In the Blog
Mid-Week Round Up: February 18
Illustration: Erin McPhee
When people encourage us to “dress for the job we want,” they usually mean to dress “professionally,” which means suits and ties for men and pantsuits or modest dresses for women. But what if you have a non-binary gender identity, or wish to wear accessories that reflect your faith, or simply can’t afford “professional” attire? An article from Everyday Feminism lays out the problems with “dressing for success”—often code for “dressing and acting as much like a straight white guy as possible.”
Despite an incredibly successful opening weekend, the film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey has received less-than-stellar reviews. While many argue that Fifty Shades glamorizes control and abuse, Bitch’s Catherine Scott points to kinkphobia as the source of much of its criticism. “Many people are still deeply uncomfortable with seeing a woman choose to be submissive,” she writes.
Still, the troubling dynamics of Ana and Christian’s supposedly BDSM relationship are worth questioning; many argue that Fifty Shades gets a lot wrong about consensual, safe, healthy BDSM play. (And check out our blog post from 2012 about the book.)
As we reported in last week’s roundup a new report from CBC News indicates that sexual assault reporting rates on Canadian campuses are much lower than they should be. Left out of the conversation, argues Azmat Khan in Aljazeera America, are students with disabilities. While very little data has been collected on sexual assault rates among students with disabilities, one study indicates that 48 per cent of Deaf and hard of hearing students experienced unwanted sexual contact—almost double the rate of hearing students. Experts say that not enough is being done on campuses to support students with disabilities in reporting sexual assault.
Colin Adamo is the creator of Hooking Up and Staying Hooked (HUSH), a dating advice site that provides a welcome antidote to the many poisonous “pickup guides” available online. Aimed at heterosexual high-school guys, the site helps boys navigate healthy, consensual relationships. Now, Adamo wants to create a graphic novel that will take his website’s philosophy to print. Says Adamo, “I want to provide men with the tools to think critically about the type of person they want to be, the pressures they might face, the desires they might feel, the decisions they make, and the consequences of those decisions when it comes to sex and relationships.” You can contribute to his Kickstarter fund here.
Should tampons, pads and other menstrual products be subject to GST? A Toronto group says no. No Tax on Tampons has launched a petition supporting Bill C-282, which would classify menstrual products as essential and thus exempt from GST. Not on board yet? Consider this: products classified as “essential” include cocktail cherries and wedding cakes!