Filed under: Music, News | Tags: Crass, India, Music, Punk, Riot Grrrl, Sexual Assault
Making Noise
I just recently learned of this campaign in India titled the Blank Noise Project. Started by Jasmeen Patheja, this project targets the largely uncontrolled sexual harassment that women in India undergo daily. Though women are sexually harassed all over the world, India is one example of a country where things are especially out of hand. I was surprised to hear that the popular term for sexual harrasment in India is “eve teasing”, a phrase that only shrinks the seriousness of the offense and makes it seem like mere bullying. I don’t know about you, but I never considered a stranger grabbing a hold of my breasts or butt as ‘teasing’.
The women and men that take part in the Blank Noise Project utilize just about anything they can to get their message across; flyers, photos, whistling in the busy streets of India and walking in pairs after dark to “take back the night”. They encourage women who have been ‘teased’ to speak out about their experience instead of weighing the blame on their own shoulders, to confront their harassers, and even to take a picture of the perpetrator. And that is only the beginning.
Check out their blog to learn more about what they’re doing (and what you can do to help) here.
Whether or not you live in any proximity to India has nothing to do with the importance of this project. Be aware of it, be aware of what you can do, and be aware of what’s going on around you that can change things for the better. There are other campaigns similar to this one in other parts of the world, to check out just one example head here: Take Back the Night
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Women Who Rock
One not so well known piece of feminist punk greatness came from the anarcho-punk band Crass. In 1981 they released the album Penis Envy, which only featured the vocals of female band members Eve Libertine and Joy De Vivre. The opening song “Bata Motel” speaks out about abusive relationships and violence against women using a sardonic and damn effective tone.
A sample of the lyrics:
Well today I look so good
just like I know I should
my breasts tempt inside my bra
my face is painted like a movie star
I’ve studied my flaws in your reflection
and put them to rights with savage correction
I’ve turned my statuesque perfection
shone it over in your direction
so come on darling, make me yours
trip me over, show me the floor
tease me, tease me, make me stay
in my red high-heels I can’t get away…
Give them a listen!
Filed under: Music, News | Tags: LiLiPUT, Music, News, Post-Punk, Riot Grrrl
Welcome to the very first post of “The Ovarian Fist”. The point of this blog? To inform men and women alike of women that they should know in music, art, literature, and whatever else floats my boat. If even one person stumbles across this blog, reads it, and finds the contents of it enlightening then I will be content. Mission complete!
Let’s get rolling.
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‘Cheap’ Women
Lisa Belkin recently wrote a very interesting article for The New York Times regarding the current economic recession and its affect on women in particular. What first looks like a positive change in the workforce is actually just more of the same; women are currently doing better occupationally– because men are doing worse. More and more workplaces are hiring women over men simply due to the fact that they’re cheaper, and thus more economically beneficial. This isn’t really much of an improvement from World War II, when women were permitted to join the workforce simply because the men were off in another country. Back then they were kicked back out of the workforce once the big strong men returned, what exactly is going to happen this time around as the recession declines?
Read the whole article:
“The New Gender Gap”
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Music: Women Who Rock
For this very first post I thought I’d start out with one of my favorites, LiLiPUT. For those who don’t know, LiLiPUT was a Swiss post-punk (and now considered riot grrrl) band that was active between 1978 to 1983. They are often compared to other better known (and also equally amazing) post-punk/riot grrrl bands such as The Raincoats and the Slits. Their music consisted of eccentric vocals by Regula Sing, catchy-as-all-hell guitar riffs by Marlene Marder, adamant drum beats by Lilot Ha, sex-steeped bass riffs by Klaudia Schiff, and the occasional more than welcome saxaphone.
An interesting fact: When they first began they were under the name Kleenex, until they ran into some legal trouble with the Kimberly-Clark Corporation, owner of the popular Kleenex tissue brand. Lyrics are sung in both English and German. Give them a listen!
LiLiPUT- Madness
LiLiPUT- Ain’t You
LiLiPUT- Nice
LiLiPUT- Turk
