BBC: Bringin’ SexistBack

1004604_10151813765921042_1664207114_n

Inverdale. A noted Adonis. Image via facebook.

BBC Sport commentator John Inverdale, having just watched Marion Bartoli win the Wimbledon title on Saturday 6th July 2013.

I just wonder if her dad, because he has obviously been the most influential person in her life, did say to her when she was 12, 13, 14 maybe, “listen, you are never going to be, you know, a looker”.

BBC 5Live presenter Tony Livesey, speaking about England Women’s chances in the forthcoming EURO 2013 championship this morning, asks whether veteran coach Hope Powell;

would be ‘capable’ of managing a male football side?

Come on guys. In light of recent events at the corporation, shouldn’t you be trying to avoid reminding people of the 1970’s?

Combustion Engines & Me: The Inevitable KABOOM Occurs

sas_photo27

Here’s a picture of what happened when my car’s head gasket blew yesterday.

Not the vehicle. From the outside you’d never know my faithful jalopy had given up the ghost. This is more a representation of what happened in my brain at the moment the sympathetic garage man broke the news.

Image via manstonfiremuseum.

No Luck With Women? You Need A Rape Manual!

1371703411051.cached

Ken Hoinsky. Needs help attracting women, apparently. Image via dailybeast.

The most exciting thing about the internet is that no matter how horrified you are by the depths some people are prepared to plummet to in order to make a point, there is always someone hunched over a darkened terminal, prepared to go even deeper.

Remember the “punch Anita Sarkeesian until her face explodes” game? Well, a Conneticut man (?!) named Ken Hoinsky has leaned against the boundaries of misogyny just that little bit harder by seeking Kickstarter funding for his his new book ‘Above The Game: A Guide To Getting Awesome With Women. This includes fascinating insights into wooing a prospective partner like:

Pull out your cock and put her hand on it. Remember, she is letting you do this because you have established yourself as a LEADER. Don’t ask for permission, GRAB HER HAND, and put it right on your dick.”

In an ideal world, one where we don’t advocate violence against women because they like gaming, say, Mr Hoinsky would have spent a few days staring forlornly at his Kickstarter totaliser, until, embarrassed that no one seemed to be contributing, would have crawled back beneath the sodden duvet from whence he came and the world would have continued, happily unsullied by his revolting, offensive ideas.

But we don’t live in that mythical place. Mr Hoinsky raised $16,369 for his project – $14,369 more than he asked for – and the project remains a goer despite a petition requesting that Kickstarter remove the page from it’s site.

If you want me, I’ll be banging my head off my desk for the next half-an-hour or so.

Vice Magazine: Smile, Though Your Heart Is Aching

plath

Plath. Not bad, but could have made more of an effort with her hair. Image via jezebel.

It isn’t the fact that Vice magazine thought it appropriate to illustrate the fashion section of it’s ‘Women In Fiction’ issue with images of models posing as female writers at the time of their deaths.

It isn’t even that Jezebel reprinted them in full, re-emphasising the point regardless of the critical copy that surrounded them.

Continue reading “Vice Magazine: Smile, Though Your Heart Is Aching”

World Cup 2014: Prostitutes, Politicians & The Privilege Of The Few

tba

“I’m Happy Being A Prostitute.” & “I cannot go without a condom, my love.” Not ideal, but the message shouldn’t be lost. Image via christianpost.

A campaign encouraging prostitutes to protect themselves against sexually transmitted diseases has been withdrawn by the Brazilian Health Ministry after objections from religious groups, it has been reported.

Continue reading “World Cup 2014: Prostitutes, Politicians & The Privilege Of The Few”

FEMEN: Inciting Mammophobia

971264_530031260398078_1440656837_n

Image via facebook.

That model’s alarm is feigned, surely? No one with actual boobs is going to be that scared of another pair of boobs, even if they’re attached to a FEMEN activist making an unscheduled appearance onstage at Germany’s Next Top Model.

Well, unless they’re a complete dimwit, in which case anything is possible.

Amanda Platell: Making A Splash

6f826_gty_computer_porn_mw_110707_wg

Amanda Platell being lowered into the vile, roiling pit that is internet child porn by the editors of the Daily Mail was one of the more enduring images of this weekend for me. Platell, who is an ex-advisor to William Hague, was obviously identified by Paul Dacre’s managerial minions as the intrepid journo most capable of traversing the darkest depths of humanity without getting permanent stains on her action pants, and traverse it she did, exposing herself to all manner of revolting videos to supply further ammunition to the paper’s contention that it’s the internet’s fault this kind of depravity exists.

Specifically Google’s.

Continue reading “Amanda Platell: Making A Splash”

Balpreet Kaur: Dignity In The Face Of Douchebaggery

balpreet-kaur

Image via nydailynews.com. H/T HNS.

Yes, I’m late to the party. But this woman just restored my withered faith in the internet, and by proxy, humanity.

Given that I’ve spent the last few months bitching about these issues, I feel duty bound to share her story with you guys.

The ‘I’m Sorry, What?’ Files: To Meme Or Not To Meme?

list-of-things-aint-nobody-got-time-for

I’ve been trapped ‘neath a pile of indescribably hideous dayjobrealwork for a couple of weeks now. The end is in sight, (or at least the smoke has cleared sufficiently for me to see the horizon) although at this point my typically pessimistic mind is just using the view to amplify my fear to new and deafening levels. In my head, the freshly revealed hills and valleys are complicit in my persecution, harbouring all manner of overlooked paperwork phantoms waiting patiently to hurl themselves through the my office window and make my life even more of an admin filled misery than it already is.

Last night I hopped aboard the internet, hoping a few moments browsing smart arse memes aboard the ultimate cloud of collective human experience would distract me from their impending arrival and remind me of happier, less fraught times.

It seems that I will never, ever, learn.

Continue reading “The ‘I’m Sorry, What?’ Files: To Meme Or Not To Meme?”