BITCHfest: Ten Years of Cultural Criticism from the Pages of Bitch Magazine (42 page)
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Chapter 8. Talking Back: Activism and Pop Culture
Center for International Media Action (
www.mediaactioncenter.org
) A powerful movement-building force in the media justice world, CIMA offers robust research, organizational development resources, activist manuals, and a much-needed forum for networking and information sharing.
www.mediaactioncenter.org
) A powerful movement-building force in the media justice world, CIMA offers robust research, organizational development resources, activist manuals, and a much-needed forum for networking and information sharing.
Downhill Battle (
www.downhillbattle.org
) A collaboration among musicians, fans, and others working on assorted copyright issues and other aspects of major-label music-business monopolies.
www.downhillbattle.org
) A collaboration among musicians, fans, and others working on assorted copyright issues and other aspects of major-label music-business monopolies.
The Fire This Time: Young Activists and the New Feminism,
edited by Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin (Anchor, 2004) This diverse anthology is incredibly valuable for how it enlarges the definition of feminist activism to include vital work on issues—prison abolition, foreign policy, and immigration are just a few—that are too often left out when feminism is assumed to be only about traditional “women’s issues.”
edited by Vivien Labaton and Dawn Lundy Martin (Anchor, 2004) This diverse anthology is incredibly valuable for how it enlarges the definition of feminist activism to include vital work on issues—prison abolition, foreign policy, and immigration are just a few—that are too often left out when feminism is assumed to be only about traditional “women’s issues.”
Free Speech TV (
www.freespeech.org
) Available through satellite
networks and public access channels, FSTV is the nation’s first and only progressive TV station. It airs documentaries, underreported news stories, video zines, and much more that you won’t see anywhere else.
www.freespeech.org
) Available through satellite
networks and public access channels, FSTV is the nation’s first and only progressive TV station. It airs documentaries, underreported news stories, video zines, and much more that you won’t see anywhere else.
Isis International (
www.isiswomen.org
) Founded in 1974 to “create opportunities for women’s voices to be heard, strengthen feminist analyses through information exchange, promote solidarity and support feminist movements across the globe,” the Manila-based Isis works with activists in more than 150 countries to promote feminist and social justice viewpoints in all channels of communication.
www.isiswomen.org
) Founded in 1974 to “create opportunities for women’s voices to be heard, strengthen feminist analyses through information exchange, promote solidarity and support feminist movements across the globe,” the Manila-based Isis works with activists in more than 150 countries to promote feminist and social justice viewpoints in all channels of communication.
Media Report to Women
(
www.mediareporttowomen.com
) A quarterly news journal monitoring industry trends and conducting in-depth research,
MRTW
takes on such topics as whether female reporters covering the White House are overlooked at press conferences, how girls are positioned in ads in Seventeen, and more.
(
www.mediareporttowomen.com
) A quarterly news journal monitoring industry trends and conducting in-depth research,
MRTW
takes on such topics as whether female reporters covering the White House are overlooked at press conferences, how girls are positioned in ads in Seventeen, and more.
PR Watch
(
www.prwatch.org
) In October 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that the Bush administration had illegally used public funds to promote its agenda via “covert propaganda”; instead of a national citizen/media outcry, the company that masterminded the whole thing got another fat government contract. These are the kinds of stories covered by the more-essential-than-ever
PR Watch
, a quarterly journal on the public relations industry published by the Center for Media and Democracy.
(
www.prwatch.org
) In October 2005, the Government Accountability Office found that the Bush administration had illegally used public funds to promote its agenda via “covert propaganda”; instead of a national citizen/media outcry, the company that masterminded the whole thing got another fat government contract. These are the kinds of stories covered by the more-essential-than-ever
PR Watch
, a quarterly journal on the public relations industry published by the Center for Media and Democracy.
Well Connected (
www.openairwaves.org
) A project of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit organization that conducts investigative journalism in the public interest, Well Connected is an ongoing investigation of the corporations and government agencies that control the information industry. Find out who owns which media outlets in your area, which companies spent how much on campaign contributions or lobbyists, and much, much more.
www.openairwaves.org
) A project of the Center for Public Integrity, a nonprofit organization that conducts investigative journalism in the public interest, Well Connected is an ongoing investigation of the corporations and government agencies that control the information industry. Find out who owns which media outlets in your area, which companies spent how much on campaign contributions or lobbyists, and much, much more.
Women in Media & News (
www.wimnonline.org
) A feminist media analysis, education, and advocacy organization that gives public education presentations, trains social-justice organizations on media outreach, and works to expand the range of public debate by connecting working media producers with female sources.
www.wimnonline.org
) A feminist media analysis, education, and advocacy organization that gives public education presentations, trains social-justice organizations on media outreach, and works to expand the range of public debate by connecting working media producers with female sources.
Youth Media Council (
www.youthmediacouncil.org
) An organizing, leadership development, media capacity—building, and watchdog project aimed at developing youth-led strategies for media justice.
www.youthmediacouncil.org
) An organizing, leadership development, media capacity—building, and watchdog project aimed at developing youth-led strategies for media justice.
DIANE ANDERSON-MINSHALL (“What Happens to a Dyke Deferred?”; “I Kissed a Girl”) was the founder and former editor of the magazines
Girlfriends
and
Alice
, and her work has appeared in dozens of magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. She edited the critically acclaimed but poorly selling anthology
Becoming: Young Ideas on Gender, Identity and Sexuality
. At thirty-eight, she’s been in publishing for a full twenty-five years (yeah, you do the math) and is very, very tired. Check out her new venture,
www.quirkygirls.com
.
Girlfriends
and
Alice
, and her work has appeared in dozens of magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. She edited the critically acclaimed but poorly selling anthology
Becoming: Young Ideas on Gender, Identity and Sexuality
. At thirty-eight, she’s been in publishing for a full twenty-five years (yeah, you do the math) and is very, very tired. Check out her new venture,
www.quirkygirls.com
.
GUS ANDREWS (“The, Like, Downfall of the English Language”) is working on a doctorate in literacies, video games, and education at Teachers College of Columbia University. This article arose from research she did on the subject at Hampshire College, where she completed a BA in public screaming. Her freelance writing has been published in
Salon, City Limits
, and
The Village Voice
. She maintains an online journal at
www.dancingsausage.net
and entertains herself by code-switching in the streets of New York City.
Salon, City Limits
, and
The Village Voice
. She maintains an online journal at
www.dancingsausage.net
and entertains herself by code-switching in the streets of New York City.
LAURA BARCELLA (“Refuse and Resist with Jean Kilbourne”) is a writer living in San Francisco. Her work has appeared in
Salon, The Village Voice, Bust,
and
Time Out New York.
Salon, The Village Voice, Bust,
and
Time Out New York.
BETH BERNSTEIN and MATILDA ST. JOHN (“Your Stomach’s the Size of a Peanut, So Shut Up Already”) live in the San Francisco Bay Area. They’re not as cranky as you might think. They believe everyone, regardless of size, has the right to feel good about herself.
AUDREY BILGER (“On Language: You Guys”) teaches literature, gender studies, and yoga at Claremont McKenna College in California. She is the author of
Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen
(Wayne State University Press, 1998) and the editor of Jane Collier’s 1753 work
An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting
for Broadview Literary Texts (2003). Her work has appeared in, among other places,
Rockrgrl
, the
Los Angeles Times
, and
The Paris Review
. She and cowriter Eberle Umbach are currently working on a cookbook based on excerpts from novels by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century women writers, to be titled “Jane Austen’s Muffins and Louisa May Alcott’s Buns.” She lives near Los Angeles with her partner, record producer Cheryl Pawelski. They’re probably backstage at a show right now.
Laughing Feminism: Subversive Comedy in Frances Burney, Maria Edgeworth, and Jane Austen
(Wayne State University Press, 1998) and the editor of Jane Collier’s 1753 work
An Essay on the Art of Ingeniously Tormenting
for Broadview Literary Texts (2003). Her work has appeared in, among other places,
Rockrgrl
, the
Los Angeles Times
, and
The Paris Review
. She and cowriter Eberle Umbach are currently working on a cookbook based on excerpts from novels by eighteenth- and nineteenth-century women writers, to be titled “Jane Austen’s Muffins and Louisa May Alcott’s Buns.” She lives near Los Angeles with her partner, record producer Cheryl Pawelski. They’re probably backstage at a show right now.
CARSON BROWN (“The New Sexual Deviant”) runs a small editing company and works at an integrative health clinic in San Francisco. After years of freelancing and freewheeling, she surprised herself by applying to medical school. Her hobbies include sleeping, karaoke, and brewing beer.
KATHY BRUIN (“Please Don’t Feed the Models”) has two unpaid jobs: one as founder of About-Face, a campaign educating about the ways media impacts female body image while promoting alternatives through education and action, and the other as a mom. About-Face was launched in 1995, the kid in 2001. For an occasional paycheck and getaway, Bruin works as a trade-show manager and gets to go stay in hotels far from home.
KEIDRA CHANEY (“Sister Outsider Headbanger”) lives and works in Chicago. When not working at her day job at a small nonprofit arts organization or attempting to fulfill her life’s dream of starting a Faith No More cover band, she’s a freelance writer and editor. Her publication credits include
Bitch, Clamor, Colorlines
,
africana.com
,
notfortourists.com
, thirdcoast
press.com
, and a whole slew of independent/alternative publications that,
sadly, no longer exist. She whines and waxes poetic on pop culture, music, and politics daily at
enjoyandexciting.blogspot.com
.
Bitch, Clamor, Colorlines
,
africana.com
,
notfortourists.com
, thirdcoast
press.com
, and a whole slew of independent/alternative publications that,
sadly, no longer exist. She whines and waxes poetic on pop culture, music, and politics daily at
enjoyandexciting.blogspot.com
.
JULIE CRAIG (“I Can’t Believe It’s Not Feminism!”) is a graduate student with roots in San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Her hobbies include rocking out to alt-country music, mulling over the implications of bacterial genomics, and nitpicking George W. Bush’s grammar. She is a frequent contributor to
Bitch
.
Bitch
.
ATHENA DOURIS (“What Happens to a Dyke Deferred?”) has an MA in feminist psychology and is currently collecting hours toward licensure as a marriage and family therapist. She lives in the Bay Area with her partner and their furry, four-legged son.
AIMÉE DOWL (“Beyond the Bearded Lady”) is a former film editor who has worked on several award-winning features and documentaries about gay, feminist, and teen issues, and, when she needed more money, on an animated television series for the WB. More recently, she became a high-school teacher at an international school in Ecuador and a student of women’s medical history. Someday she hopes to bring all her skills together by producing a cartoon melodrama about a goateed teenage lesbian called
Duh, It’s a Beard!
Duh, It’s a Beard!
KAREN ENG (“The Princess and the Prankster”) is a freelance writer and editor who has worked in the magazine industry since 1991. She has published a wide range of articles, mainly about independent arts and culture, in a variety of publications, among them
Wired and Publishers Weekly
. She is the editor of the 2004 Seal Press anthology
Secrets and Confidences: The Complicated Truth About Women’s Friendships
, and her essays are included in the Seal Press anthologies
Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food
and
Young Wives’ Tales: New Adventures in Love and Partnership.
In 2002, she received a George Washington Williams journalism fellowship sponsored by the Independent Press Association. She lives in Cambridge, England.
Wired and Publishers Weekly
. She is the editor of the 2004 Seal Press anthology
Secrets and Confidences: The Complicated Truth About Women’s Friendships
, and her essays are included in the Seal Press anthologies
Women Who Eat: A New Generation on the Glory of Food
and
Young Wives’ Tales: New Adventures in Love and Partnership.
In 2002, she received a George Washington Williams journalism fellowship sponsored by the Independent Press Association. She lives in Cambridge, England.
RACHEL FUDGE (“Celebrity Jeopardy”; “Girl, Unreconstructed”; “Bias Cut”) is the senior editor of
Bitch
. She has been involved with the magazine
since its early days as a volunteer, board member, and frequent contributor. Her writing has also appeared in
Clamor, AlterNet,
the
San Francisco Chronicle, PekoPeko
, and the Seal Press anthologies
Young Wives’ Tales
and
Women Who Eat.
She was a contributing editor to the 2005 edition of Our Bodies,
Ourselves
and is the cocreator of the zine
Nebulosi
.
Bitch
. She has been involved with the magazine
since its early days as a volunteer, board member, and frequent contributor. Her writing has also appeared in
Clamor, AlterNet,
the
San Francisco Chronicle, PekoPeko
, and the Seal Press anthologies
Young Wives’ Tales
and
Women Who Eat.
She was a contributing editor to the 2005 edition of Our Bodies,
Ourselves
and is the cocreator of the zine
Nebulosi
.
RITA HAO (“And Now a Word from Our Sponsors”; “Pratt-fall”) is
Bitch’s
attorney. She lives and writes in San Francisco.
Bitch’s
attorney. She lives and writes in San Francisco.
AMY HARTER (“In Re-Mission”) is a writer, editor, and gardener living in San Francisco.
REBECCA HYMAN (“Full Frontal Offense”) is director of Women’s and Gender Studies and assistant professor of English at Oglethorpe University. She has written for publications such as
Women
’
s Studies Quarterly, Women in Performance
, and
Clamor
. She is at work on a book about conservative political strategy and the left’s renewal. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She can be reached at [email protected].
Women
’
s Studies Quarterly, Women in Performance
, and
Clamor
. She is at work on a book about conservative political strategy and the left’s renewal. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia. She can be reached at [email protected].
LISA MORICOLI LATHAM (“Double Life”) has written humor and/or journalism for
The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, Playboy, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, The Seattle Times, America West
,
Babytalk,
Babycenter.com
, and many other publications. She is a produced sitcom and film writer, as well as an etiquette columnist.
The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Salon, Playboy, Men’s Health, Cooking Light, The Seattle Times, America West
,
Babytalk,
Babycenter.com
, and many other publications. She is a produced sitcom and film writer, as well as an etiquette columnist.
JENNIFER MAHER (“Hot for Teacher”) teaches in the Department of Gender Studies at Indiana University, Bloomington. Her classes focus on popular culture, American women’s literature, third-wave feminism, and gender and the body. She was published most recently in the NYU Press anthology
Reality TV:
Remaking Television Culture and in Seal Press’s Secrets and
Confidences:
The Complicated Truth About
Women’s Friendships
. She is currently at work on a larger project focused on gender and the representation of teachers in popular culture, inspired by the drafting of the article in this anthology.
Reality TV:
Remaking Television Culture and in Seal Press’s Secrets and
Confidences:
The Complicated Truth About
Women’s Friendships
. She is currently at work on a larger project focused on gender and the representation of teachers in popular culture, inspired by the drafting of the article in this anthology.
SARAH McCORMIC c (“Hoovers and Shakers”) grew up on an island in the Pacific Northwest. She lives in Seattle, where she works as a website editor
at the University of Washington. Highlights of her varied writing and editing career include encyclopedia entries about Chinese despots, a book about Elvis, and articles celebrating the highly underrated sport of dogsledding. She is grateful to the three men in her life, Ralph (cat), Wally (cat), and Ben (human), all of whom agree that vacuum cleaners are too loud for regular use and that the best laps have some extra padding.
at the University of Washington. Highlights of her varied writing and editing career include encyclopedia entries about Chinese despots, a book about Elvis, and articles celebrating the highly underrated sport of dogsledding. She is grateful to the three men in her life, Ralph (cat), Wally (cat), and Ben (human), all of whom agree that vacuum cleaners are too loud for regular use and that the best laps have some extra padding.
MARISA MELTZER (“Are Fat Suits the New Blackface?”) is a freelance writer based in New York. She has contributed to
The New York Times
,
Entertainment Weekly, Elle,
and
Teen Vogue
, and is the coauthor of the forthcoming book How Sassy
Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time.
The New York Times
,
Entertainment Weekly, Elle,
and
Teen Vogue
, and is the coauthor of the forthcoming book How Sassy
Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time.
ANNA MILLS (“Envy, a Love Story”) writes essays and poems on sex, gender, nature, and capitalism that have appeared in
Lodestar Quarterly
,
Identity Theory, SoMa Literary Review, Three Candles, Clamor
, and
Moxie
. She teaches English at City College of San Francisco.
Lodestar Quarterly
,
Identity Theory, SoMa Literary Review, Three Candles, Clamor
, and
Moxie
. She teaches English at City College of San Francisco.
ANNE ELIZABETH MOORE (“Meet Anne: A Spunky, Adventurous American Girl”) is the author of
Hey Kidz! Buy This Book: A Radical Primer on Corporate and Governmental Propaganda and Artistic Activism for Short People
(Soft Skull Press, 2004), the associate publisher of
Punk Planet
, and the series editor for Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Graphic Narratives.
Hey Kidz! Buy This Book: A Radical Primer on Corporate and Governmental Propaganda and Artistic Activism for Short People
(Soft Skull Press, 2004), the associate publisher of
Punk Planet
, and the series editor for Houghton Mifflin’s Best American Graphic Narratives.
GABRIELLE MOSS (“Teen Mean Fighting Machine”) studied the history of American popular culture at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts; this essay is based on her senior thesis. She is currently a freelance writer and indie-rock nanny in New York City.
JENNIFER NEWENS (“The Paradox of Martha Stewart”) has worked as a restaurant cook, caterer, recipe developer, and food writer. She currently works as a senior editor specializing in cookbooks for a San Francisco—based publisher. She coauthored the cookbooks
Basic Cooking
and
Basic Baking
. She continues to follow the story of Martha Stewart.
Basic Cooking
and
Basic Baking
. She continues to follow the story of Martha Stewart.
MONICA NOLAN (“Mother Inferior”) is a writer and filmmaker based in San Francisco. In addition to her work for
Bitch
, she has written about film for
Release Print
and coauthored
The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories
. Her first novel,
Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary
, will be published by Kensington. She worked as an editor and writer on Kara Herold’s documentaries
Grrlyshow
and
Bachelorette
, 34. She has one of the most extensive collections of 1950s teen-girl literature west of the Sierras.
Bitch
, she has written about film for
Release Print
and coauthored
The Big Book of Lesbian Horse Stories
. Her first novel,
Lois Lenz, Lesbian Secretary
, will be published by Kensington. She worked as an editor and writer on Kara Herold’s documentaries
Grrlyshow
and
Bachelorette
, 34. She has one of the most extensive collections of 1950s teen-girl literature west of the Sierras.
TAMMY OLER (“Bloodletting”) is a writer, editor, and rollergirl living in Denver, Colorado. Her work has appeared in local alternative newspapers and magazines and several online literary journals. She is currently at work on a memoir about science-fiction fandom.
BRENDAN O’SULLIVAN (“Dead Man Walking”) lives in Oakland, California, and likes reading theory a little too much. Though, all things being equal, he would rather just eat semisweet chocolate and dance. He has actually seen
Weekend at Bernie’s II
in its entirety. He can be reached at [email protected].
Weekend at Bernie’s II
in its entirety. He can be reached at [email protected].
LEAH LAKSHMI PIEPZNA-SAMARASINHA (“Busting the Beige Barrier”) is a U.S.-raised, Toronto-based queer Sri Lankan writer, spoken-word artist, and arts educator. The author of
Consensual Genocide
(Toronto South Asian Review Press, 2006), she has been published in the anthologies
Colonize This!; Dangerous Families; With a Rough Tongue: Femmes Write Porn;
the Lambda Award—nominated Brazen
Femme; Without a Net; Geeks, Misfits and Outlaws
; and
A Girl’s Guide to Taking Over the World
, as well as in the periodicals
Lodestar Quarterly
,
Mizna, SAMAR, Bamboo Girl, Bitch, Broken Pencil, Colorlines, Fireweed
, and
Anything That Moves
. She has performed her work throughout the United States and Canada, teaches writing to GLBT youth at Supporting Our Youth Toronto, and is one of the organizers of the Asian Arts Freedom School, a writing, performance, and activist education program for Asian/Pacific Islander youth.
Consensual Genocide
(Toronto South Asian Review Press, 2006), she has been published in the anthologies
Colonize This!; Dangerous Families; With a Rough Tongue: Femmes Write Porn;
the Lambda Award—nominated Brazen
Femme; Without a Net; Geeks, Misfits and Outlaws
; and
A Girl’s Guide to Taking Over the World
, as well as in the periodicals
Lodestar Quarterly
,
Mizna, SAMAR, Bamboo Girl, Bitch, Broken Pencil, Colorlines, Fireweed
, and
Anything That Moves
. She has performed her work throughout the United States and Canada, teaches writing to GLBT youth at Supporting Our Youth Toronto, and is one of the organizers of the Asian Arts Freedom School, a writing, performance, and activist education program for Asian/Pacific Islander youth.
JENNIFER L. POZNER (“How to Reclaim, Reframe, and Reform the Media”) is the executive director of Women in Media & News (WIMN). She conducts media trainings for women’s groups and is a regular speaker on
college campuses with multimedia presentations such as “Bachelor Babes, Bridezillas & Husband-Hunting Harems: Decoding Reality TV’s Twisted Fairy Tales” and “Condoleezza Rice is a Size 6, and Other Useless Things I Learned from the News.” She can be reached at [email protected].
college campuses with multimedia presentations such as “Bachelor Babes, Bridezillas & Husband-Hunting Harems: Decoding Reality TV’s Twisted Fairy Tales” and “Condoleezza Rice is a Size 6, and Other Useless Things I Learned from the News.” She can be reached at [email protected].
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