Two of my favourite things, together at last!
Words cannot do justice to the amount of love that I have for Amy Poehler, but if you get your hands on the newest issue of BUST, you will find her on the cover and inside talking about feminism and comedy and babies and tarantulas and you will love love love her too. Also get your hands on her TV show Parks and Recreation. Season two is my favourite thing in the world right now. Oh, and it looks like I’m not alone in my love for all things Amy…
Most women in New Zealand do not realise that heart disease is the leading single cause of death in women. To help raise this awareness, a group of fashion designers like Annah Stretton, in association with Go Red For Women have put some original designer red dresses up for auction on Trade Me. If you are a size 10/small, you could purchase and buy one of these pretty dresses, and help raise money for the cause. If you’re not a size small, well really, what relevancy could heart disease possibly have to you anyway?
We know a lot of people who are competing in the 48 Hour Film Challenge shortly. Woo, glory, fun, games, etc. But Behind The Scenes have a different kind of film challenge going on. They’re asking people age 17-24 to make videos that promote healthy relationships instead of violent ones.
Make a video clip for YouTube promoting respectful boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and win a prize – $2000.00 first prize, $1000.00 second prize.
We encourage young men as well as young women to have a go at busting the myths about this violence
Although this project is about boyfriend violence towards girlfriends, many men have respectful and loving relationships.
Women have come a long way but some men still use violence towards women in relationships. Domestic violence has been dragged out of the closet. This is an opportunity to drag boyfriend violence out in the open! We want all young people to have a go at challenging this culture by promoting respectful relationships.
For more information, check out their site, or Are you okay? for help.
To counteract the girlcrimes that I no doubt committed by watching Top Model, I’d like to draw your attention to The Hand Mirror, which I read every day for their take on feminism and issues in New Zealand. And now they have a twitter account too! And this awesome picture:
I’m watching Helen Clark giving her valedictory statement to Parliament right now and shedding a couple of quiet tears. It was a huge deal to have her as our first elected female prime minister, and have her be such a staunch feminist and believer in human rights. Luckily our loss is the world’s gain now she’s off to the UN.
If my room wasn’t so messy, I would be wearing this badge right now (and secretly to work every day). You can buy these badges at Madame Fancy Pants, I do believe.
Everyone loves Tina Fey (that is a universal law!), and we also love Amy Poehler, her often partner-in-comedy. I especially love Amy Poehler’s web series on smart girls at the party – girls who are making the world a better place by being themselves, and this clip is super wonderfully awesome, about Ruby, a seven year old feminist. Enjoy!
We’re very very excited about going to our first roller derby match tomorrow! So excited that we asked Ginger from Richter City to take some time after her Good Morning debut to talk to us as well.
1. How did you get into roller derby in the first place?
I had a bunch of friends who were involved in the very beginnings of the league, and I jumped on board after an ill-fated New Years (too much alcohol and a break up and a tent = not good). My new year’s resolution was to do more things for myself and I joined derby because I loved the idea of skating and dressing up and having a pretend name and character… In the end though, I fell in love with roller derby because of the intense athleticism that is at the core of the sport, the amazing women that I skate with and the fun that we have.
2. Roller Derby can be seen to be about strength, which is an awesome thing, but it’s also about fighting other women, isn’t it? How do you think it fits into the feminist spectrum?
Hm, I wouldn’t describe roller derby as being “about fighting other women”, any more than I would say that rugby is “about fighting other men”. The contact is a part of a sport that is about agility, strength and power. Conceptualising derby in the feminist spectrum is interesting, and it’s something that bears a lot of thinking about; I believe it’s an amorphous situation, constantly changing depending on circumstance and situation, rather than one set in stone. I would say that as a rule derby deliberately plays with and subverts all sorts of stereotypical ideas about women and their sexuality – that is, by playing with these stereotypes and ideas we’re reclaiming power over them and making them a joke. Hah, we say!
3. How do you balance your in-rink persona and the real you or are they the same thing?
My in-rink persona, Ginger Tonyx, is an angry ex-Broadway broad (think: Valley of the Dolls). I love her, but I’ve had enough therapy to leave her in the rink! (Well, she sometimes comes to karaoke or out to the pub. But she’s very well-behaved then).
4. What do you wear/do to make yourself feel good?
I wear my red cowboy boots, red lipstick, vintage furs, cat ears, tutu (one at a time!); and I watch endless episodes of the Gilmore Girls, ride my bicycle along the waterfront, SKATE, op shop and knit/sew/cook.
5. How would you define pretty?
Pretty is playing with being a girl, and using the girly bits that work to the best of your advantage.
The bout will take place at on Saturday March 28, Wellington Basketball Association (behind Dance and Drama School) off Hutchinson Road and on the corner of Newtown and Mount Cook, Wellington.
Doors open at 6pm and the action begins at 7pm. Tickets are $10 and only available at the door. No eftpos so remember your cash.
On Friday night the most terrible thing happened. I was carrying my makeup back to my desk in a Pam’s ziplock bag when the bottom fell out of it, and everything fell to the ground. My favourite bright green eyeshadow that my mother originally purchased at a 100 yen shop in like 1994 smashed into a million pieces. The bright blue shadow in the same case was okay, and yes, I do have a Napolean in a very similar shade of green, but I’m still gutted. So today I went to Warehouse Stationary and bought a pencil case to use to keep my makeup together, and also a nice paint brush to use for my eye shadow (and used garden shears to cut it to a decent length).
But enough about me! Here are some links that have made me very happy this week.
What are your favourite stories that you’ve read lately?
When I was four, and we were on a train to the Alps to go skiing, I was given my first Barbie. She was an Aerobics Barbie, just like the one pictured, except her outfit was purple and pink. This year I am turning 29, and Barbie is turning 50.
I know that feminists are divided on the issue of whether or not barbies are bad. I had a barbie when I was growing up, but I’m not necessarily a model of great self esteem. On the other hand as I said when I entered a (really great) discussion about raising feminists on Deborah’s site In A Strange Land:
“I also sewed my own Barbie clothes, and because I was so obsessed with American history (see: my love of Sunfire romance novels) she had Revolutionary War outfits, Civil War hoop skirts, prairie pioneer bonnets and many other periods as well. So I think I’m okay with barbies for girls (and boys too) if they can be used to encourage any kind of off-the-rack thinking.”
And today, BabyAssFace had a post about Time.com’s Barbie Retrospective,which reminded me of some cool things about her hundred different careers like:
Yes, you can say that it’s tokenism, and an unhealthy body image, and that Malibu Stacey says that maths is hard, but I think if kids believe that a Barbie’s body reflects reality, then you have more serious issues at hand. I think providing a platform for imagination is kind of an awesome thing, and writing this post makes me want to go to my parents’ house and dig out my big box of barbie clothes. Of course, when I gave them elaborate Marie Antoinette hairstyles, I did it with the aid of sticking pearl-headed pins directly into their heads, and I don’t want to give Amy any ideas…
Oh yeah, and clearence is currently 50% at Torrid, but with the NZ$ at .59 of the US$, I’d be very very careful if I were you.
Oh and also, if you’re a New Zealander, please vote tomorrow. And please vote for a party that you think will do good things for women. The Hand Mirror has done an excellent job of asking candidates questions about issues that concern women, and they make for some important reading before you make your decision.
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