Men who whinge about ‘fake geek girls’ at cons who dress up in ‘slutty’ character outfits but say absolutely nothing about the developers who specifically create woman identified characters in NOTHING BUT skimpy outfits with swivel spines and huge breasts have zero credibility and are to be ignored profusely.

(TW - Sexism in geek culture, slut shaming)

elizabethbanner:

Cosplay Ain’t Comics — But Neither is Misogyny

I’ve stood there for hours at a time rolling my eyes as yet another ‘geek prodigy’ attempts to quiz us on who we’re cosplaying, hoping that we’ll slip up so their group of fedora-wearing friends can all have a good laugh at the silly woman’s expense — and despite the almost obsessive knowledge of Polaris’ relationship with Magneto shown, they just don’t quit, either.

Because the geek prodigy and his merry band of followers know our secret. We aren’t nerds, we’re actresses, and we’re so good at it that we’ve spent our entire lives reading comic books and putting up with this kind of bullshit just so that we can prey on you and your delusions that you’re entitled to a piece of us based purely on a singular mutual interest. That alone is the reason that we spend months and almost every spare cent we have putting these cosplays together. Not because we actually love the source material enough to put ourselves through this — just because we want your attention.

Yes, Tony Harris, the illustrator of comics such as Starman and Ex Machina was 100% correct in his Facebook ravings. Us attractive female cosplayers are indeed evil succubi, thriving off the attention guys at conventions give us. We really just can’t think of anything better to do with our lives than stand around while entitled men at conventions objectify, harass and insult us.

Except for, you know, clawing our own faces off.

I have a great many things to say to Harris, you know? Not just as a cosplayer, but as someone who lives and works within pop culture for a living, someone who shares comic books as a livelihood. The issue here is that I just don’t know where to start because there is so much wrong with what he had to say, and it not just the things to do with women.

“I think before any of these women are allowed to cosplay at cons they should be required to take a written exam on comic books, past and present, followed by a before and after comparison, one in their cosplay outfit and the other NOT in their cosplay outfit but in their normal, average looking boring clothes.

Then again you could just ask them who Jack Kirby was…I imagine they’d all fail”

I think that before any of these misogynist assholes are allowed to come anywhere near women they should be required to take a written exam on sexism in geek culture, followed by a speech explaining how this sort of shit is toxic and harmful to women and makes all geeks look bad.

Of course I’m pretty sure they’d all fail.

Christ, why can’t they have a douchebag only con? That way us decent folks can have fun without all of that crap. Said brovention could be held inside of a lovely spacecraft, which would be launched into space once everyone was loaded up. Don’t worry, sweeties. THERE ARE NO SLUTS IN THE SUN!

(Source: cosplaynaut)

desliz:

and hey, let’s not forget the centuries old tradition of educated, privileged classes mocking, distorting and delegitimizing the voices of the less privileged because their statements weren’t worded perfectly, even when the meaning was obvious

this shit is all about preserving existing power structures, don’t you dare pretend otherwise

angrywomenoftumblr:

face-down-asgard-up:

athenasaurus:

lyrabelacqua:

CNN: single women were a determining factor.

ALL THE SINGLE LADIES.

queen bey calls us to action

See what happens when you fuck with us, Mitt? Binders full of ass whoopings.

Emphasis added by me^^^

The Only Elise Archer Who Counts: on re-blogging porn

everythingbutharleyquinn:

saltmarshhag:

rapeculturerealities:

bb-goose:

ineffableshe:

i find it really upsetting on many levels w hen internet feminists get so burned out calling each other out on relatively silly, western issues (the usage of words such as “crazy,” demisexuals appropriating queerness) that they completely laugh off legit critiques about the of spread of (uncredited) fetish porn images on social networking sites such as tumblr.

you know how people are always getting up in arms about artwork / manifestos etc. being posted without credit? well, here’s the thing: when you post these porn images without credit you are often directly exploiting the bodies of the workers. it’s usually not like they are being paid every time you “like” their image! but then again, you usually never have a way to know on the internet who is doing that work & how consensual it really is. having worked a bit with support services for survivors of sex trafficking, i am always skeptical of pornography that cannot be traced to either a company that is known for treating their workers decently or to a consenting actor. to clarify, if & when “sex positive” porn stars post or make their own images / videos or work for companies that are reputable or are otherwise okay with you re-blogging their stuff, go ahead and post it. but from here on end, if you post random porn fetish porn because you needed a ten second hard on or think it’s funny i’m unfollowing you immediately.

ps, before everybody gets up in arms, no i am not a sex worker. just a concerned feminist.)

pps - if you agree with any of the points made in this post, i ask that you re-blog it or write up something similar.i’ve never before asked for feedback and i don’t really care how many people like me on the internet or follow my tumblr. but i cannot emphasize how important it is to be mindful of the conditions of sex workers. the other side of sex positivity has to be checking to see who creates the images we look at & whether the sex workers are acting as their own agents. for better or worse, a massive number of people are learning how to “do” feminism via the internet & the way to curb sex trafficking & other exploitative forms of sex work is to educate the people on the “demand” side.

I don’t think this is an issue with anybody I follow, but good point.

Ableism isn’t a “silly issue” and making your point seem more important by trivializing other issues is really unacceptable and uncalled for. I’m honestly completely offended by the bullshit way this post starts off but I support and agree with the rest of it. XYP, OP.

ableism isn’t a silly issue when you’re dealing with institutional barriers to things like reliable health care, employment opportunities, housing, assistive technology, education, and supportive community.

but when internet outrage-posturing over someone saying “wheeew guys this week was crazy hectic” becomes your stand-in for pretending to do something about all of that, it’s worse than silly. it’s a fucking travesty.

I dislike some of the ways the OP - a non sex worker - is talking about sex work, but overall this whole conversation is a good ‘un.

Very interesting! c:

The feminist movement played a large part in advancing women away from these gender roles, but as it progressed into the late twentieth century, many of the more vocal/radical groups in the movement took to a path of demonizing men. This has become the accepted social discourse for many decades now. When sex and gender issues are discussed and debated, women and the problems they face are the default topic. This is a privilege that they have taken ownership of in society; men have been “othered.

“What About teh Womenz?” — The Good Men Project

Yep

this happened

and someone posted it to the women’s council facebook page

for serious.

(via rgr-pop)

the good men project tumblr follows me

i wonder if they actually read my posts and realize “misandry for life” is by far my most used tag

(via hyper—ballad)

lol wow

(via saltmarshhag)

I’m laughing, but only so I don’t cry.

(via everythingbutharleyquinn)
Reminds me of someone I know.

SOCIETY HAETS TEH MENS! EVERYONE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT TEH WIMMUNZ, GAYZ, AN TEH PEOPLES OF COLOR! YOU FORGET HOW WE HAVE NEEEDDSSSSSSS

WHAT ABOUT UUUSSSSSSS?

Cry harder. Your tears are delicious.

stfuconservatives:

fsufeminist:

sageoflogic:

ultraluminal:

Thanks, Bill Maher, for reminding me of what a controversial, political issue misogyny in the media is! I’m glad that in these conflicted times we have your beacon of liberal women-hate to remind us that men across all political spectrums just have to give a half-hearted apology after demeaning women and muddling a non-issue with blatant misinformation in order to deserve complete forgiveness from the general public. No, seriously,thank you for reminding me that misogyny is a minor offense, and that I’m overreacting when I’m offended. In fact, men deserve my forgiveness, no matter how much my crazy women-feelings get in the way! Your tweets are informative and uplifting as always.

Really Bill? I know even pathetic pseudo-science can trick you but you honestly thought that apology was sincere?

Bill Maher defending misogyny? Color me shocked!

One woman-hater defending another. Surprise surprise. Bill Maher… you need to stop. -Jess

*Chucks a handful of bricks at*
Shut your fucking mouth. Nobody asked you for your goddamn opinion, Bill. :I

Note to Rush Limbaugh:

cognitivedissonance:

If you’d like to avoid the loss of sponsors, stick an aspirin between your teeth and hold it there.

XD YES!

Nerds and Male Privilege

albinwonderland:

“The reason why male privilege is so insidious is because of the insistance that it doesn’t exist in the first place. That willful ignorance is key in keeping it in place; by pretending that the issue doesn’t exist, it is that much easier to ensure that nothing ever changes.

Geek society prides itself on being explicitly counter-culture; nerds will crow about how, as a society, they’re better than the others who exclude them. They’ll insist that they’re more egalitarian; geeks hold tight to the belief that geek culture is a meritocracy, where concepts of agism, sexism and racism simply don’t exist the way it does elsewhere. And yet, even a cursory examination will demonstrate that this isn’t true.

And yet geeks will cling to this illusion while simultaneously refusing to address the matters that make it so unattractive to women and minorities. They will insist that they treat women exactly the same as they treat guys – all the while ignoring the fact that their behavior is what’s making the women uncomfortable and feeling unwelcome in the first place. They will find one girl in their immediate community who will say that she’s not offended and use her as the “proof” that nobody else is allowed to be offended.

Changing this prevailing attitude starts with the individual. Call it part of learning to be a better person; being willing to examine your own attitudes and behaviors and to be ruthlessly honest about the benefits you get from being a white male in fandom is the first step. Waving your hands and pretending that there isn’t a problem is a part of the attitude that makes women feel unwelcome in fandom and serves as the barrier to entry to geeky pursuits that she might otherwise enjoy.

Bringing the spotlight onto the concept of male privilege as it exists in nerd culture is the first step in making it more welcoming of diversity, especially women.”

-One of my favourite excerpts from this article on Dr. Nerdlove, “Nerds and Male Privilege”. The article is very enjoyable and I urge you to read it in it’s entirety.

[TW: Misogyny, Rape, Rape Culture, Rape Apologizing, Victim Blaming]

assholedansavage:

fifteenthirtysevenpaperstreet:

okay. i am not defending this guy.

Only you are, but, whatever.

i am not exactly sure who he is, but there has been hate all over my dash tonight towards him. i went and read the source article, and it really seems like everyone is choosing the bits and pieces that make him look like an asshole to attack him with, and tiptoeing around the rest of the story, the parts that may validate some of what he is saying, or at least explain the whole story.

NOTHING validates calling a victim of assault a total shit.

this women signed the letter calling herself a “sexual deviant”.

Your point? No seriously, the fuck does that have to do with anything?

she never specifically stated she was raped, just that she was “sexually assaulted”.

JUST THAT SHE WAS “SEXUALLY ASSAULTED”

JUST THAT SHE WAS (SCARE QUOTE)SEXUALLY ASSAULTED(SCARE QUOTE)

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME

that does not automatically equate to rape. i am not saying one is better than the other, of course both are horrible things.

YES YOU ARE. YES YOU FUCKING ARE BY THROWING AROUND ‘JUST’ AND SCARE QUOTES YOU FUCKING ASS

she’s in an open relationship, and has no problem with sex OUTSIDE her marriage, something she is still actively pursuing.

And there’s nothing wrong with her meeting her sexual needs. Implying that there is is misogynistic and slut-shaming.

her husband asked her to stop seeking sexual activity outside their marriage until they can work on things together, something she is refusing to do.

Because she has sexual needs she would like to have met. Again with the misogyny and slut-shaming. God forbid women fufill their desires. Nope, just gotta do what the hubby says and be good and chaste until they can sleep with him.

this was not some pleading letter from a broken sobbing woman who was verbally attacked by an evil misogynist. this was a letter from someone who claims to love her husband but doesn’t seem to be interested in doing anything to fix her marriage.

“Whoop, well since you like having sex, clearly you can’t feel broken or feel like a sobbing mess. That just means you only claim to love your husband and aren’t really interested in saving your marriage.”

Fuck. You.

not once did he say she “owed her husband sex”. he didn’t say she “owed” her husband anything. you are putting words in this man’s mouth.

I never once claimed he said she owed her husband sex. Whoops, looks who’s actually putting words in peoples’ mouths.

all he said was that she needed to decide if this marriage was a priority or not, and to act accordingly.

He also called her a total shit, said that she needed to get her ass into therapy without being told, said she was playing the “Get Out of Being A Decent Human Being” card, and said she was being cruel and selfish.

dan savage’s choice of words may not have been the best, but the advice seemed just fine to me.

If you think ANY of what Dan said is okay or sound advice, you need to go stick your head in bleach. Or fry your genitals and serve them with a side of coleslaw.

- looked at the assholedansavage tumblr before i posted, apparently he ‘hates’ asexuals.

Yup, he does. Okay, maybe he doesn’t hate us, but he certainly loves demonizing us as a bunch of cold, heartless robots looking to trap poor “normal” people into sexless, loveless relationships and make them miserable because that’s what gets us off.

so i went ahead and read the interview he had with david jay. got to the part about “not asexual, just fucked up”. it wasn’t a statement, he was asking a question. and i absolutely agree with what he said there, and i know for a fact i am not the only one in the asexual community that thinks that. he was not talking about the community as a whole.

You’re right, he wasn’t talking about the community as a whole. He was just suggesting asexuality might be riddled with pedophiles and child-molesters (after comparing us with HIV in the same interview, too). Sorry if I find the fact that those thoughts are even entering his head to be a little terrifying and disgusting.

there are people who find themselves under the “asexual umbrella” for the wrong reasons, not knowing they are doing so. there are people who confuse it with celibacy, religion, low-sex drive, etc.; it’s a name people can give to themselves, a community with friendly people they can call home. victims of past sexual abuse, social recluses who feel they don’t mix with the outside world, young teens who are uncomfortable with the idea of sex at this point in their lives and are therefore repulsed, and convinced these thoughts will not change for the rest of their lives. asexuality gives them an identity, makes them part of a group. sure, there are asexual people that can fit any of those above descriptions. and i am not saying confused people aren’t welcome. in fact, that’s one of the mainstays of aven, to never question someone’s asexuality, to never tell anyone they are or are not asexual. the aven community as a whole is ridiculously cuddly, full of kittens and cake and nothing ever hurts, and currently seems to be the popular place for 15 year olds to hang out after school. if someone were to use aven in it’s current state as an example, it’s no wonder people don’t take us seriously. i would never question anyone’s sexual identity personally, but damned if i can’t think it.

Yup, the reasons people can’t take us asexuals seriously is because we’re so damn accepting and cuddly. It’s because of folks like me who don’t question the identities of others’ and let them discover themselves on their own time, on their own terms. Clearly that’s where the accusations that we’re just a bunch of slut-shamers comes from, not from the garbage you just spewed in an attempt to defend Dan’s advice to that woman.

Fuck me, I never thought I’d ever see someone trying to defend that. Not even the biggest Dan fans I’ve argued with would try that kind of bullshit. Congratulations.

Jesus tapdancing Christ eating a baked potato while fighting off aliens, WHAT IN THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?
What was said is inexcusable. Dan Savage can eat a stir-fried bowl of panda diarrhea, and so can everyone who has ever made excuses for or agreed with his bullshit.

There aren’t enough tables in this world for me to vent my frustrations on. :I

**TW VIOLENCE, MISOGYNY** . . . . . [Some mothers] hold off reporting domestic violence [due to fear of child protective services]. In some states it is considered neglect to permit a child to witness adults fight in the home. When a mothers calls the police to report she has been beaten, she may be confessing to child neglect. ‘When I called 911, I was bleeding so badly I knew I needed medical attention,’ Sharwline Nicholson told a New York Times reporter. ‘I didn’t know I’d end up down that road, that calling for help would escalate and I’d end up losing my kids.’

In July 2001, federal judge Jack Weinstein heard testimony in a class action lawsuit brought by twenty battered women who allege that New York City child welfare officials violated their rights by taking custody of their children. April Rodriguez told the judge that ACS put her three children, ages seven, three, and one, in foster care when she called the police to report abuse by the father of two of the children. The agency refused to return them until Rodriguez moved into the city’s shelter system, forcing her to lose her job at a Manhattan video store. Although the children spent only a week in foster care, Rodriguez testified that ‘they weren’t the same children.’ ‘My baby’s shirt was filthy and her diaper was disgusting,’ she said. ‘My son, his face was bruised and bloody, and he had pus coming from his lips.’

A Michigan court even terminated a battered woman’s parental rights based on a psychologist’s prediction that the woman was at risk of entering into a relationship with another abusive man. Some women decide to handle the situation themselves rather than risk intervention by child protective services.

Dorothy Roberts, Shattered Bonds: The Color of Child Welfare (via thecurvature)

Fuck AAALLLLLL of this bullshit. It’s adding abuse to an already bad situation when they remove a child from their mother just because she got beaten by her partner, and couldn’t keep the child from seeing it. Fucking sick.

Fuck whoever thinks this is okay. FUCK ‘EM

miseryxchord:

This is One Petition You NEED to Sign if you are female and suffering from chronic pain or a chronic illness

chroniccurve:

Stop and take a moment of your time to sign this. This is one petition that needs your signature. For anyone who has ever been called a hypochondriac when they were suffering, for anyone whose pain has been deemed illegitimate and invalid, for any woman who has ever been told they are hysterical, hormonal, or crazy — this petition is for you. Women, sign this to make your voice heard. Men, sign this and show your support for your sister, your mother, girlfriend, peer, whomever.

An excerpt:

“To: The Medical Community of the United States
From: Women In Pain

Stop the bias which prevents the ethical and equal treatment of women with chronic pain diseases – now. Women in this country have for years suffered from a destructive bias and prejudice by the medical establishment when it comes to the assessment and treatment of their chronic pain conditions.

All too often, their pain reports are discounted as “emotional,” psychogenic or “all in their head,” and therefore, not real. Women for their complaints of chronic pain are often prescribed sedatives to “calm their nerves” while their male counterparts are prescribed painkillers…”

miseryxchord:

Marriage is sacred, except when it’s not convenient.

A caller to the 700 Club asks Pat Robertson for advice about her neighbor, who has begun dating a woman outside his marriage as his wife’s Alzheimer’s worsens, deciding that God somehow “owes” it to him for putting up with the situation. Robertson basically agrees, advising him to stick her in a nursing home, divorce her and move on.

Pat Robertson “I know it sounds cruel, but… but, if he’s going to do something he should divorce her and start all over again, but y’know to make sure she has custodial care and make sure she has someone looking after her.”

Terry Meeuwsen “But isn’t that the vow that we take when we marry someone, that it’s for better for worse, for richer for poorer…?”

Pat Robertson “Yeah well, I know if… if you respect that vow but he’s able to death do us part this is a kind of death. I certainly wouldn’t put a guilt trip on you…”

Fucking hypocrite.

comiccharm:

comicsalliance:

The Problem Of Women In Comics: Where They Are (and Aren’t) [Opinion]

ComicsAlliance welcomes guest writer Rachel Edidin, who works as an editor at Dark Horse Comics.

Lately, between Womanthology and DC’s All-New-Almost-All-Male 52, the popular lens has turned-as it is wont to do every year or so-to the Problem of Women in Comics, namely, whether there are enough of them, and if not, what, if anything, should be done to fix that. As often as not, those conversations have two side effects:

First, they erase the women who do work in comic, by ignoring them, by dismissing them as tokens, or by discarding wholesale the areas of comics where women are most numerous and visible. The difference between the questions “Where are the women?” “Why aren’t there more women?” and “Why are so few women here?” is subtle but savage, and too often, the latter two questions and their nuance are discarded in favor of the clean sweep of the former.

Second, they bypass context. The Women-in-Comics problem doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s the product of a myriad of factors, combined and compounded over decades, tangled inseparably with the structure and the very definition of comics as we recognize them. If we’re going to fix this (and I don’t think there’s any reasonable doubt that this is something that needs to be fixed) we need not only to address immediate problem — the comparative dearth of women in comics, particularly in shared-universe superhero and other high-visibility genres — but to examine what created and now maintains that inequality.

So, how did we get here? What steps would you need to take to create and calcify the kind of demographic inequality that has become endemic to comics? Turns out it’s not that hard, and I’ve narrowed it down to three simple steps.

1. Purge the mainstream of all but one narrow subgenre, produced by two publishers.

2. Spend decades persistently and systematically alienating female creators and readers from that genre.

3. Manufacture pretexts to dismiss or simply ignore any work that doesn’t take place within that narrow genre / publisher paradigm.

Rachel elaborates on those points in this excellent editorial for ComicsAlliance.

This is such an amazing article and sums up my feelings so perfectly. If you haven’t read it you really should!

You Guys! Apparently You Aren’t A Real Geek If You Work Out!

clownyprincess:

fyeahlilbitoeverything:

Somebody tell Power Guy!

I’LL CANCEL MY GYM MEMBERSHIP STRAIGHT AWAY!

That way, my five websites, 1000+ comic book collection, extensive costume wardrobe & comprehensive merchandise collection will become more legitimate!!!

You’re supposed to look a certain way in order to be a geek? Huh. I never got that memo. I sure hope I’m doin’ it right! X’D

Only a judgmental asshat would think that way.

(Source: fyeahlilbit2point0)