw, which is my beautiful, amazing, wonderful daughter. You will probably never be skinny. And there will probably always be people who are mean about it. But you only get one body, one life. You can choose to love or hate yourself. It would be such a waste to hate yourself." Seriously. My mom rules. I wish everyone's mom could say that to them.

I've worked pretty hard to love what I've got. I'm tired of waiting for the world to catch up.

Seth Rogan and Kevin Smith make my head explode

One morning after Homorobics, we went out to breakfast at the Vita and the topic of Seth Rogan and Jack Black came up, where NJG pointed out how these guys are famous purely because of male privilege, like, they're fat and unconventional looking, some might say ugly, and totally sloppy and slovenly, and there's no way a woman could ever get away with that no matter how funny/talented/smart she was. They're pretty much the poster children for men who benefit from sexism in America. Ok and that doesn't mean that they're not funny; I guess they're just both.

So I couldn't help but click on the following Myspace video of Artist on Artist where Kevin Smith and Seth Rogan talk about "how hot chicks love fluffy men" after which my head exploded. Is it too far a leap for these men to realize that no one's making movies where a fat girl gets a hot guy? That their very existence is oppressive? Just a little shout out to womanhood every so often would be nice boys. sheesh...

Artist on Artist: Kevin Smith and Seth Rogen

Rulers Who Are "Changing Your World"

Utne Reader has a report on the "50 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World", which included many amazing feminist rulers. Of special note are brownfemipower, who is pretty well-known in feminist blogsphere, and Jessica Hoffman, who wrote a pretty amazing article that I think we should all read, called On Prisons, Borders, Safety and Priviledge: A Letter to White Feminists. You can check out more rulers at: http://www.utne.com/2008-11-13/50-Visionaries-Who-Are-Changing-Your-World.aspx

Here is an awesome video produced by The Empowered Fe Fes:

Planned Parenthood Demonstration Flier

Here's the flier for the counter-protest, which I just started calling a "demonstration of support" without consulting anyone -- makes it posicore and about us making our own statement outside of a binary. I hope that works for people. PFAL!!!! Does anyone have access to cheap or free copy making capabilities?

The Patriarchy Put a Gag Order on My Vocal Cords & Other Biz

Croaky McVoiceless

I've been home for quite some time with an oppressive cold, which appeared to be getting better. On Saturday, I was at like 95% of Full Range Fairchild, so I thought it was a good idea to take my new bangs out on the town. I was dying to get out of the house and do something, and dressing up sounded like the most fun ever. This was actually a very bad idea. Now I have been completely without a voice for 2 days, and I can't even laugh aloud. I think the booze and the patriarchy stole my voice! Do you have any idea how much I like to talk? And laugh? Man oh man. Or should I say "woman oh woman?" That's still restrictive. Jeez. The politics of language are always sneaking up and biting me in the ass. Anyway, my housemate Nate asked me how I would know when my voice is back if I'm on a strict no talk plan, and I said I would use the following test phrase: "The patriarchy will not silence me!" Heh heh.

The NJ4

Anyway, for our next meeting -- 10/30 at 7:30 -- we will (among other points of conversation) be writing letters of support to the remaining members of the New Jersey Four who are still in prison. From what I can tell, Renata Hill and Patreese Johnson remain in prison, though Renata has been granted a new trial scheduled for Nov. 20, which is in large part due to grassroots activism among LGBTQ and feminist organizations and "clubs" around the country. Renata is still, however, being held awaiting her trial. Patreese is facing an 11 year sentence. This case is an incredibly painful demonstration of institutionalized racism, sexism, and homophobia. If you would like know more, please read up here:

From the SF Bay View

Justice 4 the NJ 4

freenj4

We will write letters of support to Patreese and Renata, and I can supply more craft supplies than you can shake a stick at (I feel like I've been using that expression a lot lately, and I bet it has some fucked up origin - but it's so effective!). I mean, you can write a plain old letter if you want, but that's not the way I send mail. Ahem. If you have a postage stamp or two, bring em! I'll make the post office delivery.

The Portland Feminist Action League (PFAL)

So, we have ironed out a few details regarding the counter-protest, which we can also share with people at next meeting. We gave a name to this specific project (PFAL), which is bigger than the scope of ol' fashioned F Club.

Sign making party: 11/1, 3pm, Outside In

Counter-Protest/Show of Support for Planned Parenthood: 11/9, exact time TBA, but morning

• Michelle is working on the blurb of info, which we should all be sending to friends, colleagues, organizations we know, etc. She will get it to us via the yahoo group.
  
• Candise is thinking about starting a google group (like the yahoo group) specifically for PFAL, so interested peeps can sign up for further info
  
• Erin (uh, me) is making fliers for the counter-protest/sign making party, as well as handbills for how to keep the protest peaceful for the actual day -- when they are done I will email/post them, so everyone can print them and distribute them far and wide throughout the land
  
• Someone, can't remember who, is getting whistles and kazoos (!!!) to hand out at the protest. The idea is that if someone with an opposing opinion is getting hostile or trying to engage one of us in confrontational communication, that person could whistle or kazoo (!!!) and people will gather around said person with their backs to the hostile party. Peaceful resistance, what's up.
• Someone is contacting the media
• We talked about coming in costume and/or wearing armbands so we can easily know who is with who, and to be cool and have fun
• We also talked about how this could be an on-going effort that could evolve into a block party or a resource fair, or sunday morning queer dance jam
• We could sell baked goods at the protest and give the proceeds to PP. We could also screen print more shit and sell it.

DOES ANYONE HAVE A RESOURCE FOR FREE OR CHEAP PRINTING?

That's all I've got. I can't talk, but I sure can type!