What may become a weekly round-up

Bad Reputation - BadRep goes Slutwalking

'Personal stories told by all kinds of people, but all pointing to the same conclusion. Rape happens to people regardless of what they are wearing. Rapists, not those who are raped, and certainly not the clothes of those who are raped, are to blame.'

The Independent - Brian Haw was the conscience of a nation grown quiescent

'Over time, Brian has been proven wholly right. It's pretty obvious to everyone now that we went to war on a lie. In many ways he was the guilty conscience of all the complacent, lazy people who hadn't taken a stand or examined their views at all. I think people often felt threatened by that.'

The F Word - Women's erasure from women's memorials

'The monument to the women of World War II, in contrast, commemorates 'women', but carefully avoids portraying any actual, physical women - only their empty suits of clothes. I'm aware of only one statue for a woman war hero of World War II, Violette Szabo GC, and the monument on which her bust sits actually commemorates Winston Churchill's Special Operations Executive, which organised agents working across enemy lines. So her face does not stand for herself, for Violette, but for the countless anonymous agents of Churchill's 'Secret Army'.'

Lesley's Blog - Women in the Episcopate - A Response

'I’m tired of being perceived as ‘a problem’. I simply want to get on with what I’m called to. God has called me to be a priest and I believe he is calling some of the women in my generation to be bishops. I dare to believe that the Church of England needs us. No one has asked what might happen if the three thousand women clergy in the Church of England were to decide that ‘enough is enough’, and move to another province where their ministry is welcome. No one has contemplated the effect of a further ‘rejection’ of their orders on those without whom the Church simply could not now function. Women clergy don’t wish to hold the Church to ransom: but they also don’t want to be taken for granted.'

Nothing Special - The Guardian catches up...almost

'The mainstream press, and especially those journalists who wish to criticise or gain an insight into the tabloid newspapers, would do well to read blogs like Tabloid Watch, Minority Thought and the others listed in my Links Sidebar. This is yet another example of mainstream journalism lagging behind the blogosphere in important discussions.'

Guardian - Harriet Harman: 'You can't leave equality to the Tories'

'Does she think the coalition is anti-women? "No, it is anti-public services and anti-public spending, but the fact that women are hardest hit is something they just don't notice. Basically they have no idea of women's lives and the impact on them of these cuts. They are not gender aware."'

Huffington Post - Looking Through the Bushes: The Disappearance of Pubic Hair

'Educated women must increasingly submit to the sexual demands of a shrinking pool of suitable men for whom the bedroom is one of the last domains outside of a football stadium where men can be men. And reciprocally for women, it is increasingly only their bodies that set them apart. Bodily hair masculinizes them, so hairlessness becomes a way to hold on to the feminine. Clean is acceptable code for pretty, like the smooth cheeks on their faces. Clean is a form of historical forgetting.'

The Daily Beast - OMG! Women's Sites Need to Grow Up

'With such tickle-me-hormonal content online, it makes one wonder, where is the content for women who want the equivalent of GQ, with sharp articles about powerful women and fascinating trend stories, written by writers as good as Tom Wolfe or Joan Didion? Where are the fashion spreads that make you feel aspirational, not inadequate? Must everything be shot through with a shade of red or pink? And does everything have to end with an exclamation point?'

Bust - The Backlash of Girly Culture and Online Media

'Maybe I’m just the kind of person who likes cute designs, excitement, exclamation points, and joyful reading material, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want solid writing nor do I want to be talked to like a little girl. I don’t think liking cute things and being talked down to go hand in hand. Super girly culture and smart writing are not mutually exclusive in my opinion. I’m pretty sure I can like kittens and rainbows and still be a feminist.'

Racialicious - Who is the black Zooey Deschanel?

'The wide-eyed, girlish, take-care-of-me characters that Deschanel inhabits on film are not open to many women of color, particularly black women. We can be strong women, aggressive women, promiscuous women…we can do Bonet bohemian and Earth Mother (as Andrea pointed out), but never carefree and childish. Even black girls are too often viewed as worldly women and not innocents.'

Guardian - Afghanistan worst place in the world for women, but India in top five (includes links to indepth reports and interactive info)

'High maternal mortality rates, limited access to doctors and a "near total lack of economic rights" render Afghanistan such a threat to its female inhabitants. "Continuing conflict, Nato airstrikes and cultural practices combine to make Afghanistan a very dangerous place for women," said Antonella Notari, head of Women Change Makers, a group that supports women social entrepreneurs around the world.'