The Deadpan Darlings and Feisty Femmes

iambickilometer: slapface: womenwhokickass: (76# Ghana) King...

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:05:39 -0400

slapface:

womenwhokickass:

(76# Ghana) King Peggielene Bartels: Why she kicks ass

“To be a king in an African village or some places like this, it’s not like European queens where everything is on a silver platter for them … I have to really work hard to help my people. I have to give myself to people to better their lives..”

She is currently the King of Otuam, Ghana and one of only three female kings in Ghana. She has maintained her work in Ghana’s embassy in Washington, D.C. while making education affordable in Otuam, installing borehead wells to produce clean drinking water, enforcing incarceration laws to deal with domestic violence, providing the village with its first ambulance, replenishing the royal coffers by taxing Otuam’s fishing industry to improve life in the village, and appointing three women to her council.

When she encountered corruption and the threat of embezzlement to the royal funds, she declared “I’m going to squeeze their balls so hard their eyes pop!”

For 11 months out of the year she’s regular Peggy, secretary for the Ghanian Ambassador. She works, keeps in touch with her advisors via phone every night, saves her money and accumulates her vacation time into one month-long period- where she then takes off to Ghana to fulfill her duties in-person.

When she discovered that male chauvinists wanted her to only be a figurehead, she said: “They were treating me like I am a second-class citizen because I am a woman. I said, ‘Hell no, you’re not going to do this to a woman!’”

King Penny’s tale has been documented in a book written by her and author Eleanor Herman and is to be made into a film after Hollywood star Will Smith bought the rights to the book.

SO SHE’S A LEGIT WOMAN KING OMFGGG

King Penny’s tale has been documented in a book written by her and author Eleanor Herman and is to be made into a film after Hollywood star Will Smith bought the rights to the book.

oh my god i am so ready and also so glad that will smith bought the rights

femmeforeverybody: Nichelle Nichols (Uhura on the original...

Tue, 21 May 2013 20:32:12 -0400

femmeforeverybody:

Nichelle Nichols (Uhura on the original series):”Whoopi Goldberg, she’s just marvellous. I had no way of knowing that she was a Star Trek fan. When I finally met her it was her first year on the Next Generation.

She loved the show so much and she told her agent she wants a role on Star Trek. Well agents go ‘Big screen, little screen, no, you can’t do that’. Well you can’t tell Whoopi ‘You can’t do that’.

And so they finally asked, and they had the same reaction at Star Trek office, specifically Gene. And she said, ‘I want to meet him and I want him to tell me to my face. If he tells me he doesn’t want me and why, I’ll be fine.’

Knowing Gene he had to take that challenge, and so he met with her. She said, ‘I just wanted you to tell me why you don’t want me in Star Trek.’

Gene said, ‘Well, I’ll just ask you one question and I’ll make my decision on that. You’re a big screen star, why do you want to be on a little screen, why do you want to be in Star Trek?’

And she looked at him and she said, ‘Well, it’s all Nichelle Nichols’ fault.’

That threw him, he said, ‘What do you mean?’

She said, ‘Well when I was nine years old Star Trek came on,’ and she said, ‘I looked at it and I went screaming through the house, “Come here, mum, everybody, come quick, come quick, there’s a black lady on television and she ain’t no maid!”’ And she said, ‘I knew right then and there I could be anything I wanted to be, and I want to be on Star Trek.’

And he said, ‘I’ll write you a role.’

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/st/interviews/nichols/page4.shtml

bemusedlybespectacled: ramoorebooks: opinionatedlez: Here are...

Tue, 21 May 2013 08:42:23 -0400

bemusedlybespectacled:

ramoorebooks:

opinionatedlez:

Here are some awesome and empowering quotes from several very strong female celebrities.

And Kristen Stewart.

No, you know what? Fuck you.

Let me tell you about Kristen Stewart.

Let’s talk about how she’s the centerpiece of one of the most inexplicably popular misogynistic pieces of film shit and somehow gets blamed for it sucking, despite the fact that, hey, the books were actually worse. For those who were lucky enough to escape reading the actual books, her apparent lack of emotion is 100% accurate to Bella’s character, because Bella is in fact not a character but a blank white wall for fourteen-year-old girls to project themselves onto. Robert Pattinson is not the only one in the cast who hates Twilight, thank you.

Let’s talk about how she got crucified in the media for having an affair with a married man, when that man was her director. And let’s remember that she was called all manner of things for “ruining her relationship with RPattz” when she wasn’t even engaged to the dude, let alone married with kids. But oh no, she gets called a slut because she’s Kristen Stewart, she gets her career fucked because she’s Kristen Stewart, and the dude gets off scott free.

Let’s talk about how she is incredibly shy and anxious (rather, incidentally, like Chris Evans) but does film anyway, because she’s just that awesome.

Fuck your noise. She’s not the best actor in the world but she sure as hell doesn’t deserve that kind of shit.

Photo

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:08:04 -0400

forgethollywoodhysteria: Margaret Cho is like my very gay very...

Fri, 17 May 2013 04:07:19 -0400

forgethollywoodhysteria:

Margaret Cho is like my very gay very fabulous fairy god mother who I’ve never met, but it’s ok because she’s awesome.

dickchunks: “Feminism is about power and it is about the power...

Fri, 17 May 2013 03:58:25 -0400

dickchunks:

“Feminism is about power and it is about the power to control your own life, your own body and resist what [has been called] hetero-patriarchy. If you agree with that, then you’re a feminist. Feminism is about the power to question what gender, race and class means to you, and to decide when and if you want to fit into the boxes others have prepared for you.”

Loretta June Ross is a founder and the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, composed of 70 women of color organizations across the country.

She was the Co-Director of the April 25, 2004 National March for Women’s Lives in Washington D.C., the largest protest in U.S. history. She is also the co-author of Undivided Right: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice (2004, South End Press).

Ross’ areas of expertise are reproductive rights, human rights, women’s issues, diversity issues, hate groups and bias crimes.

Loretta was born in Temple, Texas, August 16, 1953, the sixth of eight children in a blended family. Her mother, who brought five older children to her marriage with Ross, had been owner of a music store and a domestic worker; she was a housewife as Loretta was growing up. Loretta’s father, who hailed from Jamaica, was an Army weapons specialist and drill sergeant. After retiring from the military in 1963, he worked for the Post Office and often held additional jobs to support the family.

Loretta attended integrated schools - Army schools through second grade, then public schools. She was double-promoted in elementary grades and was an honors student in high school. When Loretta was 11 years old, a stranger beat and raped her. At age 15 she was the victim of incest by a distant relative; she gave birth to a son, Howard, in April, 1969. Because she chose to keep her child, she lost a scholarship to Radcliffe College.

Soon after enrolling at Howard University in 1970, Ross became involved in black nationalist politics and tenant organizing in Washington, D.C. The murder of her friend and political colleague Yulanda Ward in November 1980, which she considers a political assassination, is a turning point in her life.

Sterilized by use of the Dalkon Shield at the age of 23, Ross found her way to reproductive rights and anti-violence activism. She became one of the first women to win a suit against A.H. Robins, manufacturer of the device. In 1979 she became director of the D.C. Rape Crisis Center, the only center at the time run primarily by and for women of color.

Ross was co-director for women of color for the April 2004 March for Women’s Lives. In January 2005, she became National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, a growing network of Native American, Latina, African American, Asian American and other women of color groups. SisterSong’s mission is to connect reproductive rights to human rights. SisterSong promotes reproductive justice through a combination of the Self-Help approach to internalized oppression and the human rights approach to structural inequity.

(x) (x)

im-a-kittycat: “So my amazing daughter, Emma, turned 5 last...

Tue, 14 May 2013 05:31:17 -0400

im-a-kittycat:

“So my amazing daughter, Emma, turned 5 last month, and I had been searching everywhere for new-creative inspiration for her 5yr pictures. I noticed quite a pattern of so many young girls dressing up as beautiful Disney Princesses, no matter where I looked 95% of the “ideas” were the “How to’s” of how to dress your little girl like a Disney Princess…We chose 5 women (five amazing and strong women), as it was her 5th birthday but there are thousands of unbelievable women (and girls) who have beat the odds and fought (and still fight) for their equal rights all over the world”

- Jaime Moore, Not Just a Girl

I’ve seen so many Mother’s Day gif sets. But I wanted to make a...

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:22:13 -0400

I’ve seen so many Mother’s Day gif sets. But I wanted to make a gifset dedicated to the girl who didn’t choose to become a mother, but had to. Nani. She was the best mother she could be to Lilo, and the best sister too.
She didn’t just lose her mother and father, with all the things she was doing wrong, she felt like she was losing her sister too.

Nani, hardly gets recognition, and throughout the entire film she did everything she could and it seemed like the odds were against her. So, appreciation for Nani, as she’s one of the strongest, most realistic & realistic looking Disney character ever.

The Bear and the Maiden Fair (3x07) - Game of...

Tue, 14 May 2013 04:14:41 -0400

The Bear and the Maiden Fair (3x07) - Game of Thrones

Margaery Tyrell there for Sansa, what a down-ass chick.

I wish people wouldn’t just see me as the Asian girl who beats...

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:36:22 -0400

I wish people wouldn’t just see me as the Asian girl who beats everyone up, or the Asian girl with no emotion. People see Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullock in a romantic comedy, but not me. You add race to it, and it became, ‘Well she’s too Asian’, or ‘She’s too American’. I kind of got pushed out of both categories. It’s a very strange place to be. You’re not Asian enough and then you’re not American enough.

mia-the-wonder-slut: My girls.

Sat, 11 May 2013 05:00:36 -0400

mia-the-wonder-slut:

My girls.

centriccentriccentric: jasjuliet: awakeningapril: fyeahblackhi...

Thu, 09 May 2013 21:58:18 -0400

centriccentriccentric:

jasjuliet:

awakeningapril:

fyeahblackhistory:

The Kandakes of Kush.

Kandake, also known as Candace, Kendake or Kentake was the title for queens and queen mothers of the ancient African Kingdom of Kush, also known as Nubia and Ethiopia.

They were known as Nubian warrior queens, queen regents, and Ruling queen mothers. They controlled what is now Ethiopia, Sudan, and parts of Egypt. They co-ruled the Meroitic with their brothers (not their husbands), a trait of matrilineal societies. They were buried with rich treasure in their own pyramids.

Reliefs dated to about 170 B.C. reveal Kandake Shanakdakheto, dressed in armor and wielding a spear in battle. She did not rule as queen regent or queen mother but as a fully independent ruler. Her husband was her consort. Reliefs found in the ruins of building projects she commissioned, Shanakdakheto is portrayed both alone as well as with her husband and son, who would inherit the throne by her passing.

One of the most well known Kandakes was Amanishakheto known for defeating the Roman invasion of Nubia by Augustus and subsequently brokering a favorable peace treaty.

Conclusion

The “Kandakes/Candaces” serve as examples of women as powerful figures or clever strategists in their roles as queens, as warrior queens, or as romantic figures, they have had great appeal in times past, and will continue to do so in this present era of feminist or humanist interest in the subject.

Click here for more

References: Nubian Queens in the Nile Valley and Afro-Asiatic Cultural History - Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban, Professor of Anthropology, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston U.S.A, August 20-26, 1998

!!!!!

And they were never mentioned in my history books as a kid…sigh…awesome stuff.

just had my final in africana studies on the queen mothers of Cush

lickypickystickyme: If grandmothers around the world had a...

Wed, 08 May 2013 20:20:03 -0400

lickypickystickyme:

If grandmothers around the world had a rallying cry, it would probably sound something like “You need to eat!”

Photographer Gabriele Galimberti’s grandmother said something similar to him before one of his many globetrotting work trips. To ensure he had at least one good meal, she prepared for him a dish of ravioli before he departed on one of his adventures.

“In that occasion I said to my grandma ‘You know, Grandma, there are many other grandmas around the world and most of them are really good cooks,” Galimberti wrote via email. “I’m going to meet them and ask them to cook for me so I can show you that you don’t have to be worried for me and the food that I will eat!’ This is the way my project was born!”

The project, “Delicatessen With Love”, took Galimberti to 58 countries where he photographed grandmothers with both the ingredients and finished signature dishes.

He acted as photographer and stylist during each shoot with the grandmothers, taking a portrait of both the women and the food they made for him.

From top to bottom:

Inara Runtule, 68, Kekava, Latvia. Silke (herring with potatoes and cottage cheese).

Grace Estibero, 82, Mumbai, India. Chicken vindaloo.

Susann Soresen, 81, Homer, Alaska. Moose steak.

Serette Charles, 63, Saint-Jean du Sud, Haiti. Lambi in creole sauce.

The photographer’s grandmother Marisa Batini, 80, Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy. Swiss chard and ricotta Ravioli with meat sauce.

Normita Sambu Arap, 65, Oltepessi (Masaai Mara), Kenya. Mboga and orgali (white corn polenta with vegetables and goat).

Julia Enaigua, 71, La Paz, Bolivia. Queso Humacha (vegetables and fresh cheese soup).

Fifi Makhmer, 62, Cairo, Egypt. Kuoshry (pasta, rice and legumes pie).

Isolina Perez De Vargas, 83, Mendoza, Argentina. Asado criollo (mixed meats barbecue).

Bisrat Melake, 60, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Enjera with curry and vegetables.

Elizabeth Smart: Abstinence Education Teaches Rape Victims They’re Worthless, Dirty, And Filthy

Wed, 08 May 2013 03:22:43 -0400

Elizabeth Smart: Abstinence Education Teaches Rape Victims They’re Worthless, Dirty, And Filthy:

fierysprite:

“Elizabeth Smart became a household name after she was kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City, UT at the age of 14 and held in captivity for nine months. She was forced into a polygamous marriage, tethered to a metal cable, and raped daily until she was rescued from her captors nine months later. Smart was recovered while she and her kidnappers were walking down a suburban street, leading many Americans who followed her story on the national news to wonder:Why didn’t she just run away as soon as she was brought outside?

Speaking to an audience at Johns Hopkins about issues of human trafficking and sexual violence, Smart recently offered an answer to that question. She explained that some human trafficking victims don’t run away because they feel worthless after being raped, particularly if they have been raised in conservative cultures that push abstinence-only education and emphasize sexual purity:

Smart said she “felt so dirty and so filthy” after she was raped by her captor, and she understands why someone wouldn’t run “because of that alone.”

Smart spoke at a Johns Hopkins human trafficking forum, saying she was raised in a religious household and recalled a school teacher who spoke once about abstinence and compared sex to chewing gum.

“I thought, ‘Oh, my gosh, I’m that chewed up piece of gum, nobody re-chews a piece of gum, you throw it away.’ And that’s how easy it is to feel like you no longer have worth, you no longer have value,” Smart said. “Why would it even be worth screaming out? Why would it even make a difference if you are rescued? Your life still has no value.”

Now in her mid-twenties, Smart runs a foundation to help educate children about sexual crimes. She now believes that children should grow up learning that “you will always have value and nothing can change that.”

Social psychologists and sexual abuse counselors agree that comprehensive sex education can help prevent sexual crimes. Teaching children about their bodies gives them the tools to describe acts of abuse without feeling as embarrassed or uncomfortable, and it also helps elevate their self-confidence and sense of bodily autonomy. A shame-based approach to genitalia and sexuality, on the other hand, sends kids the message that they can’t discuss or ask questions about any of those issues.

Nonethless, abstinence-only education programs have a long history of imparting harmful messages that shame youth about their sexuality instead of teaching them the facts they needto safeguard their health. A high school in West Virginia recently made national headlines after hosting a conservative religious speaker who allegedly told students “if you take birth control, your mother probably hates you” and “I could look at any one of you in the eyes right now and tell if you’re going to be promiscuous.” In Smart’s home state of Utah — which is home to a large religiously conservative Mormon community — sex education is currently mandated, but lawmakers have repeatedly pushed to weaken the state law and reinstate an abstinence-only curriculum.”

squidinkandhumanmeat: Tonks by LunaLouise

Sun, 05 May 2013 19:25:19 -0400

squidinkandhumanmeat:

Tonks by LunaLouise

grasstomyknees: this is perfect.

Wed, 01 May 2013 05:35:22 -0400

grasstomyknees:

this is perfect.

albinwonderland: arseniccupcakes: bettersupes: Okay, so I’m...

Wed, 01 May 2013 04:35:49 -0400

albinwonderland:

arseniccupcakes:

bettersupes:

Okay, so I’m not sure why but for some reason there are a ton, a TON, of Princess Batman costumes, possibly more than the standard Batgirl costume. They come in 2 different flavors, bumblebee and hot pink. So, I’m just making one big Super Princess Batman compilation post (alternatively Ballerina Batman since those fluffy skirts can be ambiguous).

Don’t ask which Robin that is because I cannot keep track of all the dang Robins at this point… “Stephanie Carrie Graydrake-Waynetodd”

Source of all photos:
deantrippe, girlslovesuperheroes (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), sparklysushi, donkeysalright, cosplayingwhileblack, little white lion.

dat second one

this is a good post

historicalheroines: I’ve created these flyers for a school...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:55:27 -0400

historicalheroines:

I’ve created these flyers for a school activist project where I bring more attention to the women in history that have been forgotten or ignored. This blog will be an extension of those flyers where I post longer biographies of these women and other bad-ass women like them. Too often women’s achievements have been pushed aside, either by others in their lives, or else by the historians who choose to ignore them. This tumblr is dedicated to celebrating them and bringing their achievements to light!

sissypunks: bodysexgender: standupfordownthere: Feministing...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:54:47 -0400

sissypunks:

bodysexgender:

standupfordownthere:

Feministing just released their online report, #femfuture: Online Revolution. Check it out here.

Proud to be part of the feminist bloggersphere ^_^

fuck anyone who tries to discredit the movement by calling it “tumblr social justice feminism” or whatever

"I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would..."

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 04:20:22 -0400

“I have love in me the likes of which you can scarcely imagine and rage the likes of which you would not believe. If I cannot satisfy the one, I will indulge the other.”

- Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. (via riverran)

#mary shelley #this quote though #it’s all kinds of wonderful #hey remember that time one asswipe was like you have 30 seconds to name something invented by a woman… #…and Mary was like SCIENCE FICTION MOTHERFUCKERS #that was awesome #thanks Mary Shelley (via snappily)

And the next time someone starts claiming that teenage girls have ruined the horror genre with romance or whatever you can be like, hey dicksmack, teenage girls and romance built your genre so sit the fuck down. (via sharpestrose)

Mary Shelley fucking invented your favourite genre motherfuckers. You owe her Kirk and Vader and every goddamned thing Joss has ever done that’s made you cream your pants. Created when she was a teenager cause, hey, that’s how she rolled. She took love and showed it as the powerful, terrifying, all-encompassing, ruthless, wrathful thing it is. (via piinboots)

And I would like to add:

(via irisbleufic)