feminism

Why I Still Want to Be Wonder Woman When I Grow Up

December 16, 2019November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

Adults always ask little kids what they want to be when they grow up. When you're small, this question is exciting because it immediately propels you into imagining yourself in fantastic scenarios. I used to tell the grown ups I wanted to be a stewardess. (Don't start. It was the 70s, so we weren't saying "flight attendant.") I hadn't yet been on an airplane and imagined nothing could be more exciting than flying. Sure, traveling the world seemed okay, but the sky was the domain of super humans. People who could fly. Like Superman or Wonder Woman.And what I really wanted to be when I grew up was Wonder Woman. Wonder Woman had an invisible jet. Much cooler than handing out tiny pouches of nuts on an airplane. I only needed to twirl around like Lynda Carter, then look up at the sky. I could see myself up there, far above the Earth and all the nonsense below.Wonder Woman was...

Finding Hope in a Galaxy of Women’s Stories

December 14, 2017November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

If you're reading this, that means we made it through 2017. What seemed like a hopeless quagmire of shit and doom in January is still an insane quagmire of shit and doom, but maybe it's a little less hopeless. A little less shitty and a bit less doomy. At least, in the way that I'm choosing to view it, the world is still broken, but nearly one year into the most powerful country in the world being run by a bile-spewing fleshy cesspool of fetid narcissism, I've seen plenty of clear reminders that he isn't the one with all the power. I'm still angry. I'm still worried and freak out a lot, so when I catch myself sinking and letting my imagination overwhelm me with worst-case scenarios, I look elsewhere. I follow the advice of Mr. Rogers, and I look for the helpers.Lately, though, I don't stop with the helpers. I look for the fighters. The resisters. After watching a...

13 Women of World War II

June 18, 2009December 3, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

1. Astrid Løken - Norway - April 14, 1911 - January 19, 2008 Astrid looks like my friend's grandma and was a student at the University of Oslo back in the day, where she studied bumblebees. So what does that have to do with the war? Well, Astrid was also a spy for the Norwegian resistance and worked under the code name "Eva." Appearing as an ordinary student riding around on her little bicycle taking photographs, Astrid wasn't much of a concern to the Germans during their 2-month occupation of Norway. How were they to know that she was actually snapping shots of their installments, or that she had incendiary bombs, grenades and slept with a cyanide capsule under her pillow?2. Corrie ten Boom - Netherlands - April 15, 1892 - April 15, 1983 In addition to looking like someone who likely bakes delicious cookies, Corrie and her family harbored several refugees during the Holocaust. Eventually, she and her family were arrested...

13 Mothers of Invention

April 2, 2009November 23, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

1. Sybilla Masters - d.1720 Sybilla was an American colonist back in the day. Now and then, the native population would give the colonists the gift of corn - you know, as opposed to baking them pies. Sybilla invented a mill that would clean and grind the corn, which allowed the colonists to use it for various food and clothing products. Sybilla's husband Thomas was granted a patent for the mill in 1715 by the British courts. Thomas Masters actually held two patents on behalf of his wife, since women and minorities had no right to own a patent, because who in the fuck did they think they were, anyway? Sybilla was the first American woman inventor in documented history, but it's a pretty safe bet that women have been inventing and getting shafted on the credit since the beginning of time. 2. Mary Dixon Kies - 19th CenturyIn 1809, Mary was issued a patent for inventing a process for weaving straw...

13 Women of Literature & Poetry

March 5, 2009December 1, 2020 by Rasmenia Comment Closed

1. Sappho - c. 625 B.C.E. - Greece Sappho was a lyric poet who studied the arts on the Greek isle of Lesbos. Her poems were written to be accompanied with some nice backing tracks of lyre music. Sappho had refined her style and composed her own music, eventually leading to what is referred to as "sapphic meter." Many works of Sappho are well-known because of the fact that not only were they written from her own view point, rather than those of the Gods, but also because the target of her affections were usually women. Not only was Sappho the ancient Greek equivalent of a fucking rock star, but she was also, like Xena: Warrior Princess, an awesome lesbian icon.2. Ban Zhao c.45-116 - China Ban Zhao was the very first female historian in China. The daughter of a historian and author, Ban Zhao finished her father's encyclopedic work, The Book of Han after he was imprisoned and executed. Ban Zhao...