Posts by Cate Simpson
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In the Blog
How two words some guy thought he overheard created an international media reaction
Since Catherine posted on the “pregnancy pact” that TIME reported at a high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts, I thought we should include the more recent developments on that story. What emerged, after several days of musings from everybody but the girls themselves on what might have motivated such a pact, and various articles condemning them for being everything from irresponsible to radically right-on to borderline delusional, is that there seems not to have been a pact … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Q&A with Jessica Valenti
This week Shameless was lucky enough to catch Jessica Valenti, author of Full Frontal Feminism and founding editor of Feministing, while she was in Toronto this week. Here’s what she had to say. Tell me a bit about the new book [He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know]. The new book basically came about because a lot of the response I got from Full Frontal was that what resonated … READ MORE
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In the Blog
How advertising invents standards
…and then gives us special permission to break them so we feel like their product is the most liberating thing ever. I was watching TV the other night when I happened across an ad for Shick Quattro, a razor for women (you can tell it apart from Shick’s razors for men because it’s pink, obviously). It’s a fairly unremarkable ad until you get to the tagline at the end: “Such long-lasting smooth skin, you could skip a … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Sexism in the City
I know we’re all bored to death of hearing about Sex and the City, but I had to mention this article in yesterday’s Star about the sexism that’s been cropping up in some of the film’s negative reviews (thanks to one of our readers for the link). Peter Howell draws our attention to reviewers who accuse the women turning out to see Sex and the City of blindly following the herd, or of being so dumb … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Raising money for charity? Better check with your employer first
One of our readers sent us this article about a woman in Owen Sound, Ontario who raised $2,700 for Cops for Cancer by shaving her head, only to be ordered to take unpaid leave from her waitressing job until it grew back. Her employers had this to say: “Our staff is expected to come dressed appropriately and we did not feel that this was appropriate…She could have done a multitude of different things to support her cause … READ MORE
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In the Blog
net gains
So, I have some mixed feelings about this. It’s an article about campaigns like Nothing But Nets that ask for donations of $10 to buy a mosquito net to guard an African child against malaria, and how they’ve captured the imaginations of young people in the States (I did some research into why the nets are so expensive - they’re also treated with insecticide). The $10 mosquito net campaigns have caught on with younger folks because … READ MORE
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In the Blog
The high school rat race
Anne Applebaum in Slate this morning has a discussion of the pressure we put on high school seniors to get into the top universities, and whether that’s anything new. American parents, she says, are caught between wanting to prepare their kids for a super-competitive world, and a misty-eyed nostalgia for the bike-riding and kegger parties of their own youth. She suggests that this nostalgia is a curiously American phenomenon, and that parents in Britain and Korea … READ MORE
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In the Blog
California Courts to Scrutinize Don’t Ask Don’t Tell
There’s an interesting trend developing in US queer rights cases at the moment. Hot on the heels of the California marriage decision, the federal appeals court in California has … READ MORE
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In the Blog
we can always count on california
Same sex couples can now legally marry in California! A domestic partnership option for gay couples was already in place, but the California Supreme Court today struck down state laws that limited marriage to a union between a man and a woman. That brings the number of states to have legalized gay marriage to a grand total of two (California and Massachusetts), but with the current trend of constitutional amendments being brought in to “defend” the … READ MORE
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In the Blog
The 21st Century Slave Trade
According to the United Nations, human trafficking is now the third most lucrative criminal enterprise in the world, after weapons and narcotics. This week’s New Yorker has a piece about a woman in Moldova who works as a repatriation specialist, bringing home the victims of human trafficking. Some of it makes for harrowing reading, but there are also these incredible shows of strength and determination - strength that I can’t imagine holding onto after what some … READ MORE
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In the Blog
May day
The transit strike this weekend in Toronto provided a stark reminder of the value of blue collar workers, so it seems particularly appropriate that today is May Day, otherwise known as International Workers’ Day. May Day began as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket Riot in Chicago, a result of police attempts to disperse a group of striking workers who were rallying for the implementation of the eight-hour work day. It’s now a formally recognized public … READ MORE
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In the Blog
Out of props? A female audience member will do
I’ve been a little wary of comedians since one I gave a mediocre write-up to last year accused me of being a lesbian with no sense of humour. I worry about this trend in comedy lately of stand-ups trying to be as “edgy” and close to the bone as possible. Nobody wants to own up to their discomfort for fear of looking like a bad sport. I feel like it was only a matter of time before … READ MORE
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In the Blog
The curious inoffensiveness of Grand Theft Auto
Naomi Alderman finds something to love about the new Grand Theft Auto in The Guardian today, debunking claims that it is “horrifically violent, verging on pornographic, and that a majority of the gameplay is taken up with finding creative ways to murder prostitutes.” Her own enjoyment of the game, she says, come from the incredible graphics and the quality of the gameplay. Okay, fair enough, but the object of the game is still to shoot people … READ MORE
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In the Blog
New Kid on the Blog
I just joined the Shameless blogging team and wanted to introduce myself briefly before I start posting. I’m a freelance journalist living in Toronto. I moved here this January from Edinburgh, Scotland (the only place on Earth where the weather is worse than in Canada), where I grew up. Since I got here, I’ve been writing for Xtra, a biweekly queer magazine, and blogging for Torontoist. I wish Shameless had been around when I was a teenager, … READ MORE
