I avoided the #AskELJames Twitter party/skewering, because generally, I don’t “do” Twitter, FaceBook events, and the like, but found myself in some interesting group discussions about it, and her work, anyway. Some female writers I know, along with EL James herself, vigorously deny the reality that, as depicted in Fifty Shades of Grey, Christian rapes Ana.…
Category: Feminism
Before #MeToo, There Was Unslut
There are women who’ve been slut-shamed who’ve had the maturity and power to ignore it. To be inspired by the slur, even, and throw it back in people’s faces: Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne [Suck it, bitches. It’s happening! or, another, more elegant translation: Let them grumble, that’s how it’s going to be!] ~Anne Boleyn.
Josephine Baker: Great Sluts in History
At age thirteen, she was living on the streets, sleeping in card boxes and scavenging for food from trash cans. Sometime around then she made her first of four marriages; this one very short-lived.
At age 15, Josephine would join the St. Louis Chorus vaudeville show, and from there, her talent springboarded her to New York City.
Hedy Lamarr: Great Sluts in History
Among Hedy’s inventions was an improved traffic stoplight, and a fizzy beverage tablet that was not a hit. But her main claim to fame, today, as an inventor, was her co-creation (with composer George Antheil) of frequency hopping spread-spectrum.
Sex, Truth, & Open Relationships (Adventures in Datingland)
Good relationships (sexual and otherwise) are all about respecting the autonomy of the other person. The goal should always be not to satisfy yourself, while the other person feels used, betrayed, or hurt (Win-Lose). The goal should be finding a way to satisfy your own needs while the other person also feels satisfied (Win-Win), whether than is in selling a car for a fair price, or entering into a polyamorous relationship.