The Bluestocking is open for business

[PricklyBall]

I've scrolled back a few pages and I can't even find the last pub thread.

So I've taken the beer towels off the pumps, tapped a new barrel, polished the glasses, fed the goat and applied brasso to the patriarchy busting canon.

Come and join me - all tastes catered for - beer, gin, wine, cocktails, coffee and a nice cup of tea.

How the hell does anyone NOT instantly connect Labiaplasty with FGM? What is actually wrong with people?

Absolutely, WTAF. The other thing I can't get my head round is the whole "but it's women choosing it for themselves" crap. The first time I heard about labiaplasty, I just sat in utter shock thinking "but, barring a serious porn addiction, who would have a yardstick against which to measure the appearance of their labia? Surely it's all about what it feels like down there, not what it looks like. What a bizarre way of thinking about one's genitalia. If ever there was a case of form follows function surely this should be it."

On a lighter note, just caught a discussion on women's hour in the car, and they were talking about lingerie with a blogger and a CEO of a self-styled "feminist lingerie company". Jenni Murray started out by asking them what their go-to comfy undies were, and the CEO said "a nice comfortable cotton... thong." There was this marvellous sharp intake of breath from Jenni which just shouted "comfortable... thong... in the same sentence, how?"

I wear cotton thongs I'll get my coat and leave now.

comfortable thong 🤣
quentin summers the Poundland teabag thread is infuriating. Can’t believe it kept me blooming posting til 245am. Thank heavens I don’t tweet.

WTAF you’ve probably not got a fat arse like me though!!!

I originally thought everyone was kicking off about Poundland because elf on the shelf is a shit and overused concept. When I looked closer OMG.

Will you lot all please stop making me think, I'll have nowhere left to shop and will have to start knitting my own thongs!

honestly that thread

it really is quite worrying when you consider how much thought they put into that ad. They hate women so much. they are probably best friends with creeps like Giles Coren and talk about their sensual baby daughters etc. shudders

Well, if you're going to go into the business of knitting them WTAF, I'll give 'em a whirl!

(It could be because my only experience of them was a hideous scratchy nylon effort bought for me as a present - not, weirdly, a boyfriend, but a female friend who thought she'd help me spice up my sex life or summat. Why she thought it needed spicing up, I never did find out. After a loooong dry period, mind you, I wouldn't say no to the blandest thing on the menu right now.)

The last involuntary shudder I did was when I was Xmas shopping and found myself in the same shop as that fucking pink hoody!

Nylon thongs for actually wearing as underwear, no just NO!

Oh no wtaf I've fallen down a knitted thong rabbit hole
goo.gl/images/3x1pgd

goo.gl/images/d9AJVo

I bought a pair of knickers in gap sale yesterday and omfg they are the most comfortable knickers ever in my whole life
Nice wide gusset and no seams.

I have a vague memory of someone mentioning a Canadian - I think? - culture on here which she said had the right idea about women or something...? Have I dreamt this or does anyone else remember it?

The Iroquois perhaps? The various tribes in this grouping stretch up the north-east coast of North America, from Virginia all the way into Canada.

Pluses and minuses - they have strongly delineated gender roles (in the old-fashioned anthropological sense of roles deemed by their culture to be appropriate to men and to women). But the society is matrilineal, land descends through the female line, women control the farming (and being the growers of maize carries serious political and religious significance) and women have a veto over whether the tribe goes to war or not. I seem to remember some of the early American suffragists were very impressed by Iroquois culture and campaigned for some elements of tribal law to be incorporated into European-based American law.

Quentin I like the pink one! Sadly I can't crochet so nothing for DP.

Somebody here must know. Who's the tribe I've always loved that I read about 20 years ago when I was first pregnant, they have birthing huts with a rope hanging through the ceiling to pull on every time you have a contraction. Upstairs the father has the other end of the rope tied round his bollocks so he too can 'feel the life giving pain'? I bet they didn't have problems with overpopulation either!

I don't often pop in here but [insert deity of choice] on a bike - that Poundland thread. Although to be fair it is mainly 2 doggedly determined posters who are the worst.

Here, Lass, have a stiff drink. What'll it be? I dipped into the poundland thread and ran away. Too close to Christmas to get that stressed. (Mind you I did get drawn into a thread where a woman with anxiety and mental health problems was upset because her arse of a partner, who had form for getting pissed and then into trouble with the police, brought a load of his pissed up mates home at 3am and proceeded to get coked up into the bargain. Apparently, according to the "cool kids" it is "controlling" not to want to be woken up at 3am on a work night by your partner being a drunken tosspot.)

Oh I missed that one. Mine is an Edinburgh Gin rhubarb and ginger liqueur.

That sounds lush lass

We are wrapping presents tonight, it's my least favourite job of the year

I think I need alcohol to soothe my anxiety at the moment!

Anyone seen the new report of a rape conviction overturned? www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-42453405 I wish I knew the background. I don't trust police to investigate any sexual offences anyway, because.. well, just lived too long and seen and heard too much.

It makes me nervous how quick the media is to jump on a second overturn though. I wonder how many women have been raped in between these two cases, but they don't make the headlines do they.

Ugh. I'm not referring to that on any of the millions of rape threads.
Think I might have to come off the internet.

Thanks Prickly, I will read up on the Iroquois

Lass, yes, that thread made me want to drink everything!!

Evening everyone. It's gone batshit on here recently. I am confused...

it totally has, quentin.

Not just in FWR, but

I can only stand in awe at the patience and stoicism shown. To keep batting away the tag teams. Over and over and over. I just do not have your patience and don't want to ruin the carefully laid lines of argument with an impulsive 'ODFOD, enough now'.

You are all amazing.