Feminist Monday, March 26

Today's inspirational image is brought to you by Black Panther. Dorothy Steel is the 91 year old actress who started acting at 88. She's amazing. And she's today's Badass of the day. Go her! May she get many more film roles after this one. She's great. Older women need more visibility on the screen--if for no other reason than to convince Americans that no, women don't vanish in a puff of smoke after age 30. 

Speaking of comic book movies, my husband sent me a link to the first trailer for Deadpool 2 last weekend. At first, I wasn't enthusiastic. (Admittedly, I wasn't enthusiastic about Deadpool 1 until after I saw it. Now, it's one of my favorite super hero movies.) And then I saw Morena Baccarin as Vanessa something in my chest unknotted, and I knew everything was going to be all right. It took me until the next day to figure out what it was. 

My entire life I've watched film after film wherein the white male lead drops everything to give his all to win the Woman of His Dreams™--only to have her vanish as if she'd never existed in the second movie. Sometimes, not very often, a non-emotional throw away line might explain her absence. Oh, she left me. Too bad. But I'm over it now. Or She died. I was sad. I grieved for a whole week. More often than not, no one spoke of the missing character. The woman of the main character's dreams, the woman that he spent an entire film obsessing over like some sort of highly dangerous stalker was suddenly not a factor in the story of our hero. It doesn't affect him much. Hell, she wasn't even worth altering the plot or creating some actual character building over. Worse, she's often replaced by some other Woman of His Dreams™.  And I'm supposed to believe that she's the love of his life? It rang hollow every time. Worse, it backed up everything I'd been taught to believe about men from the first time I was sexually harassed--probably age 10. "He only wants to get into your pants. Once he gets what he wants, he'll be gone."

It doesn't say much positive about our hero, does it?

Whenever I'd ask my date, "Hey. What happened to Kim Basinger? Wasn't Vicky Vale the love of Batman's life?" My date would inevitably tell me, "Oh, the film company probably couldn't afford to bring her back. She's a big movie star." Well, knowing now what we know about women actors' salaries versus male actors' salaries we all know that's bullshit. And I sensed it was too at the time. After all, they brought back Michael Gough (Alfred) and Michael Gough (Commissioner Gordon). Hell, even Stan Lee--who isn't even technically a character in a movie--gets to appear in all the movies. Why not the Woman of Our Hero's Dreams™--unless she wasn't the Woman of Our Hero's Dreams™? And then I noticed that James Bond wasn't the only asshole that had a revolving door filled with girlfriends who would only be disappeared between that movie and the next. It was like being tortured with a thousand paper cuts. And yet, women were supposed to yearn to be the woman on that screen. I sure as hell didn't. I mean who wants to be used like a kleenex for one blow and then tossed in the trash without so much as an onscreen goodbye?

It sucks, y'all, and not in the good way. And now...those links you came here for.

Okay. Today's video.

Literary/Entertainment: Have another thoughtful take on Black Panther--Nakia VS. Killmonger: Same Vision, Different Routes. Also, some great thoughts about writing for girls versus writing for all genders. WRITING MYSTERIES FOR GIRLS (Guess what? Boys need to read more books about girls.) 

General: This first link is super important. How to Support Protests When You're Not Affected by the Issue. I know that one comes up for me a lot. Next, HHS strips lesbian, bisexual health content from women’s health website. And... Despite Terrorizing Black People, the Serial-Killing Suicide Bomber Was Not a Terrorist Because, Well ... He’s White. See also Racial Blindness: Violent murders in Texas and Maryland show how white killers receive more sympathy than black victims. Come on. Who didn't see that one coming? And What to Know About the NRA. And Why ‘He Should Have Just Complied’ Does Not Apply to Stephon Clark. And filed under erased history, I bring you 4 Women Who Shaped The History Of Whisky. Also, check this out... What We Owe to the Hidden, Groundbreaking Activism of Sex Workers. And... Activist Network Helps Irish Women Get Access To Abortions and Mississippi Implements the Toughest Abortion Ban in the US. This next one is for all those folks who want to return to the Good Old Days when we didn't have Social Security, or health insurance, or unemployment insurance, or job safety regulations, or laws against child labor, or...well... you get the idea. I bring you Mugshots of Victorian Era Child Criminals (1870s) because nothing says "Ain't Life Grand Without Those Parasites on Society!" like twelve year olds being hung for stealing a shirt because they totally lack clothing, or an entire country living in poverty to support the nobility/1%. <sarcasm font>Woot!</sarcasm font> Next up, The Anger of the White Male Lie. Yes. Someone does need to stop telling them they can be anything they put their mind to. 5 Ways The Government Keeps Native Americans In Poverty. That is just...vile. And  Congress quietly preserves ability to pay sexual harassment settlements with taxpayer money. This last link is close to my heart because...Austin. What It’s Like to Be Black in Austin.