Library of Congress Pictures

So one of my friends from UGA read my blog and sent me this awesome link to Library of Congress pictures from the 1930s and 40s. As you might remember from high school history, this time period covers WWII and the era when women were encouraged to work outside the home in honor of patriotism.

The image that comes to mind for most people is probably Rosie the Riveter.



However, you can check out this link to see the REAL women who kept our country running. Thanks to our foremothers for trailblazing our right to have careers outside of the home! Also, thanks again to Gene for finding this and sending my way!

9 year old street dancer

Christmas Quote

Holidays tend to be the most gendered time of the year. Women cook, men say grace, women are in groups talking about children, men are in groups talking about football. So here's a little Elizabeth Taylor quote to keep things in perspective:

"Business! Politics! What's so masculine about a conversation that a woman can't enter into?"

Merry Christmas!

Gender and Media

Great post from Ms. Magazine about the intersections of gender and media. In my opinion, it doesn't mean you can't see these films, as you would have very limited entertainment options. It is just good to be conscious of how few heroines there are for kids so you can have open discussions about it with your children. It also makes me excited to support movies like Brave, which seems to have a really great female protagonist, and Harry Potter, where smart female characters like Hermione, Minerva McGonagall, and Molly Weasley are celebrated.

No surprise that most of the research was done by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. What a great spokeswoman and feminist. Makes me love A League of Their Own even more!

Rape & Military Service

"A female soldier in Iraq is more likely to be attacked by a fellow soldier than killed by enemy fire." These brave women came forward despite the barriers, and these are some of their stories. For more stories of both female and male survivors serving in the armed forces, see http://mydutytospeak.com/.

Sexual violence affects us all.

Consent

"I get frustrated with debates over whether drunkeness precludes consent. Consent is an enthusiastic yes from someone competent to give it." ~ Angus Johnston's Twitter

"It's Okay to Be Neither" By Melissa Bollow Tempel

How one elementary school teacher supports gender variance. This story made me a little teary.

Good Advice

"Don't tell kids 'girls can be anything!' They wouldn't have thought otherwise- just raise them strong, dummy" ~ Sarah Silverman's Twitter

Another Reason to Love Amy Poehler

It is great that Amy has initiatives like this. This girl is also adorable, and it makes me think about how I would explain feminism to my future daughters. My favorite is the feminist song at the end.

Little Girl Explains

"The companies...try to trick girls into buying pink stuff."

If it is obvious to a child that gendered toys are a marketing ploy and an insult to both girls and boys, why is it so hard for adults to understand?

Legos...for Girls?

As a kid, I loved Legos! I enjoyed imagining something and then trying to figure out how to build it. However, the Lego company has created a new line aimed at girls that include pre-made items, female characters with busts, and everything in pink. And I agree with this article that the "Asumption that girls don't want to play with conventional Legos is insulting."

What do you think? Does creating a "girl's" line like this limit creativity and end the era of a great gender neutral toy? Or do you agree with the NY Times article that this new line "works with the way girls play"?