P*ssy Grabs Back: Metamaiden’s Story of the Women’s March on Washington (Well, Albuquerque)

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Today (Saturday, January 21,2017), I (Metamaiden) joined millions of others around the world in marching for women’s rights. Though it was freezing for Albuquerque, it was a super fun, inspiring day, and I’m glad I got up a little earlier than I prefer (heheh) to be a part of it.

We arrived at exactly 11 AM, just as the march, which was really more like a rally, was starting. As we were crossing the street to the plaza where the march was being held, an announcer was giving guidelines for how to handle aggressors. Then, as we were starting to make our way into the crowd, the speaker said, “There are some people who don’t think there are this many people in the whole state of New Mexico!” 😏😋👏

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Bearly Dressed: Photo of Bear Embracing Woman Illustrates Misogyny in Photography

Today I came across this picture, by Olga Barantseva, as I was scrolling through my Facebook feed.

It’s a beautiful, captivating picture. For a moment, all I saw was how great it was to show a woman and a bear being friends, the bear protecting her rather than being shown as aggressive and dangerous. The bear is in the classic position that, in this type of photo, a man would usually be in. The bear is standing over and behind the woman, its arm around her protectively. The photo looks like the cover of a romance novel, the woman seductively in a state of semi-undress and the man holding her in his arms, except here the man is a bear. I love the idea of showing humans and animals interacting as equals.

Then I realized that the bear and the woman are not equals in this photo.

Yes, they are positioned exactly the way a man and woman would typically be position in a photo like this, but that doesn’t mean they are equals. Rather, it means that the woman is in some way submissive.

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Lena Hall Does Hedwig Robinson in LA-Photos

 

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We have a new set of photos for you today from Lena Hall’s last show starring as Hedwig in LA on 11/25/16. Shannon Conley was her Yitzhak, and the usual members of Tits of Clay played Hedwig’s band, The Angry Inch. Lena makes a glamorous Hedwig, doesn’t she?

The Hedwig and the Angry Inch National Tour continues performances around the country through July, starring Euan Morton as Hedwig and Hannah Corneau as Yitzhak. Tits of Clay and all of the stand bys and understudies are continuing with the tour.

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Supergirl Season 2 Episode 8 “Medusa” Recap: Be Your Own Hero

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Three TV Series Later, Chris Wood Finally Gets a Reasonably Happy Kiss (And So Do Both Danvers Girls!!)

It’s a jolly Thanksgiving in National City this week. All of Kara’s friends and loved ones gather at her apartment to celebrate. Even Barry and Cisco try to show up in the middle of dinner, but, oops, guys, your crosssover event doesn’t start until the end of the episode!

Alex, Winn, and James argue over who gets to come out first over dinner. No, Winn and James aren’t announcing that they’re dating, like I keep hoping, just telling Kara that James is The Guardian and Winn is his handler (why don’t handlers get cool names too?). Alex wants to tell her Mom that she’s interested in dating women. Unfortunately, dinner and the confessions are interrupted by the premature crossover event Vibe bubble. James and Winn will have to wait until another episode, but Alex and Eliza get to have their heart to heart later at the DEO. Eliza is as warm and accepting as ever, immediately figuring out what Alex has been trying to tell her and boosting Alex’s confidence the way only a mom can.

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Moana Review: Female Bonding With An Unnecessary Male (Spoilers)

 

I saw Moana on its opening night! Very exciting, and for some reason there was practically no one in the theater. Night before Thanksgiving, I suppose?

Overall, I liked it. I found it emotionally moving, and the spiritual tone was enchanting to me. It is beautifully animated, and the music is absolutely beautiful (not surprising to me, as Lin Manuel-Miranda, writer and original star of Hamilton, cowrote the music). I found the messages and themes meaningful. There were a few times when I was almost brought to tears. That said, I do have some major complaints, most of which regard Maui, which I’m trying not to let color my entire interpretation of the movie.

Spoilers below! (And an unintentionally long review.)

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Lena Hall Appears as Hedwig on Tour for the Last Time Tonight

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She Was Just a Slip of a Girly Boy, But We Could Never Ignore Her

Lena Hall performs as Hedwig for her final time in LA tonight, with Shannon Conley as her Yitzhak. We were lucky enough to see them in San Francisco for their second performance. Lena’s a hardcore, exuberant, down and dirty Hedwig who takes no prisoners. Her voice was made to sing Hedwig’s rock arrangements the way few of the Broadway Hedwigs’ were. (Not that they all weren’t amazing, but only Lena and Darren have gone for truly ROCK arrangements. Tits of Clay turn into a kickass rock band when they play for those two. Okay, I need to stop now. I’m getting sad that I can’t go see Darren for a 9th time.)

Wicked Little Town (Lena Hall, San Francisco)

Euan Morton and Hannah  Corneau take over starting with the San Diego tour stop 11/29-12/4/16. The Hedwig National Tour continues through July.

After the cut, a longer review of the show, and more songs.

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Fewer Than 10% of the World’s Countries Are Led by Women, and the Washington Post Thinks This Is Good News

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Better Than Nothing Should Not Be Enough

This map is from an article on the Washington Post website titled Here are the dozens of democracies that have elected a female leader. The article is ostensibly an attempt to make women feel better about the fact that Hillary Clinton just barely missed shattering the glass ceiling separating her, and all women, from the White House by looking to other countries’ successful elections. I’m not quite sure how that article, or that map, are supposed to make me feel like the rest of the world is any more than marginally more advanced than we are.

The authors say:

But why hasn’t the United States had a female president? There may be as many theories as there are reasons, one of which may be that it is harder to achieve something without precedent. This map just asks that American girls and women look beyond their country’s borders, for the time being.

But this is meaningless. The first woman elected to lead her country in every instance has done something without precedence. It is not an explanation as to why it is harder in a country that likes to think of itself as one of the most advanced in the world.

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Why I Stopped Watching the Walking Dead

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It’s not as simple as leaving because one of my favorite characters died. I hate it when people reduce other people’s decisions to quit watching a show to sounding like they are whiny children who didn’t get their way, so here is the long, drawn out explanation that won’t fit in the comments section on other blogs.

I’ve watched The Walking Dead since the very, very beginning, long before it became The Biggest Show on Television. It was my favorite show for years. My (teenage, now adult) kids and I watched it together, then watched Talking Dead. My husband would get drawn into watching Talking Dead, even though the mother show was too intense and violent for him. It took a lot for me to walk away from a show that we enjoyed together as a family so much. (What can I say? We’re an odd family with a dark sense of humor. Think The Adams Family, with chickens, more sunshine, and less black.)

I was hooked as soon Rick Grimes shot the original Symbolic Sacrificial Angelic Blonde Girl in the head in the pilot. I was just about done when the most recent Symbolic Sacrificial Angelic Blonde Girl*, Denise, died as a random in S6 Ep 14. I should have known she wouldn’t last, since, not only was she a blonde female and a Medical Practitioner**, both types sure to die early on TWD, but she also was a Lesbian, and female queer people in general were doomed on television last spring (even more so than usual).

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