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Note: we know about the diversity of opinion on the merits or lack thereof of the revitalized xojane.com, and we’re just going to leave that alone. This is a recommendation for this particular article.
Emily asks: “Do you have any advice for getting from a place of body-loathing to body-loving?”
I DO. I can actually erase those five pounds entirely with one simple suggestion: Get rid of your scale. No scale, no five pounds. PROBLEM SOLVED.
Of course there’s more to it than that, and she expands upon this glib suggestion. And, as she does just about every time she hits publish, Lesley says something about the constant work and struggles that come with fat acceptance that makes me think she lives IN MY HEAD:
Part of me, you understand, still wants to see my weight. It’s the part that liked the obsessive need for control, the part that felt satisfied when I went so long without eating that I began to tremble and drift and blink. That part of me wants to be weighed, to be beaten with the number that will ruin my day and possibly even send me into depression for weeks. It wants me to see that number and get me thinking, “What have I eaten today? I should not eat anything more today. I should not eat anything tomorrow. The following day, perhaps I will eat half a bagel. Then I will go out and buy a scale and weigh myself again.”
Attention readers: Want to connect with others and influence what goes into this magazine?
Here is your chance to get involved! Shameless is creating a Community Advisory Board that will meet three or four times a year to discuss the magazine. What are your favourite articles or sections? What’s just not working? What’s missing?
If you’re highschool-aged, live in the Greater Toronto Area and can commit to serving on the board for a minimum of one year, send a note to kcmiller@shamelessmag.com, telling us why you want to be on the board! Also, if you work with you and want more information about this opportunity, please feel free to contact our Community Liaison, Kate-Christine Miller at kcmiller@shamelessmag.com and she can send along hand-outs and answer any questions!
Do you live somewhere else in Canada or the USA? We’re exploring options for how we can have conversations with teens across Canada and the USA. Please write us a note telling us why you want to be involved, where you live and whether you have regular access to email and a computer!
In keeping with Shameless’s mandate to foster space for all voices, applicants are encouraged to identify groups they belong to that they consider underrepresented, including trans, Indigenous, person of colour, LGBTQQ2SI, immigrant, person with a disability, or others. Shameless welcomes all applicants and will create our board based on fostering discussion and meaningful input from a broad range of interests.
Hey Shameless readers! Check out this great event happening today in Toronto:
Let’s Speak Up, Let’s Make Noise!
For the last year and a half the Urban Alliance on Race Relation’s Making Noise GV CAMP has been working with organizations across the city to hold conversations with young racialized women and LGBTQ youth about gender-based violence, community accountability, media literacy and creation. Making Noise! is proud to present the stories, photos, poetry, plays, videos, podcasts, and articles created by these women on October 24, 2011.
Come listen to the voices of youth which often go unheard. The youth are from YWCA, Scadding Court Community Centre, Be Scene, Flemingdon Health Centre, Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Offices, Mujer, Lawrence Heights, For Youth Initiative, and Sister 2 Sister. The launch will feature an all-youth panel discussion addressing the topic: “What Messages do We Receive on Being a Girl?” as they relate to gender-based violence, bullying, and homophobia, and racism.
UARR’s Making Noise! project grew out of the need for racialized youth to speak up and change attitudes about important issues that affect their lives and communities as well as to build awareness around gender-based violence. Since 2008 Making Noise! has been conducting workshops on anti-oppression, gender-based violence, media literacy and media production for youth across the GTA to build skills and awareness around gender-based violence in our city.
Monday, October 24, 2010 ING DIRECT Cafe 221 Yonge Street (Orange building, South of Dundas Street) 5:00 to 8:00pm
This rockumentary of the seminal feminist electro-clash band Le Tigre follows them on tour as they promote their last album (This Island) and gives viewers a chance to see just what it’s like to be a touring all-female rock band.
The doc has plenty of concert footage, backstage antics and archival interviews. But JD Samson, Johanna Fateman and Kathleen Hanna (formerly of Bikini Kill) also talk about some of the challenges they’ve faced being an all-girl rock band, how they deal with being labelled as icons for queer communities and the stuggles to uphold their visions for publicity.
This film came to Toronto with Hot Docs in May and ran for only three screenings. If you missed it or if you want to see it again, Shameless is running a once-only screening in Toronto with special guest speakers Tara-Michelle Ziniuk and Sarah Liss! What: Who Took the Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour Shameless fundraiser screening with special guests When: November 6th, 2pm Where: The Projection Booth (1035 Gerrard St E.), a beautifully refurbished old cinema near Little India
If you’d love to attend the screening but can’t make it, consider choosing the There in Spirit option on our ticket page. Your donation will go a long way to help support Shameless!
All ages, accessible space, subtitles provided.
About our speakers:
Tara-Michelle Ziniuk is a writer, activist and media-maker who has lived in Montreal, Toronto, Guelph, Florida and a bunch of suburbs (against her will.) She has a 1-year old named Anna Francis, who is not named after Anne Frank or Frances Bean (or the Bedtime for Frances badger, for that matter.) She is author of the poetry books Emergency Contact (queer angst, McGilligan Books, 2006) and Somewhere To Run From (slightly more mature queer angst, Tightrope Books, 2009.) She really wants to write a) a Young Adult novel about the on-again, off-again relationship between a girl, a gender-complicated person and the local activist scene b) a kids’ book about kitchen parties and how being poor is sometimes alright c) a graphic novel and d) a poetic prose book about one of her brothers. She apparently likes brackets, lists and run-on sentences.
Sarah Liss is an associate editor at The Grid and a staunch and hardy feminist who has been writing about music and various other elements of pop culture since the turn of the millennium. She’s written for Maisonneuve, Toronto Life, The Grid, CBC, FLARE and various other publications. Likes: Bulleit bourbon, cultural theory, the Vaselines, rescue dogs, Robyn. Dislikes: “Stereo Love,” bro culture, beef jerky, Matthew McConaughey.
What people are saying about the documentary:
“We get to enjoy the distinct novelty of a bunch of girls (who seems as close as sisters) goofing around and having fun on the road as well as fighting for the politics of what Le Tigre is all about, both on stage and off.” - Samantha Chater, Indiewire.com
“I’ve seen this doc and it’s AWESOME! le tigre rock.” - Twin Sister, Nerd Alert
“We’re so excited for this screening!” - Shameless Team
The background/introduction to this piece is written by Shameless Arts Editor Ronak Ghorbani.
Last Saturday, people in hundreds of cities across the world held demonstrations under the Occupy Together Banner, a growing global movement for economic justice inspired by Occupy Wall Street.
This is the first time in recent history that people across the world are organizing under the same banner: the globalized capitalist system is unjust and not working for most people in the world. One of the most amazing things about the occupy movement is that non-activists are getting involved. A form of collective realization is happening, reflected in the Occupy slogan of “we are the 99%,” meaning that 1% of the population controls the wealth and holds any real power and influence in society. This growing consciousness is positive and necessary for any kind of social change. As Jay Smooth – a YouTube personality who made the well-watched video “How To Tell People They Sound Racist ” – argues in his latest video about Occupy Wall Street having a class-consciousness is a real threat to big businesses. It is also important to note that while a majority of the global population does fall under the 99%, people are positioned in different locations along the continuum. For example, some people are at the 95% marker, while others are at the 40% marker: there are people who have more access to money, secure jobs, education and life chances than others. In his video, Jay Smooth also picks up on the need for the Occupy movement to be more inclusive but reflects on how at its core the fight against economic injustice is something most people can get behind.
Eighty-two countries — including Spain, Brazil, South Africa, Sweden, Russia, Australia, Mexico, France, Italy, and Germany, to name a few — have formed their own Occupy movements since the start of Occupy Wall Street. Some occupations are very similar to the New York action, such as in Toronto , where people are taking up public space, sleeping in a park, and facilitating political discussions and actions. Meanwhile, some are radically different, such as the general strikes in Greece, where the Occupy banner was taken up as an extension of the country’s already long-existing fight against government austerity measures threatening public service jobs, pensions, and unions.
Although the Occupy movement is working to create open and direct democracy, Jessica Yee points out that there are problems with the use of the word “occupy”: it is not inclusive of Indigenous peoples and it replicates ever-present systems of oppression. A call has been made to decolonize Wall Street. In the U.S. state of New Mexico, the Occupy Albuquerque general assembly decided to re-name their movement (Un)occupy Albuquerque out of respect for Indigenous peoples.
Steps like this draw attention to the fact that capitalism was established in North America through the process of colonization. The word occupy has a strong and historical meaning globally, as many countries have been colonized and many continue to be occupied through wars, western corporations or, in the case of Palestine, by a state. As Harsha Walia outlines in her article below, it is important to look at this movement and past political movements critically in order to move forward in ways that address the experiences and concerns of as many of the 99% as possible.
I wish I could start with the ritualistic “I love you” for the Occupy Movement. To be honest, it has been a space of turmoil for me. But also one of virulent optimism. What I outline below are not criticisms. I am inspired that the dynamic of the movement thus far has been organic, so that all those who choose to participate are collectively responsible for its evolution. To everyone – I offer my deepest respect.
The coming struggle is a political struggle to take political power out of the hands of the few and put it into the hands of the many. But in order to get this power into the hands of the many, it will be necessary for the many not only to fight the powerful few but to fight and clash among themselves as well.
This may sound counter-productive, but I find it a poignant reminder that, in our state of elation, we cannot under-estimate the difficult terrain ahead. I look forward to the processes that will further these conversations.
Occupations on Occupied Land
One of the broad principles in a working statement of unity (yet to be formally adopted) of Occupy Vancouver thus far includes an acknowledgement of unceded Coast Salish territories. There has been opposition to this as being “divisive” and “focusing on First Nations issues.” I would argue that acknowledging Indigenous lands is a necessary and critical starting point for two primary reasons.
On Sunday, Shameless will be at Canzine, Toronto’s biggest-ever, giant zine and alt-culture fest! We’ll be selling our brand new tote bags and buttons, as well as super cheap back issues, subscriptions and tickets to our screening of the documentary Who Took The Bomp? Le Tigre on Tour, a Shamelessfundraiser on Nov. 2 at the Project Booth (tickets also available online).
Come say hello to our editors and pick up some Shameless swag! Sunday, Oct. 23 1-7 pm 918 Bathurst St.
MICHELE LANDSBERG CELEBRATES “WRITING THE REVOLUTION” LAUNCH WITH NAOMI KLEIN AND AVI LEWIS
This Is Not a Reading Series and Second Story Press present:
An evening with feminist icon Michele Landsberg to celebrate the launch of Writing the Revolution - Michele Landsberg’s reflections on her columns for the Toronto Star. The evening will feature introductions by Naomi Klein, Angela Robertson, Kristyn Wong-Tam and Leah Henderson and an interview with Avi Lewis. Landsberg will discuss the last thirty-five years of the Canadian women’s movement, assess where we are today, and where the passionate new generation of feminists are headed.
Tuesday, October 18th, 2011 Trinity St Paul’s Church, 427 Bloor Street West Doors open at 7:00pm; Event starts at 7:30pm Admission is $5 or free with the purchase of a book
Planned Parenthood Toronto is happy to share with you its latest expressive arts therapy group, “From Blahs to Bliss,” for youth experiencing anxiety and/or depression.
From Blahs to Bliss … and everything in between Finding Your Balance
A closed expressive-arts therapy group for youth (up to age 29) dealing with depression and/or anxiety. When: Fridays, 1:30pm-4:00pm, Oct 14-Dec 2 Where: Bloor and Spadina area
TTC tokens available and light refreshments provided. Free of charge. Space is limited. (This is not a drop-in group.)
Please call or email to schedule an intake interview: Sara Marlowe (416) 961-0113 ext. 176 smarlowe@ppt.on.ca
The sixth annual Sisters in Spirit Vigil took place across the country on the annual event date of October 4th. The Native Women’s Resource Centre of Toronto held the event, as in past years, at Allan Gardens, which is located across from the centre. About 60 vigils took place across Canada this year to honour the lives of murdered and missing Aboriginal women and their families.
Sisters in Spirit (SIS) is a Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) initiative that identifies root causes of violence against Aboriginal women. Guided by cultural values and story-telling, NWAC used a database to release a report in 2010 entitled What Their Stories Tells Us. It provided evidence that 582 Aboriginal women and girls had gone missing or have been murdered in Canada at the time of the report.
On October 4 after 7pm, around the Fields of Gold area of Allan Gardens, which was incensed with the surrounding purple daffodils, people gathered to watch the Jingle Dress dance, some with lanterns in hand. Being a sacred ceremony, no photographs were to be taken. During the first two songs, the women in jingle dresses stood around the sitting group of men, who sang with drums. Eventually sounds from the rows of metal cones on the women’s dresses marked the beginning of the dance around the circle of men, a couple of women raising a feather fan in a graceful pose. There were about three or four rounds of this healing dance.
Back at the stage, a Joint Statement was read out, as at all other SIS vigils this year. Emphasizing that violence against Aboriginal women is higher than against any other groups of women in Canada, the statement called to all levels of government and representative organizations to establish a national plan to stop this national issue.
You may have noticed a few things over the last month if you live in Ontario. Yes, there’s a provincial election happening and besides being incredibly important, it’s also been incredibly annoying. Phone calls. Incessant attack ads. Flyers crowding your mailbox. OMG don’t you get it Conservatives? We’re just not that into you!
But seriously, certain ads deserve some attention, if for no other reason than to poke fun at how ridiculous they are. After all, humour can be an incredibly effective tool when it comes to disarming opponents.
Perhaps the most pervasive attack was THE TAX MAN, authorized by the CFO for the Ontario PC Party.
You might notice that this ad uses broad language to define its opponent, Dalton McGuinty, and its champion, Tim Hudak. And really, vagueness is the domain of these ads. With just 30 seconds to either sway you or put a bug in your ear, they operate through emotional appeals and repetition. These adverts are also transparently obvious. The image they selected to represent the current Premier, AKA THE TAX MAN, makes him look unfocused and profoundly constipated.
Hudak, on the other hand, sits at a desk composing a tome on the workers’ plight (or playing Sudoku, you choose), knocking on doors, meeting with Madonna and Child (a great way to make him seem more trustworthy among women, typically not as supportive of Conservative platforms), drinkin’ a double-double with the boys (before they go fishin’ or huntin’), and then finishing with a triumphant shot of Hudak and family in what could be coined Ye Olde Celebration of Heteronormative Family Values.
While these tactics are not unique to Tim Hudak, truly, this is a masterpiece as far as attack ads go. We know what the Premier is (A TAX MAN), but in a de-personalized, negative manner. Hudak & Co. have established what he represents through imagery, while emphasizing through the script—delivered in the 1st person by Hudak himself—what he will do … which is exactly the opposite of Dalton McGuinty. Even the colour scheme and music become brighter with the appearance of Tim Hudak. It’s sort of like The Wizard of Oz, when Dorothy arrives in Oz. Except I don’t think Hudak would shine in a musical…I might be wrong, though. PM Harper likes John Lennon, after all.
The big finish? “It’s time for change in Ontario.” What does that actually mean? What kind of change? How will persons living with (dis)abilities, trans, queer, youth, people of colour, Indigenous people, the un- and under-employed, women, and other marginalized groups be represented?
Stop asking questions, you!
Of course, for an attack ad, this works. Which is unfortunate. So, so unfortunate. But as far as establishing an identity that people feel connected to and gravitate toward, this ad wears thin. By spending so much time and energy reiterating that he is not Dalton McGuinty, Tim Hudak, the politician, actually dependent on Dalton McGuinty, since his existence is founded on an invented dichotomy between Liberals and Conservatives.
The other ad that’s been getting quite a bit of attention is provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath’s “Shoes.”
