Tit for Tat or What Would Sekhmet Do?

Today we have a story of tit for tat....or is it the other way around?

My thanks go out to devildoll at Live Journal (who noted this outré version of Mary Jane) and to logansrogue (who drew the Spiderman/Peter Parker companion piece) for giving me a very good laugh on a Monday morning. As women we sometimes become desensitized to the constant, commercial use of our bodies-as-objects in order to sell anything under the sun. I find it interesting (and heartening) to see how outraged these young women got at seeing one of their fictional heroines treated in this way. Good for them.

Today I want a new bumper sticker. It should say: What Would Sekhmet Do? Like a lot of Pagans, I'm very comfortable with nudity. But I have to wonder, why is she doing his laundry? Ah, the ideal woman: She picks up after him just like his mom, but she looks like a stripper while she does it. It's.....so very 60's. One would think that this Mary Jane was serving on the original Enterprise.

For more on the subject of Mary Jane, and her place in the plot of Spiderman III, see Spiders, Sluts and Misogynists by Justin Nisly. (1) Also check out this website: Feminist Science Fiction, Fantasy & Utopia

And now for something completely different A story about Leonard Nimoy and his second book of photographs, all taken of large, curvy women. You can read more about this in Alas A Blog, and in Big Fat Blog.


His-story:

A discussion over at The Wildhunt Blog on Ronald Hutton's new book, and a comment there by Hecate reminded me of this poem by Monique Wittig. I first encountered it (and the writer) in college:

There was a time
when you were not a slave,
remember that

You walked alone,
full of laughter,
you bathed bare-bellied.

You may have lost all recollection of it,
remember...

You say there are not words to describe it,
you say it does not exist.
but remember,
make an effort to remember,
or, failing that,
invent.

Not everyone is a fan of Hutton's. I suggest that you read more than one book on early Britain, and decide for yourself. Personally, I think that Triumph of the Moon is one of the best books ever written about the development of modern Pagan culture.

Her-story:

Since we are once again on the subject of women, imagery, and self esteem check out Why Women Need a Goddess by Carol P. Christ.

Enjoy,

Sia

Update 5/17/07:

Fox has picked up the story and quoted an article by blogger Sleestak titled Mary Jane, The Other White Meat.

Note: For those among us who love words here is a note, and yet another note on the origin of the phrase "Tit for Tat".

Off the Shelf:

Fiction:
Desiree by Annemarie Seliniko A merchant's daughter makes history...and then some. Based on a true story.

History:
The Hysteric's Revenge: French Women Writers at the Fin De Siecle by Rachel Mesch, lecturer in the French Department at Barnard College.

Druids: A History by Ronald Hutton (just published)

Art: This is a photo of a Halloween ornament in my collection. We call her Miss Thing.