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Blogs

Use your imagination: an interview with the women of Sociological Images

Audio post by Kjerstin Johnson, September 7, 2010 - 2:06pm; tagged advertising, Mad World, podcasts, sociological images.
From PBR to Pampers, Lisa Wade and Gwen Sharp of the blog Sociological Images look at the cultural significance of the graphs, cartoons, and advertisements we usually take for granted. I spoke with Lisa and Gwen for our Mad World podcast about how the blog got started, how to "pull back the curtain" on advertisers, and why exactly the "mediocre male" is such a prevalent trope found today.

Stream it below, Subscribe on iTunes, or download at archive.org. Transcription coming soon.
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Have we come a long way? An interview with Jean Kilbourne

Audio post by Kjerstin Johnson, September 7, 2010 - 2:05pm; tagged advertising, gender in advertising, jean kilbourne, Mad World.
A picture of Jean Kilbourne. She is white and has brown hair, she is smiling and wearing blue. Jean Kilbourne made the first Killing Us Softly film in 1979. Now with several books under her belt and Killing Us Softly 4 out this spring, Kilbourne obviously hasn't stopped her activism in media criticism--whether it's following the increased sexualization of children in ads or calling out the alcohol and tobacco industry. Kelsey Wallace spoke to Kilbourne, a member of Bitch Media's National Advisory Board, on the phone about trends in advertising and gender, the state of media criticism today, and Kilbourne's future plans. You can order Killing Us Softly 4 at the Media Education Foundation. This interview is part of our Mad World podcast on gender, advertising, and identity in a mediated world. Subscribe on iTunes. Download at archive.org. Transcription coming soon!
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Mad World: The Podcast

Mad World post by Kelsey Wallace, September 7, 2010 - 1:55pm; tagged audio, Destination DIY, jean kilbourne, Mad World, podcasts, sociological images.


If you like reading our Mad World series on gender, identity, and advertising, you're going to *love* listening to the podcast! Click on the player below to hear interviews with the folks from Sociological Images, Jean Kilbourne, and much much more. You can also download the podcast from our iTunes channel or our archive page.

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Size Matters: The Carrot and the Stick

Social Commentary post by Tasha Fierce, September 7, 2010 - 12:55pm; tagged size acceptance, size discrimination, Size Matters.
Size discrimination is an unfortunate fact of life for many fat people working in a corporate environment. Fat workers are often passed over for promotions, denied raises, and told outright to their faces that they are undesirable to clients. Not only that, fat employees on average earn 1 to 6 percent less than employees whose weight is considered "normal." Fat people are also often the scapegoats for rising corporate health care costs. What protections are there for those facing size discrimination? Being classified as "overweight" generally does not entitle you to protections under the Americans With Disabilities Act or the ADA Amendment Act of 2008, however, under the ADAAA being classified as "morbidly obese" or having health problems considered "weight-related" does. The larger you are, the more likely you are to experience size discrimination, and the more protections you have under the law. But those who are not considered "morbidly obese" also need to be protected, and unfortunately there are no laws that prohibit discrimination based on weight.

As if size discrimination wasn't enough to deal with, many workplaces are instituting weight loss incentive programs, which further marginalizes fat employees. Incentive programs that include rewards for departments or teams that lose the most weight create a hostile atmosphere in which fat people are shamed for not being able to lose significant amounts of weight.
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B-Sides: The Thermals Get Personal on Personal Life

Music post by Kelsey Wallace, September 7, 2010 - 10:18am; tagged b-sides, Kill Rock Stars, Personal Life, The Thermals.
Do you know what today is? It's Personal Life release day! If you're a Thermals fan (and you know I am), you've been excited for this day for a while now. And you won't be disappointed, because Personal Life delivers all of the energy, catchy hooks, and sing-along lyrics you've come to expect from these cuties. Check out their latest video if you need proof:



Pssst... You can also preview the new album at NPR First Listen, and if you live in PDX you can see The Thermals live this week at MusicFestNW (oh, and you can see us there too!).
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Push(back) at the Intersections: Veronica Mars and the Straw Feminists

Social Commentary post by s.e. smith, September 7, 2010 - 10:13am; tagged feminism, feminism on television, Push(back) at the Intersections, straw feminists, veronica mars.
I feel like people watching the show who haven't really been exposed to feminism were internalizing some feminist messages until they got to the actual feminists, at which point they learned that feminists are bad. What's more important, the delivery of the message, or naming the ideology that goes with it? I'd rather that people be doing feminist things and not recognizing them as feminist than doing nothing at all, or doing actively anti-feminist things (and sometimes calling them feminist), but I also wish that depictions of feminists in pop culture were not uniformly awful. Few shows are even willing to call characters feminist at all and positive depictions of feminists and feminism are thin on the ground.

I don't know if Thomas really thinks that this is what feminists are like, or was trying to make a commentary with the caricatures that just didn't resolve itself, but it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Surely, a criterion for considering a show feminist is that if it contains feminists, they shouldn't be caricatures.

Right?
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Adventures in Feministory: Norma Rae

History post by Kelsey Wallace, September 6, 2010 - 12:11pm; tagged Adventures in Feministory, Labor Day, labor politics, Norma Rae, union politics.
feministory_red_orange.jpg
Today is Labor Day, and while the most significant impact this has for many of us is on our wardrobes (see you next year, white pants) the holiday actually serves as a celebration of the contributions of American workers.

I'm sure I don't need to tell you that women have had a significant impact on the history of American labor politics. From the Atlanta Washerwomen Strike in 1881 to Jane Addams' Hull House, women have always kicked ass and taken names in the name of workers' rights. However, this is a pop culture blog and I am a self-proclaimed pop culture addict, so I say we celebrate Labor Day 2010 with an awesome pop cultural representation of women and labor politics: Norma Rae.

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Racy Thoughts: No Media Sensation Without Representation

Social Commentary post by Alex_Alvarez, September 6, 2010 - 11:11am; tagged feminism, Latinos, racism, Racy Thoughts.
I'd be remiss to begin a blog on the intersection of race, gender and pop culture without mentioning that, in reading various other blogs on all three topics, I’ve kept happening upon the same complaint: that pop culture and many feminist publications often exclude or oversee the unique perspectives offered by women who aren't white. So this blog, then, is a group effort, with your comments and experiences forming an integral part in fostering a thoughtful and inclusive discussion on feminism.
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Bitchtapes: Musicfest Northwest

Music post by Kjerstin Johnson, September 3, 2010 - 2:14pm; tagged indie rock, Musicfest Northwest, Portland, queer musicians, women in rock.
Who needs overpriced beer and heatstroke when you can enjoy a music festival in the comfort of your own city? That's how I feel about Musicfest Northwest, taking place in Portland next week from September 8-11. Bitch Media will doing special daily blog posts on the upcoming acts. Don't worry--we won't flood the interwebs with any more updates on the Walkmen or The National, we'll be covering queer and female artists who maybe aren't getting as much attention as the bigger acts. PDX-ers can be informed about which shows to catch and non-locals can look forward new music, mp3s, and videos from shows. This week's mix is emblematic of the Pac-NW unknowns and international stars playing Portland next week. From New-Orleans bounce to artsy-dance and folk rock, hopefully you'll find something you like! Track list after the jump.
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Size Matters: The Fat Tax

Social Commentary post by Tasha Fierce, September 3, 2010 - 1:12pm; tagged fat acceptance, fat fashion, Size Matters.
It's become general knowledge that class influences weight. Working class families often don't have as much access to healthier foods as middle and upper class families do, and working longer hours means fast food can be an appealing option for those with little time. So if fat folks, and specifically fat women, are more likely to be working class, why does it cost so much to clothe yourself as a fat woman? Why are more fashionable clothes in larger sizes so damn expensive?
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Andi Zeisler

Andi Zeisler

cofounder, editorial/creative director

Andi is the co-founder of Bitch: Feminist Response to Pop Culture. A longtime freelance writer and illustrator, Andi's work has appeared in numerous periodicals and newspapers.

She passes her non-Bitch hours watching television and embroidering portraits of dogs, often simultaneously. Her other interests include painting, walking, candy, Scrabble, and the interrobang.

Andrea Plaid

Andrea Plaid

The Lady Is a Tramp Blogger

You may know me as Racialicious' Sexual Correspondent. My perspectives on race, gender, and sex have been featured in Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Bitch. My work has been republished at Penthouse, Wiretap Magazine, and RaceWire. I also own my own safer-sex kit company, Freak Kits.

Ashley McAllister

Ashley McAllister

Library Coordinator

Katie Waldeck

Bitch New Media Intern

I'm the new media intern here at Bitch HQ.

Kelsey Wallace

Kelsey Wallace

web editor

Kjerstin Johnson

Kjerstin Johnson

Web Content Manager

Kristin Rogers Brown

Kristin Rogers Brown

Art Director

Kristin Rogers Brown joined Bitch Media as Art Director in March, 2010. She is part insomniac, part narcoleptic, and quite possibly the messiest perfectionist ever.

Megan Carpentier

Dating Game Blogger

Writer, feminist, political junkie, wine snob, profligate potty mouth, shit-starter and truth-teller. Also, workaholic.

RMJ

RMJ

TelevIsm Blogger

I'm also known as Rachel McCarthy James! You can also find me at: Deeply Problematic.

s.e. smith

s.e. smith

writer, Push(back) at the Intersections Blogger

s.e. smith is a writer living in Northern California.

Sara Reihani

Sara Reihani

Blog contributor, former editorial intern

Sara Stroo

Sara Stroo

Publishing Intern

Shaamini Yogaretnam

Shaamini Yogaretnam

Former Editorial Intern

Tasha Fierce

Tasha Fierce

Size Matters Blogger

I'm a freelance writer/blogger. My work has been featured in Jezebel, Shapely Prose, FWD/Forward, Feministe and Racialicious. You can usually find me blogging at Red Vinyl Shoes and I Fry Mine in Butter.

Thea Lim

Thea Lim

Genderlicious Blogger

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