Feminist Blogging in the Media

Today, my Twitter feed was all abuzz with an article published in the New York Times about feminist bloggers entitled The Rebirth of the Feminist Manifesto.  The article is quite interesting, although it tweaks my nerves when mentioning SlutWalk, and the pictures are mildly annoying (another appeal to the general public, really? - We're just like you, we swear!).  It's most definitely worth a read, especially for those of you who aren't familiar with all of the big hitters in feminist blogging (Jezebel, etc.).  Yet, as Mamafesto writes, but what about the rest of us?  Feminist parents STILL aren't being recognized by popular feminist blogs, and I don't know why.

"We have to make it better, now"

Well said, Rick.

Birth as Performance

Here's an article by Brooklyn-based performance artist Marni Kotak who had her son Ajax on October 17th, at a New York art gallery.  It is similar in concept to Dr. Nancy Salgueiro's home birth broadcast online on October 16th.   I attempted to watch Dr. Nancy's birth but fell asleep at 1 a.m. (her baby was born at 3:18 a.m.), and I have yet to re-watch the birth.  In my opinion, this is a wonderful trend in our Western culture where the sharing of birthing among young women has been lost.

You can watch Dr. Nancy's birth here.

Get on Your Back!

Disney Movies and Sexism

Ah crap - I've known this all along (it's horribly obvious) but have tried not to admit it to myself - Disney movies are SEXIST, in the big, bold caps lock kind of way.  I've debated showing Disney movies to my daughter over and over again because, well, I saw them all when I was young.  And, I loved them.  It's difficult for me to make the connection between the subtle beginnings of self-loathing and those Disney movies from childhood, but, when it's pointed out to me in such stark form, it's hard to deny.  It's also hard to deny their impact when you imagine what our lives as little girls would be like WITHOUT those princesses.  What kind of roles could our daughters imagine for themselves if they couldn't so easily slip in to the role of the incapable, beautiful princess woman in search of her knight in shining armor?  

My daughter has seen mostly all of them - if I get rid of them now is it too late, have they already irreparably influenced the future she imagines for herself?

An Intact Penis and a Call to Child Services

This Mom had to deal with infuriating claims of neglect while her son was in the hospital for a fever. I have a daughter, and haven't had to deal with the issues surrounding foreskin and circumcision so this piece was really informative - check it out here.

Occupy The World

Holy Shit

Holy shit.  Jessica Valenti mentioned me on her blog.  She misrepresents The Feminist Breeder and disagrees with me (although, she calls me measured, which is awesome), but STILL.  

AND yesterday The Feminist Breeder mentioned me on Twitter and said this, 

@FeministBreeder

TheFeministBreeder

@caitfem I'm glad to know you're out there. The world needs more feminist lactivists.

 Excuse me for not having an intelligent or witty response.. these women are inspiring, and to be included in their world, if only for a moment, is pretty great.

!!!

Thank You - Would You Ask Me That Question if I Were a Man?

A huge THANK YOU to The Feminist Breeder for this post! As a mom who is in school and working, I am frequently asked these questions by other students and colleagues.  Please read.  

A Response to Jessica Valenti - Formula Marketing is NOT Feminist

The Feminist Breeder posted yesterday on her Facebook page about an influential feminist and her blog post about formula feeding.  Jessica Valenti, in response to news that some hospitals are removing free formula samples, wrote, "But truly, refusing to give mothers access to formula is not "baby friendly" or helpful - it's shaming and in some cases could be very dangerous.  Enough already."  The full blog post, written by Lorrie Hearts, later links assault on reproductive choice with the stigmatization faced by mothers who choose to formula feed.  While I think it's important to draw attention to the hypocrisy existing in judgement leveled at those who formula feed, in a perverted way, the article serves to justify the limiting of choice moms face when they are gifted with free formula samples in-hospital.  Women can choose to formula feed, and can go to any grocery store and pick up the brand of their choice.  This is in no-way analogous to attacks on reproductive justice which serve to make access to abortions illegal.  From The Feminist Breeder, "Just because you've used infant formula [which I have], and support formula feeding moms, doesn't mean you should support formula marketing."

Check out A Mother is Born for a great response.

And, not to be outdone, The Feminist Breeder wrote this great response on her site - which sums up the arguments against formula marketing in-hospital in a super easy to read and smart way, as usual.  Check her out.  [Also, she mentioned me on Twitter yesterday - holy sh*t!! - she's my feminist/mommy idol]