Being a word/books person, I do a lot of thinking about the power of language. The more progressive blogs and new sources I read, and the more I talk and think about feminist and progressive issues on a daily basis, the more I notice the words people drop into casual conversation that make me pause.

Language is more powerful than we realize. At its best, it can facilitate communication, bridge huge distances and build communities. But as we’ve heard, with great power comes great responsibility, and I believe that as feminists, it’s important for us to be conscious of the words we choose when communicating and to avoid problematic and alienating language as much as possible – not only to avoid offending or alienating others, but to hold ourselves to the highest standards and set a positive example.

Problematic or triggering language is all around us: everything from “that’s so gay” to “what a pussy” to “that exam totally raped me.” Examples like these are obvious, but some that are more often overlooked include “that’s so lame” and “you’re insane” (ableist, physically and mentally, respectively). Personally, expressions that are dismissive of mental/emotional differing abilities (“insane,” “crazy,” “stupid”) are ones I’m currently working on eliminating from my vocabulary.

I’m not necessarily advocating becoming the language police, and I know that different social situations have different standards of communication. It’s just something to think about.

I’ve only given a few examples in this post. What are some of your personal language peeves, and are you working on being more conscious of your words? Do you call out others who use problematic language?

Do you have role-models? Mentors? A woman you look up to for some reason or other?

Every other week I profile “positive female role models for young women” in my Shameless Women column. They are amazing ladies that I hope inspire the women who read each interview. However, the women I interview tend to be “regular” people.

Back in December, columnist Kate Carraway wrote in her article, “What’s next for sex? Feminism didn’t really work. Oopsie!” that the reason for the lack of motivation and accomplishment (and in her opinion, the failure) of the “third-wave” of feminism is because we have no visible leaders:
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The holidays are approaching and if you celebrate by exchanging gifts, some of you might be wondering what to ask for.

In my never-ending quest to see more women significantly recognized in the music world, I’ve put together a little gift guide for all you awesome girls who rock.

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Mariah Carey’s newest single has been leaked! Not only that, but the video as well! The best part is that Mariah is in drag.

While I am incredibly excited for my favourite mainstream diva to be performing in drag, it is a little concerning that she is pretty much dressed like Eminem. When will this epic battle of Mariah Carey/Nick Canon versus Eminem come to an end? This very public dual has reached a new level, which actually makes for interesting analysis around Mariah’s identity as a diva and a mixed race woman. Women who know what they want are often brushed off as catty, revengeful divas. To add to that, Mariah is a mixed race woman and women of colour have long had to live with stereotypes of themselves as dangerous and evil. But that’s another post.

For now, let’s just oogle Mariah, international songstress babe, in drag.

A page from Amy’s Diary (The Amy Diary)

Amy Barbara of Vancouver recently posted her junior high diaries on her new blog the amy diary. A testament to the power of a grade-school diaries, the amy diary is a sweet little snapshot into the language and life of a young woman.

I am procrastinating from the home stretch of my thesis and singing along to this karaoke version of Sister Suffragette from Mary Poppins! What a great way to send a thesis about feminism into the future!

Students of the Women’s Studies Program at UCF have started a blog to foster discussion about girls and girls’ issues and share cultural products developed by and for girls. The postings cover a number of topics about girls: the Glam Council for America, poetry readings by girls, girls’ events (like rock camps), analysis of images found on the internet, and a healthy dose of Obama. I love the low-key DIY look because it drives home the point that in this over-processed blogging world (ie. Salon and The Daily Intel) it’s content that really matters.

Grrrl Power! Girls’ Studies at UCF

I hate Valentine’s Day, but I *LOVE* unicorns, so any relation between this post and that ridiculous excuse for wearing pink underwear and eating chocolate-fondue from your sweetheart’s hand is entirely accidental.

Anyways, in a spirit of cheesy love, totally un-related to V-Day, check out: Cornify: Unicorns & Rainbows On Demand.

What does it do? Well my dear readers, take a look at Shameless post-cornification:

So many Unicorns… (Cornify + Miriam Verburg)

I know, kinda brings a tear to your eye, doesn’t it? The only thing you can’t do is move the stickers once they are on your site, which is annoying because I really wanted to be able to put the unicorns in a nice little herd. Oh well.

The following is a condensed version of a post I wrote on my own blog about one of the most important and amazing nights of my life: my marriage. Please check out the original post for the full story, complete with the wonderful photos taken by my fabulous friends.

Here is the happy jist of it:

Last month, I got married. To my Wife Rebecca – or Bex, as she is better known.

My Post Modern Marriage. (Lauren Blue)

Truth be told, we’ve been married (on Facebook at least) for many months. But we thought it was time to do our marriage justice and tie the knot properly, with 70 friends and a crate of champagne.

Let me be clear: We are not lesbians. We do not have sex with each other. This is not a legal marriage, nor a civil partnership. We are not going to raise children together. We have long-term sexual relationships with men, and we both fully plan on finding “the one,” being with them forever and having babies.

Many people seem to have misunderstood this point, and a surprising number declined the invitation to our wedding because they found the whole concept so odd. It made them uncomfortable. More’s the pity.

So I wrote this for everyone who was confused by our marriage, to explain why she is my Wife.

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