Oh darn.

Oh jeez, I’ve left it an entire month again. In my defence however, I am currently hiding underneath a 30 strong pile of books from the library, two regular blogging positions and several craft assignments as christmas presents! Knitted placemat, anyone?

For now, I would like to again direct you to www.upliftmagazine.com, where I shall be doing the most part of my blogging for the forseeable future, but this is with the promise of an all new and exciting internet venture from me at some point in the near future! I’ve decided to take my uni zine project Size 12 online, so potentially within the month I will have another string to the feminist bow- a website about the perils of being a size 12 girl in a size zero world. Indulgent, moi? That’s the whole point! It has meant that I’ve got to look at lots of photos of the lovely Nigella Lawson (a fellow brunette 12 goddess) and some not so nice ones of posh spice (eat, damnit!).

The blog should be ready to share with you all soon and I just wanna apologise again for my poor organisation with Domiknittrix  In my dreams I’d love to be on here all day long talking about how I feel about poledancing, and muffins, and the like, but sadly it seems to be that there just aren’t enough hours in the day right now. I hope to do a big, jolly festive post sometime soon so please keep your eyes peeled and as ever, stay sassy girls and boys! Lots of love to you all.

Yaz

Getting back in the loop!

Oh dear, it seems a whole month has flown by since I last blogged, as, in that time my summer holiday has come to a sad end, and I am now back at University toiling away on my dissertation. My working title is Sylvia Plath- Feminist or Psychopath? and I must say when it comes to my favourite depressed poet of all the depressed poets, for me she’s a little of both. I’m reluctant to use the term ‘psychopath’ in light of the mythology of the modern day Plath reader- if we believe the media representation all us fans are angsty, angry young women with a cross to bear and a penchant for black. I’m sure this isn’t true (in fact I know it isn’t as I love pink), but I am more and more assured of the deep, dark issues of Miss Sylvia, having now spent three weeks doing close analysis of her writing and feeling slightly like I might be going mad myself.

Still, I hope I do okay at the end of all this, and am able to keep sanity in tact :S Current ‘treats’ I’ve been having on my breaks from study are lots of big mugs of Pukka’s ‘Love’ tea, episodes of trashy but fab Marie Claire internship show Running in Heels and spins of the fabulous Florence and the Machine album, Lungs. I’m very keen to get back to regular blogging on this site as soon as possible, but for now would like to point you all in the direction of the fabulous www.upliftmagazine.com where I have just started my regular blogging position.

I’m delighted to be on board with Uplift! and hope you will all follow the mag avidly, it’s full of lovely articles, reviews, pictures, tips, videos and..  everything you could want from a blog ever, so please do check it out! I also want to big up one of my favourite websites, the blog from the Domestic Sluts ladies which is full of fabulous lifestyle features, have a gander if you can because it’s wonderful: http://www.domesticsluttery.com/ 

I could definitely spend hours browsing these lovely women’s sites for lovely women’s trinkets, but.. sadly, university works beckons and I shall have to leave my beloved blog once more.  But that is with the promise to be back soon, and definitely not leave a month between posts again! Next time I may try to get some photos up on here, I have a few crafty projects on the go  (more scarves! But this time.. intarsic scarves!) which I want to share with you all

Memoirs of a..

So, have just got in from watching Dawn Porter’s Geisha Girl at a friends house and I must say, as much as I’m quite fond of Miss P, it made for some pretty depressing viewing.

I’ve never known much about the Geisha phenomenon, in fact my knowledge is limited to reading the (apparently factual inaccurate) Memoirs of a Geisha book, and then seen the (overtly Hollywoodised) Memoirs of a Geisha film. I also dressed like a Geisha for a party once but I plead ignorance, damnit! It would seem, from Channel 4’s lovely expose that the life of a Geisha is not half as glamorous as Rob Marshall would have you believe.

No brainer? I had always presumed a Geisha’s role was intrinsicly sexual but after watching GG learnt that most of the women are not working as prostitutes, most do not and are not expected to sleep with their clients. Having learnt this I wondered, what’s in it for the men?

Oh just some bog standard degrading of female sexuality. But y’know.. these women aren’t forced to have sex for a living so what are they complaining about?

The role of a Geisha revolves around utter subservience; their job basically entails looking beautiful, whilst remaining silent and tending to the needs of the men in their lives. That is, sitting pretty whilst caked in chalk-white make up, waist padding and tiny wooden wedges (hey- what happened to trainers being in this season?), all the while pouring cups of tea for the rich men that pay to dominate them. Girl power!

I’m all for tradition and I’m a big lover of Japanese culture, but really, this is one routine I think we could afford to update. Isn’t there more to life than gratifying business men?

It seems not. Being a Geisha is considered in Japan a great honour, and given it’s historical context a role not due for an empowering makeover any time soon. Shame that.

Kudos to Channel 4 however for being their usual lefty selves and outing global misogynistic injustices. I’m really enjoying the Extreme Wife series, having been left bemused (and slightly sickened) by last weeks Mail Order Bride episode, and anxious to see next week’s covering of polygamy. I guess I’ll be posting another feminist rant after that one but don’t worry readers, the pleasure is all mine!

TTFN,
Yasmin x

Did Bridget Jones have the right idea?

Oh dear,

One holiday, plus one house move, plus one laptop breakdown, plus one extensive (and for the most part, unchartered) reading list to work through has meant that I haven’t updated this blog in far longer than I’d have liked to, in fact since the last time I wrote I have gotten one year older! Thank you everyone who made my birthday so amazing this year, it was honestly probably the best one ever and that is due to the loveliness of all my friends and a good bottle of Gordon’s Gin.

Of late my feminist activism has been sadly limited, due to the fact that my dissertation-writing time is imminent and so, I have had to back down from a few things of late in order to have time to keep everything going. Thus said, I did apply for the role of Junior Editor for the lovely ladies over at the Gender Across Borders blog (www.genderacrossborders.com), a position which sadly, I didn’t get. So, my writing is back to being submissions where I’m welcome, and the odd thank you note for the presents I recieved on my 22nd! One upcoming venture I’m very excited about is becoming a regular blogger for the simply wonderful Uplift Magazine (www.upliftmagazine.com), which is in the process of undergoing a funky new makeover as we speak. I’m a long time fan of Uplift, and the platform it provides for young women such as myself who have plenty to get off their chest (including a wonderbra, sorry sufragettes) and want to feel empowered by the publications they read, not patronized by them. I feel like this balance is struck perfectly by editor and long term friend, Sarah Barnes, who has managed to create a website that is feminist without being elitist and frivolous without being flippant. Hooray!

As some of you know I am on the lifestyle team at my uni paper, and I think my first few articles for that were published last weekend, although I haven’t had a chance to see them yet. A longtime member of the LGBT society here at Falmouth, I have now taken the plunge in actually volunteering for the group, and will be at the Freshers Fayre in the lower Stannary on sunday, if any uni friends would like to come and get a free badge or some information from me! Today I learnt that that LGBT soc will be without a chair this academic year so I am considering putting myself forward for that, though I feel a little hesitant in doing that, being a mere humble bisexual (I should just pull myself together- right?).

Whilst we’re on the subject of homosexuality, may I take this opportunity to say that I am totally loving Diva mag right now! Loved the june feature about lesbian hair, and last months piece about gay women trapped in heterosexual marriage, an article which definitely offered me a lot of food for thought. Is it selfish to stay married to a man after realising you’re gay? I can’t say I have any idea having never been in that situation, but it does seem a little unfair.
Anywho, I was very eager to get my hands on september’s ‘Fat Issue’, being a lady who has had a fair few issues with her thighs over the years. I have now read October’s Diva and must say, I’m not entirely sure what to make of it. It’s not that I’m sizist, or have a problem with the larger ladies, but, I feel I may have missed a beat with this new heralding of Beth Ditto as the Queen of gorgeousity. Having been lucky enough to meet Beth at the launch of her range for Evans (which admittedly, I loved) I can see for myself that she is a beautiful, sexy woman- and on the same level, I have met plenty of ladies that are a size 6 or under and are also stunning. So- my problem is that we have a market for the super skinny chick, and we now have a market for the larger than life femme, but, there is no place in the mainstream media in which a normal, slightly curvy size 12 girl like myself can comfortably slot herself. I’m very aware that I’m no Kate Moss, but I’m also no Beth, in fact I’m only a 36B. As a healthy gal within her BMI, I am delighted to see women like Nigella Lawson putting the curvy lady back on the market, as was I pleased when I read this month’s Observer Women’s front-page feature on gorgeous plus size (14) model, Crystal Renn. I think part of my appeal with the ladies (and the gents) is that I’m not afraid of scoffing the odd custard slice, but am also just as happy tucking into a salad + sparkling water. So- where does this good-time slightly chubby gal go to get her kicks in the mainstream? It seems I have the option of either the gym to lose a few stone, or the bakery to gain a few. Goddamnit, I don’t really want to do either.

When I think back to why it is I fell in love with Bridget Jones (is that unfeminist to admit? Answers on a postcard!), I think it was her adorable tendancy to have one glass of wine or slice of pizza too many in one sitting, but to carry this excess off with oomph + bravado (along with the occasional trip to the gym) that got me. Bridget is a size 12 girl trying to get by in thin hell- television presenting, but remains lovable due to her ongoing chutzpah and slightly clueless tendancies. Bridget is flawed, she is essentially a binge drinker (also the devil I know) and has definite problems trying to maintain good hair and a good figure but, she remains defiant in the face of these trivoloties and is thus victorious. Did Bridget have the right idea all along? It’s half 9 on a tuesday and I’m all alone in my house. There’s only one way to find out…

Official Women’s Challenger..

So, I am officially one 5k run down! The Women’s Challenge went fantastically, with me managing to avoid tripping up/getting a stitch/wetting myself en route, and I even made quite good time, so giving up my beloved Marlboros was not in vein after all! I didn’t realise quite how emotional the day would be but a combination of power ballads on the speakers, physical exertion and the kindness of the crowds cheering everyone on meant I was in tears as I crossed the finish line. Being alongside so many women championing so many different causes, and hearing that collectively we’d raised an estimated £2.5m for charity warmed my cockles in a way that lighting up a cancer stick never could, and I’m grateful to have had the chance to be a part of The Women’s Challenge experience. As it stands I’ve raised £283.50 for Refuge, but reaching the £300 mark would be fantastic, my sponsorship page will remain open untill mid october so please give generously to www.justgiving.com/yasmineshref

Running has been a revelation for me this summer, having always considered myself somewhat of a flaneur yet never really a runner, by any means. The first tentative jog I had back in May this year left me dripping in sweat, red in the face and breathless, but also had me instantly hooked to the super endorphin rush that running gives. It’s become more than important to me, being a somewhat meditative activity, now. I’ve found increasingly that being alone with my thoughts and my running shoes gives my mind much more clarity than all the yoga/vodka/literature in the world ever could. I am thinking of pushing myself a little further next year, in fact, a lot further, by signing up to run a half marathon. It’s been an ambition of mine to do the full jobby for a long time now, and I hope that in 2010 my graduation and burgeoning independance will encourage me to push myself to achieve bigger and better things, and bigger and better calf muscles. I will continue to run on my sporting activities, although now that winter is upon us they may be slightly more limited.. tales from the Gym anyone? No?

Today has been mostly about organising and getting up to scratch with my writing, as I have submissions for The F Word, Felt and Fallopian Falafel magazine coming up (.. F**K!). For The F Word I am doing a piece trying to garner publicity for the upcoming Feminism in London event which I will again, urge everyone to attend. Please do come along and mention the event to anyone you think may be interested, I’ve been trying to enlist everyone from gal pals to unconvinced macho men for the big day! I will also be writing about my experience at The Women’s Challenge so please do keep your eyes peeled. For Felt I will be writing a short piece on motherhood, and am delighted this piece of work will be featured in a zine as, as much as I love seeing my name bandied around blogs, in my heart of hearts I’m still totally a print gal. Felt is a new publication, the brainchild of a group of great creative minds including my wonderful friend Amy O’Leary (www.amycorrineoleary.com). With Felt still a wee baby I can’t write too much about it just yet, but am very excited about being part of the team and will blog soon with more info! Last but not least
Fallopian Falafel is a publication I am delighted to be working with for the second time, it being the most prolific of its (limited) kind, an Israeli-based feminist zine. I am very aware of the pressures on women in Israeli society, and am incredibly inspired by Editor-In-Chief Hadass Ben-Ari’s decision to highlight these problems and call for positive changes to be made. The theme of Issue #10 of FF is a dark one, Rape and Sexual Violence. I am not sure what I will write about for this issue, although it does bring me (nicely?) on to a recent gripe I had, with none other than one of this country’s most succesful female entrepraneurs, Jordan. Last week’s OK! Magazine’s front cover featured a photo of Miss Price looking as glamorous and beautiful as ever, next to the headline ‘I’ve been raped’.

Now, I’m not for one second suggesting this claim isn’t horrible- it is deeply upsetting and unsettling. I’m also not suggesting that Jordan’s decision to speak out about her abuse won’t be helpful towards other victims- I’m sure it will help a lot of women forward their own rape experiences, which can only be a positive thing. The issue I have with Katie and her dark confession is that I can’t help but feel the whole thing smacks of commodification. It seems like there isn’t much without a price on it for Miss Price.

Am I being unfair? I’m interested in Jordan’s self confessed feminism, and whether she she is ultimately, an inspiring female figure. If anyone would like to email their opinion to loveallthepeople@gmail.com, I’ll try to hash out a more rational argument some time soon. I have to run now, have a yiddish lunch date in Golders Green and I don’t wanna leave the chicken soup waiting! I’ll be away from this thursday through till monday so any emails sent after today I won’t be able to answer untill early next week, but please do write me

Yasmin

Running up that hill.

Well, hello!

I am writing my last post before I officially become Yasmin Eshref, Feminist Activist and Charity Runner (the time is indeed upon us www.justgiving.com/yasmineshref)
I’m totally stoked about my run and the support I’ve got has been pretty overwhelming so a massive thank you to Refuge, Adidas and all my wonderful friends and family who have donated, helped me train, listened to me rant about my shin splints and to the cute guy in Golders Park who gave me his number so we could ‘train together’, I might yet give you a call! I will be blogging within the week to talk about my experience but will also be writing an official review of the event for The F Word so keep your eyes peeled My sponsorship page will remain open for the next three months so please give what you can, Refuge are a wonderful charity who deserve all the support in the world, and I gave up smoking for this, damnit!

As usual I’ll be adding my quintessential femininity (lol..) to the day by running in pink, with plenty of waterproof mascara on and some pretty sweet monochrome Sambas. I’d like to wish everyone taking part all the best love and luck in the world, and give a little premature congratulations to you all- Mazel Tov!

I’m gonna try to get some kip in now before I make my way to Hyde Park at about 8 tomorrow morning but I have plenty of exciting things to blog about this week, a bit of the old Fine Art action revolving around a trip to Abstract America at the Saatchi Gallery, and I also attended a wonderful talk given by Grayson Perry at the British Museum last night, man, he really is my favourite transvestite potter. In feminist news, I attended my second Feminism in London meeting, have registered as a steward for the upcoming Reclaim the Night event, have organised work with some really exciting companies for the next few weeks (don’t want to say too much too soon but.. watch this space!) and also, just got in from watching the fabulously kitsch Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! at the BFI, a campy feminist classic indeed (three go go dancers go on a sexy killing spree in the desert, this time around gratuitous violence has big hair and a cleavage). Also, I will be volunteering for Choose What You Read this monday, and will give a write up of my bookish fun some time soon. So, please do keep reading, I’m so chuffed by all the positive response + reader feedback I’ve had so far, so thank you.

Yaz

Links:

My Sponsorship page- www.justgiving.com/yasmineshref

The Adidas Women’s Challenge-www.womenschallenge.co.uk

Refuge: www.refuge.org.uk

Choose What You Read- www.choosewhatyouread.com

Feminism in London- http://www.fil.btik.com/p_Home.ikml

Reclaim the Night-www.reclaimthenight.org

Faster Pussycat! Kill Kill!-http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059170/

Abstract America-http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/abstract_america_painting_sculpture/

The F Word- www.thefword.org.uk

Boris, keep your promise.

Okay, so, topically, I shall be blogging about the Rape Crisis in Crisis/Boris keep your promise campaign. For those of you who haven’t been following, BKYP is the backlash towards Mr Johnson’s unacceptable change of policy with regards to rape crisis funding here in the capital. I have lifted this information from the official facebook group, available at: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=99966938383&ref=ts

There is only one remaining Rape Crisis centre for the whole of London. That’s one small centre for 3.9 million women. The staff and volunteers who run the centre work with constant danger of closing over their heads and can never be sure that their core funding costs can be met from year to year. During the run-up to his election, Boris Johnson promised, with much PR fanfare, to cut 20% from the City Hall press and pr budget and give the resulting £744,000 every year to Rape Crisis for at least 4 years.Our campaign aim is taken from Boris’ election manifesto and is very simple. We want the £744,000 a year to fund the current centre and open three more. That’s what he promised and that’s what we want him to deliver. No watering down, no disseminating funds to other organisations, no passing the buck to other funding bodies. Simply to keep his promise. £744,000 a year to fund the current centre and open three more. An election manifesto commitment is an election manifesto commitment.

 … A true enough statement. Why then has Boris’ initial figure of almost £3m spread across 4 years been reduced to a (actually pretty paltry) £1.4m?. Your guess is as good as mine. My guess feels horrendously cynical but, perhaps it’s because the government in this country just do not see rape crisis as real crisis. Over the last decade or so what advancements have we seen made in terms of help for the sexually abused in this country? Let’s see there was the er, Rape Crisis centre in Croydon opening up, excellent, then there was the er.. oh, don’t forget about the.. Damn it! I don’t want to accuse our government of doing nothing to help rape victims but considering this country has a £9.3bn investment policy for the 2012 Olmpics it’s pretty dissapointing that there isn’t more investment of time, money or effort on behalf of our UK politicians. I mean, you’d think no one ever got raped in London. Sexual violence, though potentially the worst injury one can incur behind murder (though often enough the two go hand in hand) seems to have an unfortunate habit of being dismissed and sidelined as a serious crime. I can understand people’s disillusionment with the awful, awful women in the media who cry wolf- rape and I can understand how people could feel confused about whether consent is still consent when it’s made inebriated. I don’t go around forcing people to acknowledge the atrocity of rape but what I do take umbrage at is the ridiculous, archaic notion that men and women who are raped have somehow asked for it or brought it upon themselves. I can think of certain writers in certain newspapers (uh oh, libel) who would be speedy to forward the notion that a woman who is drunk, or a woman who goes out in hotpants and a bikini, or perhaps a woman who is physically amorous but draws the line at sex are all asking to be raped. That viewpoint sickens me, and it also makes it impossible for rape to escape this negative dichotomy it’s found itself in. How are people supposed to understand how terrible a crime it is when it isn’t represented as such? There are just way too many high profiled figures talking about sexual abuse in flippant terminology. For instance, MP Nicholas Eriksen’s comment that

Rape is simply sex. Women enjoy sex, so rape cannot be such a terrible ordeal. To suggest that rape, when conducted without violence, is a serious crime is like suggesting that force-feeding a woman chocolate cake is a heinous offence. A woman would be more inconvenienced by having her handbag snatched.

Oh yeah, rape, that’s pretty bad but nothing compares to the time my Vuitton got nicked! If it’s okay for Eriksen to reduce women to walking handbag stands and chocolate gorgers, its easy enough for rape crisis funding to be cut for the sad fact of the matter that rape just isn’t recognised strongly enough as an ordeal, in this country.

What’s being done to change this? The Boris Keep Your Promise group rallied on the 20th July this year, and managed to accost ol’ BJ himself here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjcaRzAUiXc Excellent work, girls! But this is just the start. The group continue to work for the entire fufilment of Boris’ initial pledge, and I personally am not sure there are many worthier causes in this country. I couldn’t find any up to date rape statistics, though I did read that last year 2,298 cases were reported in the UK. Considering the problems we have with rape report and conviction, god knows how close the actual end figure is to that (already shockingly high) number, but I think I could safely say we could at least double the report claims and still be spare. It is an insult to these victims that they do not have the support or money from the government for rehabilitation. It is an insult to the intelligance of the voting public who recognise rape as a horrendous crime and abuse of human rights.  Boris, keep your promise.

I am urging all readers to sign the 38 degrees petition to increase crisis funding, at http://www.38degrees.org.uk/boriskeepyourpromise. Hopefully together we can begin to instigate positive changes. Donations can also be made at www.boriskeepyourpromise.org.uk or at http://rasasc.bizview.co.uk/

Other BKYP/Rape Crisis in Crisis links at:

www.twitter.com/BKYP

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zY1IIcZACWQ

Thanks for reading and apologises if this post is a little ranty, I have more than a little steam on this issue.

 

Yasmin.

 

 

Girl power, boy power.

Good Afternoon!

So, last night was my first meeting with the Feminism in London group (http://www.fil.btik.com/p_Home.ikml) and it went superbly. The night started off as any great monday might- in a flat in East London with wine + pizza galore, whilst we chatted and found out about eachother’s backgrounds. Or at least, I found out about everyone else’s background, being the newest member of the team As far as I can tell I’m the only North Londoner in the bunch- N11 represent! I do love Bounds Green, though it’s not exactly an inspiring place to be sometimes.

So anyway, pizza finished and glasses drained, the group moved on to the organisational side of things. For the last few months the FIL team have been working flat out to ensure stall holders, speakers and volunteers aplenty, so the day promises to be educational, sharp and sassy. I personally am most looking forward to seeing the talk by Denise Marshall, a woman who has championed so much incredible humanitarian work in her lifetime. She is a true inspiration, as are all the participants on the FIL programme, and I would urge whoever can, to attend it if possible. The day is unisex, and there’s been plenty of male participation, with the London Pro-Feminist men’s group hosting both the creche for the day, and their own talk ‘What are the issues for pro-feminist men?’ being hosted. The bio for the LPFM talk is:

In this workshop we’ll be discussing the role of men in gender politics and activism, and asking “How do men’s life issues relate to the struggle for feminism?” We’ll probably also split into gender specific groups at some point to talk more about our personal experiences and ideas.

I’m delighted at the participation of the LPFM, being someone who feels uneasy that her characterisation as ‘feminist’ may be synonymous with the term ‘man hater’. I’ve got a handful of great male friends who support me in everything I do, except this paticular aspect of my life. I don’t think that’s out of ignorance, or misogynistic tendancies, in fact I know that it isn’t, it’s just a lack of understanding, I guess. I think that most of my boyfriends, despite knowing me as a free love type have got feminism pinned as some sort of path to castration, a stomping ground for SCUM enthusiasts alike (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SCUM_Manifesto …dearie me).

What can I do to dispell this myth? I’m not really sure. I have bust length brown hair, get regular waxes, paint my nails on a weekly basis, wear a wonderbra most days and never leave the house without make up on. So.. in terms of looking like an archetypal feminist, I’m sure I’m not reinforcing any stereotypes. Whilst I wouldn’t class myself as a red blooded heterosexual chick, I’ve had plenty of emotional and physical interaction with men and am open to plenty more. Heck.. I’d even marry a guy, that’s how open minded I am! I think that feminism even though now propergated by plenty of beautiful, liberal women (straight and gay, young and old alike) is in desperate need of an image change. We need to shake the constraints of ‘butch’, ’cause whilst I’m all for ladies cutting off their hair and burning their bras if they so wish, we have the choice to also do everything in 6inch heels and rollers. I suppose for me, that is the premise at the heart of feminism, and I can think of a fair few men that would agree with that.

Next event I have lined up is the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend which should be an awesome whirlwind of booze + samba, hopefully I’ll be able to get some pictures up then also. Last thing I want to say is a very Happy Birthday to the beautiful Miss Amy O, lots of love to you xxx

Baby, baby, baby.

This post is officially kiddie themed. Toy trucks + dollies at the ready.. (ladies + gentlemen, please mix it up)

It’s been a great work week for me for a lot of reasons, first off the article I wrote on baby naming for badass feminist zine Fallopian Falafel has been published, and can be read online at www.fallopianfalafel.blogspot.com. I’m on pages 21-22, the zine can be downloaded for free off the blog or purchased in paper edition, and being a lady who loves having little mags to flick through dotted around my house and handbag, I’m more of a fan of print. But, please do read my article and let me know what you think of it Within the latest issue there is also a poem I wrote, Wardrobe Woman. I named the piece such as it is about that paradigm of backstreet abortion bleakness- the coat hanger. For issue 9 of FF the theme was Pregnancy and Motherhood, and I found initially when sitting down to plan my articles I was completely inundated with ideas to work with. Obviously it’s not been a great pro-choice year with Dr George Tiller’s horrific death at the hands of pro-lifers happening back in May, but there were a lot of positive things I found to write about as well- ever increasing support for maternity leave, more wide spread legalisation of abortion and, oh heck, the sheer cuteness of babies and all things baby related (y’know.. there’ve been times when I’ve wandered into Baby Gap just to look at the eensy weensy trainers… aww). So, thanks to all my girlfriends who gave me ideas to work with, hopefully one day in the future we can all be pregnant + bitch together.

Speaking of which, I’ve found of late my maternal instincts have been fufilled by my attempts to chart the pregnancy of one of my best friends, Siana. With her I have attended antenatal yoga classes (courtesy of www.yogabalance.co.uk, The Regents Park Hub), tried to empathise with through nausea, mood swings and cravings (all the lady wants is pastry) and shopped for countless new bras, after her chest transformed from a humble 32C to a magnificent 36F. Siana’s pregnancy has been fascinating to me, and I wish her and her husband all the best love and luck in the world for when their son is born in early october. I would also like to give a shout out to www.knitlist.com for their fabulous, painfree Oh Baby Baby! bootie pattern, which I used to rustle up some cute little red booties for the Gleitzman-Mauritz couple, cause y’know, blue would’ve just been a little too obvious..

Incidentally a few weeks ago I found myself in the (somewhat awkward) position of having to semi-explain homosexuality to my 5 year old sister and 8 year old brother. I went along to the super fun, though very wet (behave.. it was raining) Gay Pride march in Brighton, and after announcing this to my (middle class but open minded) family, found that my younger siblings had pretty much zilch idea of what being gay actually is. Obviously I wasn’t about to go all Wildean on them, so I pretty much skirted around everything except the basic notion of a man being with a man and in turn, a woman being with a woman. I’m fairly certain they didn’t understand and, despite me feeling pretty comfortable with discussions on sexuality, I felt oddly at a loss trying to explain. Breaking down romantic love to children is difficult whether that be based on hetero or homosexual desires, and obviously the birds and the bees are a different kettle of fish entirely. So, I am wondering how others have approached this subject? I’m potentially looking at writing an article on helping children understand what love is, in any shape or form. I’m interested in the views of parents and non parents, gays + straights, men, women, teens, adults, OAPS, students and criminals all inclusive. So if anyone wants to help me out, as many words as you fancy to loveallthepeople@gmail.com, please.

Another on going project of mine is a giant sculpture I’ve been trying to make for two years now, using as many barbie dolls as I can find/afford. My working title is Kama Sutra + whilst I hate to be so trite with my use of a typical sexualised female as object- it’s been easy to afford keeping the little lady in my life by way of charity shops + having an easily bored little sister. Anyway, I thought perhaps I’d write some kind of accompaniment for the thing, and have purchased  Yona Zeldis McDonough’s The Barbie Chronicles. I’ll admit straight up, I’m a sucker for cool cover art and I’m actually a bit of a sucker for the barbie aesthetic, though in a purely couture sense. Anyway, the book ticked all the right boxes for me based on appearances, and also with its inclusion of an essay by Erica Jong! Consider my frivolous purchase academically justified.

I looked at a wide range of Barbies and other dollies at a recent trip to The Museum of Childhood, Bethnal Green. I saw the wonderful Roald Dahl + Quentin Blake exhibition, but also forgot how much I loved the entire collection, I think the last time I visited probably was when I was a wee little girl! Anyway, the dolls section was of a paticular interest because me and my friend Lucy got to see Barbie in various cultural and periodical stages, along with another blast from the past in doll form- Sindy! Did anyone else have a Sindy doll? Does anyone have a Sindy doll? She’d definitely be welcome in my Kama Sutra, if so! This blog is strictly non prejudice, naturally.

So anyway, we saw a doll that was over 2000 years old, and not much more than a glorified twig (fun!), and also, a very odd pregnant doll that had a detachable bump + foetus. I know little girls like to play Mummy but- really?! I’m not sure that way back when Mary had a detachable bump, immaculate conception or not. So, that was a little weird. But, we saw a 8 foot robot, which was awesome, and a chair made entirely of pom poms, which, due to my deep crafting love, I wanted to buy on the spot.

Anyway, Lucy and I continued our big kids day out with a trip to Jeff Koon’s exhibition Popeye at the Serpentine gallery. I’m a big fan of Mr Koons, and I really enjoyed some aspects of this exhibition (though not all, if truth be told). It consisted of a series of paintings (primarily of Popeye + Olive Oyl) alongside some truly innovative sculpture work. For the exhibition, Koons cast kids inflatable toys in aluminium, and then painted the casts so they looked uncannily like the original item. Example:

http://cultureshoq.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/jeff-koons-london1.jpg

I’d definitely recommend going to see the exhibition, whilst I haven’t played on any sort of inflatable animal for quite some time (soberly) I was totally impressed by the likeness of the sculptures, and they were all displayed in really interesting ways- inside dustbins, hanging from chains on the ceiling and balanced on chairs, ala Mr Lobster, up above. I’m not sure what the feeling I took away from the exhibition was, I suppose for me it was little more than kitschy thrills, but I’m not the sort of Art fan who wants to have a life changing experience every time I step foot in a gallery. For me the whole thing was flashy, and dare I say, a little shallow, but that’s not to say not engaging and stimulating. Thumbs up.

I think for now, I’ve run out of steam on the subject of childhood, so will depart with a few great links on fun without an age limit.

First off it’s the awesome Colours are Brighter album. The CD is advertised as ‘Songs for children and grown ups too’ and plenty of super musicians have contributed, including personal favourites Four Tet and Belle + Sebastian. The album has plenty of silly, imaginative songs on, and at my grand old age of 22, I always enjoy a good sing a long to it. Linkage: http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000HOMLNS/ref=s9_simz_gw_s0_p15_i1?pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-1&pf_rd_r=0813526AVYB81Y4A2H1E&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=467198433&pf_rd_i=468294

Next up we have a nostalgic joy: crayon perfume! http://www.perpetualkid.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2359 Demeter do a range of fun scents including Cotton Candy, Birthday Cake and perhaps worryingly, Glue Cologne, but for me, Crayons are a personal favourite. I’ve never grown out of enjoying crayon doodling, and I just love smelling my hands after I’ve had a good session. The perfume is great for more serious occasions in life- for spritzing on before big meetings or any sort of Arts event.. after all crayons are the last word in stylised creativity!

Last off- how pretty is this pink Lego ring from Etsy? http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=29188492&ref=sr_gallery_11&&ga_search_query=lego+ring&ga_search_type=handmade&ga_page=&order=date_desc&includes[]=tags&includes[]=title ..WANT.

I think now I will wander off to bed, sans story as it is so very late but excited about my pilgrimage to Blackpool Pleasure Beach tomorrow! Definitely gonna be hitting up a few rides.. and playing on the pier. Much love,

Yasmin

and I reach the world of wordpress.

Shalom..

Have joined up to ye olde word press to let everyone know what i’m doing these days, in case my stream of facebook updates wasn’t enough. Follow me through feminist protests, lifestyle journalistic ventures, training for a fun run and general crafting pornography. I hope to get some work up here soon, so I can add credibility to my musings- thus said, I’ll still be blogging in pink. Much love. xxx