by Keith Daniels
“The Religious Right will continue to wage this war against women until we as secularists stand up with the feminists and say, ‘No more.’”
– Rebecca Watson
I first heard of Rebecca Watson in her role as the lone female host on The Skeptics Guide to the Universe podcast, on which she appears as one of a quartet of co-hosts led by Dr. Steven Novella, but she first gained notice within the skeptic community because of her work with the collaborative blog she founded, Skepchick.org.
Skepchick advocates for the interrelationship between critical thinking, science, secularism, and feminism. One of the most passionate, articulate, and fearless secularists in the public eye, Rebecca divides her time between Skepchick, the SGU podcast, and frequent speaking engagements at atheist and skeptic-oriented conferences and conventions. In 2009 Skepchick started its own convention, SkepchickCon, which occurs annually as part of the larger CONvergence at the end of June in Minneapolis.
We spoke recently about Skepchick, the Religious Right’s war against women in the United States, and the difficulties women face even within the secular community.
Read our exclusive interview with Rebecca Watson on SuicideGirls.com.
by Darrah de jour
On Saturday night, the bold and the brightest came out (both literally and figuratively) to support the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Center’s Evening With Women, raising almost $500,000 for its many programs, including LGBT youth advocacy and HIV/AIDS healthcare. It coincided with the non-profit establishment’s 40th anniversary, cementing it as a stronghold in the movement toward queer and women’s equal rights.
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by Darrah de jour
32-year-old model Mia Tyler comes from rock royalty. The fashion designer, actress, author and now music manager is the daughter of Aerosmith front man (and American Idol judge) Steven Tyler and the late-Warhol muse and Bowie video chick Cyrinda Foxe (she and Tyler sustained a rocky marriage from 1978-1987). But, Mia is a rebel of her own making. She stands for living out loud – and loving your body exactly as it is! *That’s not to say she doesn’t have some amazing body mods!*
An advocate of “plus-size” modeling, she’s appeared on the runways of New York and Paris and in Vogue. As she says, “Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes, and packages. Including ME!”
I had an exclusive interview with the bold brunette – and she had some revealing insights about female friendships, forging your own path and her favorite pastime with sister, Liv.
Read (and rock) on…
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by Darrah de jour
“Can I just vent for a fucking moment?
I was not allowed to leave my recovery program until I was a “healthy” 120 lbs.
Tonight, the “Biggest Loser” was awarded $250,000 for being 117 lbs.
What the FUCK is wrong with this picture????”
(Anonymous blogger)
With the hypocritical and oppressive ‘beauty machine’ of America in full-swing, girls are getting “thinspiration” off food blogs and Pro-Ana sites; detouring off the deep end instead of finding their way into recovery. Even Portia de Rossi’s memoir Unbearable Lightness and the stick figures of Black Swan can serve as a “how to” for low self esteem. And this begs the question. Women – aren’t we just too dang valuable to level our self-worth by countable ribs?
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