Protecting the Women Who Protect Us (By Emily M.)

Major Shawna Rochelle Kimbrell is the first
female African-American fighter pilot in
the U.S. Air Force. How cool is that?

This year, the U.S. Air Force saluted Women’s History Month by making history of its own. On March 30th, the first all-female Air Force unit completed a combat mission in Afghanistan.

Although the mission has symbolic importance, its purpose was anything but – the women soared in to give much-needed aid to the ground troops who were engaged in heavy fighting in the Kunar Valley (for more on the mission, check out this link).

Women pilots have been flying combat missions for the Air Force for 18 years; however, it is gravely concerning to find out that they might not be as well protected as their male counterparts.

The Air Force is preparing to buy a new fleet aircraft to conduct light attack and armed reconnaissance (LAAR) and light air support (LAS) missions, and competition is fierce between the American company Hawker Beechcraft and the Brazilian company Embraer. Although people are talking about issues that surround outsourcing our defense contracts and the free market implications of foreign and domestic companies competing, what people are not talking about is the safety threat that will be posed to female pilots if Embraer is awarded the contract.

The planes that Hawker Beechcraft and Embraer have proposed for the contract are very similar, and cost roughly the same. However, the ejection seat in the Embraer aircraft yields an extremely high impact, whereas the Hawker Beechcraft model does not. This high-impact seat poses significant safety concerns for pilots of lower height and weight. This disproportionately threatens the safety of female pilots, as they are typically of smaller stature than male pilots.

The idea that the USAF would even consider an aircraft that posed such a safety threat should outrage Americans. And that outrage needs to be heard – we must not stand idly by while crucial safety concerns are passed over by the Pentagon. We need women (and men!) to speak up on this issue and make it clear that they will not tolerate the women who serve to be any less protected than the men.

Please consider writing to your representatives, or expanding the online conversation by taking this issue to new forums. The brave women in our Air Force take to the skies to protect us; don’t we owe it to them to make sure they are protected?

Spotlight: Alicia Jo Rabins & "Girls In Trouble"

(Above) Alicia Jo Rabins alongside her
husband-slash-bandmate, Aaron Hartman.

If you don’t think "indie fiddle-folk melodies” (HEEB Magazine) are your thing, that’s only because you haven’t heard Half You Half Me, the newest album from Girls in Trouble.

Headed by the multi-talented Alicia Jo Rabins (we’re talking about a woman who’s been a classically trained violinist since the age of three), Girls in Trouble is a unique band that utilizes multiple instruments - from the accordion, to the upright bass, to Jo Rabins' luscious "Regina Spektor-ish" voice - to delve into the often dark and twisted world of the Hebrew Bible.

As Jo Rabins pointed out in a recent interview, the material she draws from is "totally bloody and R-rated, not at all like children's Bible stories," so you can imagine what fun is to be had in her latest album (storm demons, jealous sisters, and knife accidents, oh my!).

As a feminist, my favorite aspect of Half You Half Me is the way it pays homage to the unsung women of the Bible: those whose stories have been tossed aside, forgotten, or otherwise dilapidated by the sands of time. Through lyrics that might as well be printed in poetry books, Girls in Trouble gives these women a powerful, thought-provoking voice.

Now, let's pretend you're like me and don't really "mesh" with religion. You might be worried that Half You Half Me is just another musical ploy to get you into church on Sunday (or should I say, into a synagogue), but believe me when I say that you don’t have to be Jewish, Christian, Buddhist, or any other religion to find something special hidden amongst the ethereal violin solos and poignant lyrics of these songs.

Jo Rabins and friends have created multiple musical worlds - some of which are light and sweet-sounding as in the album’s first track “We Are Androgynous” (listen to it here!), and some of which are more sinister - but each world is strangely dreamy, progressive, and unlike anything you've ever heard.

Alicia Jo Rabins was nice enough to answer a few of my burning questions, so check out what she had to say about her band's unique name, musical style, and whether or not she was a feminist!

Me: How did you come up with the band name "Girls in Trouble"? What does it mean?

Jo Rabins: Girls in Trouble is a concept project: both a song cycle, and the band who plays the songs live. All the songs are about obscure stories of women from the Torah/Hebrew Bible . . . it's amazing material to draw from because these stories are totally bloody and R-rated, not at all like children's Bible stories! Hence the name. I wanted the drama of the stories to come through a little in the name of the project.

Me: Can you explain a bit about your music style and the themes/messages that permeate your songs?

JR: I'm pretty eclectic in my musical tastes and I've been influenced by so many kinds of music - classical chamber music, which I grew up playing; old-time fiddle music and folk ballads; klezmer (Eastern European Jewish music); indie rock; and punk. So you can hear those influences throughout the album, I think. As for themes or messages, I'm interested in emotional truths, which are complicated.

Me: When you're writing lyrics for a new song, what's running through your head? What inspires you?

JR: I think about emotional resonance, about beauty, about layers of reality, about dreams, about the way the words feel in my mouth. I'm inspired by the things that are hard to look at, by the parts of our lives we would rather ignore, and the power contained in those moments.

Me: Would you consider yourself a feminist or an advocate for women's rights? If so, what shaped those beliefs?

JR: Yes, I would. I am the oldest of three sisters and my parents always raised us to believe girls could do anything boys could do. So I was fortunate to take that for granted at an early age, and I've never doubted it for a minute.

Me: What's the single greatest piece of advice you've ever heard? In other words, if you could go back in time and talk to your 16-year-old self, what would you tell her?

JR: I would say, find the things that make you happy, and do them. And be quick to laugh at yourself. And drink more water. And you will find someone who loves you just the way you are, not the perfect version of yourself, so don't worry about perfection.

Me: Finally, do you have tour dates or anything else you'd like to promote?

JR: Yes! Girls in Trouble is just back from two weeks in California, and we're heading out all month on a release tour for our new album, Half You Half Me (Jdub Records). We're going down south and then up north, so come see us play, and bring your friends! Most of the shows we're playing are all-ages.

Tour Dates:

• 5/4 Columbia, MD @ Oakland Mills Interfaith Center
• 5/5 Raleigh, NC @ The Pinkhook
• 5/7 Atlanta, GA @ Highland Ballroom
• 5/8 Carrboro, NC @ Leo Gaev Metalworks
• 5/11 Baltimore, MD @ The Windup Space
• 5/15 Philadelphia, PA @ National Museum of American Jewish History
• 5/19 New York, NY @ Joe's Pub (Release Show)
• 5/20 Hudson, NY @ Spotty Dog
• 5/25 Northampton, MA @ Thorne's Market
• 5/29 Becket, MA: Girls in Trouble @ Dream Away Lodge

You can also check out Girls in Trouble on Myspace, Facebook, or Twitter!

I've gone to the "Dark Side"

Wow, it feels like it's been forever since my last post! If anybody's been wondering where I've been (anybody?), I can sum it up in one word: school.

I've been extremely - no, that's not dramatic enough - death-defyingly busy for the past few weeks. I've been putting in between 8 and 11 hours at school everyday to accommodate clubs and study sessions, I've got AP exams coming up in less time than my brain wants to admit, and I've been running around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to pull things together for a charity event my school is hosting on May 27th. Can't you just hear the sad violins in the background? I don't want to be a downer, but . . .

BEING A TEENAGER IS HARD!

We're constantly moving in a million directions, we never get any sleep, we're exhausted and stressed out all the time, and on top of all that we have to deal with stupid acne and urges to beat the crap out of anybody who looks at us funny (you know, because we're so tired). Is it just me, or should kids get some type of compensation for having it so rough? A paid-by-the-hour type of thing would be nice, but heck, I'd settle for a simple bowling trophy. (If any congressmen or women happen to be reading this, take that into consideration.)

Anyway, you're probably wondering what this "Dark Side" business is all about - and if you weren't, you are now!

Well, friends, I have indeed gone to the Dark Side . . . of the hair dye aisle!

That's right, I'm no longer a blonde, but a brunette. After a tragic accident last Thursday, I had no choice but to go darker for the first time in my entire life. Long story short? I tried dyeing my bleached-blonde hair another light color, but it turned gray with red roots! And if that wasn't bad enough, I had to speak at an assembly the next day; I would've had to get up in front of almost a thousand kids looking as if I'd aged forty years overnight (a tad over-dramatic, but you get my point)! 

Luckily my mom has dyed her hair too many times to count, so she knew exactly what she was doing when she made a late-night trip to Walgreens and picked up a darker dye. Thus disaster (in a petty scope) was averted.

Now if I've any ability to read minds whatsoever, you're probably thinking "Why is she talking about this? Dyeing hair ain't no biggie." But in my monotonous, homework-filled life, you better believe this is big news (sad, ain't it?). The fact is, I've had blonde hair ever since I made my grand entrance into this world over seventeen years ago. I've always been The Blonde Girl in class, and I've always had a hidden sense of satisfaction over busting negative "dumb blonde" stereotypes. In a way, I feel like blonde hair was, and maybe still is, a part of who I am.

See? I've been a cool blonde chick since Day 1 *laughs*

But even though this transformation is strange, I think it'll be good for me. I'll take it as a new adventure, a new beginning . . . And that is the last time you'll hear about my hair until I dye it some other color and go on another nostalgic rampage!



I guess I just wanted to check in, prove that I haven't completely fallen off the face of the earth, and let everybody know that even though I've been really busy, I've still got some good posts planned for the future! Check 'em out!

What to Look Forward To (Upcoming Posts):

1. A spotlight on a unique band called Girls in Trouble in which "Brooklyn poet and multi-instrumentalist Alicia Jo Rabins mines dark stories of Biblical women, exploring the hidden places where their complicated lives overlap with her own." (I also hope to get an interview with Alicia!)
2. A closer look at a decision that might put female Air Force pilots at risk.
3. An interview with Alexa (author of Blossoming Badass), a teen who's new to the feminist blogosphere!

The Definition(s) of Feminism

fem·i·nism (noun) \ˈfe-mə-ˌni-zəm\

1 : the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes

2 : organized activity on behalf of women's rights and interests

3 : Something that puts a smile on Danielle's face (and, judging by the comments, Talia's as well)!

"Hello, Ms. President." (Is that so hard to believe?)

Is she the next "Ms. President"?

I think I've said this before, but the Yahoo! Homepage is literally one of the first things I see when I get up in the morning, and whenever I see a featured article about a woman who's made an impact for reasons other than parading around on some reality show with a puke-orange tan (ooh, am I bitter?), I feel a jolt of excitement and curiosity. Click! 

Today's featured article was about Geraldine Ferraro, "who in 1984 became the first woman vice presidential candidate on a major party ticket [in the United States]." She passed away on Saturday.

I'll be the first to admit that I abhor politics.

I know, I know, as a liberated woman I should want to educate myself about this stuff, but . . . I don't know. Maybe 10+ years of learning about male presidents, male politicians, and a male-dominated political system has left me without many strong women to look up to (It certainly irked me that in my World History class last year, 95% of the women we learned about were concubines or mistresses).

Nevertheless, this article really touched me.

Maybe because Ferraro sounded like an amazing woman: dedicated, inspiring, a pro-choice activist (though controversial), and a "dear human being".

Maybe because she had a dream not unlike my own, to see a woman inaugurated as the President of the United States of America.

Or maybe it was because I was shocked by the user comments at the end of the article! Usually Yahoonians are like venomous moths, making rude and vulgar remarks in the safety of their anonymous cocoons. But nobody told Ferraro to "go make them a sandwich." Nobody told her to "get back in the kitchen." And, astoundingly, there wasn't a single trace of "Wanna hear a joke? Women's rights."

All the comments I saw were ones of admiration. Sure, a few people admitted they hadn't always agreed with Ferraro's viewpoints, but they seemed to have immense respect for her anyway. That really says something about this woman's character.



Women like this inspire me beyond belief.



All of this political talk got me thinking about why the United States has never had a woman president. According to this list of Women Presidents from 1945-2011, places like Argentina, Bolivia, Iceland, Haiti, the Philippines, Ireland, Ecuador, Finland, Indonesia, Chile, Brazil - I'm running out of breath here - have all had women presidents.

Why not us? Why not the oh-so-progressive United States?

Though I don't appreciate some of his more snide remarks ("Every time I think about it - which isn't very often - I think how wrong it is that we have never had a woman president . . ."), the man in this 60 Minutes video makes some interesting points.

For example, there are currently more women in the US than men (151 million vs. 146 million), and more women take advantage of their voting rights. Shouldn't that mean that women exert a prominent, influential amount of political power? Could it really be, as the man in this video suggests, that "even women don't vote for women"?

I don't have an answer for that one. All I can say is:



Can I haz this shirt?

You better watch out the day a woman finally gets elected president, because my heart is going to explode. Not one of those dinky explosions, either - I'm talking nuclear.

But I want to make it clear that I would not vote for a woman simply because she and I share some commonalities (think: ovaries, breasts, that glorious "time of the month"). For someone to win my vote, they'd have to be strong and diligent, decisive yet compassionate.

I think some people think feminists are biased - that we somehow hail all women over all men - but isn't that a load of utter bullcrap? I mean, I would rather be friends with a guy who was kind and honest than a girl who was a dirty rotten liar.

So while I'm saying that I long for the day a woman takes a seat in the Oval Office, I want it to be the right woman, because you can bet she's going to get twice the flack for being "of the female variety" than Bush ever got for talking like a drunken monkey.

Ms. President is going to have to be strong, and brave, and lay down the law. She's going to have to be tough, but fair, and remember where she came from so she can empower a new generation of girls to stand up for themselves. She's going to have to have thick skin and an unwavering sense of justice and and and and . . .

But I have no doubt that she can do it, because there are billions of these types of women in this country. They just need to hurry up and get their names on the ballot!
___________________

Mini-Rant: I'm not even going to tell you how difficult it was to find pictures for this post. I typed in "Ms. President" to Google Images and got Paris Hilton; I typed in "girl American flag" and got chicks in bikinis. Ah, society.

50 Best Movies for Women's History Month

For this month's poll (there's a monthly poll in the right-hand sidebar, don'tcha know?), I asked everybody what they've done to celebrate Women's History Month so far. Even though I only got a measly 14 responses, I think they're extremely telling: Half of those who responded said they haven't done anything to celebrate this month's cause, and an astounding 35% didn't even know it was Women's History Month!

Well, if you're looking for a last-minute way to let your feminist freak flag fly (try saying that ten times fast), why not cozy up with a blanket, a cup of hot coco, and 50 of the Best Movies for Women's History Month according to Mastersdegree.net?

I can't honestly say that I've seen too many blatantly feminist films in my lifetime (besides, perhaps, Mona Lisa Smile and one of my all-time favorites, Whip It!), but I am on a serious mission to change that.

So if you've seen any of the movies on the aforementioned list, leave a comment and let people know how it was! Or if you know another movie that'll satiate our thirst for strong, kick-butt female leads, let us know about that, too!

As for tonight, I'm going to rifle through our movie cabinet to see if I can find anything juicy (read: empowering).

I suggest you do the same.

Men of Quality Respect Women's Equality



Where have you been
all my life, Beardy?

This is an excerpt from "Feminism: The F-bomb that Horrifies Men" by Catherine Ford of Troy Media. It was published on March 13th, 2011.

Want to see apoplexy? Drop an F-bomb into a conversation.

As soon as a woman says she’s a feminist, watch the boy-men and mamma’s boys, the braggarts and blackguards, the weak and the puffed up turn red in the face.

Try it. It’s one of life’s little pleasures if you’re a woman.

It’s also an excellent way to sift the wheat from the chaff in the male gender. Men who are secure in their own selves, men who are grown-ups, men who make the best husbands, boyfriends and just-plain-friends embrace feminism. It frees them to be real people, not the cardboard cutouts of masculinity promoted in action movies and cartoons. "

Read the rest of Ford's article here!

An Epic Post Where Feminism and Chinese Collide

I don't know why I'm so in love with Chinese.

But I guess it all started a couple of summers back when I got those silly language-learning CDs at the library (you know, where the people talk like robots and you're expected to follow along). Being the tech-savvy kid I was (lie), I burned the CDs to my MP3 player and started learning simple phrases on my daily bike rides. The neighbors must've thought I was crazy - zooming around and talking to myself in a weird language - but those are some of the happiest times I can remember.

After that particular summer, my love for Chinese exploded. I started watching Chinese and Taiwanese dramas online, listening to Mandopop (popular Mandarin music), and even using the language in conversations with my mom (she didn't have a clue what I was saying).

At school, not only did I jump at the chance to take Chinese as my foreign language option, by some miracle I also summed up the courage to perform a Chinese song at my school's Culture Night, despite the fact that I had never - I repeat, never - sung in front of people before:

Best. Decision. Ever.

Considering I started out as one of those I-love-anime-and-everything-from-Japan teeny-boppers, it's weird that my tastes changed so suddenly and unexpectedly. I've learned not to dig too deep into it, though, because learning Mandarin has definitely become one of my Top 5 Passions in Life, right up there with feminism (can I get a "woot-woot"!), doodling, and preparing perfectly-proportioned cups of coffee with plenty of chocolate-raspberry creamer.

I've been waiting so, so long to confess my love of Chinese to the world (i.e. the people who read this blog), but I could never find a way to make it relevant to the stuff I usually talk about.

Can anybody say "loophole"?

Let's learn feminism-related Chinese words!

Alright class (can you tell that I'm loving this?), please call me 老师 (lǎoshī, pronounced "loud" without the d, and "sure"), which means teacher.

There are many aspects of Chinese that will be too hard to teach in a single blog post (I suggest checking out this site if you want to learn more), but I'll try my best to explain the following words and phrases:

Women's Rights: 妇女的权利 fùnǚ de quánlì

The word 妇女(fùnǚ) means woman and is pronounced "foo-new." This is usually tricky for English-speakers to pronounce because the "ǚ" sound is pronounced like in the German word "über."

的 (de) is a possessive participle and is pronounced "duh".

权利 (quánlì) means power, right, or privilege, and is also harder for some people because the "q" makes a "ch" sound, contradictory to how "q" is pronounced in English. Finally, the "uán" in "quánlì" sounds like "oo" and "en" (as in "end") blended together, and "lì" sounds like "lee."

Put the sounds together: foo-new duh chooen-lee

Click here to hear how the word is pronounced!

Women's History Month: 妇女历史月 fùnǚ lìshǐ yuè

We already learned 妇女(fùnǚ), which means woman, in the first phrase. It's pronounced "foo-new."

历史(lìshǐ) means history, and is pronounced "lee-sure." Try not to pronounce "sure" too intensely, though. It's a very soft sound, almost like you're saying "shhrrr."

Finally, 月(yuè) means month, and is pronounced "y-oo-eh" (again, with the "eh" sounding like the "e" in "end"). Make sure you're not pronouncing the sounds in a choppy manner, but make them flow.

Put the sounds together: foo-new lee-sure yooeh

Click here to hear how the word is pronounced!

Feminism: 女权主义 nǚquánzhǔyì

女(nǚ) is pronounced "new," just remember that the "ǚ" sounds like the German "über."

权(quán) is pronounced fluently as "ch" + "oo" + "en" = "chooen"

主(zhǔ) is pronounced "joo." Most people see a "zh" and assume the English pronunciation "zzz," but in Chinese "z + h" make a "j" sound!

义(yì) is pronounced "ee." Do not pronounce the "y."

Put the sounds together: new-chooen-joo-ee

Feminist (Person): 女权主义者 nǚquánzhǔyì zhě

This is the same as the word above, just add 者(zhě) at the end to change the meaning from feminism to feminist. 者(zhě) is pronounced "juh."


Put the sounds together: new-chooen-joo-ee juh

I am a feminist!: 我是一个女权主义者! Wǒ shì yī ge nǚquánzhǔyì zhě!

Characters:             我      是      一     个      女       权        主      义      者

Pīnyīn:                     wǒ       shì       yī       ge        nǚ      quán        zhǔ        yì       zhě

Pronunciation:       wah     sure    ee     guh     new   chooen     joo        ee       juh 

English:                     I           am             a                                feminist



Lil' Wayne Got BURNED By Three Little girls

Don't hate me for stealing this story straight off the Yahoo! homepage, but it's impossible to hear about it and not have a "heck yeah" moment! You see, in response to deplorably sexist and vulgar language in virtually all of Lil' Wayne's songs, Watoto From the Nile (a group of three girls almost half my age!) released Letter to Lil Wayne:

This message is to Mr. Wayne

I'm sorry plus I must complain

'bout what you do, and what you say

I'm sorry that I feel this way

And I'm a girl that's only 10,

but for my sisters I must represent . . .

I have major beef with "artists" who think it's hip to call women b-words, h-words, s-words, etc., but at the same time I've always felt like resistance is futile. I mean can I, a single person, really do anything to change the music industry? Well, after hearing Letter to Lil Wayne, a song that's already gotten over 200,000 hits on Youtube, I know I can.

If these girls had the courage to make a difference, what's stopping you or I? 

50 Fascinating Facts for Women's History Month

I'm embarrassed to admit that I didn't know March was Women's History Month until somebody emailed me an article called - you guessed it - 50 Fascinating Facts for Women's History Month. Chronicling amazing women suffragists, athletes, politicians, inventors and more from the past few centuries, this article is a good reminder that contrary to popular belief, the woman's role in history has not been a passive one!

Some of the facts in the article surprised me, but almost all of them made me inexorably proud. As dumb as it sounds, I caught myself thinking "We womenfolk are pretty dang amazing!" several times while reading. 

Here are some random facts from the article (though I hope you'll go back and read it for yourself!):

Queen Victoria ruled one of the largest empires in the history of the world, at one point controlling land on nearly every continent.

Jane Addams was the first woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Upon her husband's death, Cherokee leader Nancy Ward took his place in a 1775 battle against the Creeks, and led the Cherokee to victory.

The first woman to run for U.S. president was Victoria Woodhull, who campaigned for the office in 1872 under the National Woman's Suffrage Association.

The first country to grant women the right to vote in the modern era was New Zealand in 1893.

On Nov. 26, 1916 birth control activist Margaret Sanger was arrested for distributing birth control information.

In 1903, Mary Anderson was granted a patent for the windshield wiper.

The first person to make the daring attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a wooden barrel was a woman.