feminist » Danine N. Spencer

Love Your Body Day

I’m a little late to this, but Wednesday was Love Your Body Day. Rather than do the usual post about my struggle to accept my body because it’s not a size 2, let me tell you why I love my body:

I love my body because it can type this sentence on the keyboard.

I love my body because it can tell my friends and family I love them using my own voice.

I love my body because it can walk across a room, street, block, and keep going a while before I get really tired.

I love my body because it can bend down and smell the roses in my garden.

I love my body because it can climb stairs.

I love my body because it can sit upright in a chair, recliner and couch. It can also get in and out of those things without assistance.

I love my body because it can swallow food and liquids (including Diet Coke!) without aspirating.

I love my body because it can read magazines, books and computer screens.

I love my body because it can hug people.

I love my body because it can brush my teeth, wash my face and do other fun stuff like that.

I love my body because it can play with this awesome Super-Soaker I got for my birthday this year.

And finally, on a serious note, I love my body because it can breathe on its own and my heart is healthy.

Four and a half years ago, my body couldn’t do any of these things. I laid in an ICU, paralyzed from the neck down. I was on an ventilator and had cardiomyopathy. They were considering a pacemaker. I couldn’t move anything above my neck. I couldn’t speak or swallow. They didn’t know if I would live, let alone walk again. I am lucky to be alive. I am lucky that I am able to experience each new day. I am beyond lucky that I am able to experience these things I listed above every day. The simple act of typing, of moving my fingers because my brain tells them to is nothing short of a miracle. I try very hard not to take that for granted.

That’s why I love my body.
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What Feminism Means To Me (Small Strokes)

I’ve got a guest post up at the Small Strokes Project: What Feminism Means To Me: Danine Spencer

Here’s an excerpt:

Feminism is the belief that women’s rights are human rights. No matter where they live, women and girls should have the same social, political, legal and economic rights as their male counterparts. Because women and girls have historically been marginalized by patriarchal societies worldwide, feminists have had to fight for every right men take for granted: the right to vote, work, go to school and oh yeah, make her own decisions.

Now go on over to the Small Strokes Project and keep reading…

Hey, I'm in the Carnival of Feminists!

Exciting news, people! My post Women are 40% of this year’s Nobel Laureates – so far has been included in the Sixth Carnival of Feminists. This one is hosted by Deeply Problematic and features tons of great posts on rape, harassment, women’s health, education and more. So go check out it already!

Photo credit: Deeply Problematic

Whip It! Rocked (and Rolled) – Contains SPOILERS

This afternoon I to see the movie Whip It! with my mom. Everything you’ve heard is true: this is a flat-out awesome, rockin’ the grrl power, must-see film. Without giving too much away, because you really do have to see the movie for yourself, the basic plot is this: Ellen Page plays Bliss, a 17-year-old girl who along with her best friend lives in a small town near Austin, TX. Bliss joins a roller derby team called the Hurl Scouts in Austin (without her parents’ permission of course). From there it proceeds much like any other sports movie: the team trains, plays games and eventually makes it to the championship. What happens next? Go see the movie.

Unlike most sports movies, winning is not the only important theme. Bliss’ teammates (played by Drew Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and singer Eve) mentor her. Bliss gains confidence in herself as she becomes stronger and more athletic. It takes a while but she becomes more assertive in her personal relationships, too.

Whip It! rocks (and rolls) because it has strong, confident, smart and funny women working hard and playing harder. Women can be competitive. Women can be aggressive. (On that note, we can be assertive, too.) We’re not shrinking violets. We’re athletes. We’re women.

Go see this movie. Don’t wait until it comes out on DVD. See it in the theater and show Hollywood that we want to see more films with positive feminist themes. Take your best friend, your mom, your sister, your daughter and go see it.

P.S. I tried really hard not to give too much away!

Photo credit: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Literacy in the Feminist Blogging Community: Danine Spencer

Exciting news! I let Ashley over at the Small Strokes blog pick my brain for her Literacy in the Feminist Blogging Community interview project. Here’s a sample of what I had to say:

1. Define the online feminist blogging community.

Feminists, particularly younger feminists, have exploited social media really well. We use social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter to network and exchange information with each other. Blogging allows feminists to network with each other like Facebook and Twitter but it’s more than that. Blogging allows us to contribute to the feminist (and sometimes national) dialogue as soon as we hit “publish.” By examining the world around us through a feminist lens and writing about it, we are participating in online and real-life activism. Continue reading….

Now that I’ve got you hooked, continue reading at the Small Strokes Project!

Women Are Fantasy Football Nincompoops

Last night’s Cowboys-Panthers game wrapped Week 3 of the NFL season. More importantly, we are now about a third of the way through the 10-week regular season for fantasy football.

A recent NPR All Things Considered segment estimated that there are approximated 20 million people who play fantasy football. Fantasy football isn’t just for men, though:

According to [Yahoo's David] Geller, more than 14 percent of Yahoo’s fantasy football players are female, and new online tools now make the game more accessible to both sexes.

NPR reporter Katia Dunn profiles two women in an “all-girls” league in Arlington, Va., while they are having their draft (picking their players):

[Jeanette] Casselano and her teammate Susie Schoenberger say it’s a slightly different game with women. Both admitted that looks sometimes played into their picks.”

I’m sure many guys don’t pick some of their players based on looks,” Schoenberger says. While explaining that looks don’t often factor into picks, Schoenberger says she occasionally chooses players on that basis.

We play just as hard and watch the games every weekend and really enjoy it. We know what’s going on and can intelligently talk about it.
- Jeanette Casselano

“I guess if all of your favorite players were gone and that’s all you had to go on, OK, yes, for sure,” she says.

Dunn also makes sure to let us know that men are threatened by the little ladies horning in on their precious boys’ club.

Paul Charchian, president of the Fantasy Sports Trade Association and host of a fantasy football radio show, says the men he talks to haven’t minded women joining them on the virtual field. In fact, for men who are married to these fantasy enthusiasts, it’s a point of pride.

“It’s almost one-upping your friends who have to try to carve out a few hours to sit in front of the TV on Sunday because their wife doesn’t like it,” Charchian says. “And they don’t understand it and it’s an area of contention.”

Charchian also says there’s more to men enjoying their partners’ interest in fantasy football than simple camaraderie. “It is hot. Absolutely,” he says.

Many of these men are so happy, Charchian says, to be sharing the game with their spouses that they don’t even mind losing to them.

I don’t play fantasy football because it’s “hot” or because I want a man’s approval.

I play because I want to win.

I started playing fantasy football last year when my best friend asked me to join her family’s league. I didn’t really know anything about football but I thought, “Why not?” I was at my BFF’s house when we did our draft and she helped me choose my players. Once the season got started, I really got into it. I’m competitive and I don’t like to lose. My main objective was to beat my BFF and everyone in her family. I had always been the girl who didn’t know anything about sports and was picked last for the team, you know? I didn’t want them to think I was a dumb girl, an easy win.

I decided to learn everything I needed to know in order to win, especially after I got shellacked by a really good opponent in Week 1 I was embarrassed that he beat me and I didn’t want it to happen again. I was also embarrassed that he had gotten the really good players and wanted to know how he had done it. How did he know to pick those players?

I started reading the fantasy football blogs every day. I analyzed my players’ stats each week and monitored how they were doing in practice. I played the waiver wire and added and dropped players like crazy, tweaking my roster so I could have the best players available each week. The long and short of it is that I learned the game. At Labor Day, I had no idea what the difference was between a wide receiver, running back or tight end, but I finished third in my league, ahead of everyone in my BFF’s family. (The first and second place winners were family friends like I was. By the way, first place was a woman. Second place was the guy who beat me that first week and a very formidable opponent.)

Last year’s league had five women and five men. This year we have four women and six men. (We have a ten player league.) I probably won’t spend as much time on the league as I did last year but it doesn’t mean I want to win any less.

Because I’m a Helper:

What the heck is fantasy football?

DirecTV Ad Goes Too Far

While I was watching Sunday Night Football last night, NBC played this DirecTV ad featuring Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning nearly every commercial.

Here’s a transcript just in case you missed a word here or there, like I did. (Special thanks to The Undomestic Goddess for helping me transcribe!)

Let me tell you why you need to watch football in HD
From the one handed grabs,
For those naked bootlegs,
and all those punishing hips.
Hold up, hold up.
You’re not watching football in standard def, are you?
Only DirecTV brings you every NFL game in crystal-clear HD.
~(Manning finally looks behind him and sees the cheerleaders)~
Real funny, fellas. Real funny.

Yeah, real funny, isn’t it?

The language by itself is not problematic. A one-handed grab is what it sounds like: catching a football with one hand. In last night’s Colts game against the Arizona Cardinals, Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne actually made a one-handed grab for a touchdown. Guess who threw the ball to Wayne? Colts quarterback Peyton Manning. (Video here.) The bootleg reference seems pretty harmless too. According to About.com, a bootleg is:

An offensive play where the quarterback fakes a hand-off to a running back going one direction while he goes the opposite direction to run or pass.

Finally, Manning alludes to “all those punishing hips,” supposedly talking about the numerous injuries racked up each week.

My problem is not with the language or even the imagery. We expect to see pictures of pretty, tanned cheerleaders with big breasts and little clothing jumping around at professional football games. These women have chosen to be cheerleaders, even though it is hard work and I don’t think they get paid very much. I don’t understand why but they have chosen this. (Yes, I find it incredibly sad that I just said it’s socially acceptable for young women dance in front of thousands wearing next to nothing.)

It’s what Peyton Manning says combined with the images onscreen behind him that make this ad truly horrific. As he talks about “one-handed grabs”, we see the cheerleaders with large breasts practically bursting out of their tiny tops. The “naked bootlegs” (emphasis is mine) line is flanked with pictures of cheerleaders doing that Rockette-style dance thing. Their boots are shown but the emphasis is on their long legs as the camera pans up to their tiny white shorts. “All those punishing hips” gives a great shot of a woman’s hips swinging from side to side. How are the hips punishing? Well, I don’t want to be crude so you figure it out.

Professional football is a violent game that (currently only) men consent to play with each other. Professional cheerleaders consent to work for these teams. Those are consensual acts. Sexual violence is not. This ad, produced by DirecTV and sanctioned by NBC and the NFL, is basically endorsing violence against women. DirecTV, NBC and the NFL are saying it is OK to “grab” women’s breasts, undress women with your eyes and fantasize about having sex with her, whether she wants it or not.

Honestly, this is so disgusting I barely even want to think about it. Still, women watch football. Women play fantasy football. Believe it or not, women even subscribe to DirecTV. This type of advertising is not OK.

What You Can Do To Help:

Email DirecTV, NBC and the NFL and let them know this type of advertising is harmful to women. It objectifies women. It sanctions sexual harassment and violence. Tell them you will be boycotting DirecTV and encouraging others to do the same.

Email DirecTV by going here
Email NBC Sports at nbcsports@nbcuni.com
Email NFL by going here

Please help me spread the word about this outrageous ad from DirecTV. You know the drill: email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Maybe we an make a difference!

Is the Ms. Wheelchair Pageant Supposed To Be Empowering?

Last week, Ms. Wheelchair 2010 was crowned. I can’t tell you how much I hate this. Supposedly, this is not a beauty pageant, but “a competition based on advocacy, achievement, communication and presentation to select the most accomplished and articulate spokeswoman for persons with disabilities.” According to the Ms. Wheelchair America, Inc. website. Ahem.

That sounds really noble, doesn’t it? But when you strip it down, it’s still a competition of who is the best woman, who gets to wear the pretty sashes and tiara. You can pretty it up with platitudes about providing “an opportunity for women of achievement who happen to be wheelchair users to successfully educate and advocate for the more than 52 million Americans living with disabilities” but at the end of the day, it still reminds me of JonBenet Ramsey in a wheelchair.

I know this is supposed to be empowering, but it just makes me cringe. I used a wheelchair for the better part of six months. I was supposed to be a quadriplegic for life and without a few miracles, I probably still would be. I still have power wheelchair sitting in my den. The battery is dead, but it’s there, in case I ever need it again, a possibility that can’t be ruled out. I feel guilty speaking for those who use wheelchairs because I can walk now. However, I do have some internal organs that are still paralyzed and my nervous system will never fully recover from the paralysis.

On Saturday, it will be four and a half years since the incident that caused the paralysis, but it feels like hours, days or weeks ago, not years. I still wake up every day and expect to not be able to move my arms or legs. I feel like I don’t have a right to criticize this competition but I know that if I were still using a wheelchair today, I would have the same reaction to this pageant.

On the other hand, I don’t want to criticize the women who have taken part in the pageant. Autumn Grant, who was Ms. Wheelchair America 2007, told disaboom.com:

“I realized that just because the contest had the words ‘Ms.’ and ‘pageant’ before and after it, it wasn’t a beauty pageant,” says Autumn. “I saw it as a great opportunity to get my ideas and voice out there for myself and others with disabilities.”

This year’s winner, Erika Bogan, became paralyzed from the knees down seven years ago in a domestic violence-related car accident. In an interview with News 14 Carolina, she said,

“This wheelchair is such a blessing to me, and being in the accident I was in was a blessing,” she explained. “I wouldn’t be where I am and I definitely wouldn’t be who I am if it wouldn’t have ever happened… My story was basically my platform for nationals, and [that story is:] anything’s possible.”

It takes an enormous amount of courage to simply to tell one’s story and I applaud Ms. Bogan for that. I am also the first person to applaud her for being an advocate for other women with disabilities and victims of domestic violence. I love that.

I don’t want to tear these women down. They’ve been through so much in their lives. If our positions were reversed (I was in the pageant reading this blog post), I would feel so hurt and angry. But I hate the pageant concept. There’s just got to be a better way for women living with paralysis and other related disabilities to advocate for and empower each other.

Remember When 'You Play Like A Girl' Used To Be An Insult?

play-like-a-girl I went Facebook yesterday and while I was looking at my newsfeed, I noticed that my 12-year-old niece had added this “Piece of Flair”. I can’t tell you how much I love this.

Our society worships at the altar of the 90210 stick-girls and calls Jannifer Love Hewitt “plus-size” and “curvy” for wearing a size four. At the same time, the First Lady is crucified for having pride in her athletic arms and legs. (OMG, did you see that she actually wore shorts on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard? Like, how totally unheard of.)

On the other hand, maybe Michelle Obama’s positive body image is having a ripple effect. Let’s face it: The parallels to Jackie Kennedy are not unfounded. She is educated, classy, beautiful and glamorous. Jackie O’s signature item was her sunglasses. Michelle O’s are her healthy, toned upper arms. Admit it: you’re jealous as hell. I am. I think Michelle Obama’s lasting legacy will be to be healthier and have a positive body image. I think she’s having an effect already.

My niece is trying out for the volleyball team at her school. I have no doubt that she’ll make the team, but even if she doesn’t, I love that she is taking pride in her body’s strenth and power. Strength is beautiful. Health is beautiful. It’s not just about a number on a scale or a dress size.

Pleasantly Plump or Pathetically Unhealthy?

I was back at the clinic this morning for another experiment in that Evil Demon known as Socialized Medicine. (Cue the Carmina Burana soundtrack.) I was in the dressing room about to change into the ultra-flattery hospital gown for an ultra-fun test when I looked in the mirror and saw this:

Me looking "pleasantly plump" - and liking it! 8/27/2009

I thought, “Wow, I look really cute. I like how I look in this shirt and these jeans. I like my curves. I look, dare I say it… pleasantly plump?”

I was feeling pretty good about myself when I walked out to the small waiting area. Well, that is until I noticed the story on the morning talk show (I think it was the Today Show). The perky, skinny host and guest were talking about how important it is to reduce inches around our middle sections to reduce our risk for heart disease and other fun afflictions.

What the hell, universe? I couldn’t have even one moment of feeling good about myself without being reminded I’m an unhealthy pig?

I guess the larger question is, what is the balance between striving for better health and still maintaining a good self-esteem? How does the media educate the public on prevention and wellness and not make us hate ourselves at the same time?

I don’t have any answers. In fact, after my appointment, I decided to give the cosmos a ginormous “Screw You!” and headed to McDonalds for an Egg McMuffin meal. With a Diet Coke, of course.

The local Mickey D's - 8/27/2009