A Song A Day!

On account of being dead fey and indie and that (and also cause I copied my friend Alex) I have started a little A Song A Day playlist project thingy. I’m adding a new song to it every day for a year. Good God, you must be bored already. I’m sorry. I should have used some sort of disclaimer. QUICK HERE IT IS!

The Blog is HERE.

A Song A Day: 2011

Breasts. Ooh er.

I wrote another article for The Guardian. It was about Gisele’s recent comments Re: Breastfeeding. It caused a right brouhaha.

Sorry, Laura Barton. If it makes any difference, I am exceptionally jealous of you, too.

The Bloody Guardian!

I thought I should put something here about the article I done wrote for The Guardian. It was the best thing that has ever happened to me, and is the best thing that will probably ever happen to me

You can find it HERE!

I recently copied and pasted it into I Write Like and got Dan Brown. So don’t get your hopes up, like.

Perks of the job…

I oft neglect this here blog, and for my three readers, that must be a real shame. But I felt incensed to write something about this.

University of Buckingham vice-chancellor Terence Kealey, deemed it appropriate to, in an article for The Times Higher Education supplement about the ‘seven deadly sins’ of education, write about the physical lure of attractive female students. Female students, Kealey believes, are a ‘perk of the job’. Apparently, ‘most male lecturers know that, most years, there will be a girl in class who flashes her admiration and who asks for advice on her essays. What to do? Enjoy her! She’s a perk.’ As if this isn’t denigrating enough, Kealey makes sure his contempt for women is really driven home with “she doesn’t yet know that you are only Casaubon to her Dorothea, Howard Kirk to her Felicity Phee, and she will flaunt you her curves. Which you should admire daily to spice up your sex, nightly, with the wife.” Of course she will flaunt you her curves! Because most female student’s chief MO is, of course, trying to make their middle-aged lecturers desire them. He goes on to caveat the point with “as in Stringfellows, you should look but not touch”. Bless. Because lecture theatres are exactly like high end strip clubs, right?

Offensive in countless ways – I really hope this article is intended to be, as many of his supporters have insisted, satirical (from the Little Britain school of satire, assumedly). Even in this instance however, it is in woefully poor taste. The assumption that a lecturer is a heterosexual male. The reinforcement of the male gaze. The blanket negation of any female students getting any lofty notions that their opinions like, count and stuff, when they should know their place. As if fresher’s week isn’t bad enough with the prerequisite sexy schoolgirl outfits and being leered at by drunk co-eds – female students should also apparently expect to be sexualised in their lecture theatres, too.

Proof if proof was needed, that George Elliot reading academics can be hateful misogynists, too.

Liberal Conspiracy

I wrote an article about the media coverage of the Baby P case, on the fantastic Liberal Conspiracy site.

The article argues the coverage has been both sexist and misadristic, and can be found here.

Fat is a Persisting Issue

Feminist doyenne and Fat is a Feminist Issue writer, Susie Orbach, recently wrote a reactionary piece in The Guardian. Hitting back at research by Nuffield Health, claiming that the recent proliferation of over-weight stars is partially to blame for rising levels of obesity – likening it to the link between ‘skinny media images and anorexia’.

Professor Michael McMahon, who headed the research, claims stars such as James Corden, Beth Ditto and Eamonn Holmes are heralded as role models, normalising obesity. Aside from the questionable evidence citing Eamonn Holmes and James Corden as ‘role models’ (really, who on god’s green earth is trying to emulate James Corden? James Corden just barely wants to be James Corden), this evidence seems a little undermining.

After writing about an excessive media fixation of the female body in The F-Word, I receieved mainly positive feedback. Bless. With the exception, however, of one email. “Why should any woman be admired for being obese? Perhaps Lara Williams is unaware of the cost of obesity to the NHS” it snarled. “I’m sure the NHS has got better things to spend our money on than people who can’t be bothered to take care of their own health.” Tsk tsk, indeed. Basic reading skills would attest that the article was not suggesting any woman should be admired for being obese, reversely was suggesting highlighting and applauding curvier or larger female forms is just as damaging as glorifying the very thin. Ignoring this however, the most inflammatory suggestion in the email was the reductionist argument employed when talking about obesity. An argument already prevalent, which will only be given further gravitas through endorsements from Professor Michael McMahon and his ilk.

Social implications of obesity such as poverty, lack of education, alcoholism are conveniently skimmed over and demi-celebrities are bafflingly used as scapegoats. Whilst I don’t think images of over-weight or obese stars prompt a sudden, unfathomable urge to gain weight – I do think the constant scrutiny on celebrity’s bodies is counterproductive in combating obesity. With evidence continually revealing the effect of this on eating disorders – eating disorders, which of course, will include compulsive eating, binge eating and bulimia, many of which will assumedly account for obesity statistics.

Rather than fueling further column inches pouring over celebritiy’s bodies can’t we just accept that they, like you know, normal people, come in different shapes and sizes? And just let them exist*.

*Except for James Corden. Can we PLEASE find a way of getting rid of him.

La Roux thinks women bring it on themselves. The twats!

I’ve yet to be enamoured with La Roux, but it has always been more to do with their profoundly unaffecting electro-by-numbers rather than any sort of ideological vendetta. This interview with singer Elly Jackson however, has changed my mind.

When asked whether she agreed female musicians were forced to use their sexuality in a way that’s essentially for men, she replied It’s really patronising to women. I know that there’s far more ways to be sexy than to dress in a miniskirt and a tank top. Which is a little convoluted as it suggests, yes she does try and use sexuality, just not in an obvious way. Still, nothing wrong with being sexy, I guess. But then she goes on to say… I think you attract a certain kind of man by dressing like that. Women wonder why they get beaten up, or having relationships with arsehole men. Because you attracted one, you twat. So women in domestically violent relationships should do what exactly? Roll around in Uniqlo and get a Hoxton haircut? It’s no great secret that women are systematically blamed for abuse, both domestic and sexual, and so yes, it is plausible that Ms. Jackson is a product of a patriarchal, victim-blaming society – but for someone who incessantly bleats their individuality, this seems a little farfetched. Whatever next? Lady GaGa saying feminism is man-hating? Oh, wait…

Writing to my MP

I recently wrote to my MP (John Leech, Liberal Democrat, since you ask) asking him to support the Early Day Motion put forward by Jim Cunningham (EDM 1604) pledging to offer government support and funding for the UK’s network of Rape Crisis centres.

I was nigh-on elated when I received this email…

Dear Ms Williams,

Thank you for your email.

I appreciate you bringing the EDM to my attention, as this is a cause I
feel very strongly about. You will be pleased to know I have now signed
it.

It may be of interest to you to know that I am currently involved in the
‘Map of Gaps’ campaign, which seeks to identify areas in which there is
not enough funding for womens’ services, such as support for victims of
rape or domestic violence.

As part of my efforts to back the campaign, have taken several steps to
ensure that this issue is high on the government’s agenda.

Firstly, I have signed Early Day Motion 653, titled “Report on Map of
Gaps: Funding Violence Against Women Services” in which MPs from all
parties have expressed their deep concerns at the findings of the
Equality and Human Rights Commission and the End Violence Against Women
Campaign. This is one of the best ways of signifying to the government
that I belong to a significant body of opinion in the Commons that
funding issues need to be dealt with now.

Finally, I contacted the then Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, to ask
whether funding issues will be considered as part of the upcoming
consultation on the National Violence Against Women Strategy. I asked
her to consider the problems surrounding funding for these services -
even outside the framework of this strategy – in order to ensure that
improvements are made nationwide, as soon as possible.

Thanks again for your email and if I can be of any further assistance on
this or any other matter, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards,

John Leech

He actually wrote a lot more than that but I cut it down, cause, y’know. AND… ‘Ms’ Williams! So there you have it. Lib Dems: Not all bad.

Photographs!

I just read about artist Dina Goldstein’s photography series ‘Fallen Princesses’ in Jezebel. It’s a little reminiscent of much of Cindy Sherman’s work, particularly ’Fairy Tales and Disasters’. Whereas Fairy Tales and Disasters focussed more on Grimm’s fairy tales – Fallen Princess’s subjects are Disney heroines, having been inspired to create the series after her three-year-old daughter started taking an interest in Disney movies. Though not as obviously macabre or grotesque as Sherman’s series (which featured prosthetic limbs and simulated vomit) there is still a shade of darkness, and some of the images are really quite poignant, despairing, mundane and almost upsetting. Like Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber in reverse. It’s prompted me to finally get round to buying this. Enjoy!

Snowy

Cinder 3

Rapunzel 2

Dina Goldstein also has a blog, the marvellous creature.

Currently listening to: Tortoise and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billie – The Brave and The Bold

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and the problems with ‘twee pop’.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

I just listened to the Pains of Being Pure at Heart’s debut album in its entirety, and was surprised at what a refreshingly uncoy, unpretentious album it was, especially considering its recent ubiquity. Really dense guitars falling short of overbearing, decidedly untypically ‘twee’, intelligent lyrics and a little of My Bloody Valentine about them. And it could have so easily be ruined by (apparently obligatory) glockenspiel tinkerings bringing nothing to the songs and godforsaken handclaps. But it wasn’t. So… good.

Twee Pop

I have fallen rather out of love with indie/twee pop. Where I was once enamoured by the affecting simplicity of it all, it now simply grates. And grates rather a lot. I still have a soft spot for indie pop of yore. Bands like The Vaselines, Slumber Party, Tender Trap and even to a certain extent, Hefner (but not totally because Darren Hayman strikes me as something of a jebend), served up their twee ditties with a large pinch of salt. There was something knowing about indie pop back then. Something that is now sorely missing. It felt slightly more antidotal. Rebellious, even. The Vaselines, for example, had a real darkness to much of their material.

I’m also incredulous at twee pop types giddily exclaiming how much they love tea and cake and such. Doesn’t everybody, pretty much in the world, like tea and cake?! Why the hell are they annexing tea and cake? It’s elevating something earth grindingly normal to a lofty status, thereby making all of those cardigan clad types feel superior to the barbarous hoi polloi. I’m on to you, twee ‘uns. Oh, and I don’t like it when girls act fey. Don’t act fey. Act like a grown-up.

As it creeps closer and closer to the mainstream it seems to become more and more nauseating. Being confronted with the, seemingly endless, amass of twee pop bands out there often feels like being given free reign over a well stocked sweet shop. A sweet shop, however, in which all of the sweets taste the same. And they all make you feel sick.

So to conclude, twee pop = once good, now not so good (except that is sometimes can be good again). What an entirely worthwhile post.

p.s I would like to remark that I’ve have never seen such gender equality in any genre of music as I have in indie pop. I would like to remark that. And not done in a ‘look our saxophonist’s totally a GIRL’ way. Obviously, everyone in the genre, at least now, is white and middle class, so it’s not all that equal. But still, gender equality FTW, etc etc…