It’s you girl and you should know it. January 7, 2009

So continuing on my regression back to being a surly teenager, I have been watching classic shows lately while knitting. Currently, I am watching I Love Lucy season 2 and the Mary Tyler Moore Show season 3. I’m pretty sure that my parents thought it was odd that their teenage daughter would stay up all hours of the night to watch those shows and Dick Van Dyke and Get Smart. It was the best when Nick at Nite showed blocks of shows in the summer. Anyway, the two I am watching now are my favorites, because of the strong women characters. I’m pretty sure that I had seen all the episodes but can’t remember since it’s been like 10-15 years.

The third season of the Mary Tyler Moore show is absolutely amazing and just the first disc alone is some of the best comedic episodes ever, in my crazy opinion. The feminist issues that they deal with in those first 8 episodes: inequality/sexism in the workplace, sex, attitudes about unmarried women in their 30s (which was a lot less common then) and body image. Rhoda is my new hero and the actor who played her, Valerie Harper, was involved in the feminist movement before she started to play Rhoda.  

I can’t remember if it was in the first or second episode of the season, when Mary finds out she makes $50 a week less than her male predecessor and goes to confront Lou. I found myself yelling at the tv “Mary you tell him that’s bullshit” “tell him to shove it up his ass” “you march back in there Mary” and such. I’m sure the neighbors heard but whatevs. All the issues that they dealt with in those episodes are sadly still issues now, more than 30 years later. Are there any shows on today that deal with those issues? I can’t think of any. I wish there were. If anyone knows of any, please let me know.

Current Listening: Portishead-Dummy

Current Project: Staff Acct Sweater (just button band left!)

Current Reading: The Beach House (on the last disc-I can’t wait)

Bestest B Movie EVER December 22, 2008

Bitch Magazine is one of my fave magazines if not my favorite. They had a financial scare a few months ago and tons of people who support smart feminist independent media opened their hearts and wallets to give them a boost. They are now looking for sustainers. Please check out their site and help keep this essential magazine alive.

You better audit yourself December 5, 2008

I have been attempting to catch up on my magazines from the past year (Bust, Bitch, Venus Zine, Magnet, Harp (now gone), The Big Takeover, Rolling Stone (which I have finally canceled after 13 years because I had enough), Spin (which I think I forgot to renew), Blender, Real Simple plus those crochet/knitting magazines. Everytime I enter my bedroom, my eyes always fall on the ever growing stack and I feel sad, out of touch and a bit lost. Sad I know. But I love magazines, hence all the subscriptions. I loved opening the mailbox and going home and reading the entire thing cover to cover. Even if someone I adore is on the cover or written about, I always read from beginning to end and waiting until I got to the article of interest.

This past weekend, I finally caught up on Bust Magazine I was probably at least 8 months behind.  Having been a faithful subscriber since 2002, I struggle with my love/hate relationship with it. There are many things I love about it: the crafting, the columns that focus on feminist issues, the cover articles are always interesting and I learn a bit more about the person and how they feel about feminism or whatnot.

What I am starting to not love as much is their fashion spreads. They used to include plus sized models in their spreads but over the past years they have slowly disappeared. As a plus sized gal, it was always awesome to see other big girls looking awesome with the skinny ones. Even though I don’t have a ton of interest in fashion and am not fashionable at all, there are days where I imagine that one day I could be too (if I weren’t so lazy). 

Another thing that has disappointed me recently was that in the last issue with Jenny Lewis.   Most of the articles I have read about her usually focus on the Rilo Kiley situation with Blake, her childhood acting career and famous boyfriends.  I was pretty jazzed to see her on the cover because I have always pondered whether Jenny was a feminist or how she identifies or what she thinks about the whole movement. I have had discussions/epic emails with friends using song lyrics to make cases how she feels so finally my question was going to be answered! But it wasn’t. The subject was not brought up and I was left super bummed and frowning and deepening my anger line. Bust was always able to bring a new light to an artist for me and plus it’s a feminist magazine!  I hope that this won’t be a trend in their cover articles. 

I didn’t mean for this to be a boo on Bust because I still love it mostly. My favorite issue of the year without a doubt was the 15th anniversary issue with Amy Sedaris. Now I am attempting to catch up on Bitch Magazine (I am like a year behind-boo to me!) I missed it so much and reading about feminism and pondering a little more than my anger at half naked women on the cover of Blender. I am auditing myself and where I stand with feminism and I need to get back to it and in the movement. There is clearly a ton of things that need to happen that hasn’t happened on it’s own. (More on that later). 

I best get back to work and focused.  

Current Listening: Jenny Lewis “Acid Tongue”