As an Anglophile, I was very excited to hear that the Olympics would be in London this year.  However recently I have become less enthused, upon hearing that the Olympics committee has refused to address violence against women.  Specifically they are refusing to address the proven increased instances of sexual violence that occur along with major sporting events.  Why is there not a whole campaign built around raising awareness about violence against women?  Why don’t they care?

When the advocacy group End Violence Against Women came to the Olympics committee group, Locog, they had planned to collaborate.  End Violence Against Women had recently published research that sighted alarming results including:

“…incidents of violence between partners increased by as much as 30% during England’s fixtures during the 2006 Fifa World Cup. On the day England were beaten 4-1 by Germany in the Football World Cup in 2010, there were record numbers of assaults against sexual partners in Greater Manchester, for example – 350 in a single day.”

Following these disturbing findings, End Violence Against Women lobbied for information about sexual violence to be included for all visitors to the Olympics as well as for all of the athletes.  The group thought that they had reached an agreement with Locog.  Now Locog has gone back on their promise to include multiple types of hotlines for different issues such as rape, domestic violence, trafficking, and sexual assault.  They will instead only provide one hotline for general “victim support.”  The Olympics committee won’t host any further campaign to address these issues, or provide further information, and it is incredibly disappointing.

It’s better than nothing at all, but the problem with only a general “victim support” hotline is that it just won’t be called.  It’s too general and callers will never know which issues the counselors on the other end of the line are mainly trained in. And what about those who feel shame and do not wish to be labeled as a victim?  A victim support hotline could make them feel further shame and discomfort, as opposed to giving them strength and the agency to help themselves heal.  There are different types of violence and all should be addressed as per specific needs.

Violence survivor hotlines are frequently used and are really helpful to those who need it.  The NYC based Safe Horizon, the largest victim’s services agency in the US, reaches more than 250,000 people affected by violence each year.  Safe Horizon provides anonymous hotlines for survivors of domestic violence, crime, rape, sexual assault, and incest.  Anonymous hotlines are very ideal for those who need it.  It is a way to receive immediate and tailored assistance to a crisis.  It might even be easier for some people than going to any sort of therapist, because it’s much more immediate.  Through calling specific crisis hotlines, like the Safe Horizon hotlines, callers can be directed to emergency housing, counseling, legal services, and other support that they may need.  The Olympics committee should look to Safe Horizon’s example, as they have a responsibility to provide similar crisis hotlines with these crucial services for callers.

I just don’t understand why any organization or anyone would back out of an opportunity to raise awareness and help so many women.  It could only make them look better for their consumers to see that they are interested in helping women who are affected by sexual assault.  The Olympics committee also has the capability to do more than just a hotline, they could have done a whole ad campaign to raise awareness.  Now the Olympics committee is sending the message that they don’t care about violence against women, it’s that simple.  With the money they’ve spent advertising on Coke cans, magazine spreads, commercials for every unrelated product, it’s insulting that they would discount End Violence Against Women’s campaign.  Especially when they clearly have the capability to do a lot with it.

For more information about End Violence Against Women and their London 2012 campaign: http://www.endviolenceagainstwomen.org.uk/london-olympics-2012

Photo credit secretlondon123 via the Creative Commons License.

Last weekend during the Olympics Closing Ceremony performance, five taxicabs with the license plate “SPICE” pulled up, to turn me into a giddy child again…  The Spice Girls were back!  As a 90’s kid, the Spice Girls were the soundtrack to most of my favorite childhood memories.  They were the five best friends and heroes who decorated my bedroom walls.  They were the songs that I would sing, dance, and laugh to with my own best friends.  The Spice Girls told us that friendship was forever, to stay positive, and that Girl Power was all we needed.  If those strong, sassy, independent women could take over the world, why couldn’t all girls do the same?

Having not taken over the world like the Spice Girls, and grown up (somewhat) I’ve become more cynical.  I’ve taken college women’s studies classes and learned about feminism.  My view of the Spice Girls should probably be far more negative, as I have a deeper understanding of the media’s effect on me.  There are plenty of feminist critiques out there of the Spice Girls.  I do see the problems and agree with a lot of it…  For example, it’s problematic that they were all given one adjective to boil themselves down to as a nickname.  These women were all so much more than just “Scary” or “Sporty.”  The nicknames were certainly diminishing and somewhat demeaning, especially “Baby.”  Talk about infantilizing, I could probably write a whole other blog post just on Emma Bunton’s choices of wardrobe.  With a critical eye I see a lot about the Spice Girls I never would have noticed as a kid.  However I also see that with their Girl Power, they gave me the kind of feminism that I needed as a kid.

Everything about the Spice Girls was very loud and very feminine; their voices, their themed skimpy outfits, and of course the music itself.  You had to blast their music, and you still have to blast it to fully revel in it’s fun, catchy tunes.  I always felt like the Spice Girls gave their fans permission to be as loud as they were, and that there was no shame in it.  Maybe shouting, “Girl Power,” or singing their songs wasn’t code for smashing the patriarchy, but it was still meaningful.  In a brilliant article for Rookie Magazine, Sady Doyle writes:

“There was lots of giggling, with the Spice Girls; there was lots of hugging; there were a lot of bright, colorful outfits; there was a lot of hyper, bubbly silliness, and sometimes it would just wear a cynical person right out. But the Spice Girls weren’t for cynical people. They were for very young girls—sometimes girls who were still in grade school. (Those Spice Girl dolls weren’t selling to 22-year-old gender-studies majors. At least not unironically.) And in the moment that those girls were starting to figure out what “girlhood” meant, to them, they were relying on an image of ladies having fun together and supporting one another.”

Those confident, fun, talented, independent women with their silly platform sneakers loved and supported each other.  And they were exactly the right image for me and my friends.

Our culture continues to promote snark, competition, and to and make women feel bad about themselves, and the Spice Girls countered that.  Where’s anything like that message in today’s media culture?

Doyle goes on to say that, “We were scared that the Spice Girls would make feminism too mainstream and commercial. Well, good news: feminism is totally unpopular now, hurray!”  This is, of course, true as well.  The Spice Girls were a phenomenon, and it’s probably safe to say the most popular all-women music group of all time.  They were the closest thing media culture has gotten to mainstream feminism.

Many of the Spice Girls songs were also simply about respect.  Respecting yourself, your friends, and even one song about respecting your mother.  When I think of every women’s issue, this may be simplifying but a lot of it does boil down to a disrespect of women.  Women are disrespected when they aren’t given their right to reproductive choices.  Women are disrespected when they are treated like objects by the media.  Women are disrespected when they are dehumanized by Republicans.  Maybe I’m too much of an idealist, but I like to think that most of the boys and girls who loved the Spice Girls in the 90’s, grew up to have some respect for women.

If the Spice Girls were a brand new band today, I’m not sure how I’d feel about them or if the media would portray them differently.  All I know is that I grew up with their Girl Power, and I’m glad that I did.

Photo Credit garybembridge via the Creative Commons License.

It’s here!  I can’t believe tomorrow is finally Election Day.  By now you’re probably exhausted from all of the pleas for your vote.  I know I am.  But hopefully you’ve already registered and, if you didn’t vote early or by absentee, you plan to vote tomorrow at a polling station.  Well if you’re tired of being asked to vote and already plan to, ask someone else to vote!  You could also volunteer to knock on doors, tweet, post an article to Facebook, make phones calls, do whatever you can.  The possibilities for activism are endless, and crucial when there are still people out there who are apathetic, discouraged, or not making it a priority to vote for whatever reason.  I couldn’t convince my 19-year-old brother to vote, but maybe there’s still time to convince the undecided 19-year-old you know!  Every vote counts.

Women and all who love women seriously need to rock the vote tomorrow and protect our rights!  We know what’s at stake.  If you’re still convincing someone to vote, and also don’t forget to vote for marriage equality in the states where it’s on the ballot, here are a plethora of posts from Fem2pt0 for you to share with someone right now:

• Undecided Women, Don’t be Fooled: Your Control of Birth IS ABOUT Jobs
• What Women Want 2012: A YWCA USA National Survey of Priorities and Concerns
• Do Women’s Reasons for Having Abortions Matter? No…and Yes, and Here’s Why
• Pandering and Lip Service Not Required: Romney Isn’t A Mystery On Women’s Issues
• Is it Your Body or Not? Draw The Line, People
• #Motherfkd: Economy Will Suffer If People Cannot Plan Parenthood
• Women: A Helpful Chart for Determining What to Trade Your Fundamental Rights For
• Legislators: Women Are Not Cows and Pigs
• Todd Akin: It’s Not a War on Women. It’s a War on Critical Thinking and Democracy
• 10 Tips for Avoiding Jail When You’re Pregnant

And one more time… VOTE!

Photo credit Theresa Thompson via the Creative Commons License.

Besides the obvious things like family, friends, food, and shelter, there’s one more thing I am incredibly thankful for this year; FemEx.  Signing up for FemEx, a 16-week women’s empowerment course, has been the most meaningful and best decision I’ve made since moving to DC.  There’s so much about FemEx that I’m thankful for, especially the chance to get to know the unique and wonderful women in my class.  I feel so lucky and relieved every Thursday evening as I walk over to class.  We get the chance to share a totally safe space with amazing women, while engaging in very personal and thought-provoking feminist conversations.  I know that my voice, everyone’s voice, matters in our judgment-free space.  What could be better?  We’ve discussed topics like reproductive health, power & privilege, body image, sexual health, communication, sexual orientation, and more.

How did I find out about such a wonderful class?  Well, the funny thing is that I first Iearned about it through an article on Fem2pt0!  Which coincidentally was written by Nikki Nesbary, who’s now one of my FemEx facilitators!  I remember reading about Nikki’s FemEx experience and my interest was immediately piqued.  There’s a class for weekly feminist discussion AND the chance to make new friends at the same time?  I was sold…

The class has been everything I’d hoped it would be first when I first learned about it, and more.  I’ve had revelations and or new ideas about each topic we’ve discussed, and from our homework assignments.  Recently our homework was to tell three people, “You’re beautiful.”  One person had to be someone you knew well, one someone you sort of knew, and one a total stranger.  Most people couldn’t do the last part of the assignment, I couldn’t do any of it.  I was worried about possible bewildered or otherwise negative reactions I would receive.  I was also worried about heterosexism, even though I wouldn’t be hitting on three women but only telling them they were beautiful.  Even though I couldn’t do the assignment, I think it spoke to a lot of my own fears and assumptions, as well as to the fact that most people do not know they’re beautiful.  We also asked ourselves, “When was the last time you told yourself you were beautiful?”

I’ve never had a full handle on what women’s empowerment could mean.  But I think that FemEx has gotten me closer to that.  As someone who is automatically anxious walking into a room full of strangers, it has amazed me how comfortable I am in class now.  It’s a place where I am truly a participant.  I’m never going to be someone who doesn’t over-think most of what I say before I say it, but I still have something to contribute each class.  I am visible and my voice is heard in FemEx.  I feel like my stories are just as valued and important as everyone else’s.  And each one of my shared secrets and more personal stories haven’t been met with negativity, but with immediate acceptance and encouragement in the form of snaps.  (Side note, I’m really going to miss people snapping when they appreciate what I’ve said…)  It’s always nice to be appreciated and validated.  That is simply a huge part of what empowerment means, for me.  It’s also empowering to hear other women’s stories, and to have those stories resonate.

I can’t help but notice how FemEx has also filled my post-college women’s studies classes void.  I also notice a difference, I felt eye-opened from my women’s studies classes, but honestly not empowered.  Although my women’s studies classes in college were life-changing and I learned that I always should have identified as a feminist, I never participated.  Except for through written assignments, I rarely ever raised my hand.  I always felt that essentially everyone else’s ideas were more important than my own.  And that is the opposite of empowerment.  FemEx is like a do-over women’s studies class in that regard.

I’m hoping I will continue participating, beyond FemEx.  I am hoping that I can harness what I’ve learned in FemEx and that it can extend to dipping my feet into the larger DC feminist community.  I really hope to become more directly involved in causes I care about.  I feel like this class has also reaffirmed the importance of women supporting other women, learning that it’s okay to be yourself, and of an inclusive feminist community.

I’m starting to worry about what my life will be like once the class ends in December.  What will I do when I don’t have Thursdays to look forward to?   Or maybe we could keep it going post-class, with mandatory at least once a month hangouts?  I don’t really want to think about any of that yet anyway…  I hope that I have made friends who will stay my friends after class ends.  That would be the best thing to take away from the class anyway.

Our upcoming last month of classes are on masturbation, boundaries/violations, porn/ erotica, and then a final women’s empowerment class.  I can’t wait and I’m so thankful.

Check out the FemEx website and FB page for more information.

Image via FemEx FB page.

I was born in 1989, while the AIDS epidemic in the US was in full force.  I’ve never lived in a world where learning about HIV/AIDS wasn’t a part of my school health classes.  I know that I’m lucky to have been taught an unbigoted view of how HIV/AIDS could happen to anyone, no matter your sexual orientation or gender.  But I’ve had to be caught up on the how we’ve gotten to this point, and I still learn more and more all the time about how much more we need to do in order to end AIDS.  And with HIV/ AIDS affecting 33.3 million people on this planet, we have no choice to not care about this.

Last week, on the day before World AIDS Day, I was fortunate enough to catch a screening of “How To Survive A Plague.”  It was an incredibly moving documentary that details essentially how a group can mobilize change and be effective activists.  The film takes you through a crucial moment in recent history, 1987-1996.  It centers around the efforts of the grassroots groups ACT UP and TAG, and the men who were at the forefront of these groups.  Hours and hours of raw footage of protests, stand-ins, marches, passionate speeches, and compelling images are all compiled into a very powerful film that brings you back in time.  The anger is palpable in every scene, and the fuel for the AIDS activism revolution.  It was just so inspiring, saddening, and then uplifting to see all that they accomplished leading up to the 90’s Clinton-era.  By the end of 1996, with new drug distributions, the AIDS deaths in New York City decline by 50%.  It’s incredible to see the whole journey from a president totally ignoring the epidemic, to AID/HIV plans being a huge part of a presidential campaign, and access to life-saving drugs happening.  All of that and more was because of the activists’ efforts, because of grassroots activism, because “Silence = Death.”

Today there is a lot less silence about HIV/AIDS.  There are heroes, like Hillary Clinton, who continue to fight just as hard as all of the ACT UP folks did in the 90’s.  She has elevated national policy surrounding AIDS/HIV to new levels.  On Thursday last week, Hillary unveiled the new PEPFAR Blueprint for an AIDS-Free Generation.  The blueprint’s data shows, among many things, how many countries have brought down their death rates and also saved money, incredibly.  She began by saying, “Now, make no mistake about it: HIV may well be with us into the future. But the disease that it causes need not be…”  She outlined how through PEPFAR in this year alone they have directly supported about 5.1 million people on antiretroviral treatment.  This is a 200% increase since 2008!  She touched on how the blueprint provides financial plans for how to support treatment and prevention programs worldwide, but that stigma and discrimination are still making this disease harder to fight.  Of course, she also addressed the unique concerns of women and girls living with HIV/AIDS:

“…we are focusing even more intently on women and girls, because they are still at higher risk than men of acquiring HIV because of gender inequity and violence. So we are working to ensure that HIV/AIDS programs recognize the particular needs of women and girls, for example, by integrating these efforts with family planning and reproductive health services.  We are also working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, invest in girls’ education, address gender inequality, and take other steps that have been proven to lower their risk of contracting the virus.”

Essentially, we cannot eliminate AIDS without addressing specific gender equality related problems for women and girls.

The PEPFAR Blueprint is an excellent plan that could bring down millions more infections.  Obamacare is also crucial for people living with HIV/AIDS in the US, because through it nobody can be denied health care coverage.  But we can’t be complacent, because when AIDS programs are in danger of budget cuts, people could lose their lives.  What should AIDS activists be doing?  Taking their clothes off, like the nude protesters in Boehner’s office?  That’s definitely one way to make some noise.  But really it doesn’t matter what form the activism takes, as long as voices are heard.  And there is hope.  As Hillary said at the end of her speech:

“So if we have any doubt about the importance of this work, just think of the joy and that big smile on Florence’s face when she told us about giving birth to her two healthy HIV-negative sons. And think of that same sense of joy rippling out across an entire generation, tens of millions of mothers and fathers whose children will be born free of this disease, who will not know the horror of AIDS. That is the world we are working for, and nothing could be more exciting, more inspiring, more deserving of our dedication than that.”

The end of AIDS could be near, but programs must be fully funded. Make sure you urge the President and Congress to support them.

Photo credit Rory Finneren via the Creative Commons License.

Who inspires me?  I could answer this question at the moment with Anne Hathaway.  Of course this might just be the Les Mis high talking, but I did feel inspired by her remarkable performance in film that as Fantine.  If you haven’t seen the film yet, and are not a musical theatre nerd; Fantine is a mother who devotes herself completely to her daughter’s survival.  She basically gives up everything in order to financially support her daughter.  This tragically includes selling her body as a prostitute.  The agony she conveyed in those scenes as a woman given no other options was truly heartbreaking and also incredible.

Anne said in a few interviews that she researched issues surrounding sexual slavery for the role, and honestly I could tell from her performance.  The truth she portrayed was the pain of women who have been forced into sexual slavery throughout time.  Both back in 19th century France, and in modern day.  As she explained in one interview,

“…I had been thinking about Fantine as someone who lived in the past, but she doesn’t. She’s living in New York City right now, probably less than a block away.  This injustice exists in our world.  So every day that I was her, I just thought ‘This isn’t an invention. This isn’t me acting. This is me honoring that this pain lives in this world.’ I hope that in all our lifetimes, we see it end.”

Anne Hathaway has amplified her voice on violence against women not only with her performance as Fantine, but she’s also come out in full support of the One Billion Rising Movement.

What’s not to be inspired by with the One Billion Rising campaign?  People all over the world gathering on February 14th to dance, and to shake the world to end violence.  It’s something I am looking forward to participating in.  And upon noticing the latest issue of Glamour (a magazine I have never purchased in my life), I was psyched that Anne Hathaway was wearing a One Billion Rising shirt.  Also, the entire interview in the magazine is with Eve Ensler talking about why she supports the cause and of course connecting it to Les Mis.  I just love how she is using her voice in a women’s magazine that probably has never previously had a feature interview addressing global violence against women.

It’s not something new that Anne Hathaway is amazing, but lately she has been stellar.  In an interview with Matt Lauer, who made it his job to slut-shame her, Anne Hathaway would not cave and instead commented on the culture of exploiting sexuality as a commodity.  She also then turned her answer back to Les Mis.  You didn’t expect critical commentary on culture with your morning interview, did you Lauer?

I hope that 2013 will be the year that all of us do more to end sexual exploitation and violence against women.

Image credit One Billion Rising United Kingdom.

What makes a relationship healthy?  What are the warning signs of abuse?  How can you help someone you know is in an abusive relationship?  If you’d like to start these conversations with yourself or someone you know, now’s the time because February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month.  The stats show that 33% of teens in abusive relationships aren’t talking about the abuse, so we must all do something to support teens.  It’s estimated that 1.5 million high school students experience abuse from a partner in one year.

On Monday February 11, we hope teens, parents of teens, young adults, and all who care about ending dating violence will join Fem2pt0, Spark Summit, and the DC Coalition Against Domestic Violence for a #HealthyLove tweetchat.  Our chat will be from 1-2pm EST, and we’ll be sparking a dialogue on healthy relationships and healthy sexuality for teens and young adults.

We hope you can join us and share your crucial stories, advice, knowledge, and overall enthusiasm!  Just use the hashtag #healthylove to join us.

Photo credit: Alfonsina Blyde » via photopin cc.

The Vital Voices Global Leadership Awards happen every year at the John F. Kennedy Center, and this year I was one of many inspired audience members.  Essentially these awards honor extraordinary global leaders who are working to protect and strengthen women’s rights across the world.  Their vital voices are speaking out on topics ranging from increasing economic opportunity to ending gender-based violence, so of course they deserve a night of recognition and praise.  Perhaps you’ve heard of some of this year’s presenters, which included Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden, Nicholas Kristof, Ann Curry, and America Ferrera…?

I don’t have to tell you about the epic-ness of the presenters.  They are all fantastic people whom you’ve already heard of and their vast accomplishments are known.  However, I’d like to tell you about some of the people I learned about.  The lesser known, new faces from all over the world. This year’s honorees were Malala Yousafzai, the Kant brothers, Dr. Hawa Abdi, Sandra Gomes Melo, Manai Yaish Zraiq, and Tep Vanny.  These amazing people are all making a difference for women rights globally, and therefore should absolutely be on your radar.

Introduced by Joe Biden were the Kant brothers, whom are changing the tides of violence against women and girls in India.  They formed their organization Shakti Vahini in 2001, and it has become a platform for combating gender-based violence.  It is largely because of Shakti Vahini that there have been legal and policy changes in India to include these issues.  Much of what they do too is sensitivity training for the police, and they have reached thousands.  With all of the news of gang rapes that comes out of India, I am glad to know that the Kant brothers are there and are leading the fight to change a culture of violence:

Among many of the other trailblazing honorees was Manal Yaish Zraiq from Palestine, who’s a businesswoman building economic opportunities for women of her country.  She is leading the way with the Rawabi project, which will be the first planned city in Palestine.  The Rawabi project is estimated to provide 10,000 jobs, which is crucial when Palestine has an unemployment rate of 24%.  Manal is also responsible for creating the Business Women Forum- Palestine, which supports female entrepreneurs at every step of their business.  It’s only been around a few years, and the organization has expanded impressively from 70 members to 800:

I encourage you to learn more about all of this year’s honorees and, if you’re feeling inspired, consider making a direct donation towards their vital work today.

Cover Photo Credit: VITAL VOICES

Videos Photo Credit VITAL VOICES

For the past four years the annual Athena Film Festival BUY CLOMID NO PRESCRIPTION, , founded by Melissa Silverstein of Women and Hollywood and Kathryn Kolbert of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, has provided a jam-packed weekend showcase for films about women and girls.  Not only are these films about women and girls, the women and girls portrayed are leaders and take charge agents of their own lives.  This shouldn’t be so radical, but of course it is.  This year’s program included documentaries, feature films, shorts, works in progress, as well as panels and workshops.  It would be well worth the effort to check all of the films, if you can find them near you.  The only way to make an immediate difference for women-led films is to go see them, and then tell all of your friends to do the same. CLOMID class, My experience at this year’s festival, and being surrounded by people who demanded better, discount CLOMID, CLOMID over the counter, more varied stories representing women and girls, was inspiring and thought provoking to say the least.  It was also powerful to hear from some of the producers and directors for Q&A’s after their films.  I didn’t see nearly enough, buy CLOMID from mexico, CLOMID pics, and my favorites were two very different independent films, Maidentrip and Farah Goes Bang.  The films I saw definitely gave me hope for the future of representations of women and girl’s stories, CLOMID for sale. Ordering CLOMID online, Directed by Jillian Schlesinger, Maidentrip is the documentary of the youngest person to sail solo around the entire world.  Laura Dekker, buy cheap CLOMID no rx, Order CLOMID online overnight delivery no prescription, the incredibly brave 15 year-old, was met with challenges even before she set out, purchase CLOMID online no prescription, CLOMID blogs, as Dutch authorities pulled her through media firestorms and court hearings over whether she should be allowed to choose to do the journey at her age.  Once Laura battles that first rather small hurdle in comparison to the huge waves and other dangers she faces in her journey, she’s just so free.  Actually she was free the whole time, buying CLOMID online over the counter, CLOMID online cod, as she seemed to never waiver in her resolve to chase her adventure dreams and continue onward no matter what.  What a powerful message from the get-go and a beautiful film.

The cinematography of the film was stunning; both the home video moments filmed by Laura at sea and the more professional looking shots the documentary crew captured at the various islands Laura stops on her way.  It was empowerment on an introvert’s terms, buy CLOMID online no prescription, CLOMID reviews, as Laura took her alone time at sea to grow, fuel her soul, CLOMID maximum dosage, CLOMID samples, and all the while reflect deeply on her life.  She finds that she craves the alone time at sea often more than her selective social interactions on land, and it was refreshing to see this presented without judgment.  It really seemed like she knew who she was and what she wanted out of life during those two years of her adventure.  I thought that was especially powerful.  Seriously, CLOMID images, Kjøpe CLOMID på nett, köpa CLOMID online, go see this film if you can and bring someone who’s always on their phone and/or the Internet 24/7.

Another film I really enjoyed was Farah Goes Bang, online buy CLOMID without a prescription, CLOMID price, from writer/ producer Laura Goode and writer/ director Meera Menon.  When I think of the road trip movie genre, the only other film about women that comes to mind is Thelma and Louise, CLOMID cost, Taking CLOMID, which this was nothing like but fantastic in a different way.  It’s important to see what happens when girls go on the road, and it’s of course also about the apt metaphor of the road to self-discovery.  The film takes place in 2004 and follows three close friends, CLOMID trusted pharmacy reviews, Buy CLOMID from canada, Farah, KJ, CLOMID street price, Buy CLOMID without prescription, and Roopa as they canvass for John Kerry through the battleground states. The ladies’ conversations were very real, unapologetic, and hilarious on topics ranging from politics, to body hair removal, to sex.  What I loved most about this film was that it also showed ladies not taking shit from people, and going after what they wanted.  They confront racists, conservatives, and more varieties of strangers on their trip and never let themselves be doormats.  A film with many subplots, it’s also about how Farah wants to lose her virginity on the trip.  It’s always nice to see a narrative about a woman wanting sex that doesn’t have her also feel ashamed for it.  There was a little bit of jokey-shaming of Farah for still being a virgin at the top of the film, but the very sex positive way the story unfolds by the end, as well as the depictions of women as initiators of sex, made me forgive it, BUY CLOMID NO PRESCRIPTION.

I also really appreciated how many times the film showed the ritual of repeatedly putting on makeup, CLOMID brand name, About CLOMID, removing unwanted body hair, and doing hair.  It really raised the veil of the effortless perfect made up women of most movies, CLOMID coupon, CLOMID dose, and made things more realistic.  I also found it somewhat ridiculous to see, which felt like a little critique of our beauty culture.  Overall the film depicted a strong friendship between three ladies I felt I knew and it was a lot of fun.  It was great to hear from Laura Goode and Meera Menon after the film saying that the three actresses also formed a real friendship on set, CLOMID photos, CLOMID alternatives, and are now their go-to supportive phone calls after auditions for each other.  Women’s friendships are important on and off screen, how wonderful, where can i buy CLOMID online. Effects of CLOMID, Leaving the festival, I didn’t feel any better about the status of women’s representation in Hollywood mainstream films.  We’re still nowhere near equality when it comes to gender and racial diversity in film and TV, just look at UCLA’s annual "Hollywood Diversity Report," which found that women had the lead in only 25.6% of the films, 14% of writers, and 4.1% of directors.  A recent article by director Lexi Alexander proclaimed, “There is no lack of female directors...  But there is a huge lack of people willing to give female directors opportunities.”  It will continue to be an uphill battle.  However if the festival showed me nothing else, there was this glimmer of hope that at least there isn’t actually a dearth of lady-lead films made and waiting to be made that Hollywood would have you believe, many of these films are also independent films.

It seems that independent films are already out there telling many diverse, progressive, women-centric stories that most mainstream films are leaving out.  I want to do my part to support these films, because the gender and racial media visibility revolution will only happen when feminists make our own media or support those who do.  Of course, it’s still important to call out Hollywood stereotypes and fight for representation in the films that are already going to be shown to wider audiences.  I just think it’s equally important to support and create more platforms for independent films, and the Athena Film Festival made me feel more passionately about that.

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