THE POP CULTURE ISSUE

THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | SEX TOYS | ARTIST INTERVIEWS | HOROSCOPES

SIREN

THE

FEMINIST MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OREGON

THE SIRENS editor-in-chief SOPHIE ALBANIS art editor ALEXA VILLANUEVA copy editor ZACH LUSBY design editor HANNAH LEWMAN photography/art MONICA GARZA, ASHLEY ARMITAGE, BRYAN NELSON, WILL VANROON, JACKIE PRESBAUGH, ALEXA VILLANUEVA. words JENNIFER PAULSEN, NATALIE PEARSON, HANNAH TAUB, MOLLY ZANINOVICH, MAYA CORRAL, ANISSA COHEN, CALYNNE TORRES, JOSHUNDA SANDERS HANNAH LEWMAN, ZACH LUSBY, SOPHIE ALBANIS. publishers ASUO WOMEN’S CENTER OREGON WEB PRESS

SUBMITTING WORK Email submissions to SIRENWC@GMAIL.COM Now accepting articles, essays, poetry, short stories, artwork, photography, etc. find us online SIRENMAG.TUMBLR.COM TWITTER @SIRENMAG INSTAGRAM @SIRENMAG

SPRING 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS

5

representation 101

24

6

neat or not

8

football & feminism

10

feminist of the issue

12

the ethics of sex toys

14

it’s (still) britney, b*tch!

The significance of being seen

wonder woman

Janet Mock’s talk show puts women of color front and center

26 equality-PLUS

Bruce Jenner and frat parties Leveling the playing field for females in sports reporting

Mexican- and Korean-American painter Monica Garza explores consumerism, depression, and the female form.

Ava Connolly, competitive powerlifter, on self-esteem and finding your niche A look inside Eugene’s first and only “sex and body-positive, eco-conscious, and gender inclusive” sex toy store Why Britney Spears remains relevant in pop culture, pop music, and feminism

17 sleater-kinney

Exploring the iconic all-female punk band’s first album in ten years

18 girl-centric

Seattle-based photographer Ashley Armitage on creating spaces for women and reclaiming girlhood

p. 26

32

on white gay dudes

34

kim gordon

36

horoscopes for her

How white gay men’s self-stereotyping perpetuates racist and sexist ideologies Kim Gordon has always been the epitome of cool—and now she’s written a book Feminism-inspired horoscopes to guide you through spring

38 recipe

Dr. A Breeze Harper shares her kale smoothie recipe for racial tension headaches in a “post-racial” USA

39 playlist

Background Music for Magazine-Making p. 18 THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 3

EDITOR’S NOTE

EDITOR’S LETTER

THE SIREN IS PUBLISHED AND PRODUCED BY THE ASUO WOMEN’S CENTER. IT IS THE ONLY STUDENTLED FEMINIST PUBLICATION ON CAMPUS. IT IS OUR MISSION TO COVER CONTEMPORARY FEMINIST ISSUES AND ACT AS AN OUTLET FOR THE CREATIVE AND INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT OF WOMEN. OUR STAFF CONSISTS OF AN EDITORAL BOARD OF WOMEN’S CENTER STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS WHO SOLICIT CONTRIBUTIONS FROM STUDENT WRITERS AND ARTISTS. In the Pop Culture Issue, we explore the many ways that women and feminist individuals play a role in the creation and consumption of media. We’ve come a long way since being perpetually relegated to the role of ‘muse,’ but women’s work is never over. The Pop Culture Issue is a reclaiming of that unending public space that we know as “the media.” Women are characters on the screen and off, artists behind the easel and in front of it. Women, we argue, are what keeps pop culture moving forward.

SOPHIE ALBANIS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

REPRESENTATION 101 Media has the power to set the agenda for cultural discussions, framing how we talk and think about contemporary issues. Pop culture has always shaped the social and political landscape; Super Size Me changed how people talk about fast food, Orange Is The New Black changed how people talk about prison, and likewise, any piece of media possess the potential to alter the cultural narrative.

We look to the media to declare cultural norms, and we look to the media to learn about ourselves.

But there is no doubt that certain demographics are wildly underrepresented in the media landscape. Variety reports that “female characters accounted for only 15 percent of protagonists in the 100 highest-grossing domestic films of 2013,” and Asian-American women

accounted for only three percent.

Clearly, media representation is skewed to favor certain groups, particularly white, cisgendered men (remember Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club?).

Media representation is not just about creating jobs for a diverse range of actors, it is about broadcasting images of strong role models to those who might not see them elsewhere. If the voices of just a few privileged groups are heard, they become socially entrenched as the central narrative—the cultural truth. When other groups are represented more equally, people get to see these underrepresented segments of society as real, three-dimensional people, instead of unsubstantial caricatures.

But just because representation is important does not mean that media outlets prioritize it. Pop culture has the opportunity to represent—or fail to represent—at every turn. Every movie, television show, song, podcast, blog, music video, play, photo shoot, or book tells some sort of story. We need to hold the media to an ethical obligation of diversifying both the people represented and the stories told. If content creators make this obligation a top priority, the media just might change the cultural landscape for the better, and in turn, create positive social change. words by Hannah Lewman

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NEAT OR NOT

NEAT: BRUCE JENNER Rumors about Bruce Jenner’s gender identity started last fall when tabloids reported sightings of the former Olympian sporting painted nails, highlights, and earrings.

While these personal style choices do not necessarily constitute a gender transition, several celebrities, like Ellen DeGeneres and Ryan Seacrest, have expressed their support for Jenner, arguing that the media should leave Jenner alone and let this transition happen in peace and privacy.

We commend Bruce Jenner for possessing the courage to transition, despite the Kardashian/Jenner family being one of today’s most talked-about celebrity empires. Yet the media has done nothing but exploit Jenner’s intensely personal journey, and Jenner has been routinely badgered amidst these increasingly ridiculous rumors.

This is not a story that should be used to increase sales or boost ratings; the media—and especial-

ly celebrity news outlets—should know that it is never okay to speculate on someone’s gender identity.

But Jenner is no stranger to the spotlight. An Olympic Gold Medalist and frequent subject of scrutiny, Jenner must have known this transition would be far from private.

Jenner’s mother told the press, “I never thought I could be more proud of Bruce than when he reached his goal in 1976, but I’m more proud of him now.” As with any transition, familial support seems to pave the way for public support. Although Diane Sawyer is scheduled to interview Jenner on the subject in May, little is known re-garding Jenner’s transition or preferred pronouns; it is unclear if Jenner has even explicitly declared the transition to the press, or if these rumors are mainly falsified.

For now, the best we can do is offer Jenner our support as we await Jenner’s own narrative, rather than the media’s. words by Calynne Torres

NOT: GENDER RATIOS I’m not much of a partier. Recently, however, I was invited to go to a party hosted by the fraternity Phi Gamma Delta, better known as Fiji.

Most of us are familiar with the sexual dancing, never-ending flow of alcohol, and filthy bathrooms that lend frat parties their notorious reputation, but having heard rumors that Fiji parties were particularly popular, I was interested to see what the buzz was about.

I still don’t understand the hype.

Not only were all of my male friends turned away at Fiji’s door, as we had expected, but it was made clear—almost menacingly so— by the security guard that unless they could prove themselves to be members of the fraternity, they were not welcome anywhere on or near fraternity property. Once we got inside, I was shocked to find a party made up almost entirely of girls dressed in skin-tight outfits meant to resemble office attire, as per the event’s Fifty Shades of Gray theme.

Now, I can understand why people wouldn’t want a party with an overwhelming number of guys, but who wants the opposite? Obviously, fraternities try very deliberately to create the “ideal ratio” at parties, but the only people at this party who were enjoying a ratio of 20 females to every male were the few present members of Fiji, each of them thrilled to be creepily picking and

choosing from the throng of girls surrounding them. The result was an environment of competition— women pitted against each other for contrived male attention. Disgusted, my friends and I took advantage of the abismal restroom and quickly left.

The “gender ratio” trend is hardly unique to Fiji, and it is certainly not an issue that has remained secret; indeed, many UO women have refused to quietly put up with fraternity party admittance policies.

And yet I had never seen a party so entirely and repulsively gender-selective as this one. Ladies, why do we continue to attend these parties? While they can be a place to meet new people—including those of different genders—the fraternity party ratios instead create an environment that is tailored solely to advantage the sexual conquests of fraternity brothers. words by Natalie Pearson

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FOOTBALL & FEMINISM To most people, the phrase “University of Oregon” brings to mind one thing: football. Namely, the athletic and commercial powerhouse of a football team that gives this school its national recognition. Football is at the heart of our school’s identity. It is what we, as students, are conditioned to be proud of; it is supposed to bring us together. A collective identity based on football, however, leaves no room for women—who make up over half of both the graduate and undergraduate populations—to shape the character of this institution.

NEWS

It’s true, of course, that students of any gender can be diehard football fans. But this is a sport that exclusively celebrates male-ness. It is not uncommon for Marcus Mariota—the team’s quarterback, in case you needed a reminder—to be referred to as a God. This is a sentiment fittingly expressed by one student from Eugene’s own O’Hare Catholic School: “There are three things that go on at [O’Hare Catholic School]. There’s Jesus, there’s girls, and there’s Marcus Mariota.”

While football culture dominates the UO and Eugene communities, males generally dominate the broader culture of sports media.

It might come as a surprise, then, that the Head Sports Producer for DuckTV is a female student.

Samantha Saldivar was the only female applicant for this coveted position in sports reporting, a field that she describes as something

of a “boys’ club.” Yet Saldivar sees her position as an opportunity to increase female representation in the culture of sports media.

Saldivar’s presence, however, is not the only positive change in our school’s sports culture. The coverage of University sports is becoming more balanced between male and female teams, and the University recently allocated $10 million to build a new softball stadium. But despite the softball team’s tremendous success, UO students still fail to show up to their games and support female athletics.

Thus, it cannot be denied that the football team continues to receive the most recognition amongst the University’s sports teams.

The male-centric nature of football makes it difficult for many non-male-identified students to feel a sense of individual pride in the University. After all, the student population draws most of its pride from an activity that excludes women and other non-male students.

Those females that are in the spotlight—like cheerleaders, for instance—exist as accessories to the main male spectacle. They are not acknowledged as athletes in their own right. It is no surprise, then, that these students find it increasingly difficult to feel involved in the creation of a significant identity at a university that continues to value male-ness. words by Molly Zaninovich

THE POP

CULTURE

ISSUE STARTS

HERE THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 9

FEMINIST OF THE ISSUE

AVA CONNOLLY THE SIREN: How did you first get involved in bodybuilding and weightlifting?

AVA CONNOLLY: I’ve always been very athletic; I was into cross-country and things of that nature. I started out doing National Physique Committee (NPC) bikini, the lowest level of bodybuilding for females; its kind of all about symmetry. It’s not really a beauty pageant, but it is appearance-based. I really disliked the training that goes into it, not to mention the eating plans. What I really love is weightlifting, pure and simple. So I got into competitive powerlifting. I’m injured right now, but I hope to compete this fall, and at USA Powerlifting’s Collegiate Nationals in Atlanta next April.

Weightlifting is often considered a very male-dominated field.

What kinds of challenges have you faced in that regard?

I love the female weightlifting community, because we all just don’t give a fuck about what other people think. But the issue with males is that they don’t understand the female weightlifter’s perspective, because they are not being catcalled at the gym. Going to the gym is frustrating when guys assume that you’re there to find a new hookup buddy, when you’re doing this for you and nobody else. Explaining that to a lot of guys is really hard.

It’s great that they like my butt, but it’s not for them. And a lot of guys take that personally, because I feel like a lot of guys think they own you, just because you’re a female.

What are the biggest challenges that you’ve faced in becoming a weightlifter?

I know this sounds really cliché, but I really had to get out of my own way. I only started to really get into

it competitively when I let myself be uncomfortable, if that makes sense.

My general rep ranges were getting too easy; I was doing what I was used to. I wanted to get better, but I held myself back because I didn’t want to feel pain or get too sweaty, and most of all, I didn’t want to put in the work. But once you see those results, it’s really hard to stop doing it. I couldn’t imagine living like I had been before.

What do you think finally made you start challenging yourself?

I wasn’t happy with my body at that time, but I’m a huge believer that a reaching a certain weight doesn’t equate with happiness—that has to come from within. Do whatever makes you feel happy, whether it’s lifting, yoga, baking, watching TV, whatever. You are not going to feel happy at any level of achievement unless it comes from yourself. And through that I’ve gained a ton more confidence and self-love.

Can you tell us about your clients and your work with them?

I have five clients currently, who I work with on macronutrient and nutrition coaching. Everything I teach is based on nutritional science. I have my associate’s in biochemistry, which I got in Thailand when I did medical work there. I’m not a science major at all, but I read scientific studies on nutrition and athletics for fun. Personally, I don’t care about the numbers on the scale as long as they’re making progress. Essentially, I want them to be eating as much as possible and still seeing results. It’s not about starving. Meal plans aren’t

productive at all. My clients eat whatever they want. I eat Ben and Jerry’s everyday, and I’m still cutting weight!

What would you say to anyone interested in getting involved in bodybuilding and/or lifting?

Go in with a plan. If you want to see results, you can’t let your body inhibitions get in the way. People have this idea that everyone’s staring at you when you’re working out.

That’s not true. The people who are actually working hard are not focused on you; they’re focused on themselves. If you still feel self-conscious going to the gym, don’t fight what’s right for your body. You don’t have to go to the gym; there are so many other ways that you can care for your body. There’s not just one pathway to success.

How has weightlifting influenced your self-image?

It’s completely parallel with my self-confidence. I’m excited to see the sun rise. It’s not even about weightlifting though. It could be yoga or Netflix. I’m just all about self-love, and if Netflix marathons give you self-love, then do that.

Don’t fight what you’re meant to do.

I don’t really care about what other people think, because I know that’s what’s right for me. I still struggle sometimes with very severe depression, but what got me out of that was latching on to that one little thing that made me happy. And that took care of everything for me. interview by Anissa Cohen

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THE ETHICS OF SEX TOYS

FEATURES

If you didn’t look too closely at the merchandise in As You Like It, you might not realize you were standing in a sex shop. With the door propped open and two friendly women beaming at you from behind a glass counter, this Eugene boutique is small and inviting, with a distinctly community-based feel.

Aside from the wide variety of vibrators, butt-plugs, whips, and other sex toys that fill its shelves, the shop is drastically different from the uncomfortable chain sex shops, like Castle Megastore.

I sat down with owner and founder Kim Marks to talk about the mission of As You Like It, described online as a “sex and body-positive, eco-conscious, gender inclusive sex toy shop and educational center.” To those not well versed in the sex industry, however, the store’s mission might seem, as Marks joked, a bit of “a mouthful.” To clear

the air, Marks took the time to explain each of the store’s values and their manifestations.

Non-toxic and body-safe: The sex toy industry is largely unregulated. Often, sex toys are falsely labeled with the names of safer materials, like silicone; some use leadbased dyes, and many mainstream brands of lubricants can actually increase the risk of transmitting an STI. As an alternative, As You Like It offers only “body-safe” products, excluding things like artificial scents and flavors that are often harmful to the endocrine system. Kim shared a personal motivation for this tenet of her business: “I am a cancer survivor. I have no intention of selling somebody products that will excite their cancer cells.”

Environmentally friendly: Offering body-safe products is a way of minimizing the impact that the sex

AS YOU LIKE IT

www.asyoulikeitshop.com 1655 W 11th Avenue (971) 266-8631

all sizes, as well as lightweight toys that might be more accessible to a customer with arthritis.

toy trade has on the environment, as well. Minimizing the number of harmful chemicals in these products prevents them from entering and harming surrounding ecosystems. Most of the products sold at As You Like are sourced locally on the West Coast in order to minimize transportation. Marks argues that following environmental standards, like using recycled paper, is a good start, but businesses can do so much more to make sustainability a foundation of their practices.

Body-positive and gender-inclusive: As You Like It aims to welcome “everybody and every body.”

Marks uses the term “body-positive” to explain that customers “don’t need to be a size 2 to come into a sex toy store, and you don’t need to only look like a cisgendered woman to come into this space, to be safe, and be respected.” For example, the store carries lingerie in

Sex-positive: When asked about the term “sex-positive,” Marks explained, “I think of sex-positive as being sex-neutral.” People experience sex in all different ways; it can be the highlight of someone’s day, a routine chore, or a painful trigger, so Marks and her employees never jump to conclusions about a customer’s presence in the store, or the customer’s feelings upon entering that kind of space. So to best serve individual needs, the staff at As You Like It approach each customer in a sex-neutral way.

One of Marks’s chief goals is to bring transparency and openness to the cultural dialogue surrounding sex. The store carries books on various sex-related topics—such as The Ethical Slut, a manual to polyamorous relationships—and hosts numerous events and workshops. Recently, for instance, the store hosted a workshop called “50 Shades of Kink,” where “kink specialist” Janet Hardy answered attendees’ anonymous questions about BDSM sex. Other event topics include communication, jealousy, introducing sex toys into a relationship, and finding the elusive G-spot. It’s all part of Marks’s mission to change the game of achieving our deepest sexual desires. words by Natalie Pearson

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IT’S (STILL) BRITNEY, B*TCH!

ESSAYS

There was a time when Britney Spears was, like, kind of a big deal.

That was the year 2000, when I was three years old and entirely convinced that Britney and I were going to get married. I played her sophomore album, Oops!...I Did it Again so often that my mom finally bought me a Walkman so she wouldn’t have to put up with hearing “Stronger” every time we got in the car.

Fifteen years later, it’s a scary thought that this generation’s three year olds are probably falling in love with culturally-appropriative racist randos like Iggy Azalea instead. Britney, sadly, is about as culturally relevant as a Comic Sans joke; her last album was somewhere between unlistenable and incomprehensible. Her stint on The

X Factor was a dead end, and her Vegas casino residency... Well, need I say more?

But who was Britney Spears in her prime? The precursor to Katy Perry, the answer to Madonna, the bona fide Queen of Top 40. What Britney had throughout her career that so many other pop stars were lacking was a sense of identity. During the era of “innocent schoolgirl” ...Baby One More Time Britney, she performed songs like “E-Mail My Heart” and “Sometimes”—sappy, teardrops-on-my-password-journal anthems for sixteen-year-olds. She was a champion for all the broken middle school hearts, a muse for teary-eyed sleepovers with your fifth grade pals. In other words, she was a singer that nobody planned on taking seriously.

So when she opens her follow-up album, Oops!... I Did It Again, by chanting “I’m not that innocent” at full volume, it becomes evident that something remarkable has gone down. At her own command, Britney ditches the schoolgirl aesthetic that led to her fame, opting for a red latex catsuit and an intense amount of blue eyeshadow. You know which music video I’m talking about.

While critics cried in shock at her outfit—calling it provocative or slutty or whatever—Britney was making the big bucks, selling 1.3 million copies of Oops!... I Did it Again.

Was Britney going to listen to all the conservative critics who told her to reign in the sex factor on her next album? Hell, no. She was going to grind up on sweaty dudes in “Slave 4 U” and make out with Madonna at the VMA’s. Ignoring the (actually quite horrific) belittlement of sexual slavery and sensationalized representation of bisexuality, Britney’s second album was a blatant assertion of her womanly power, though at the same time a representation of her white, cisgendered privilege.

But Britney was on top of the word.

And then came 2007.

A shaky VMA performance, a shaved head, and an umbrella thrust through a paparazzi’s car window— to the tabloids, this was the trifecta for a rumor campaign accusing Britney of “psychosis” and drug abuse. Even today, the popular phrase “If you can’t handle me at my Britney, you don’t deserve me at my Beyonce!” is a vestige

of this hostility. What the media’s surprisingly long-lasting reaction to Britney’s struggle reveals is a general dismissal of women’s mental health issues. Instead of supporting Britney—or even attempting to understand her breakdown—people ravenously attacked her with labels of “crazy,” “deranged,” and, of fucking course, “hysterical.”

Mainstream media ignored Britney’s obvious emotional struggle, isntead criticizing her parenting skills or accusing her of drug addiction. Even after buying millions of her albums, purchasing an unfathomable number of tickets to her shows, and calling themselves fans, the world had turned on Britney, leaving her behind to endure this severe emotional trauma.

But what came out of this breakdown and the media’s ensuing frenzy was one of the best pop albums of the early 21st century.

Blackout is a cold, apocalyptic record made at the fringe of isolation and cultural extraction. A sort of pop exorcism, its twelve haunting tracks contain vocals so manipulated, fractured, and processed that it sounds as if the soul has virtually been sucked from Britney’s voice.

The results are a clear reflection on the blacked-out, post-sex-symbol hell that Spears experienced in the media’s vicious persecution.

“Piece of Me,” the album’s second track, is without a doubt one of pop culture’s boldest reclamations of identity; in just three minutes, Britney effortlessly destroys every sexist tabloid double standard, calling

THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 15

BRITNEY (CONTINUED) out the “She’s too big, now she’s too thin” media mentality, while simultaneously discussing life as a working single mother. “Piece of Me” is a reminder—a statement— that no matter how many pictures you take of Britney and her children in the Philippines, she’s still the ultra-celeb that you stalked into Southeast Asia just to photograph.

ESSAYS

Eight years later, Britney is more than on the way out. She’s gone.

Even though she’s still making millions of dollars releasing half-successful singles like the baffling “Work Bitch,” pop culture is way too concerned with Ariana Grande, etc. to care about whatever Britney Spears is doing right now. Though she may have salvaged her career with Circus and Femme Fatale, two commercially successful and hugely boring albums, Britney was simply too late: the Lady GaGa generation had spoken.

Maybe Britney Spears doesn’t mean anything anymore. Maybe her pop stardom is over. But Britney meant something once. She was a trailblazer in the art of owning your aesthetic. While white male performers have been handed the rights to their pop culture identities, women have had to work for them.

Britney refused to let the media lock her into a stereotype, instead creating music from a spectrum of personalities—the hopeless romantic of “Perfume,” the undercover spy/ flight attendant of “Toxic,” even the empowered superstar housewife of “If U Seek Amy.”

When I think of what Britney Spears meant for feminism, the 30-second opener to her video for “I Wanna Go” comes to mind. Standing in front of a press conference full of annoying, prying reporters, she rolls her eyes before pointing to them.“Fuck you,” she tells each one. “I’m out.”

Britney Spears did not make consistently good music. But despite the fact that it wasn’t always A+ material, Britney’s music explored sexuality and womanhood, and confronted pop culture, announcing her identity without hesitation. Britney’s music was always entertaining, and most importantly, it was always her. Every woman deserves to be who she wants to be, and Britney Spears—at her best and at her worst—remains a mainstream pioneer of that ideology. words by Zach Lusby

SLEATER-KINNEY Sleater-Kinney, Olympia’s iconic all-female punk band, is finally back.

Band members Corin Tucker, Carrie Brownstein, and Janet Weiss released No Cities to Love, their first album in ten years, on January 20.

Unlike many hiatus-ending album releases, however, No Cities to Love successfully picks right back up where Sleater-Kinney left off.

The album opens with “Price Tag,” a somber tableau of nine-to-five culture, consumerism, and making ends meet. “Surface Envy” is one of album’s punk-ier songs, with vocals that are closer to screaming than singing, but all the more exhilarating. And one can only wonder whether or not the title track “No Cities to Love” is a nod to the lovely gloom of the Pacific Northwest: “It’s not the cities, it’s the weather we love.” More pop-y than other tracks, “A New Wave” employs catchy repetition to emphasize the mechanics of revolution: “We can drain out all the power, power/ Steal from the makers who had made us/ Leave them nothing to devour.” Here is, perhaps, one of the band’s nods to the feminist practice of upending patriarchal power structures.

In fact, almost every song on the album deals with power, which is fitting for a band that has certainly achieved iconoclasm since coming together in 1994.

There’s no doubt that much of the band’s more recent hype can be attributed to guitarist Carrie Brownstein’s Portlandia-induced fame. In-

deed, the band addresses this popularity revival, admitting that fame is never simply fun and games. In “Hey Darling,” Tucker asserts in her characteristically harsh voice that it “seems to me the only thing that comes from fame is mediocrity.” In “Bury Our Friends,” whose intro is reminiscent of the Black Keys song “Tighten Up,” Brownstein sings, “Make me a headline / I wanna feel that bold.” Although the band members critique—and blatantly reject—what it means to be a commercial success, their new album is certainly headline-worthy, receiving a score of 8.7/10 from the reputable music media outlet, Pitchfork.

Sleater-Kinney is slated to play a sold-out show at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom on May 5, in addition to an appearance at Sasquatch!

Music Festival over Memorial Day Weekend. The Portland show holds special significance to the band, as the Crystal Ballroom was the last venue they played before their breakup in 2006. Yet exactly twenty years after their first album release, it seems that the women of Sleater-Kinney remain true to their tradition of unapologetic feminism.

Fittingly, their newest album is not here to please, although it easily manages to do so. No Cities To Love demands attention—and not solely from feminist listeners or preexisting fans. Each track is forward in its intentions, and the album is unrelenting in its entirety.

words by Hannah Taub THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 17

GIRL-CENTRIC

VISUALS

THE SIREN spoke with Seattle-based photographer Ashley Armitage on the importance of creating female-centered spaces and radically reclaiming the stereotypes of girlhood.

THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 19

ASHLEY ARMITAGE

INTERVIEWS

THE SIREN: How did you develop your passion for photography?

What influences inspired you to begin this pursuit, and what continues to inspire you today?

ASHLEY ARMITAGE: When I was twelve, I got a Vivitar digital camera, and I basically used it to take a bunch of selfies. Those photos are so good, and so bad. They mostly document my various middle school phases (from Hot Topic punk to Zumiez skater and then Hollister prep). Then, when I was fifteen, my dad got me a Canon AE-1 film camera, and we would go on photo outings. The photos I took in this time period are actually some of my favorites now because I took them so casually. I was also, you know, an innocent-looking young girl, so I got some really cool unguarded portraits of strangers in the streets. I only recently got into photography seriously. Last year, I was accepted into the photography program at University of Washington. Right now, I have a lot of enthusiasm for this, so my motto is kind of just “Take a ton of photos and see what happens.”

What subjects or moments are your favorite to include in your shoots? Where do you find beauty or significance?

My favorite subjects are my friends.

I usually only use my friends as models, because the dynamic is so completely different than using real, trained models. When I shoot my friends, the photos turn out more authentic because, really, we’re just hanging out. It’s fun and comfortable. Girl culture is a huge

source of inspiration for my photos.

Before all of my shoots, I’ll have some idea or theme developed, but my ideas always evolve with the help of my friends when we’re mid-shoot. My work is the result of collaboration.

How has feminism played a role in both your art and your senseof-self? Who are your personal feminist icons?

I first started studying feminism in my senior year of high school. That year, I read Cunt by Inga Muscio, and My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki. I started proudly calling myself a feminist. Then, during my freshman year of college, when I was at UCSB to study film production, I noticed how male-dominated the program felt. Of the four major student films being produced that year, none of them were headed up by women. Through an internship in the film office, I got the opportunity to direct a film. So I assembled a crew and started working. It didn’t take long for me to realize how hard it is for guys to listen to girls who are in charge. There was so much resentment and resistance from the men on the crew—the men who were below me. This process taught me a few things: 1) We NEED more girls in charge.

2) We need more girl-centric spaces, where girls can excel without men holding them back.

This is why in my photography I almost exclusively shoot girls. I want to create a space for us.

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VISUALS

What do you hope that people will gain from your photos?

In the media, I don’t often see myself represented, so this all started with the desire to make photographs that I—and other girls like me—could relate to. My goal is that my work will one day include a greater variety of representation (different body types, skin tones, sexualities, genders, cultures/subcultures, etc.). I want my photos to show girls as three-dimensional people, not as flat characters or stereotypes.

Your work focuses heavily on everyday items that we often tend to associate with women.

What drives you to explore these things in your work?

Over the last few months, I’ve focused on highlighting the private lives and routines of girls. Applying makeup, getting dressed, hanging out in bedrooms, gossiping in bathrooms—to me, these are all things that constitute girlhood, yet are often ridiculed as superficial, vain, petty, and catty. My work is an attempt to reclaim these activities in a positive light.

photography by ashley armitage

What is your favorite memory from one of your shoots?

Okay, I have one really outrageous memory. Last year, I was with three other girls in a forest in Seattle. We were shooting in this meadow, and hardly anyone was around. When we took a break to eat lunch, we noticed this guy in a bush about a hundred feet away, watching us and JERKING OFF. Honestly, we didn’t know how to react. It made us so uncomfortable, but it was also kind of hilarious, because when in real life does that ever happen? He looked pathetic. We kind of nervously laughed and started to pack our things to leave, when this jogger guy and his dog came into sight. The guy in the bush was so into his thing that he didn’t notice them coming his way. The Labrador ran right for the bush and started barking, and Gross Park Pervert disappeared into the forest. I don’t think the jogger ever noticed how his bad-ass yellow lab smashed the patriarchy. interview by Jennifer Paulsen

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JANET MOCK

WONDER WOMAN

A NEW TALK SHOW PUTS WOMEN OF COLOR FRONT AND CENTER I have always been fascinated by talk shows because even though there are millions of people watching, the format seems made for introverts. I came of age during the time of Sally Jesse Raphael, Phil Donahue, Montel Williams, and Ricki Lake, but my favorite thing to watch growing up to was the oneon-ones between Oprah Winfrey and her public, or Oprah Winfrey and name-the-celebrity. Watching Oprah, I felt at once like I was eavesdropping and a part of the conversation.

in December. The shows are meant to appeal to 16-to-34 yearolds, whose TV viewership has been dropping off.

Now, as my best friend puts it, everyone seems to have a show. She said it because she wants to be a talk show host, but there’s some truth to this idea. Janet Mock, author of Redefining Realness and one of our country’s most visible trans women of color, is now a talk-show host on what MSNBC is calling its “new video experience”: Shift, a series of 14 online-only shows the cable channel launched

Mock describes her mission in the inaugural episode of So Popular perfectly: “Here to cover all things culture, from art and entertainment to literature and anything trending in the zeitgeist. Our goal is to discuss the things you pretend you’re too smart to like, in an effort to expand the idea of what is considered political and worthy of analysis. Every Friday, we will have fun, we will be cheeky, we will mine the nug-

Mock’s show, So Popular, is about popular culture. This is exciting particularly because Mock mentioned to Bitch that pop culture was a big part of her groundbreaking memoir—making the most of her platform as one of the few voices for trans women of color includes getting people into the spotlight who usually are ignored.

gets of truth from the cultural topics and experiences that consume our time and I will mess up the teleprompter often.”

It turns out she messes up infrequently. There are some awkward pauses in the first episode, but that’s to be expected. Viewers will certainly see and experience how a show that’s streaming online, instead of crammed into the space between commercial breaks, cuts down on time constraints. Although it never seems like Mock is just filling time, in the first episode, Mock interviews Sherri Shepard and lets the comedian talk more than she asks questions. It made me keenly aware of how truncated the television talk-show format is; You never get to hear guests fully tell their stories or flesh out thoughts in the leisurely way the way that So Popular allows.

Mock’s style and demeanor also allows for an interesting media experience. As a host, her demeanor lands somewhere on the spectrum between someone like Melissa Harris-Perry and Queen Latifah.

In an episode where two black film critics discussed recent releases, Mock introduces the movie Top Five as Sherri Shepherd’s movie. I took note of this because my first reaction was, “There’s this other guy named Chris Rock in it!” And then I thought of the amount of progress we’ve made when a talk show host could give a black woman ownership of a movie and center her participation, when the norm has always been instead to make black women afterthoughts.

I am a fan of how Mock centers all women of color on So Popular. Her

January 9th episode, for example, features an interview with Iranian filmmaker Desiree Akhavan about her film, Appropriate Behavior. Other episodes have explored privacy and the Sony hacks, Selma, and sexual assault allegations leveled against Bill Cosby.

Because it is still new, there’s certainly room for Mock and So Popular producers to focus the format and for Mock to hone her style. But as someone who will always have nostalgia for the days of a talk show that wasn’t focused on hard news or politics, and when Oprah paved the way for a black women to follow her lead in the talk show format, So Popular is refreshing. You can see the subtle impact of Mock’s role as an activist lending itself to this work—in her own graceful style, she literally and figuratively gives otherwise invisible people a major forum. I hope that ultimately, the show’s name will also end up being an accurate descriptor for its future.

Joshunda Sanders is a Washington, D.C.-based writer with a Tumblr she barely updates at jvictoriasanders.com and a Twitter she is better about updating at @jvic. this piece was originally published at BitchMedia.org Janet Mock will be visiting the University of Oregon on Tuesday, May 12 to kick off UO Pride Week with her keynote address.

Her speech, which will take place in the EMU Ballroom at 7 pm, will address issues affecting queer and trans people, especially those of color.

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equality-PLUS In her vibrant paintings and intimate sketches, Mexican- and Korean-American painter Monica Garza explores consumerism, depression, and the female form.

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MONICA GARZA

INTERVIEWS

THE SIREN: First and foremost, why art? Would you call your work conceptual? If so, what is the driving idea or aesthetic behind it?

MONICA GARZA: I was born this way. My art brings me life. I don’t know about the word conceptual…

My art makes me feel a type of way.

I think everything has an idea behind it; some ideas might be appear more “thought-out” than others, but everything is an idea. I’d say most of my art stems from memories that manifest themselves into different pathways.

Where does feminism come in?

How did you develop an interest in the lives and experiences of women?

Feminism is always confusing. I don’t even know how to feel about that word. All I know is that God didn’t give me a penis. That’s sci-

ence. When I was a kid, my dad always treated my brother and me differently. He’d allow my brother to have girlfriends and no curfew. Not me. He said life as a woman would be hard and that I’d always have a prejudice against me. That women get raped and objectified. That I should prepare myself. He would always play that James Brown song, “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World.” At the time, I didn’t get it, but now I understand how those words really describe the relationship between men and women. So I’ve grown up always hearing this, that “men rule” (but not without women, of course).

I’m from the South, where men treat women differently, by holding doors open and saying ma’am and things like that. So maybe I have a different take on this whole thing. In simple terms, my feeling towards feminism is that I’m down

for equality-PLUS. I think women deserve a little more, if anything, yet we always fall to the bottom of the barrel. I do want a man to hold the door open for me, because my arm is weak. If a man sees me carrying something heavy, he should help me. If I am standing on the bus he should offer his seat to me, because I am probably bleeding from the vagina. Women really do endure so much, from pregnancy to rape to periods to PMS to objectification to sexual harassment in the street and at work, etc. We deserve so much more from the world. You feel me?

How do you express your own identities or ideas through the women that appear in your art?

It’s like Frida Kahlo representing womanhood and Mexican-ness, because that’s what she is, and that’s what she paints. You can see a sort of pain in her paintings. Her life was her art. I am me, so that’s what I paint, ‘cause that’s what I know. Some of my paintings reflect dreams, and others fears. For example, the painting Monida Gahlo, of the woman lying in bed, got the title after I finished painting it.

I named it that because it seemed sad, and I thought of Frida. Then, maybe two weeks later, I realized she had a lot of bed paintings, due to her health issues. I had been

working on bedroom paintings before I made the connection to Frida, but I started making them even more after I went through a breakup with my boyfriend. I was under so much stress, and I was definitely suffering from depression.

I live in New York at the moment, but I came here under false circumstances. I had issues with friends and work, and winter really took a toll on me. I felt so down, like New York was crushing me with its concrete. I spent a lot of time in bed and the result was those bedroom paintings. I think we’ve all been there, laying in bed, depressed because of a breakup or your job or family or friends or being broke as fuck. Shit hurts. You just lay there looking at your phone, all emo and shit. During those times, painting really helps me.

“i think we’ve all been there, laying in bed, depressed... painting really helps me.”

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INTERVIEWS

Which pieces of your art mean the most to you, and why?

I have one painting I made in 2010 that is my OG. You can see a mimic of it in the Monida Gahlo painting.

It’s called Anoche—a blue guy and a yellow girl doing 69. I love the shape and color of it. For me, it’s like my first album. I have no complaints about it.

What is your take on the idea of women as “muses?” What brand of “womanhood” does your art aim to convey?

One of my favorite artists when I was young was Gustave Courbet. He painted a lot of waves and women. I think I liked his art because it’s so simple and treats the ladies in such a gentle way. So maybe I’m trying to do something like that... When you look back on art history, there really aren’t a lot of famous female artists. A lot of men paint naked women. But it’s hardly the other way around. There’s such a thin line between soft and gentle and hard and nasty. I guess I want my brand to be soft and gentle.

I’ve noticed that you like to use the Nike “swoosh” symbol in your work. Can you tell us a little bit about that? What role does consumerism play in your work?

I grew up on Nike. I’m wearing Nike right now. I love what Nike stands for—Just Do It. Accomplishment, success, saying yes, things like that. I do like Adidas, too. But I put Nike into my art because I was experimenting with how to add fashion to my girls without putting clothes on them, so I threw in a swoosh. We live in such a consumerist world, so I obviously play into that to some degree, but I would always prefer to be out on the beach or in nature with nothing around. I’d ideally like to just retire right now and wear sandals and a bathing suit and eat fish and mangos forever. But since I don’t live that life, I like to express myself through fashion, and that happens to be one of the largest categories of consumerism. So consumerism plays into my work just based on my lifestyle.

Which women inspire you? Can you recommend any rad feminist role models for our readers?

Music is probably my biggest inspiration. I’d say Beyoncé (as a brand) is definitely an influence. I don’t know who writes her songs, but they speak so well to women.

I love singers like Erykah Badu, India Arie, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Etta James… I can’t say I listen to Lady Gaga, but I appreciate what she does and what she stands for. Jennifer Lopez has been a huge influence since my childhood when she played Selena, who I absolutely love. Being

Mexican-American, I see her as a great role model. And I just love looking at J-Lo. I also love Salma Hayek. She is so beautiful!

Of course, I obviously love Frida Kahlo. But my mother is my biggest inspiration. It’s funny because she’s not necessarily my biggest supporter, in terms of my art career… But since she was young, she’s had a drive to achieve her dream, and that is so inspirational to me.

In your opinion, what’s the best background music for making art? What’s your favorite song right now?

R&B, rap, reggae, chill-wave… I don’t have a favorite song, because I go so hard on music that it tends to changes every second.

What’s your biggest feminist pet peeve? On the other hand, who or what gives you hope for the feminist cause?

In the end, I just don’t want to suffer anymore. There’s a huge water problem going on, and so much more than that. I guess I’m more focused on humanity and the planet.

What Emoji do you wish existed?

TACO. What makes you feel the most empowered?

RESPECT. interview by Sophie Albanis

art by Monica Garza THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 31

REVIEWS WONDER WOMAN

KIM GORDON Until relatively recently, pop culture has habitually branded Kim Gordon as its singular prototype of the “Girl in a Band.” The “Girl in a Band” is an identity that Gordon herself claims is responsible for providing “an element of chaos, mystery, an unknown energy,” inciting a sort of unspoken revolution as she captures the male gaze and simultaneously rebuffs it. It is not an identity that Gordon sought out. Without even really trying, then, Kim Gordon became an enigma.

As a founding member of the highly influential experimental post-punk band Sonic Youth, Gordon has made a name for herself across disciplines as a musician, a visual artist, a fashion designer, a feminist, and now, an author. Gordon published her aptly-titled memoir, Girl in a Band at the end of February; it was a project eagerly awaited by feminists and Sonic Youth fans alike. For not only does Gordon describe her unconventional California upbringing, her young adulthood as a broke artist in New York City, and the formation of Sonic Youth, but so too does she describe—in unforgivingly honest detail— her misgivings about pretty much everyone she’s encountered in her long, multi-faceted career.

Gordon is remarkably up-front about her older brother, who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia as a young adult; she is, of course, highly critical of Thurston Moore, her ex-husband and fellow founder of Sonic Youth. She even takes male feminists to task, referring to them as “just [big fans] of female sexuality.”

We might read Girl in a Band as a formal calling-out of bullshit, but doing so would be reductive to the author’s purpose. Gordon’s memoir constitutes a radical break from popular imaginings of her stoicism and unfathomability; it possesses a sort of merciless—yet wholly honest—type of criticism that men should be afraid of women’s capability to produce, for Gordon is at once wildly confrontational and deeply vulnerable.

The result is the undeniable sense that Gordon feels she has nothing to lose. The grievances aired in this work are far different from those found in her Sonic Youthera lyrics—a phenomenon that, in hindsight, probably has a lot to do with Gordon being the only female in the band. Perhaps more than anything else, though, Gordon is relatable, accessible, and colloquial; from her descriptions of a lonely adolescence spent smoking pot and listening to Joni Mitchell to the shameful realization of wrongfully-placed faith in a cheating partner, Gordon is right there with us. Girl in a Band is an assertion of the value of female storytelling, a validation of distinctly female sentiments that the patriarchy has deemed “shallow.” And yet the whole piece is tinged with an unnamable, powerful sadness, as though publishing Girl in a Band constitutes Gordon’s departure from pop culture as we know it. Whatever its aim, Gordon’s memoir succeeds in filling a cultural void The OG “Girl in a Band” has finally spoken, and what she has to say is really fucking important. words by Sophie Albanis THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 33

ON WHITE GAY DUDES Us white gay men have a race problem—a very real, very serious problem.

ESSAYS

Since coming to the University of Oregon and engaging in a real LGBTQQIA+ community, I have had the distinct pleasure of getting to know a ton of diverse gay dudes from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. A lot of these guys have become my close, personal friends, while some of them—actually, most of the white ones— have proved to disappoint with their extraordinarily racist behavior.

This brand of racism, however, is perhaps a bit sneaker—or, rather, more cleverly disguised—than the blatant anti-black sentiment one might initially imagine. What I’m referring to is the habitual appropriation of the black female identity as a cruelly humorous descriptor for gay behavior.

At one party, a white friend of mine started to shake his nonexistent ass to Nicki Minaj’s “Anaconda,” while screaming “Twerk, twerk, twerk!” And not a day later, another white gay acquaintance of mine made some sub-par sassy joke and flipped his hair, saying, “Sorry, sometimes my inner black woman just comes out.” If that wasn’t enough, he later had the audacity to drop an N-word while rapping along to Kanye West’s “Black Skinhead,” but not before describing the hair of another partygoer as “ratchet.” I am appalled.

But this is not unique to my college acquaintances. White gay men have been “discovering their inner black woman” on campuses across America for years. In fact, this phenomenon is so much a part of pop culture that it’s become a meme catalogued on websites like TV Tropes. It is not uncommon to encounter white gay men who have given themselves “sassy black names,” who make jokes about weaves, or who describe their own behavior as “ghetto.” And this needs to stop.

These ideas are steeped in a long history of colonizing the black female experience, which allows white men—both gay and straight—to simultaneously ridicule and participate in what they believe to be black culture. White gay men steal up everything, from music to fashion to slang, in order to distance ourselves from blackness.

This ruthless humor belittles black identity, while also adopting and appropriating it for our own misuse.

TO ALL THE WHITE GAY MEN: our own experiences of oppression do not provide an excuse for the egregious appropriation and blatant racism that lie at the heart of our “sassy black women” jokes.

These jokes—if that’s really what you want to call them—constitute the total appropriation of an entire identity. The minimization of female black identity is already pervasive enough in today’s neo-liberal,

white-centered patriarchy. The last thing that we, another marginalized group, should be doing is contributing to the oppression of others.

so compelling, that we can’t reach out a hand and march with our black sisters and brothers—many of whom are themselves LGBTQ.”

The worst part of all of this is that we’re not taking responsibility. As victims of different forms of oppression, it should be our duty—perhaps more than anyone else’s—to understand when we’ve made a mistake and to own up to it. Instead of listening to the people of color who call out our bullshit, we immediately go on the defensive. When writer Sierra Mannie published her essay, “Dear White Gays,” she was met with an overwhelming number of vicious responses that decried her entirely justified criticism as “homophobic.” Even pop culture figures like Azealia Banks—a queer woman of color—are told they have no right to tell white gays when we’ve fucked up. The result is the perpetuation of a racist institution that silences the voices of those who dare to speak out against discrimination.

Williams raises an important point: would we feel comfortable making these jokes around gay men of color? What makes us think we’re entitled to our own rights when we’re completely overlooking the physically, emotionally, and systematically violent oppression of other marginalized Americans? While we’re making caricatures of black women, there are unarmed teenagers of color being murdered for nothing more than their race, and we can’t so much as stop to consider if what we’re doing might be offensive.

And white gay guys are failing the black community in more ways than one; as we continue to elongate the tired tradition of racial stereotypes, we are largely failing to speak up about important social movements like Black Lives Matter.

Many of us are failing to take part in the activism that is so important now, perhaps more than ever.

Community organizer Kip Williams asks of white gays, “Do you remember the rallying cry of AIDS activism? Silence = Death. Why are we silent now? What are we doing in this moment that is so urgent,

Of course, it’s wonderful to explore appreciation for different cultures in healthy, noninvasive ways. It cannot be ignored, though, that there is a clear line between appreciation and appropriation, as feminists of color have been reminding us for ages. All too often, the white gay community seems to overlook that line. The fact of the matter is that oppression exists both against and between marginalized groups. I love the gay community, and I am often so proud of our accomplishments and our activism, but it’s time to own up and be the best social justice advocates we can be.

Racism should have no place in this community, and I refuse to let my friends or myself be complacent in the continuation of this deeply problematic behavior.

words by Zach Lusby

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HOROSCOPES FOR HER ARIES (MARCH 21-APRIL 19): It’s time to get scrappy, Aries. You’ll need a plan B going into April; expect the unexpected. Put on your Big Girl Panties, but don’t let April get the best of you. Towards the middle of this month, you may find yourself immersed in a new crew of like-minded feminists—a girl gang, if you will. Keep your girlfriends close, but always remember to be inclusive and accepting of others!

TAURUS (APRIL 20-MAY 20): Feminism isn’t just about calling out the bad stuff—it’s about celebrating the good stuff, too! Perhaps you’ll discover a renewed sense of faith in the world this month, Taurus. Show your appreciation for the powerful women in your life, rather than wishing there were fewer out-of-touch white dudes to deal with. Let somebody else occupy the feminist frontlines for a bit. The grass is greener these days.

GEMINI (MAY 21-JUNE JUNE 20): You’ll spend a lot of time daydreaming this month, Gemini—but that’s not a bad thing! Your visions aren’t of sugarplums, but rather, positive social change. In other words, your activist ideas are on point this April. This is a great time to begin a new feminist project.

Organize a clothing exchange, start a club, make a zine… Your ideas are important! You’re not the only one who would benefit from them becoming a reality.

CANCER (JUNE 21–JULY 22): Your creative streak will be on another level this month, Cancer. Let yourself get lost in it. Channel Frida Kahlo, paint a self-portrait, write feminist poetry—better yet, let us publish it! The middle of April bodes well for single Cancers looking to mingle. If the opportunity to attend a party presents itself, take it; you might just meet a like-minded mate—or mates, if that’s what you’re into!

FEMINIST FUN

LEO (JULY 23-AUGUST 22): April’s going to have you feeling some type of way, Leo. Expect the goddess of wisdom to send some deeply profound thoughts your way this month. But don’t allow your newfound insight to isolate you from your (perhaps less-enlightened) gal pals. Get the gang together and do your best to create girl-centric spaces this month, where you can share your philosophical feminist musings with those who will understand your perspective.

VIRGO (AUGUST 23-SEPTEMBER 22): Let April be all about YOU, Virgo.

Take the first week of the month to shamelessly celebrate your many accomplishments and engage in as much self-care as possible. Treat yourself to a sex toy! By the end of this month, you’ll be feeling industrious as hell. Remember: “bossy” is a word that men use to describe women who intimidate them. Embrace your inner boss!

LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23-OCTOBER 22): As usual, Libra, you are the reigning champion of radical vanity; you’ll spend even more time on your appearance at the beginning of April, but all in the name of self-love. Keep an eye out at the end of the month for opportunities to act as a role model to a young one in your community; somewhere out there, an angsty pre-teen is looking for a bad-ass feminist to emulate.

SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23-NOVEMBER 21): You’ve got a real sense of purpose this month, Scorpio. You’ll feel the urge to create positive change in your life and the lives of others; why not put this spring fever to good use by getting involved in feminist activities on campus? Participate in a rally, become a volunteer, attend a lecture or event—these are all great ways to find your niche and learn more about feminism!

SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22-DECEMBER 21): Unfortunately, Sagittarius, the patriarchy might get you down a bit more than usual this month. Sexist fuckbois lurk behind every corner. At times, it might feel as though they’re trying to get your metaphorical goat. Don’t let them see you falter; convince yourself that you’re a paragon of poise, and soon enough, you’ll start acting like it. Don’t let anyone get away with microaggressions!

CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22-JANUARY 19): You’ve been killin’ it lately, Capricorn! Don’t hesitate to remind yourself and others of your incredible capabilities. But feeling empowered must always go hand-in-hand with humility. Take a moment to check your privilege this April. What has aided you in your ascension to the throne? Who suffers losses as a result of your winnings? And most importantly, what can YOU do to be a better feminist?

AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20-FEBRUARY 18): You might feel the need to keep your guard up this month, Aquarius. Take a few days to yourself; check out the feminist lit section of the library or bookstore, and pick something you can get comfy and hole up with. By the end of the month, you’ll be feeling like yourself again. Take chances with you unique style choices; your individuality will earn you plenty of compliments!

PISCES (FEBRUARY 19-MARCH 20): Lately, you’ve been feeling powerful as fuck. Things seem to be going your way. Don’t forget to take a moment— or several moments—this month to thank and appreciate the women who’ve encouraged your journey. Listen to your favorite female musicians, give your mom or grandmother a call, or get coffee with your most inspiring female professor. Let them know what they mean to you. words by Sophie Albanis

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KALE SMOOTHIE RECIPE FOR RACIAL TENSION HEADACHES IN A “POST-RACIAL” USA 3 to 4 big leaves of kale (dino or lacinato) - for calcium and iron 1″ to 1.5” cube of fresh ginger (sometimes 1.5″ is too much for beginners) - for digestion and womb health 1 tsp spirulina (Hawaiian Pacifica brand) - for immunity 1 tsp chlorella (Now Foods brand) for detoxification 1 medium to large Hass Avocado for healthy fats 1 or 2 pitted Medjool dates - for sweetness and vitamins 1.5 tsp apple cider vinegar for cleansing 1/8 cup raw pumpkin seeds - for magnesium and selenium 1 tsp maca (Sol Raiz Organics brand) - for stress relief 25 oz. water (use a big blender!)

Wash all vegetables first! Tear kale leaves into small pieces and remove pits from dates. Add all ingredients to blender, with 3 to 4 ice cubes. Turn blender on HIGH for 2 minutes. Drink throughout the day for digestion, healthy fats, antioxidants, and energy! recipe by Dr. Breeze Harper reprinted with permission

Dr. A. Breeze Harper is a social scientist who specializes in animal rights, ethics, race, gender, class, healing, and food studies.

She is the editor of Sistah Vegan: Food, Identity, Health and Society, a series of personal and critical essays, poems, and reflections by black female vegans. Her blog, The Sistah Vegan Project, has brought together communities, activists, and advocates to generate conversation about the intersections between the food we eat and social injustices happening around the world, connecting people of color—specifically women—with resources related to plant-based diets and social issues.

As part of the 2015 Center for the Study of Women in Society’s Northwest Women Writers Symposium, Dr. Harper will be visiting the University of Oregon on Friday, May 8. Her speech, “Scars of Suffering and Healing: A Black Feminist Vegan Perspective on Writing, Race, and Neoliberal Whiteness,” will take place at 7:30 pm in the Gerlinger Alumni Lounge.

Learn more about Dr. Harper’s work at http://sistahvegan.com.

DO IT YOURSELF

words by Maya Corral

BACKGROUND MUSIC FOR MAGAZINE-MAKING Lorna - Labrynth Ear Susan Says - Bona Dish Milkshake n’ Honey - Sleater-Kinney Hate My Way - Throwing Muses REALiTi - Grimes Why Can’t I? - Liz Phair Bamboo - Hinds Shake It Off - Mariah Carey Ones Who Love You - Alvvays Feel No Pain - Sade Song For Zoe & Gwen - Yumi Zouma Undertow - Warpaint Mulder And Scully - Catatonia Love In a Trashcan - The Raveonettes I Heard It Through The Grapevine - The Slits Bull In The Heater - Sonic Youth Only One - Colleen Green No God - Cate le Bon Five String Serenade - Mazzy Star Firestarter - Blouse aesthetic by Sophie Albanis

THE POP CULTURE ISSUE | 39

INTERVIEWS

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