I’ve realised I’ve been avoiding writing in here so far this year. Everything I’ve thought “Oh that’s interesting” has either been covered very well by others or has become a tedious circular argument with no actual change happening. I’m getting annoyed with a lot of reactive internet feminism. (See the Lego campaign against Lego Friends, [link here] which has managed to thoroughly miss the point and is being very disingenuous in its understanding of the Lego sets available (Here is a good balanced review which doesn’t fuck me off as much as this anti girly type of campaign.)

Basically I am not keen on any set being pushed towards any particular sex. e.g. there is no reason little girls couldn’t like Ninjago but since there are no female minifigs in that line or little girls in the advertising as far as I know why would they engage with it? Especially if Lego are saying ‘here is the set for girls’. I’m also not exactly chuffed by the way it’s been marketed, the TV advert features a dead voiced Valley girl preening on about how you can go eat cupcakes. Obviously even plastic cupcakes are delicious but it doesn’t exactly break gender stereotypes. My first reaction to Lego Friends was, Jesus Christ that looks awful, what the hell is wrong with minifigs? But in looking at the actual sets there is an a frankly awesome set for Olivia the inventor which has the cutest robot I have ever seen.

LOOK AT THE ROBOT! (NB I have NO IDEA why she’s done a little stick man (or lady!) with a heart next to him/her with her calculations. This is clearly some form of advanced cute-mathmatics!)

Though this isn’t really mentioned in the adverts, it’s all cupcakes and looking after sickly animals. This blog on Lego’s new Lego club magazine for girls is also a bit worrying and sad.

I think they could have done something a bit like Pinky:St here which would have been more interesting in the dolls and sets, (I think the actual dolls are way ugly) the anime stylings would have suited this range quite well but could have also allowed it to lean into more active play sets possibly with boy dolls as well. It’s not massively imaginative but then I don’t think Lego City is very imaginative, and it’s designed for exactly the same type of play as Lego Friends, you build the set and play the game it leads you towards (Cops and robbers/fixing cute little animals). And that’s the issue with a lot of kids play at the moment, for boys and girls, imagination isn’t valued or cultivated in the ways it used to be.

And yeah I think there is an issue with active play with female toys. There are few Lego Minifig spacewomen/female police officers etc. I think some of the Friends sets do come across as quite passive rather than active and certain Lego other ranges promote this idea.

I like dolls and I don’t think this makes me bad in some way. Or that being feminine is wrong. Because if women are saying how terrible it is to play with dolls what will actually persuade boys that pink isn’t evil and only available for sissies and what will persuade boys that playing nicely with dolls that aren’t going to kill one another with weapons isn’t such a bad thing. I can understand the need a lot of women feel to show themselves as just as clever and strong as men. I don’t think that the way to do this is to say that traits traditional given to women are all bad.

I am not sure if I linked to this before but I very much liked this article on Bust about the backlash of girly culture regarding Zooey Deschanel’s Hello Giggles. Which isn’t exactly the most highbrow site on the web but I am not sure why that’s such a terrible thing

I like being a feminist, I can’t remember a time I wasn’t basically a feminist and I am not planning on stopping anytime soon. But I don’t want to miss out on facts. I want a evidence based feminism, I want something that works and doesn’t demonise men or stop them coming on board. But basically this entry by Five Dollar Radio is currently how I feel. I don’t want feminism that ignores the problems or glosses over things nor do I want a feminism that dismisses anything girly as damaging.

Here!

It’s on YouTube so there may be ads for which I am sorry but I am too cheap to buy the tracks and make an 8 track right now. Most of the videos aren’t worth watching apart from the U900 and the Emmy the Great/Tim Wheeler one.

Some lovely Christmas links:

Next year I am totally making some cross stitch Bat Villians.

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Download this free and insanely cute cat bunting for Christmas.

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I love this picture so much. Pretty ladies in uniform!!! Click on the link for a video.

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DC women kicking ass is doing a DC women advent calendar and this is my favourite as it features another pretty lesbian from the armed forces saying Merry Christmas to her girlfriend. (I love Renee and Kate so hard!)

I would like this painting now pls thx.

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I love the Epbot Steampunk Christmas Tree so much!

Jen (Who also does the amazing Cake Wrecks website) has also done a tutorial for the hot air balloon ornaments.

[link to hot air balloon tute]

I’ve been made aware of Vi Hart’s amazing Doodling in Math Class. You will learn about maths and laugh. Those things will happen.

I am so sad this is the last Supergirl and Batgirl comic from Mike Maihack BUT it’s a lovely way to say MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

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Anyway this study on quotes from Lad mags (Loaded, FHM, Nuts et al) and rapists is quite interesting.
Basically looking at those quotes I could work out quite easily which were rapists and which were lad mags so I am unsure if the men being surveyed were particularly stupid or that a culture of accepting aspects of rape (If you are wearing a short skirt you want it etc.) means that they didn’t notice the more rape-y quotes as problematic. I’d have to read the whole paper to get a real feel for what they are trying to claim. I am not sure I entirely agree with what Jezebel are trying to say it proves.

The problem with magazines for men and women is that they are the worst best friend you’ve ever had. The friend who appeals to your insecurities (you look fat in that, never make the first move, everyone is secretly judging you etc etc etc etc) and gives terrible advice. The friend that pretty much appeals to all the worst fears you’ve ever had about your relationships, how you look and the things you like. They set their goal as the unattainable Platonic form of Female and Male. And when you think you are nearing the goal they change the goalposts and leave you feeling confused and even more worried.
Men’s magazine advice columns are terrible: “Problems in bed with your partner? Why not try and spice things up with anal sex?” Whatever you do, do not try and talk to your partner. Do not try and understand their point of view or work with them for a solution. Of course the answer to your relationship problem might be anal sex but the issue is you’ll never know unless you ask. Men’s (and women’s) magazines perpetuate the idea of a gulf between the sexes.

I know a lot of people don’t feel the media strongly influence people’s opinions but I think they affected me. As sex education is very hit and miss in our schools I learnt about sex and relationships (before I was having them.) from those magazines. The only place I could freely read about women loving women was in Loaded. The only place I could see sexy pictures of women I fancied was in lads mags. (I still remember the Alyson Hannigan photoshoot Loaded did fondly but now with lots of reservations.) It took a while to stop looking at women in a very male orientated way and find my own way as a bisexual woman. Of course this isn’t everyone’s experience but the problem with a surfeit of badly written magazines aimed at the lowest common denominator is that it brings everyone down to that level whether they like it or not.

Anyway if you had a friend who talked to you the way men’s and women’s mags do you’d probably friend dump them.

Or kick them.

And whilst we’re at it, stop using the word chav.

Also I worry about those trying to say this lady is in the minority, she is in one sense BUT do not think that people of colour or women or disabled people or fat people or LGBTQI people (etc etc) don’t get this all the time. If you are different you are somehow public property. You can be owned and you have to put up with it or you are lacking a sense of humour/are a whinger/are part of the PC brigade or you are a dyke for not enjoying the street harassment that gets thrown at you.

I have had to listen to cabbies thinking because I am white and British I must share their racist views. They think, because of the colour of my skin, I agree that the Polish should all piss off back to Poland. They think I must be like them. It’s troubling. They usually shut up when I point out my Dad’s family were Eastern European (Jewish) immigrants to this country and I’d prefer them not to be racist around me.

On Sunday two guys belonging to a far right militant organisation got onto the tube I was on. They stuck a racist sticker on a black girl. I didn’t say anything (I usually do, which I’ve realised could be very dangerous) because, quite frankly, they looked like they could quite easily have me with their hands tied behind their backs and I suspect they would have actually started saying racist words and stuff if challenged making the journey unpleasant for all. I don’t feel good about this and I don’t want this to be my Britain.

But yes, please do not think this woman is isolated. She’s not in the majority but she isn’t isolated and ignoring her for being ‘an ignorant chav’ is not going to fix the issue.

Increasingly, it feels like we have to fight for our rights (And the rights for others) all the time. I don’t think a week goes past where I don’t hear someone on Twitter or Facebook or Livejournal talking about some girl thinking it is okay to call them names or some guy try to chat them up and not listening to no, not believing it really means no. It happens all the time. Many years ago a colleague was racially abused by a bus driver. Our boss at the time was annoyed she came into the office making such a fuss. This is the thing, even (some) people who are not overtly racist or sexist would rather you just shush about it because it’s not really that bad, “do you have to whinge all the time?”

I think the answer is becoming yes, yes we HAVE to whinge, because of things like Boots employees refusing to give the MAP on faith grounds. And this genuinely terrifying idea of giving rights to a fertilized egg. Even in cases of rape (The moral hierarchy of abortion is not something I am happy with but in this case forcing a woman to keep a child that has been forced on her in the first place?!) See also Crisis pregnancy centres feeling they can LIE to women LIE TO THEM to save their “unborn child.”

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A couple of the Many Many links I have accumulated since I last posted:

Libby at Treasury Islands does a brilliant piece on Disney princesses.

Speaking of Disney princesses.

And also STITCH AS A GREEN LANTERN! I am not sure I understand why BUT STITCH AS A GREEN LANTERN by James Silvani.

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Interesting article on racism regarding shades of skin

Before I got into comics in a properly geeky way, I liked quite a few comics. Craig Conlan is one of the Comic book artist/writers that I adore(d) and here is his take on Wonder Women.

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Stunning cut away Batman adventure from. Do look, it’s completely amazing.

The doctor wants his hat back. Poor Rory!

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Anyway I am really upset about X-23, I’ve been super enjoying it. Though I suppose my order will be cheaper? *looks on the bright side*

Dr Who tonight! I’ve already seen Matt Smith half-naked recently due to friends making me watch (under duress, clearly) Christopher and his Kind. But still!

This looks stunning, and it doesn’t contain a circus of goth melodramatic nonsense. It is entirely possible that Snow White and the Huntsman is amazing and I am being deeply unfair but I think Twilight will end up having a lot to answer for one day.

Super pretty beautiful art by Japanese artist Inohaco.

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I make no secret of my love for Neil Gaiman (He wants to be a rock star so hard. It’s kind of embarrassing) and The Magnetic Fields, my feelings for AFP are a bit more complex so I’ll leave that. Oh also I hate Moby but he only sings one line.

Anyway here they all are singing Science Fiction / Double Feature

I want these shoes! I will probably kick a squirrel for them! (I won’t really, I’m a vegetarian but I do really really want them.

I could get some socks with capes to go with it

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This is a weirdly pleasing wine gif from Kate or Die.

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I am completely in love with this comic by Emmy Cicierega of Fluffy Potter. It’s kind of interesting because I’ve just finished reading Understanding Comics by Scott McLeod and he’s very into using computers to produce unusual and interesting layouts.

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That is the magic of opinions: everybody has them and they are frequently different!  If I tweet that I picked up a Tim Hortons coffee one morning and someone tweets back that my decision was stupid, that doesn’t have to mean anything.  Life is easier once you realize that the feelings you have about the things you love don’t have to be influenced in any way by someone else’s. 

Something I regularly have to remember to be honest. I always end up being a bit…but I love Sarah Millican…don’t look at me like that please!

 Remember: nothing makes the cruelty of saying that Justin Bieber’s existence as a person is wrong because you don’t like his music okay.  He’s a human fucking being whose only crime is making some songs you don’t like.  The only thing his existence proves is that at one point his parents probably had sex.  What of it?

I think this is going a bit far (I am sure nearly everyone has thought ‘WHY OH WHY DOES JB EXIST and you can do that without LITERALLY meaning the need for death of Justin and his inane blend of repressed sexuality and bland pop’ ) but if you go too far with these things and you end up with what happened to Rebecca Black. And if you are saying how dare Bieber exist and SPOIL MUSIC then you cannot have much faith in music/Books/film you do love.

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Zachary Quinto is asked about a gay character in Star Trek and is wrong in my opinion (Of course Trek should have an openly gay characters (I’m surprised it hasn’t before?). Most shows should. Not as a token but because gay people exist. Most of us know one or two or quite a lot. Gay people just exist and should be shown in all forms of media because, and let me press the point THEY EXIST.*) but I worry he’s now suddenly become the go to guy to ask about the gay in SF.

*This isn’t an attack on Quinto’s opinion which he’s obviously entitled to but the fact that LGBTQ people are still under-represented and when they are represented it is often with stereotype.

DC ladiez in sweaters by Hanie Mohd. LOVELY!
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Then to disability services who were lovely and useful. It’s still hard for me to accept what I have could be considered a disability, even though it does cause me problems, because of the ‘pull yourself together’ voice in my head. THEN I found out I actually already paid this month’s tuition so I have more money! I spent £3 of this going to the Dr Who Exhibition at the Cartoon Museum. I love how British centric that museum is. Nearly all the comics and illustrations there are British and it’s always great. I think the Dr Who finishes soon if you are into that type of thing.

After this I went to Lush and bought this (Magic wand bubble bath, it tinkles when you use it and appears to be on a splint as from teenaged Physics lessons) because an arch salesman got talking to me about perfume (I wear sa majeste la rose, of course I completely forgot the name of it when talking to him and looked like an idiot.) and how he likes the smell of old ladies at the theatre. I think he wanted me to buy one of the Lush perfumes but I;ve tried them and I hated them. Which is a shame as I love B never. (Sad story, when B Never closed down my cousin was working for them and had loads of free glitter but didn’t know I liked glitter. So so sad…)

Okay I love Batman and I love Lego so you know, you could do worse than buying me this. Um…

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I think this is more Burlesque American BUT I also think this steampunk costume is amazing.

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Brain cake. So gross. (Halloween is the bestest crafting time)

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and why not…

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Every child should be dressed up as an Angry Bird. I am torn between utter fear and utter love.

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Tiny Superman

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Vintage witch from a lovely selection of old photos at Vintage Vivant

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Some Halloween craft

Creepy mirror from an excellent geek craft post by epbot. I totally want to make one of these.

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Not really Halloween but this guy totally says HIYA!

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Geek stuff

Tiny Titans Solicit and cover

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An interview with everyone’s favourite Joe on Tor.com (We all love Adam and Joe, right? Good!) They appear to have not realised quite how posh JC is.

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Love this Dr Who poster

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I love treehouses

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I have a picture on my desk of Battle Cat who I think would make a charming book end. There is a tute for making these in the link.

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Not sure I see the problem. *cough*

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This is apparently the cover for Batwoman #5. And it is just stunning. How anyone could consider comics as Not Art is beyond me.

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The She and Him Christmas Album is out soon!

YAY!

Lemony Snicket’s wonderful comment on the “Occupy” protests. Do have a look. This was mirrored by Neil Gaiman because the original crashed (possibly under Neil webfail?) but I am completely uncertain where the original was anyway.

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BYE!!