Female Sexual Autonomy Under Siege (Part 1)

Hi folks! This is the first of a series of posts on the issue of hypersexualization that I plan to share over the next few weeks. They are part of a literature review I conducted this past spring through my work with the Resisting Violence project at the Antigonish Women's Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association. Read on...

Introduction

Not long ago I spent a weekend in a small university town with my cousin, who lives in a communal house with friends who are artists and activists. The house is characterized by wood floors and walls, colorful carpets, hip posters, musical instruments and organic food. You can imagine my surprise, then, when I was in the kitchen having a glass of water and noticed a hot pink lunch bag sitting on a nearby counter. Upon further inspection, I discovered that it was a Disney “Tinker Bell and Fairies” lunch bag (see image below), and its front displayed an image of four attractive women – or were they girls? I soon came to the alarming realization that these characters were indeed supposed to be girls, but they had unusually womanish features and were arranged in sexually inviting yet childishly innocent poses. Irritated, I thought: “Why are we exposing girls to such awful images, and what is this lunch bag doing in a hippy house?”

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(The culprit: A typical accessory marketed by Disney to young girls.)

The second question I will leave for a later conversation with my cousin and her housemates. The first question, though, demands some immediate attention. As a society, are we fully aware of the impact of such images on our daughters and sons? As women, do we know how these images have affected and continue to affect our body image, self-esteem and sexuality?

I decided to investigate the story of this lunch bag a little further, and I discovered that there is a whole range of paraphernalia containing images of Tinker Bell and her fairy friends that can be purchased online, including fairy costumes, toys, home décor products, collectibles and accessories. I then did a Google image search of Tinker Bell and fairies, and it generated an assortment of images that confirmed my suspicion that this stuff is far from innocent. Two words quickly came to mind: child pornography.

I will not indulge in a full critical analysis of this image – the presence of the male gaze, the (only somewhat) subtle racism, and the downright pornographization of children – but the point of this story is merely to highlight that this stuff is everywhere. Even in the places where we least expect to find it.

Taking Root promo vid!

Registration for "Taking Root", a creative peacebuilding workshop for youth, has been extended to Wednesday, August 17. Online registration is at http://www.planetreg.com/E715841897 . Check out our rad promo vid!

"Taking Root" creative peacebuilding workshop

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

“Taking Root” workshop to engage youth in social justice leadership

Antigonish, NS, August 11, 2011— This summer youth will gather in Antigonish to explore creative ways of engaging with social justice issues. Presented through the Resisting Violence project of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, “Taking Root” will happen on August 19-20 at People’s Place Library.

Through a series of hands-on learning activities, participants in this creative peacebuilding workshop will develop skills in facilitation, feminist analysis of oppression, and nonviolent action.

A call for participation has been issued to youth age 16-22 in Antigonish and Guysborough counties and the Strait area. The workshop will be facilitated by a group of young persons including AWRC staff and members of the Antigonish community.

On Friday, August 19 there will be a coffeehouse to open the workshop and introduce its themes to participants and the broader community. It will be held at the StFX Art Gallery and will feature singer-songwriter Jan MacKay and a variety of local talent.

Saturday, August 20 will involve a full day of skill-building and learning. Participants will discover new ways of expressing their voice through activities such as radical cheerleading, zine-making and active citizenship practices.  

“I believe that creative expression is one of the best responses to violence”, says workshop co-organizer and Resisting Violence project coordinator Betsy MacDonald. “By rooting ourselves in an understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, we can cultivate peaceful ways of being in the world.”

The full schedule and online registration for “Taking Root” can be found at http://www.planetreg.com/E715841897 . Registration is open until Monday, August 15.

The Resisting Violence project is funded by Status of Women Canada.

###

Contact: Jillian Hennick

Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre & Sexual Assault Services Association

(902) 863-6221

x2007tlo@stfx.ca

How to communicate like a man... or not

Today a piece of mail arrived at the Women’s Centre. It contained information about an upcoming seminar, happening this August in various Canadian locations, on “Communication Skills for Women”.  
Here’s what it said…

Communication Skills for Women

How to achieve confidence, credibility, and composure in the workplace

The top 10 communication hurdles – can you relate?

Our researchers asked women across the country to describe their toughest communication situations. We analyzed more than 800 circumstances and came up with these top 10:

1)      Confronting or criticizing others
2)      Not being taken seriously
3)      Feeling self-conscious
4)      Dealing with other people’s anger
5)      Speaking in front of a group
6)      Controlling one’s emotions
7)      Receiving criticism
8)      Getting cooperation

9)      Setting limits

10)    Taking the floor

This one-day training will help you build the skills to overcome them.

The flyer went on to describe ways that women will benefit from the seminar, such as…

You’ll stay cool even when you’ve reached your boiling point. You can’t back down and expect to move ahead. Yet maybe you, like many women, avoid conflict… or flood emotionally and have a hard time thinking and acting clearly.

Needless to say, upon reading this I was “flooded” with emotion and felt compelled to respond. Below is my answer to “Communication Skills for Women”…

Communication Skills for Men

How to achieve compassion, empathy and caring in the workplace

The top 10 communication hurdles – can you relate?

Our researchers asked men across the country to describe their toughest communication situations. We analyzed more than 800 circumstances and came up with these top 10:

1)      Listening to others

2)      Taking yourself too seriously

3)      Feeling over-confident

4)      Dealing with your ego

5)      Knowing when to stop talking

6)      Acknowledging and working with your emotions

7)      Receiving advice without getting defensive

8)      Cooperating

9)      Letting go of the need to control

10)    Not dominating the floor

This one-day training will help you build the skills to overcome them.

Maybe a parallel seminar for men is in order?

Betsy

Women's Action Coalition - Nova Scotia (WAC-NS) General Assembly

Do you want women’s concerns on the public agenda?

Do you want your voices amplified and echoed by women across the province?

Do you want every woman and girl in Nova Scotia to know that her well-being is critical to the well-being of our province and country?

If you answered yes to these questions, then you should attend

The first Annual General Assembly of the Women’s Action Coalition – Nova Scotia (WAC-NS).

The WAC-NS is a broad- based non-partisan alliance of women’s groups and committees, social justice organizations and individuals concerned with women’s equality. Active in the 1980s and 1990s, WAC-NS is being re-constituted in response to decisions that are being made at the national, provincial and municipal levels about issues that have disproportionate impacts on women. We want our governments to know that we are concerned that:

• many women and families in our province are living in poverty


• childcare is a luxury rather than a right


• affordable housing is limited and inadequate


• violence against women is widespread


• the cost of education is prohibitive for many women


• too many women are working in low-paying, insecure jobs


• women’s services are under-funded


JOIN US!


What: WAC-NS First Annual General Assembly

When: Saturday, May 14, 2011 9.00a.m. to 4.30.p.m.

Where: McNally Auditorium, McNally Main Building, Saint Mary’s University, Robie Street, Halifax

Join the Women’s Action Coalition and register for the Assembly! For more information contact:

Stella Lord: lords@eastlink.ca

Fund a Feminist - RebELLEs Gathering 2011

(From the FemRev collective:)

Attention Feminists and allies!


As the Organizing Committee, FemRev is busy getting ready for the RebELLEs: Notre Révolution Féministe, Our Revolution is Now, we are still short a large amount of funds to be able to pull off the gathering as best we can! We are calling on feminists and allies across the country to help support us in making this possible!

FemRev is launching the Fund a Feminist Campaign in order to help bring to fruition a project aimed at giving a voice to young women of Canada and encouraging them to participate actively in community life. FemRev is working hard to organize the 2nd ReELLEs Pan-Canadian Young Feminist Gathering Notre Révolution Féministe, Our Revolution is Now, to take place in Winnipeg from May 20-23, 2011. The first was held in Montreal in 2008 and was attended by more than 500 dedicated young women from every Canadian province and territory, as well as international delegates from the World March of Women. The 2011 Gathering will work to empower young women and girls, to mobilize, energize, and provide opportunities for these women and girls to develop leadership skills, collectively work to improve the lives of young women, and to work within diversity in order to make meaningful contributions to the communities we are a part of. It is an opportunity to collectivize our struggles and create concrete plans for change.

We must raise funds to cover all aspects of the gathering with the most crucial costs being transportation subsidies (especially for women from rural and Northern communities), French/English/American Sign Language translation and interpretation services, healthy meals, accommodation subsidies, rental space, and printing and promotion costs.

FemRev is launching the Fund a Feminist Campaign and we need your help!

We would like to ask you to show your support by making a monetary donation or by covering the cost of specific expenses such as transportation, lodging, food, etc. Your contribution would demonstrate your commitment to improving women’s lives in Canada and across the globe, and would support young women’s efforts to improve women’s political, economic, and social conditions.

What could your contribution help support?!

$1 - $5 - The cost of a meal for one young feminist

$10 - $20 - One night’s accommodation for one young feminist

$30 - $40 - The cost of printing 50 posters for distribution nationally

$50 - $60 - The costs related to renting one of the workshop venues

$ 75 - An honorarium for a workshop facilitator

$ 100 - The cost of an honorarium for a performer at the Feminist Cabaret

$ 200 - Covers 1 hour of translation services so that the gathering is accessible in French, English and ASL.

$ 250+ - Help a young women with her travel costs to the gathering

How to Donate

Paypal – donation button online at www.rebelles.org

Cheque – Made payable to FemRev Collective

Mail: FemRev
2F, 91 Albert Street
Winnipeg, Mb
R3B 1G5
Canada

For more information about RebELLEs and the gathering, visit us www.rebelles.org.

We hope you will consider supporting this important event!

In solidarity,

FemRev, the RebELLEs Organizing Committee 2011

rebelles@femrev.org or (204)942-7390

May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. It's time... to get involved!

It's time to get involved in sexual assault awareness and prevention! May is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and we will be proclaiming this tomorrow in Antigonish at the AWRC & SASA at 10am - all are welcome! Stay tuned for more information throughout the month. Here's a message from Avalon Sexual Assault Centre...

“It’s time…to talk to your family.” Sexual violence is a difficult subject to talk about in families.  Many victims/survivors are afraid to tell their families about sexual abuse/assault out of fear of how they may respond.  Families may be unsure how to support family members who have been sexually victimized.  Avalon Centre provides information, emotional support, and legal support/advocacy for non offending parents/family members children who have experienced sexual violence.  For more information contact 422-4240.  Check out this family scenario activity: http://www.nsvrc.org/sites/default/file/saam/saam_2011-ScenarioFamily.pdf.