Category: Semi-Retired Riot Grrl

FEMEN: Exposing The ‘Sanctity’ Of Marriage

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image via facebook.

An anti-gay marriage march in Paris on Sunday was disrupted by topless FEMEN protesters who let off smoke bombs and chanted ‘In Gay We Trust’. So incensed by the intrusion into what they obviously considered to be their territory, some marchers, including an otherwise respectable looking ‘gentleman’ in glasses and a red anorak (0:30), responded by chasing, kicking and punching the protesters.

No wonder they’re so desperate to keep marriage between one man and one woman.  I’m pretty sure these guys wouldn’t be anywhere near as handy with their fists if they were married to a bloke.

Feminist Critiques Or Bound By Our Own Conceits?

Posted on by Kelly Welles

There are few news outlets at the moment who aren’t filling countless column inches with opinions, reviews and essays on the cinematic and literary phenomenons that are Twilight & 50 Shades Of Grey. Hell, it’s hard not to.

Interestingly though, alongside claims that female stars front and centre equal a positive shift towards a more gender balanced entertainment industry, one or two voices have cited these role models as reductive, in part due to their stringent adherence to gender stereotypes.

This may or may not be valid, but if fictional storylines of women being elevated, protected and cherished are so broadly embraced by the audience, is it more useful to criticise the messenger or examine why they might be so appealing in the first place? I’m going to have a crack at the latter.

I’m feeling a bit awkward this morning.

Continue reading “Feminist Critiques Or Bound By Our Own Conceits?” →

PETA: It’s OK, The Turkeys Are Willingly Voting For Christmas

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image: Oli Scarff/Getty Images Europe.

The idea of “Rudolph” being slaughtered and cut up for dinner makes a mockery of the Christmas spirit of peace and good will to all.

A PETA representative on the news that parents are angry about supermarket Lidl selling reindeer steaks in the run up to Christmas.

Are we then to deduce that letting kids think that turkeys enjoy an intensive protein based diet while living in crammed conditions that cause chronic pain for up to a third of their lives before they’re killed so we can eat them does not make a mockery of said Christmas spirit and goodwill?

I just want to be clear.

Feminism Is Dead. Long Live The Feminists!

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Women: developing the freedom to express themselves however they goddamn please.

Feminism is, according to Netmums at least, dying a death again. According to a survey on their site last week, only 1 in 7 users identified themselves as a feminist.

For the sake of convenience, I call myself a feminist, but I wasn’t remotely disappointed with the response. In fact, I was quite surprised that as many as 15% of those surveyed were prepared to associate themselves with a philosophy that has been deconstructed in popular culture to the point where it’s widely believed that if you don’t hate men, like body hair and have a girlfriend, you’re not allowed in.

Continue reading “Feminism Is Dead. Long Live The Feminists!” →

Death Grips: Epic Fail

Posted on by Kelly Welles

 
Californian hip-hop trio Death Grips have been dumped by Epic after the band released their second album on the internet without the label’s permission.  ‘No Love, Deep Web’ appeared as a free download on 1st October, along with a statement claiming that the label had refused to commit to a firm release date.

The cover art released alongside the album featured an erect penis with the album title written on it in black marker.

Continue reading “Death Grips: Epic Fail” →

Ikea vs. FEMEN: Lock Up Your Sofas!

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Ikea Hamburg, this morning. Sticky. Images via facebook.

Members of the feminist protest group FEMEN shouted in an unladylike manner, trod on some furniture and may even have spilled greasy body paint all over a cushion during a protest against Ikea’s recent decision to airbrush women out of the Saudi Arabia version of their catalogue.

It appears there is no end to the hate crimes these woman are prepared to commit in pursuit of their cause.

More on FEMEN: You Can’t See Tits On The Radio, Provocative Enough For Pussy Riot?

Alliance Vita: God Hates Unitards!

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Papa et Maman must be proud. Image: REUTERS/Robert Pratta.

Forgive me, but doesn’t this protest against a bill by the French government to legalise same sex marriage and adoption, look a bit, well, gay?

Maybe the Alliance Vita movement has been infiltrated by activists who advised that dudes in silver unitards & cardboard wings is totally the best way to attract the attention of French conservatives.

If that’s the case, fair play to them. It certainly seems to be working…

Pussy Riot: Better Parenting Through Imprisonment

Posted on by Kelly Welles

Image: Maxim Shemetov/Reuters.

If we accepted Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that Pussy Riot’s musical protest “erode[d] Russia’s moral foundation and undermine[d] the country“, it would be pertinent to ask how depriving two kids of contact with their mothers at a crucial point in their development could possibly be constructive in this regard.

However, since most sane people would reject that assertion out of hand, let’s not waste time arguing the point. It’s moot now anyway, since Maria Alyokhina and Nadezhda Tolokonnikova are being shipped off to a prison colony in the Russian hinterland where they will spend their days sewing prison uniforms and learning how to fight murderers.

Which will, of course, benefit Russia’s moral foundation for generations to come.

MORE: Pussy Riot, Theatre of the Absurd

Porn Ed: It’s Not The Idea, It’s The Execution

Posted on by Kelly Welles

An initiative to introduce healthy food to kids in schools resulted in parents handing burgers through the school fence. The mind boggles at what might happen if Porn Ed makes it through parliament. 

Teaching children the ‘impact’ of pornography is one of those ideas that sounds perfectly plausible, indeed necessary, given the petrifying availability of hardcore porn on the internet. Helping kids to disseminate the message behind porn, gender stereotypes and how they are manipulated could, at the very least, introduce the concept of questioning what the world presents as sexuality to young minds.

However, given the ineptitude displayed by the government, social services, school governers and even some parents when implementing a system to provide kids with proper nutrition, one can’t help but fear how this would pan out in practice.