Birthdays

If you have been pregnant or have a child or are a mom in any way you should check out this well written post:

http://herbadmother.com/2010/01/a-good-birth/

Advocates for Pregnant Women

Sad but true…

Go to Advocates for Pregnant Women for more details.

Free Esha Momeni

Please visit Bastard Logic to get the details on this nightmare.

A Message for Sarah Palin

This speaks volumes…

(h/t to Feministing)

The Order of Canada

On Canada Day the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, awarded the Order of Canada to a number of people. Among the recipients is Dr. Henry Morgentaler. As the Governor General’s website indicates Dr. Morgentaler was given this honour “for his commitment to increased health care options for women, his determined efforts to influence Canadian public policy and his leadership in humanist and civil liberties organizations”.

Not only did Dr. Morgentaler provide a choice for women but he did it at a great risk to his life and to his freedom.  Through every attack on his life and liberty he did not back down from his belief that women should have this basic right to choose and to have access to safe medical treatment.  As a Canadian and a woman I’m proud to know that his efforts have been acknowledged and honoured.

You can find the entire list of recipients on the Governor General’s website.  

 

Blog for Choice – Canadian Edition

20 years ago, on January 28th, 1988, the Canadian Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional to force a woman to carry a fetus to term.

This decision gave woman control over their own bodies and control over their own lives.  It allows women choices, choices about their own reproductive lives without fear of legal consequences.  This is an immeasurably important choice and we must be on guard to ensure it does not get taken away from us.

Today’s Rant: Dove vs. Axe

I’m sure many of you have seen the various ads on TV for both Dove and Axe.

Dove is attempting to promote self-esteem.

Dove has had some success with their ad campaign which encourages us to dispel the media’s image of women and believe in our own beauty. This ad goes so far as to advise us to talk to our children before the media can impact their lives:

This brings up a good point however we have to keep in mind that they are still selling a product, this is business after all, and they are not just running these ads for our benefit. I have to wonder how much of this ad campaign is attempting to make us feel better about ourselves and how much of it is just clever advertisers who have finally realized that women are more likely to purchase a product whose ads don’t make them feel like shit?

At the opposite end of the spectrum we have Axe.

Axe is using sex to promote their product. Gee, how original. Wearing this spray will help guys get chicks. As expected skinny, young women in skimpy outfits will be unable to resist you if you use Axe. In fact these chicks will even use violence to have their way with you. Have you seen their website? Talk about objectifying women, the icons are images of the curves on a woman’s body. Their logo? “Axe turns nice girls naughty.”

The blatant sexism and degradation of women in this ad campaign makes me nauseous. They lower us to the ranks of animals who are responding only to pheromones. The women they use are portrayed as brainless sex objects with no self respect who are only there to fulfill the desire of men.

Now for the plot twist… both Axe and Dove are owned by the same company, Unilever.

Their corporate statement indicates that they strive for “the highest standards of corporate behaviour towards everyone we work with, the communities we touch, and the environment on which we have an impact.” I’m not sure how they feel they can achieve this with such contradictory ad campaigns, one of which could be very damaging the daughters of my generation.

I think women need to become more aware of the crap we are being fed by the media. Men and women need to get angry! If we don’t want our children to be affected by these ads we need to make a stand! Let these companies know we’re paying attention and we’re not going to buy their products if they continue to treat us as idiots.

Don’t let this kind of corporate bullshit continue.

Yes, you are.

This is a fantastic essay.  I originally found it through the Shameless Magazine website. Check out the link for it here.

Feminism; coolest f-word ever.

I am one of the lucky ones. I’ve got a good boss, I am satisfied with my pay, and in comparison to my male counterparts I make the same if not more money. This is not a common occurrence.

Violence against women continues. The Picton trial is just another example of the horrors women worry about in the world today.

To make matters worse the Canadian government has decided that “equality” has been achieved and has cut funding to the Status of Women Canada by 40%! I guess I missed the memo. Last time I checked the status of women, particularly minorities and single moms, was not in good shape.

All of this pisses me off and apparently I’m not the only one who feels this way. The Women Are Angry and Status Report are Canadian organizations who are trying to spread the word regarding women’s issues and the lack of government support.

Check out their websites. Get Angry. Support the cause in any way you can.

As Ani diFranco says “…why can’t all decent men and women call themselves feminists? Out of respect for those who fought for this?”