Fatgirlslim: Right Here, Right Now

This post is for all the girls out there who would like to lose a few pounds.  This is for all of you who have tried the Beyoncé-certified liquid diet or have considered the lemon juice, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, maple syrup—5-7 days straight.  Yum?  This is for everyone who has binged and purged; this is for anyone who has used laxatives to lose those last five pounds.  This is for any girl who has skipped that one last Christmas cookie; who has rejected a sandwich because “it just has too many carbs” (does anyone these days even know why we need carbohydrates to, you know, live?).  This is for the skinny girl who thinks she’s a fat girl and for all the girls who think it’s okay to label each other “fat” or “skinny.”  This is for the girls who have done none of these things.  This post is for you.

Women’s issues are everyone’s issues, but sometimes we forget how integrated they are in our everyday lives.  I was walking through Sephora with some girlfriends the other day, and attempted to pass by the Bliss section like I normally do: by looking straight ahead so I’m not tempted to drop hundreds of dollars on the totally “necessary” beauty products.  I’ll give them this, their marketing is superb.  They had a line of “Mint Romney” and “Orange Obama” lotion gifts with purchase over the election season that was genius!  

This time, I was startled by a line of products that I had never seen before.  They call it Fatgirlslim, which I guess is a take on the artist Fatboy Slim (well, at least I’d like to think so).  Being the self-proclaimed feminist I am I was taken aback by the title.  Who are you calling Fatgirl?  The disproportionate Barbie-like drawing on the cover of the package?  That fake-tanned Bliss princess?  Or are you calling me Fatgirl?  ‘Cause that Barbie figure sure as hell couldn’t stand to lose even half a pound without dropping below a healthy BMI.

Speaking of healthy, how good can these products be?  I saw Fatgirlslim soap, cream, spray, and some intimidating vibrating machine (and not the good kind).  All of these products supposedly give us women a six-pack (“Pick up a six pack,” says the box with the Barbie sketch), but last time I checked those came from Pilates and sets of crunches.  Are these products supposed to replace the diet and exercise which we have always been told will lead us to a healthy lifestyle?  Have we been deceived this entire time, told we had to actually take care of our bodies when all we need to do is drop fifty bucks on a vibrating tummy-tuck contraption? 

I don’t know about you, but I think I’ll pass.

What do you think?  Am I completely overreacting to Bliss’ Fatgirlslim product line, or is this an issue that deserves attention?

- Sabrina Yudelson

Should the LGBTQ Community Honor Katy Perry?

In early December, Katy Perry was honored by the Trevor Project, an organization that works to prevent LGBTQ suicides.  The Trevor Project gave KP the Trevor Hero Award for “inspiring LGBTQ youth to find their spark through her video 'Firework'” and “increasing visibility and understanding of the LGBTQ community.”

However, many in the LGBTQ community did not believe KP deserved such an award.  In her song “I Kissed A Girl,” she makes clear that she has a boyfriend (and therefore is straight, not gay or bisexual).  This song delegitimizes lesbians by portraying girls kissing girls as a “phase” that straight girls go through, rather than an expression of feelings between lesbian or bi women.  It furthers the idea that two girls kissing is only socially acceptable for straight girls who are “bi-curious” or hoping to get attention from men.  This song does not appear to “increase visibility and understanding of the LGBTQ community.”

Even more offensive is KP’s song “Ur So Gay.”  (Hint: Her inability to spell is not the offensive part.)  In this song, Katy Perry makes fun of an ex-boyfriend by calling him for being too feminine.  The lyrics include “I hope you hang yourself with your H&M scarf/While jacking off listening to Mozart.”  Rather than using legitimate insults on her ex, KP resorts to the default insult of a middle-schooler: “You’re so gay.”  This song is childish and offensive, and certainly does not further the Trevor Project’s goal of reducing LGBTQ suicides.

Despite these two songs, Katy Perry did positively portray gayness in the music video of “Firework.”  A series of clips includes a boy at a party, who crosses the room to kiss another boy.  Based on the lyrics, we can assume that this boy is embracing his true self.  But is this short section in one video enough to negate the damage done by two of her previous songs?  Should Katy Perry be rewarded for doing some good?  Or is honoring her actually hurting the LGBTQ community, by ignoring and normalizing her use of negative, anti-gay stereotypes?

What are your thoughts?  Is Katy Perry a good role model for the LGBTQ community? What about for everyone else?  Post in the comments!
** You may publish anonymous comments as well. All comments are subject toreview and approval from The Alice Drum Women's Center. **

- Lauren Dever

Jenna Marbles’ New Video: Harmless Comedy or Disrespecting Women?

Jenna Marbles is a hilarious internet comedian who’s posted over 100 videos, including some classics such as “How to Trick People into Thinking You’re Good Looking.”  However, her newest video is called “Things I Don’t Understand about Girls Part 2: Slut Edition.” 

Jenna defines “sluts” as women who sleep with a lot of men, especially men they don’t know.  She says that sluts don’t respect themselves or their bodies.  While she does make some good points about safety (don’t get STIs) and preventing sexual assault (intervene if a girl looks drunk and confused), she’s pretty anti-slut.  To Jenna Marbles, sluts make bad choices.  Jenna claims monogamy is much more fulfilling and that women have more enjoyable sex with someone they have a relationship with.  This assumption bothered me…..something didn’t seem right, but what??  Then I discovered this video by sex educator Laci Green.

Laci Green argues that Jenna echoes beliefs that our culture has had for generations—that women shouldn’t be sexual.  While women have made some advances, they are in no way equal to men or free to make their own sexual decisions.  Laci says that Jenna is “slut-shaming,” aka disrespecting certain women society labels as “sluts.”  “Sluts” are just women who express their sexuality differently than society wants them to.  Laci thinkgs disrespecting sluts is disrespecting women, and their ability to choose who they want to have sex with.

So what do y’all think?  Is Jenna’s video good advice for women seeking happiness, or is she disrespecting women’s decision-making abilities?  Post in the comments!
** You may publish anonymous comments as well. All comments are subject to review and approval from The Alice Drum Women's Center. **

- Lauren Dever

A Open Letter from an F&M Feminist

To the Women of F&M,

Let’s be honest: we can’t all be “besties.” But we do have a responsibility to ensure the safety of each of woman of campus. But every weekend, we, the women of F&M, are not meeting this responsibility. One in four women will experience sexual assault by the time they graduate college. You may not like that girl or may not even know her, but her safety should be every F&M woman’s concern. 

Like on most college campuses, the unknown man in the black trench coat crouching behind the bushes rarely perpetrates sexual assault. Rather it is our acquaintances, friends, or significant others who ignore our pleas and our wishes. It can happen in the dorms, in a party, in the local bar. However, as terrifying as this reality is, the women of F&M have powerful allies in protecting themselves: each other. We can make sure that every woman comes home safe, by simply intervening if we see something odd or potentially dangerous.

Now, it’s my turn to be honest. Although the statistic for sexual assault is one in four, we never act like sexual assault or rape happens here on our campus. Why? Is it because of the F&M bubble? Is it because talking about sexual assault is awkward, embarrassing, and frightening? Or, is it simply because we don’t know? I suspect it is a combination of the three, worsened by one observation. F&M women don’t seem to care enough about one another to abandon silence and speak up!

What does “something odd” look like? It can be a young woman sitting alone on a couch, too intoxicated to stay at the party. It can be a couple in the corner of a room who don’t seem to look all that ‘into each other.’ It can even be the young woman at the bar who gets left behind. In each of these situations, the women of F&M have power beyond imagination. We can help this young woman get home safety, by separating her from the situation with a simple “Come to the bathroom with me?” There are other variations of phrases, but an intervention can change the course of a night. 

So what happens if this particular young woman is fine or you misread the situation? Nothing. Both you and she move on with your night. However, the next morning, she might remember your intervention, your worry, and your concern for a stranger, and she might eventually do the same for another woman. It may be a cliché, but she can “pass it forward” and help ensure the safety of all women here at F&M.

I mentioned earlier, that here at F&M, silence is easier when the subject of sexual assault arises. Angie Epifano, a rape survivor from Amherst College writes that for victims and survivors of sexual assault, “Silence has the rusty taste of shame.” Epifano believes that it was her own personal shame regarding her assault that impeded her from talking.

Here at F&M, we do not need to feel shame. F&M’s women are passionate, intelligent, and articulate leaders. Others can’t shame us into silence. If someone tries to embarrass you for intervening in a situation that looks potentially dangerous, do not allow him or her to stop you from doing what is right for our community. It may be easier to stay silent and not draw attention to yourself, but why abandon a fellow woman if they need your help? “The rusty taste of shame” has no place here on this campus.

This weekend, be aware of your surroundings and your fellow women. If you see or hear something that just doesn’t seem right, act.  In one weekend, we can change women’s experience here at F&M. We can have a better, safer, more fun weekend.  

Michelle Carroll

F&M Senior 

11/9 "Rape is not Surprise Sex": Solutions to Sexual Assault on F&M's campus

How can we combat F&M's rape culture? How do we make campus aware of sexual assault? Here are solutions we discussed this friday:

-Recognizing the sexual assault spectrum: Rape is at the end of the spectrum, but any form of unwanted physical contact is not okay! We can't trivialize other forms of assault. 

-Empathize with victims 

-Advertise campus' options 

-Follow up from the freshmen sexual assault presentation - Educate peers about sexual assault

-Bystander intervention - If you see something SAY SOMETHING!

-Stand up for yourself - "Excuse me" and other phrases. Speak up!

-More weekend options - target freshmen specifically. Tango club, movies, etc

-Use the buddy system with your friends to stay safe. Use a phrase such as "Can you help me find my "silver purse'" as a code to let your friends know that you need to be out of an uncomfortable situation. 

Hello World!

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