Feminist Monday, January 29

Good morning, everyone. Ready for some righteous rage? Let's do this thing! Here is today's video.

Simple enough, right? :) And now, those links...

Literary/Entertainment: Have a few articles by Maria Dahvana Headley. Stop Calling Ursula K. Le Guin a Grand Old Dame and Him Too? How Arthur Miller Smeared Marilyn Monroe and Invented the Myth of the Male Witch Hunt. Anyone who's done any recent research on Marilyn Monroe knows she was forced into the blonde "bimbo" role by the powerful men around her. And by "bimbo" I mean overly sexualized and stupid. Yes. She she had a healthy relationship with her own sexuality. No. She was definitely not stupid. She was, in fact, brilliant and passionate. And like many of the greats in various fields, she made the very best of what small talent she had. (She's one of my heroes, btw. She didn't used to be.) And here's a wonderful Twitter thread on Toxic Masculinity. Next up, Prize Launched for Thrillers That Don't Involve Violence Against Women. I love it. I'm sad that we have to have a prize to motivate writing literature that doesn't feature violence against women. (And I fully admit I've written very little thus far in my own career that would qualify.) However, I'm very glad that an awareness has arisen. Awareness is the first step toward change. This next link is one of my favorite stories of the new year. How Jessica Chastain got Octavia Spencer five times the pay. That. That is how Feminism should work. If you are a white woman and a Feminist, that is how you walk the walk. You use your privilege to help women with less power. Let's fucking do this. It's within our power. And have an article about Frida Kahlo: Radical Artist, Political Activist, Icon. ‘Another Period’ Star Riki Lindhome on Getting Political, Strong Female Leads. Casey Affleck Withdraws From Oscars: Won’t Present Best Actress Award. TV Actors and Writers Share Their Salaries Via Google Doc.

General: Our first link is about Black womanhood and activism. Shouldering the burden of community. And Angela Davis And Black Lives Matter: Why My Feminism Is Intersectional. Women's health issues are now central to a lot of the debates going on in politics. Unfortunately, this has repeatedly proven to be far less about a concern for women's actual health and more about controlling women. Case in point this horrific story: New Mom Seeks Treatment for Her Postpartum Depression, Has the Police Called on Her Instead. The following two articles have been making the rounds on Twitter. You may be already aware of them. However, the message is so important that I'll include them just in case you aren't on Twitter. The first is: The female price of male pleasure. The study of human sexuality is one of the many subjects within medical science that heavily influenced by internalized misogyny. So much so, that they only discovered the entirety of the female sex organ in 2011. 2011. With all the advances in imaging, can you imagine that there is any organ in the human body that medical science can't locate in its entirety? I couldn't. That one threw me. Yet even now, it's difficult to find accurate research online. (A majority of the articles still refer to the clitoris as a "little button.") So, color me not surprised when that first article came out. The second article is downright terrifying. The Husband Stitch Isn’t Just a Horrifying Childbirth Myth. Read in conjunction with the previous article, it makes me want to punch a male OB-Gyn. Meanwhile in another part of the electronic forest, Record-setting polar explorer, 16, hits back at men who say she belongs in the kitchen. And something to think about: 6 Ignorant and Harmful Things Urban Feminists Should Never Say to Rural Folks. This next one is an eye-opener because of the power new technology has to influence society and the world. THE DIRTY WAR OVER DIVERSITY INSIDE GOOGLE.

Trigger Warning: Twenty years of failure: Many groups missed chances to stop Larry Nassar. I definitely believe that every one of those organizations that failed those 156 women and girls should be burned to the ground. Every one of those who refused to listen and act should see repercussions. Every. One. The lesson must be learned. Listen. To. Women. Protect. Victims. Not. Perps.