Queenofcups

bem's test

2006-12-04T21:12:46Z

this is lame...

Androgynous
You scored 63 masculinity and 60 femininity!

You scored high on both masculinity and femininity. You have a strong personality exhibiting characteristics of both traditional sex roles.

My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:

You scored higher than 99% on masculinity

You scored higher than 99% on femininity

Link: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test written by weirdscience on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the The Dating Persona Test

artist, tee corine

2006-08-29T16:45:38Z

Lesbian Photographer Tee Corinne died on Sunday, from cancer.

so so sad...
she inspired so much of my work

the cunt coloring book, I have appropriated many a time

hooters, blah

2006-08-24T18:38:48Z

Check out this article in the Portland Press Herald...
go to the site, there are all these reader comments, I sent my comment (displayed below)...

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Portland may be home of first Hooters in Maine

By MATT WICKENHEISER, Staff Writer

A Portland businessman plans to open a Hooters restaurant downtown, bringing the franchise to the state for the first time.
Maine is one of only four states that doesn't have a Hooters, a chain known for its hot wings, owl logo and waitresses in snug, brief uniforms.

Michael Harris, owner of the Stadium Restaurant at 504 Congress St., e-mailed a long letter to city officials and councilors Wednesday, detailing his yearlong effort to bring a franchise restaurant to his site in Portland.

Some of the country's "largest restaurant and sports bar chains" expressed interest, Harris wrote, but one stood out from the rest. That chain was Atlanta-based Hooters, Harris wrote, a corporation with more than 400 locations.

Harris' current restaurant fronts both Congress Street and Free Street. Harris told the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram that he plans to essentially cut the restaurant in half; The Stadium would be on Congress Street and Hooters would be on Free Street, across from the Cumberland County Civic Center.

He said he hopes to get permits from the city within the next month, and to have a Hooters open in about 90 days.

Hooters' image sometimes causes controversy when a franchise opens, and Harris' plan drew comments on Wednesday.

"Although our board hasn't met to discuss this, I would be concerned about the image that Hooters has as something that we're disappointed to see coming into the Arts District," said Jan Beitzer, executive director of the Portland Downtown District.

City Councilor Will Gorham said he is less concerned with Hooters' image than with the fact that another establishment would be serving alcohol in the area.

"The fact that we're having a proliferation of bars opening up on Congress Street is more of an issue for me," said Gorham. "I want to be sure we don't end up with another Wharf Street here" - a reference to the street in the Old Port that has had more than its share of late-night problems.

Lee Urban, Portland's planning and development director, said city zoning allows restaurants at Harris' site.

"I know people have a mind-set about this kind of a restaurant," said Urban. "I'm going to reserve judgment."

Jennifer Halm-Perazone, coordinator of Portland NOW, the local chapter of the National Organization for Women, said the idea of Hooters coming to Maine is "just icky."

"Basically, what they promote is not the food, but the women are the product - that right there says a lot," said Halm-Perazone. "I think it's a statement on our society that women still don't have a level playing field and don't get equal pay for equal work."

Women still make 75 cents "on the man's dollar," she said.

"And society still tells young women that it's their bodies that society wants, and not their minds. If you can go to a restaurant like that and make more money, why wouldn't you"" she said.

Harris noted in his e-mail that there would be "some initial skepticism and a lot of questions" when city leaders heard of his plans.

He also noted that the restaurant chain serves only beer and wine, no hard liquor. The opening of a Hooters downtown may attract other national chains, he said.

And, said Harris, he would be employing another 60 to 70 people.

"It's a plus in every aspect, once people get over the name," said Harris. "It's mostly upper-class business people going to lunch. If those aren't the people who you want in your Arts District, I don't know who you want."

Harry Grindrod, director of international franchise operations for Hooters, acknowledged that there is sometimes controversy when a Hooters restaurant opens in a community.

"Most people who have controversy over a Hooters restaurant have never been to one," said Grindrod. "It truly is a neighborhood restaurant that serves casual dining food."

Grindrod confirmed that Hooters has been working with a team of investors in Maine for about a year, and said he expects a franchise agreement to be signed within 30 days.

"Unless something is drastically strange, I don't see it not going through," said Grindrod. The partners, he added, "will make Maine very proud."

"We definitely are going to be in Maine, probably within the next year," said Grindrod.

Grindrod wouldn't identify the partners but said there would likely be two or three Hooters in Maine.

He said he doesn't believe the first site will be in Portland.

Staff Writer Matt Wickenheiser can be reached at 791-6316 or at:

mwickenheiser@pressherald.com">mwickenheiser@pressherald.com.

They’re not HOOTERS people, they're BREASTS, and behind those breasts are real-life WOMEN (your sister, your friend, your girlfriend, your wife).

There are REAL PEOPLE behind those tight tank tops struggling to support themselves or their families financially. Given the proposed location, probably a lot of the women working there would be MECA students trying to make cash to pay for student loans.

Why would college students work there? Because they have to. How else can a girl afford rent and school in Portland? Women without college degrees, don’t have a lot of options here.

Most Importantly, establishments like Hooters only condone the objectification of women and their body parts. And what is the result of female objectification??

Violence Against Women.

If Hooters is allowed into our neighborhood, we are condoning sexual harassment and the mistreatment of women as a whole.

As a long-time Portlander and a former MECA student, I am appalled and ashamed by some of the comments left here by my neighbors. As a woman, I feel unsafe to walk the streets of Portland, for fear of sexual harassment. And I feel enraged to know I live in a community where women are reduced to our breasts.

http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/local/060824hooters.shtml?total=79&prev=0#begin

Ani's new one

2006-08-23T03:47:19Z

Ani's new one is pretty good, the first track "hypnotized" is classic ani love lyrics, still mourning a relationship...
And "Decree" makes me wanna get up and do something, or maybe cry about the cancer part...

Decree
by Ani DiFranco

Step up and forfeit your frontal lobe
To the sexed up stroll of celebrity
Never mind that the nanoseconds in between
Are some of the darkest darkness that you've ever seen
Keep your eye on my finger
And listen to the sound of my voice

Get your subliminal decree
And your false security
Be all that you can be
Be all that you can be

In hospitals and schools
Airports and banks and bars
Big ones on street corners
Little ones driving by in cars
And glowing through countless
Bedroom curtains at night
That 30k tone
And that pale blue light saying

Daddy knows best
Yes, this is the news
In 90 second segments officially produced
And aired again and again and again
By the little black and white pawns
Of the network yes men
While the stars are going out
And the stripes are getting bent

And cancer, the great teacher
Has been opening schools
Downstream from every factory
Still, everywhere fools are
Squinting into microscopes
Researching cells
Trying to figure out a way
That we can all live in hell

Well, step back, look up
You'll see I'm dimming the sun
But you won't, will you?
Oh, that's a good little one

'cause daddy knows best
Yes, this is the news
In 90 second segments officially produced
And aired again and again and again
By the little black and white pawns
Of the network yes men
While the stars are going out
And the stripes are getting bent

The stars are going out
And the stripes are getting bent

Hypnotized
by Ani DiFranco

So that's how you found me
Rain falling around me
Lookin down at a worm
With a long way to go
And the traffic was hissing by
And i was homesick
And i was high

I was surrounded by a language
In which i could say only hello
And thank you very much
But you spoke so i could understand
And i drew a treasure map on your hand

And you were no picnic
You were no prize
But you had just enough pathos
To keep me hypnotized
Hypnotized

The map led to an island
In a sea of store-bought dreams
Where soulless singers sang
Over beats built by machines

And lovely girls were hovering
Above my head like gulls
With their long slender necks
And their delicate skulls

And i was no picnic
I was no prize
But i had just enough sweetness
To keep you hypnotized
Hypnotized

So that's how you found me
Rain falling around me
Lookin down at a worm
With a long way to go

Spoken Word Workshop

2006-07-27T15:01:28Z

Spoken Word Workshop with Marck Bamuthi Joseph, National Poetry Slam

champion, Broadway veteran, Youth Speaks founder, and featured artist with Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO. Wednesday, August 9 from 7-9 p.m. at Space Gallery 538 Congress Street, Portland. Free and open to anyone(intergenerational) interested in spoken word, poetry, performance art and creative expression. RSVP to Todd at Space Gallery 828-5600 or todd@space538.org

This two hour workshop is for spoken word artists or others who wish to

extend their work beyond the parameters of the three minute slam format and look towards developing longer performed narratives in verse. Bamuthi challenges young writers to explore myth and contemporary iconography, using text, gesture and movement to create short pieces with definite shape and dramatic arc. Ultimately the actors, poets, dancers, etc. will create their work in their voice, and there aren't any limitations to what that looks or sounds like. These developing artists will thus experience understanding and appreciation of artistic expression that gives value, meaning, and enjoyment to their own, and others' lives.

Marc Bamuthi Joseph is a National Poetry Slam champion, Broadway veteran, featured artist on the past two seasons of Russell Simmons' Def Poetry on HBO and a recipient of 2002 and 2004 National Performance Network Creation commissions. Originally from New York City and currently living in Oakland, California, this acclaimed arts activist recently returned from Tokyo where he was presented during the 1st International Spoken Word Festival and Santiago de Cuba where he joined the legendary Katherine Dunham as a part of the CubaNola Collective. Bamuthi entered the world of literary performance after appearing in "traditional" theater, most notably on Broadway in the Tony Award winning "The Tap Dance Kid" and "Stand-Up Tragedy." Bamuthi's performance schedule has carried him from dance apprenticeships in Senegal to teaching fellowships in Bosnia. His proudest work has been with the organization Youth Speaks where he mentors 13-19 year old writers and curates the Living Word Festival for Literary Arts. He recently served as an IDA resident artist in Stanford University's Drama Department, teaching Spoken Word and Community Action.

this is me...

2006-06-27T19:05:04Z

Summer Solstice

2006-06-21T15:20:55Z

Summer Solstice-the first day of summer, typically on June 21st. The sun reaches its maximum elevation today, with the greatest number of daylight hours in the year. This day is also called Midsummer, because it comes roughly during the midst of the growing season in Europe.

"Solstice" comes from two Latin words: "sol" (meaning sun) and "sistere," (to cause to stand still). In the afternoon, the sun will look as though it is standing still. The sun is at the height of it's cycle.

Summer Solstice is a time to reflect on the growth of the season. Seeds fom Spring (the season of intense change) planted in the Earth, as well as the seeds planted in our lives. Summer is the a worry-free time. A time of cleansing and renewal. A time of love and growth.

Julianna Swaney

2006-06-14T15:21:24Z

My super cool printmaker friend Julianna Swaney has two sites up to sell art.

Check. Them. Out.

http://www.ohmycavalier.com/

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=50198

my new favorite song

2006-06-14T14:49:09Z

This song is decadent. Great for midnight, moonlit drives by the ocean. k (the queen of music mixes) put it on a mix titled: "Break Me ...Go On and Try."

Spektor sounds like a mix of Anne Heaton, Fiona Apple, Beth Orton and the Rent Soundtrack.

http://www.reginaspektor.com/

Fidelity
by Regina Spektor

(Shake it up)

I never loved nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting my heart truly
I got lost in the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind all this music

And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart

And suppose I never met you
Suppose we never fell in love
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet and so soft
Suppose I never ever saw you
Suppose we never ever called
Suppose I kept on singing love songs just to break my own fall
Just to break my fall
Just to break my fall
Break my fall
Break my fall

All my friends say that of course its gonna get better
Gonna get better
Better better better better
Better better better

I never love nobody fully
Always one foot on the ground
And by protecting by heart truly
I got lost
In the sounds
I hear in my mind
All these voices
I hear in my mind all these words
I hear in my mind
All this music
And it breaks my heart
It breaks my heart
Breaks my
Heart
Breaks my heart

Dyke March

2006-06-07T17:34:48Z

Dyke March

Friday,
June 16th, 2006
Gather at 7:30pm
at Post Office Park
in the Old Port

also, there is a fundraiser
for the dyke march this
Thursday at Styxx
(be there or be square)

I’m designing the poster :)
Look for it at a queer friendly store near you

Slap On Wrist for Gender-Based Discrimination at Penn State

2006-06-06T17:48:12Z

Coach Steps Out of Bounds - Still Her Ball

~ Slap On Wrist for Gender-Based Discrimination at Penn State ~

WASHINGTON (April 20, 2006) - Pennsylvania State University fined a women's basketball coach $10,000 after finding that she pressured players to change their appearance to be more feminine. On Tuesday, the university released the findings of a six-month internal investigation that was launched after former player Jennifer Harris filed a suit with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission.

"Students have a right to learn and compete in environments where they are safe from harassment by their peers and educators," said Sam Sewell, Youth Program Director for the Gender Public Advocacy Coalition (GenderPAC.) "We need to send strong messages to people who work with youth that it is absolutely unacceptable to force young girls and women to fit a narrow definition of what it means to be a woman."

Coach Rene Portland reportedly pressured Jennifer Harris, who was among the leading players for Penn State, to look "more feminine," told other players not to associate with her, and repeatedly inquired about her sexual orientation before abruptly dismissing her from the team in March 2005.

In addition to the fine, the university has ordered Portland to take professional development classes "devoted to diversity and inclusiveness" and has stated that she would be dismissed for any future violation of the school's nondiscrimination policy, which bans discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, sexual orientation, and other personal characteristics.

Harris, who maintains that she is not gay, said in a statement to the press, "I am disappointed by this result. Penn State did not take the allegations seriously and does not appear interested in solving the underlying problem."

Harris is currently a student at James Madison University and will play her final two seasons beginning in the fall of 2006.

www.gpac.org

EarthFest 2006

2006-05-24T17:45:25Z

Check out this Event!
kelly and I are going down on Saturday.

::::::free music:::::::

www.earthfest.com

Definition of Sex Positive

2006-05-17T15:10:16Z

"Generally speaking, 'Sex Positive' means rejecting the dominant view of sex as somehow something shameful (especially for women), and embracing any and all consensual sex practices between one, two, or more adults as healthy, and without needing apology, justification, and (for some) social contextualization. Rejecting the accumulated cultural baggage the surrounds it, and enjoying sex for what it is, however you do it, with whomever you do it. It means looking at the diversity of sexual practices..... including homo/bisexuality, genital-to-genital, oral, anal, digital to genital/anus, S/M, B/D, the spectrum of fetishes to be found among humans, the use of sex toys, masturbation, group sex involving any or all of the above, et al.... as being positive and not feeling that one need be ashamed of any consensual sexual practices between adults."

www.feminista.com

rain

2006-05-16T19:36:04Z

So much rain on my birthday...

Water is the most feminine of the five elements and therefore is considered very yin. In Taoist cosmology, femininity is not considered weak. On the contrary, water is the most powerful element for it can move around any obstacle in its path without losing its essential nature. Water can, in time, dissolve the hardest mountains.

Water qualities are creativity, sensitivity, reflection, persuasion, effectiveness, and desire for life and sex.

"Let the rain kiss you.
Let the rain beat upon
Your head with silver liquid drops.
Let the rain sing you a lullaby."
-Langston Hughes

article on LD1938

2006-05-05T17:30:33Z

Is this any way to run a democracy?
Wednesday, May 03, 2006 - Bangor Daily News << Back

By Ellen Wells and Cathie Whittenburg

A bill came before the Maine Legislature this session (LD 1938, An Act to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence) that would have required that a person who obtained a protection from abuse order be informed if her (or his) abuser tries to purchase a gun from a licensed dealer (which is illegal anyway). The local law enforcement office in which the endangered person lives would also be informed.

Simple enough: It gives the threatened person further warning and more time to protect herself. The Criminal Justice Committee of our state agreed - unanimously - that the bill was a basic need and gave it an "ought to pass."

A roster of VIPs spoke for the bill at the hearing: Public Safety Commissioner Mike Cantara and Maine Attorney General Steve Rowe both gave it a strong thumbs-up. Other proponents included the Maine Coalition to End Domestic Violence, the Maine Chiefs of Police Association and the Maine Sheriffs Association.

No one spoke against it!

LD 1938 then rolled merrily along through two readings by the Senate where it was quickly passed; then on to the House. It passed "unencumbered," as they say, through the first reading and was on its way for final passage when out of the blue it got tabled by Rep. Joshua Tardy, R-Newport.

Enter the National Rifle Association, ominously out of sight throughout the hearings and readings. Suddenly they wanted to add some last-minute amendments to the bill, amendments that had nothing to do with the content of the bill, amendments that had received no public hearings, that thus avoided the usual lengthy work sessions that legislation is required to go through.

They had picked up their amendments from bills recently passed in Pennsylvania, bills that were the result of 10 years of negotiations, debates and discussions between and among that state's domestic violence groups, sportsmen's groups, and, yes, the NRA. Some of the issues had been debated for three years, yet the NRA had the chutzpah to saddle Maine's little LD 1938 with a load of undiscussed and irrelevant stuff at the last minute.

Guess what? It worked! Enough easily manipulated legislators suddenly lined up with the NRA and defeated LD 1938.

Winners: the NRA. Losers: women and girls in danger of their lives from abusive partners.

Our legislators are certainly not listening to their constituents. Looks like it's got to come from the grass roots, citizens, to stop the NRA from telling our legislators just when to jump.

So far, the legislators' response is usually, "How high?"

Ooh La La

2006-04-30T15:40:10Z

Ooh La La
by The Ditty Bops

What among the lovers
What twang of temptation
What brought the house down
Strange sleepwalkers on the block
Unfamiliar writing on the ceiling
When she looks up

Momma buried pop atop the roof where he slept
One leg on each side of pointed shingles
Latest tests prove that she's happier with more
The oyster is open for any to pearl

Still she's got three different lullablies to sing
These fruited images are delicacies

Was it the fighting was it the fist
Was it adventure with a jealous twist
Was it desire for another's kiss
What brought the house down

Turmoil and passion such wondrous things
What they called Summer lovers happening in Spring
Who's dreaming of who tonight
Who'll be walking by your side
At the dawning's first light

Do all he can to save a soon to be dead past
Give it all up to find a new way that will last

Was she wrong to hold his heart another person's hand
The grass is always greener 'til it's covered up with sand
Was it other things
Fate, felicity
What rousing temptation

She knew that love could swell without barricades
Standards must be broken even these
Now she has three different lullabies to sing
These fruited images lead her to sleep

Was it the fighting was it the fist
Was it adventure with a jealous twist
Was it desire for another's kiss
What brought the house down

Wild Is the Wind

2006-04-29T23:12:37Z

Wild Is the Wind
Nina Simone

Love me, love me
Say you do

Let me fly away
With you

We're creatures of the wind
Wild is the wind

Give me more than one caress
To satisfy this hungryness
We're creatures of the wind
Wild is the wind

You touch me
I hear the sound of mandolins
You kiss me
With your kiss my life begins

Like a leaf clings to a tree
Baby please cling to me
We're creatures of the wind
Wild is the wind

You touch me
I hear the sound of mandolins
And you kiss me
With your kiss my life begins

Love me, love me
Say you do

Let me fly away
With you

Take Back the Night

2006-04-28T19:33:26Z

Take Back the Night
Rally. March. Speak Out.
tonight in monument square, 6pm
be there.
:)

Take Back the Night is an internationally historic community event to speak out against sexual violence and gather support for survivors and their loved ones. In addition to the rally and march, we will welcome speakers Steffan Morin, co-founder of USM’s “Vote Louder” program, Shenna Bellows of the Maine Civil Liberties Union, and Deborah Simpson, State Representative. Music will be performed by Sontiago, Travis James Humphrey and Vanessa Torres & Touching Ground. Also, there will be a speak-out, at which survivors of sexual violence and their loved ones can stand up to share their stories.

Take Back the Night breaks the silence that surrounds all types of sexual violence and supports the healing of all victims—male or female, gay or straight, young or old. Please join us for this inspiring event as we honor survivors of sexual violence and work towards eradicating this crime.

Animal Totem

2006-04-27T16:29:40Z

Kelly and I saw a possum the other night driving home...

The Opossum

The opossum is a crafty animal that shows us how to play different roles. It knows when to act, when to hide, and when to show its true colors. Opossum is a master at recognizing truth as well as falsehood. When it wants attention it gets it. When it wants to be left alone it plays dead. It is a strategic animal that knows how to mold each situation according to its needs. It has the ability to decode hidden messages and read between the lines.

A supreme actor, the opossum can be aggressive or submissive depending on the situation. The opossum knows that each situation has commonalties as well as differences and reflects on them carefully before it responds. This links the opossum to the energies of practicality and ingenuity.

Always full of surprises and unpredictable opossums are masters at playing dead. When the time is right they can suddenly spring back to life. Playing dead is a self induced state in which the heartbeat actually slows and the pulse becomes minimal. This ability serves to confuse many predators giving the opossum an escape from life threatening situations.

Opossums are nocturnal and raise their young in a pouch on their mid section. The young are born blind and rely on their feelings to guide them to their destination. They learn to sense their way around at an early age developing strong instincts by the time they reach adulthood. These instincts are complimented by their inherent ability to disguise themselves. The opossum is a multi-faceted actor that continually changes its appearance. It does not allow its emotions to consume its actions and partakes in the game of life with strategic maneuvers. Part of what the opossum teaches to those with this totem is emotional and mental stability.

The opossum is a craftsman in the art of appearances. When it appears in your life it is telling you to wake up and pay attention. Things are not what they seem to be. By observing your actions, reactions, thoughts and feelings, deeper insights emerge. This emergence leads to self-empowerment. Congratulations and welcome home!

Sleep Pose

2006-04-24T18:53:42Z

Find your own pose!

This test is *very* accurate, I urge you all to take it ;)

Tetherball Traits and Tendencies

Tetherball is the pose of perfect compromise, the oasis of a full-contact sleeper coupled with a solitary sleeper. The pose allows the Pole (the solitary one) a free range of movement, while the tight self-embrace of the Ball (the full-contact one) supplies the necessary crowded closeness. Both sides win!

Comfort Zone

The Tetherball is part of the Wood sleepers family. Other Wood poses you might try include Pillow Talk, Pillow Listen and Stairway.

Note

A series of small hip pats (called "bubbles") from the Pole infuses the Ball with reassuring feelings of closeness without triggering the Pole's delicate sense of claustrophobia.

Taurus Today

2006-04-14T17:25:19Z

Above all, you need solitude and space. You're in the middle of a major transformational period, and noise and crowds will only distract you from your true purpose. Get away from it all so you can think about where you need to go.

A Place Aside

2006-04-03T21:02:33Z

I do still sometimes put my hand across
And imagine yours gets placed on top
We drive along these empty streets
Same old ones they’ve always been

I can still hear your heartbeat in the dark
We’re still setting off the same old sparks
Pull me close and we lay still
Wrap my toes around your heel

And we’re talking as i write this song
Unfolding as we go along
And i suppose we really do
I suppose it must be true
There will always be a place aside
For you...

I do still sometimes stare into your gaze
The way we’d stay for days and days
‘skuze me but this seat is taken
They’ve been a while but i’m still waiting

And if i light these matches just to watch ‘em burn
And i forget to keep myself warm
And i forgot how to sing my song
Then i suppose i really do
I suppose it must be true
But there will always be a place aside
For you

-Beth Orton

Two Points

2006-04-01T17:06:32Z

She said: "It's a shame about the weather,
nothing for the blues when the sky goes grey".
He said: "I don't love you anymore baby".
Then he kissed her anyway.

"I'm starving here" she sighed
"maybe we could try but you get so crazy when you drink".
He said: "See those leaves there moving like a thousand hands
I'm beginning to think we can't take it like this"

And he's gone missing
another heart skitters away over broken words.
She is crying in advance
but he is doing his dance to go and stay at the same time.
She said "Any two points can make a line,
but i know I can never make him mine
I can never make him mine
I can never make him mine".

"Why's it get so complicated
when two people make love.
I wish I were a bird" she said "So you could fly away no, so we could be together with no thoughts of yesterday"

Then she's gone missing
another heart skitters away over broken words
now she is crying in advance while he is doing his dance
to go and stay at the same time
she says: "Any two points can make a line
but i know I can never make him mine
I can never make him mine
I can never make him mine
never make him mine."

She said "It's a shame about the weather,
nothing for the blues when the sky goes grey".

-Deb Talan

"The Yorkie [Mansize]: Not For Girls!"

2006-03-30T16:50:26Z

The Yorkie is a chunky, milk chocolate bar made by Nestle found in the UK and is notorious for their sexist advertising campaign.

First released in 1976, the yorkie bar was designed to have a satisfy-your-hunger-with-chocolate edge, kind of like Snickers bar. Instead of labeling it super size, they call it "man size". Why must we continue to gender our products in restricting ways?! Okay, so I can see why advertisers would want to market a certain audience to sell a product, but why put down a different audience to sell that product. In this case, Nestle's "Yorkie-Mansize: Not for Girls Bar" puts down women. The wrapper depicts a female restroom symbol holding a handbag with a red circle and a line going through it with the text: "not for handbags" and it has the male figure flexing his muscles. This product packaging implies that women are not strong, hungry, or muscular, and that we all wear skirts and handbags.

Go on the Nestle product website and their statement is as follows:

YORKIE - "IT'S NOT FOR GIRLS"

"In 2001 the Yorkie 'It’s Not for Girls'campaign was launched because, in today’s society, there aren’t many things that a man can look at and say that’s for him. The 'Not For Girls' campaign theme for Yorkie uses humour, which resonates with today’s British male and simply states that Yorkie is positioning itself as a chocolate bar for men who need a satisfying hunger buster. With five solid chunks of chocolate, it’s a man sized eat!"

Funny. I thought we lived in a world where men have more social power than women. Apparently Nestle thinks we live in a matriarchy. So perhaps Nestle was referring to the advertising world. Okay, then I would agree, the female body is CONSTANTLY objectified in the media. Women's bodies are always selling products. Unfortunately, the yorkie bar continues this tradition with the female symbol with the cross-out, and then justifies it's sexism with "British male humor" Way to stereotype men too, implying that all they care about is size. I know a lot of men who enjoy delicate chocolate bars like lindt and Cadbury.

And lastly, I ate the the chunky, larger than life, "mansize" yorkie bar and quite frankly, it wasn't enough for this little lady. ;)

Artist: A Working Definition

2006-03-29T18:17:36Z

Artist is an identity.

It's someone who has the conviction to find beauty in the world around them, and produce work that reflects or is inspired by that beauty.

An artist also must have discipline and focus. Regardless of any inherent artistic sense or gene, and regardless of any college degree or training that we so often justify this label with, an artist must work harder than others to document beauty and experience. Our commitment must be so strong, that carrying a sketchbook & pens, for example, becomes second nature as if they are our wallet and keys.

Artists re-train their senses. For example, when one learns how to draw, they have to unlearn how to see. They have to teach themselves how to pick out lights and darks and foregrounds, middlegrounds, and backgrounds. The art itself can actually take over the artist's life, and this is a gift - why artist in residence programs are so important, where you are literally sleeping and breathing in your art-making.

If we aren't thinking about our project(s) everyday, then they aren't working hard enough.

It's debatable whether or not an artist must exhibit their work, but they must always be open to critique. Once we finish a project, there's always more work to do, and so we must be okay with the idea that our work and our lives are never going to be finished, complete or settled.

"I am a Lonely painter, I live in a box of paints..."