Thinking bit: Strip the (beauty) pressure

Our very good friend Smaranda (the one most responsible for the Inspirations e-book ) suggested that we share this here, and we salute the tip-off!

So, what this experienced and professional lady named Tracey Spicer is suggesting is... yes, taking it off! And not in pole-dancing-will-empower-you way, no. Instead it's about acknowledging how much time women (and men to some extent, yes, but that's a lesser order of magnitude) spend preparing their exteriors before they go and do things. And how many more things you can do if you decide to dedicate your time to things that actually bring pleasure, knowledge, fun, whatever...

The empowerment recipe here: rethink your time spent on grooming, ask why you do what you do and is it worth it, and then reclaim a bit of your utterly human freedom by shedding the unnecessary.

The "Sexy Lie" about objectification of Women

#Objectification #Empowerment

Back to the body-talk. Here we have Caroline Heldman talking about the false friendship between sexual objectification and empowerment. This comes from the very innocent (and true!) idea that embracing previously imposed norms can be empowering, that, if done for authentic and personal reasons, sparkles, sprinkles and monogamy can be radical lifestyles choices (the last one, as suggested by Tristan Taormino).

Nevertheless, it has become very twisted in order to sell us back both submission and a gazillion of consumer goods we don't need. Caroline is talking about the crudest form of all: treating the female body as a marketing tool and/or a merchandise. And she offers how to get all those things out of your head: stop consuming brain-washers! stop being your own and other women's body police! and invest that freed energy in something cool!

An additional reading: The Myth of Empowerment very clearly answering if every choice women make is to be treated like an empowering (therefore inherently feminist) choice by Clementine Ford.

Sunday is for horizons: Elizabeth Pisani

This Sunday piece is for everybody interested in HIV/AIDS epidemics. Our heroine is Elizabeth Pisani who will break all your (wrong) stereotypes about it and will call things by their name. The title of her book The Wisdom of Whores: Bureaucrats, Brothels, and the Business of AIDS gives you a taste of her no-shit writing style.

She'll explain you the difference between the epidemics in Sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world. Also, why exactly because of these differences and generalized social (and therefore decision-maker) squeamishness around the men having sex with men, commercial sex-work and substance use so little success has been achieved. It is as good as it can get: no-nonsense fun writing and well researched.

A special treat: If you feel like deepening your knowledge on the Sub-Saharan epidemics and the Miracle of Uganda, get also Helen Epstein's The Invisible Cure: Africa, the West and the Fight Against AIDS. With those two you are perfectly set to understand HIV/AIDS. And make sure that the prevention work you can do, is worth it and based in sound evidence. 

TEDxTeen: Tavi Gevinson on Still Figuring it Out

The most awesome rule-breaker Tavi Gevinson talking about being a teenage girl,

You can find her fashion blog The Style Rookie here, the Rookie Magazine she's talking about here, and the pop culture role models she's mentioning are Lindsay Weir, Angela Chase and Stevie Nicks.

Courtney Martin on reinventing feminism

Courtney Martin on actual, the generation(s) after ways of feministing
+ a lecture on how to succeed in activism in general

...you can get more of her at feministing.com

If I should have a daughter ... (Smaranda)

"I found this video absolutely inspirational, if for no other reason, than the passionate honesty it portrays. In essence, it's all about having the power and courage of transforming something you are passionate about, into something that can help others, while staying true to yourself."

Sarah Kay has been writing and performing spoken word poetry since she was 14. Now 23, Sarah is a successful spoken word poet and co-directs Project V.O.I.C.E. (Vocal Outreach Into Creative Expression) which encourages people, particularly young people, to use spoken word as a tool for understanding the world and self, and a medium for vital expression. It encourages them to engage and explore the world around them to better understand their culture, their society, and ultimately themselves.