At the library yesterday, a young girl came up to me holding a picture book, The Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke.
She asked me whether the picture on the cover was of a girl.
I said that it certainly was a girl on the cover.
She responded, "That's weird," and walked away.
I'm not sure whether to be happy that this book exists or sad that it's still considered weird for girls to be portrayed doing non-traditional things.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Thank goodness for lifelines..
Long time no see!
Anyway, I'm close to being done with my Nightsongs shawl. I was (so I thought) at the end of the body repeats and ready to start the edging. I knit the first row of the edging and discovered...
The stitch count didn't add up. Rechecked the row, and I knit it correctly, it just didn't line up with the row before it. After consulting numerous versions of the patterns and looking in the Ravelry fora for other people who had had similar problems, I discovered...
I was supposed to have ended the last repeat of the main motif on row 32, not continued on to row 38. Frogging back to row 32 would have been a nightmare, with all of the yarn-overs that I would have had to make sure to pick back up, and unknitting that far would have been far, far worse. Luckily...
I had put in a lifeline before the last repetition of the main motif, in case I didn't have enough yarn to do the last repeat and the edging. I just frogged back to the lifeline, and started knitting the last repeat all over again. It's irritating to lose a couple days of work, but that's what I get for not paying enough attention to the pattern.
Anyway, I'm close to being done with my Nightsongs shawl. I was (so I thought) at the end of the body repeats and ready to start the edging. I knit the first row of the edging and discovered...
The stitch count didn't add up. Rechecked the row, and I knit it correctly, it just didn't line up with the row before it. After consulting numerous versions of the patterns and looking in the Ravelry fora for other people who had had similar problems, I discovered...
I was supposed to have ended the last repeat of the main motif on row 32, not continued on to row 38. Frogging back to row 32 would have been a nightmare, with all of the yarn-overs that I would have had to make sure to pick back up, and unknitting that far would have been far, far worse. Luckily...
I had put in a lifeline before the last repetition of the main motif, in case I didn't have enough yarn to do the last repeat and the edging. I just frogged back to the lifeline, and started knitting the last repeat all over again. It's irritating to lose a couple days of work, but that's what I get for not paying enough attention to the pattern.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Sexist Eating Disorders Awareness Campaign
A few weeks ago, signs went up in our college's dining center.
They read as following:
Pretty good advice, right?
There's just one problem with this campaign.
These signs were only put in the women's restroom.
As if only women had eating disorders, all women were at increased risk of eating disorders, and only women could be concerned about someone with a possible eating disorder.
While it is true that the majority of people with diagnosed eating disorders are female, even conservative numbers estimate that 5 to 10 percent of patients diagnosed with anorexia and 10 to 15 percent of patients diagnosed with bulimia are male,1 with one Harvard University study showing that up to 25 percent of patients with these disorders are male.2 In addition, males account for 40 percent of individuals with binge eating disorder.3
In other words, even the most conservative numbers estimate that 1 in 20 people diagnosed with eating disorders are male. Not to mention that these numbers only reflect the number of people diagnosed with eating disorders, and the true rate of incidence is probably much higher. Men are less likely to seek help for eating disorders due to the stigma of them being perceived as "women's diseases," and are less likely to be diagnosed with them for similar reasons.4
In light of these numbers, why did Psych Services only see fit to put these signs in the women's restroom?
Because no matter what the numbers say, people think that eating disorders only affect women. Because people think that only women are affected by images in the media and only women care about their appearance. Because people think that men who struggle with these issues don't exist.
I'm sick and tired of this kind of thinking. This is going to sound heretical on a feminist blog, but we need to acknowledge that men have problems too. We need to acknowledge that the kyriarchy hurts everyone, women and men alike.
As an aside, one of my female friends hasn't used the women's bathroom in the dining center since these signs went up. I must condemn any action which makes people uncomfortable using the toilet facilities to which they are entitled.
This campaign excludes people who might be affected by eating disorders, reinforces harmful stereotypes, and makes people uncomfortable using the restroom.
Surely there's a better way to go about this.
1. Braun, Devra Lynn. "Eating Disorders in Males." Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health eJournal. 1997;2(2).
2. Hudson, James I. et al. "The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication." Biol Psychiatry. 1 Feb. 2007; 61(3): 348–358.
3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Binge Eating Disorder." June 2008. Accessed 19 Apr. 2010. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/binge.htm
4. "Men Less Likely to Seek Help for Eating Disorders." Mental Health Weekly 9 Apr. 2001.
They read as following:
For information about or help with an eating disorder, please call CAPS [Counseling and Psychological Services] at [phone number redacted] to arrange for a consultation with a counselor.
Pretty good advice, right?
There's just one problem with this campaign.
These signs were only put in the women's restroom.
As if only women had eating disorders, all women were at increased risk of eating disorders, and only women could be concerned about someone with a possible eating disorder.
While it is true that the majority of people with diagnosed eating disorders are female, even conservative numbers estimate that 5 to 10 percent of patients diagnosed with anorexia and 10 to 15 percent of patients diagnosed with bulimia are male,1 with one Harvard University study showing that up to 25 percent of patients with these disorders are male.2 In addition, males account for 40 percent of individuals with binge eating disorder.3
In other words, even the most conservative numbers estimate that 1 in 20 people diagnosed with eating disorders are male. Not to mention that these numbers only reflect the number of people diagnosed with eating disorders, and the true rate of incidence is probably much higher. Men are less likely to seek help for eating disorders due to the stigma of them being perceived as "women's diseases," and are less likely to be diagnosed with them for similar reasons.4
In light of these numbers, why did Psych Services only see fit to put these signs in the women's restroom?
Because no matter what the numbers say, people think that eating disorders only affect women. Because people think that only women are affected by images in the media and only women care about their appearance. Because people think that men who struggle with these issues don't exist.
I'm sick and tired of this kind of thinking. This is going to sound heretical on a feminist blog, but we need to acknowledge that men have problems too. We need to acknowledge that the kyriarchy hurts everyone, women and men alike.
As an aside, one of my female friends hasn't used the women's bathroom in the dining center since these signs went up. I must condemn any action which makes people uncomfortable using the toilet facilities to which they are entitled.
This campaign excludes people who might be affected by eating disorders, reinforces harmful stereotypes, and makes people uncomfortable using the restroom.
Surely there's a better way to go about this.
1. Braun, Devra Lynn. "Eating Disorders in Males." Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health eJournal. 1997;2(2).
2. Hudson, James I. et al. "The Prevalence and Correlates of Eating Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication." Biol Psychiatry. 1 Feb. 2007; 61(3): 348–358.
3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. "Binge Eating Disorder." June 2008. Accessed 19 Apr. 2010. http://www.win.niddk.nih.gov/publications/binge.htm
4. "Men Less Likely to Seek Help for Eating Disorders." Mental Health Weekly 9 Apr. 2001.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Lessons learned
When winding 100 grams of fingering weight yarn into a center-pull ball by hand, make sure to leave a long tail for the center-pull.
Otherwise, it gets lost inside of the ball, and you have to do it all over again.
Otherwise, it gets lost inside of the ball, and you have to do it all over again.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Hey Google...
Why haven't you put up a Google doodle for International Women's Day?
But you did for Vivaldi's 332nd birthday a couple of days ago?
I mean, 322's not even a round number...
But you did for Vivaldi's 332nd birthday a couple of days ago?
I mean, 322's not even a round number...
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Finish line!
The Ravelympics are over, and I finished both of the events I entered!
Contestant 1: Senior Auction Mittens
Pattern: The Alice Carroll All-rib Mitt, Yarn: Plymouth Encore worsted in a yellow-orange color.
They were a hit. The person who won these in the senior auction was properly enthused about getting them, and sent my hallmates and me a nice email thanking us for all the hard work that went into them. Score.
Contestant 2: Cthulhu Bag
Pattern: Cthulhu Dice Bag! by A.A. Leavitt-Reynolds. Yarn: Red Heart in Black and a lime green.
This is my third try at making a coin purse of a reasonable size to carry laundry money in. While this one is smaller than my last attempt (the Tsantsa shrunken head bag), it still is the size of a small evening purse, not a coin purse. Conclusion: I need to use thinner yarn if I want to make a bag any smaller. Going down a needle size isn't going to cut it: this bag was worked on 6's and is already approaching bullet-proof fabric. It stands up on its own. Sport-weight yarn may be the way to go.
Contestant 1: Senior Auction Mittens
Pattern: The Alice Carroll All-rib Mitt, Yarn: Plymouth Encore worsted in a yellow-orange color.
They were a hit. The person who won these in the senior auction was properly enthused about getting them, and sent my hallmates and me a nice email thanking us for all the hard work that went into them. Score.
Contestant 2: Cthulhu Bag
Pattern: Cthulhu Dice Bag! by A.A. Leavitt-Reynolds. Yarn: Red Heart in Black and a lime green.
This is my third try at making a coin purse of a reasonable size to carry laundry money in. While this one is smaller than my last attempt (the Tsantsa shrunken head bag), it still is the size of a small evening purse, not a coin purse. Conclusion: I need to use thinner yarn if I want to make a bag any smaller. Going down a needle size isn't going to cut it: this bag was worked on 6's and is already approaching bullet-proof fabric. It stands up on its own. Sport-weight yarn may be the way to go.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
WTF Utah?
First, read this article: Utah Bill Would Criminalize Illegal Abortions (NY Times)
Now that you're all back with me...
WTF Utah? Let's make every miscarriage a potential criminal investigation. Because miscarriage isn't painful and stressful enough as it is. Let's make every child-bearing woman in the state of Utah a potential criminal suspect. 10 to 20 percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage.1 Is Utah going to investigate all of them? Make sure the woman wasn't doing anything untoward in the days before she miscarried? Take the women down to the station and grill them while they're grieving and trying to figure out if there was anything they could have done to prevent it?
Also, if you're seeking an illegal abortion, that's a pretty good sign that you don't have access to a legal one. Whether that's because you don't have the money, you're underage, you're fearful of what would happen if husband/boyfriend/family/pastor/neighbors/etc. found out, you don't have an abortion provider in your community, or any other reason, that's not cool. Please. No more back-alley abortions. No more coathangers. Safe, legal abortion for all women who choose to have one, and a society that allows that choice to be a completely free one.
If you live in Utah (or even if you don't), contact Governor Gary R. Herbert to urge him to veto this bill. You can fill out the contact form at http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_comment.html, or call him at 801-538-1000 or 800-705-2464.
1. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/miscarriage/DS01105
Now that you're all back with me...
WTF Utah? Let's make every miscarriage a potential criminal investigation. Because miscarriage isn't painful and stressful enough as it is. Let's make every child-bearing woman in the state of Utah a potential criminal suspect. 10 to 20 percent of all known pregnancies end in miscarriage.1 Is Utah going to investigate all of them? Make sure the woman wasn't doing anything untoward in the days before she miscarried? Take the women down to the station and grill them while they're grieving and trying to figure out if there was anything they could have done to prevent it?
Also, if you're seeking an illegal abortion, that's a pretty good sign that you don't have access to a legal one. Whether that's because you don't have the money, you're underage, you're fearful of what would happen if husband/boyfriend/family/pastor/neighbors/etc. found out, you don't have an abortion provider in your community, or any other reason, that's not cool. Please. No more back-alley abortions. No more coathangers. Safe, legal abortion for all women who choose to have one, and a society that allows that choice to be a completely free one.
If you live in Utah (or even if you don't), contact Governor Gary R. Herbert to urge him to veto this bill. You can fill out the contact form at http://governor.utah.gov/goca/form_comment.html, or call him at 801-538-1000 or 800-705-2464.
1. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/miscarriage/DS01105
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
