Feminist Pub X: Regulars and new faces welcome, consciousness raising is a possibility.

[CaptChaos]

The old pub now has less than 10 posts to go, so I thought I'd start a new one. The old one can be found here

This is a place for feminist pom pom waving and talking about stuff which might not need a thread for itself.

Fill your boots.

Hello, ABlandAndDeadlyCourtesy suggested I asked on here if anyone would like to join my read-along of Delusions of Gender - here :)

On the body hair thing - I went to a kickboxing class last week and as part of it the instructor asked us in pairs to practise something that involved one partner holding the ankle of the other partner. As we did it he called out - I bet you wish you'd shaved your legs now! And then a beat later said, you know, the guys, smirk smirk. I'm ashamed to say my first thought was, oh I'm alright, I've got long trousers on. But my second was, hang on, you're policing the appearance of women. Didn't stop me shaving my legs a few days later for no reason whatsoever. I only made the connection after I'd done it.

Also, he kept calling the women in the class 'muscles', in what I'm sure he thought was a friendly and encouraging way, but was in fact totally patronising.

So anyway, hello, and please come to my thread :)

Ah, that's awful podding. I would never criticise a woman for not shaving, ever.

I've got the school run to sort now, but I'll pop along to your thread later - I read Delusions of Gender quite recently. Excellent read.

Just quickly, before I go, I went into labour early with ds1. Completely caught out on the shaving legs/bikini line and had at least 3 weeks growth there, ov it's pretty difficult with a mahoosive bump in the way.

I felt really embarrassed about it - esp when a young male obstretician had to come and assist. I kept apologising for it! ffs.

Charming podding

sabrina :( that's one of the reasons I won't have a male midwife/ OBGYN

Been told on several threads this makes me a sexist and is exactly the same as women not being allowed to be mechanics FACT

because women's bodies are the same as inanimate objects to be tinkered with

One of these days I'm going to have to do some googling and find out what these supposedly overly hairy lady-bits look like. Can't tell on myself, too pale and hairless. Can't tell from the media or porn because everyone's been shaved or plucked or waxed to within an inch of their lives. I have no idea what a hairy-to-the-point-of-embarrassment crotch actually looks like.

buffy on your behalf

stormy there was that hairy legs tumblr a while back. not sure whether there is the same for the pubic region, i would suspect not

I'd furious with your DH too buffy poor dd :( How old is she?

stormy the hair is similar to what s found on 50% of the population but funny enough doesn't leave them ugly, smelly or "unhygienic"

Like the way women are being "brave" when they put pics of them carefully taken without make up on FB. And yet men are allowed to just have faces and never look washed out or naked without it.

I remember experimenting with shaving my forearms when I was a teenager. But it only lasted a while. Too much trouble... I've got dark hair, but lightish-brownish skin, so I don't know if they stand out. Same with legs. But I'm short-sighted. See nothing if I don't put on glasses.

buffy Poor dd. Hopefully teacher handles it sensitively.

Oh, that is maddening, buffy.

Why does he think it's so important she tells the truth here? Does he never tell a white lie about embarrassing things?

Adult female mammal has body hair? Shocker!

Buffy, sorry about your shit day

Hm... about that complicated issue at work... I hate those issues. They remind me of when you think you have fed money into the parking meter and you will be on your way soon, but it keeps falling out the bottom.

I feel for you on the daughter thing too. I think it is a feminist issue not just in a wifework way, but also in a girls-having-body-shame way. Maybe not - maybe boys would be as embarrassed.

My contribution to womanhood today has been to suggest to Jessica Ennis-Hill that she ditch her BabyBjorn and buy a wrap sling.

I have nothing to say on the subject of forearm shaving that isn't incredibly rude.

I am bored out of my skull with work. But one more day to go... I keep nodding off, and I have eaten all the healthy snacks we have in the house in an effort to stay awake and do the stuff.

Just randomly Annie or did she ask?!

Sorry about the shit day Buffy. Reminds me of something my mother would do. She can be very empathetic sometimes. And others has the sensitivity of a brick wall.

Well, not randomly, she posted a pic of herself out with baby in a BabyBjorn. So I (and others) offered our unsolicited opinion that she might like to look into wrap slings that won't kill her back and baby's hips.

Ha ha, I'm slightly pa around BabyBjorns, Annie

Sorry about your shitty day, Buffy. Is it absolutely foreclosed that your working life go on this way?

I was a very bad tempered mum this morning, I think I neeeeeeeeeeed more sleep. And also to be a bit kinder to the people I love most in the world