The Striped Socks Project

So every night before I go to bed I try to listen to a Podcast. I dunno… just a little habit I picked up. Last night, I listened to the feminist frenzy podcast. On this episode they were talking about guilty pleasures. It was probably about 5 feminists talking about things they know they shouldn't really like (being such strong feminists) yet they do.I really enjoyed it so I wanted to talk about my guilty pleasures and why they are guilty pleasures.

So sigh… I have a confession to make. I have a few guilty pleasures. But in my defense i’m trying to ween myself off of them (i’m doing better). So to start off I think a big feminist guilty pleasure would have to be my sort of addiction to shows like TMZ and other gossipy things. Another would have to be of course certain music I listen to. Yes I admit a lot of it is very sexist and objectifies womens bodies to the point where it gets confusing.

WITH THAT BEING SAID…haha In my defense, like I said its gotten a lot better than it was probably this time last year. And I must say that I haven’t used the word “Bitch” in a long long time (not saying that it cant be used to empower, but thats another post).

So while listening to these women talk it had me asking why these things were guilty pleasures, and can they still be enjoyed with out making you feel “guilt”. I think that a lot of the times at least for feminist we sometimes call these things guilty pleasures not because they are bad, but because we aren’t going with the stereotypical prototype of being a feminist. So should we feel bad that we aren’t the closed off to pop culture, that we sometimes get labeled as? I think it also goes to the fact of “Are we able to enjoy these things, if we KNOW they aren’t as good as something else for us”. So maybe what i’m trying to say is, are they having such a bad effect on us if we can point out the sexism and misogynistic views. And when we point them are are we ignoring them. Or in a way are we internalizing them. Its kind of a tightrope.

I think a lot of the times we can listen to mainstream media without internalizing it. And sometimes I think we should be allowed to listen to things. So I just noticed while typing this out that I’ve used the word “allowed” a few times. I think for feminists we sometimes don’t allow ourselves to listen to things because they go against what a lot of things feminists stand for. With that being said, a lot of feminists believe that the main part of feminism is to have a “choice”. So who is it really to say what is guilty and what is good for us. Sometimes the answers can be feminist ourselves.

A lot of times for example when I talk to my mom she makes choices that I wouldn’t make myself. Sometimes I examine everything with my Super Feminist Magnifying Glass. I think when this does happen I tell her my opinion of things, but at the end of the day yes its her decision of what she does with her life. I know she knows that, so when she asks I do give her my feminist opinion haha, knowing she will either take it or leave it.

Ive also noticed that for me, when im listening to certain things I kind of don’t even like them as much anymore, because feminism has matured me so much within just a year. I think when I turn on my ipod and (don’t kill me please haha) a Lil Wayne song comes on I a lot of the times skip it because I don’t want it to mess up the feminist high Ive been on as of late. Haha Its like “Please Lil Wayne… Stop calling me a Bitch please?”

So in guess what im saying is, I think that we can as feminists listen to things that may be a tad bit sexist, because of course its our choice of what we listen. I do feel that even though we can listen to these things, we have to be careful of how much of a certain thing we internalize. When you internalize you sometimes accept it as being just the way things work, and that’s when it gets kind of confusing. Have your guilty pleasures become so bad since you’ve been a feminist that you totally ignore them now?

I think as long as you know what your listening to or accepting into your life and know which ones to screen out as bad, then your guilty pleasures aren’t really that guilt ridden. And hey maybe we shouldnt feel as bad about them after all.

So Ive given up my feminist guilty pleasure… Its only fair that you tell me yours!

:D

Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:52:31 -0500

This was submitted by MmmFeminism.Tumblr.com

You should totally check her out.

Open Call for Submissions!

Sun, 16 May 2010 15:47:00 -0400

The Striped Socks Project can always use submissions! We’re all about women in music. And we’re totally feminist. So send your stuff in! Submissions accepted via our ask page and email: stripedsocksproject (at) gmail (dot) com

Not inclined to submit something, but want to recommend a woman/band? We love suggestions!

We can especially use suggestions for rap/hiphop, jazz, and ‘world’ artists.

(Reblogging this would be hugely appreciated, too!)

Coming Soon! If you have suggestion for women in music and/or...

Sun, 09 May 2010 11:44:54 -0400

Coming Soon!

If you have suggestion for women in music and/or submissions about women, women in music, and/or feminism submit ‘em HERE!

The F Bomb.org

Wed, 28 Apr 2010 21:42:16 -0400

The F Bomb.org:

This is a great feminist blog, by and for teens. They touch on everything from school to politics to LGBTQ issues to music.

Smart Girls at the Party

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 18:54:48 -0400

Smart Girls at the Party:

Smart Girls at the Party is a fabulous web series by Amy Poehler, Meredith Walker, and Amy Miles, which

celebrates girls who are changing the world by being themselves

Check it out!

“Barbie Eat a Sandwich” by Care Bears on Fire Band...

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:12:00 -0400

“Barbie Eat a Sandwich” by Care Bears on Fire

Band bio (from their facebook page)

Sophie (lead vocals, guitarist, 13 years old), Izzy (drummer, 13 years old) and Jena (Bass, 14 years old) are Care Bears On Fire. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY, the young band have become favorites on the New York City club scene, winning over the most jaded hipsters with their authentic punk spirit and songs that capture the experience of being a kid with attitude and humor. The 8th Graders have already been featured on NPR, USA Today, The Cartoon Network and many more while Sophie was also featured in Converse’s acclaimed “Three Chords” commercial, playing an acoustic version of their first single, “Everybody Else,” featured on their forthcoming album. Care Bears on Fire are punk meets garage, straight out of a Brooklyn basement. Or as Spin Magazine puts it, “With their blasé vocals and two chord vamps, this trio are old-school classicists dressed up in Chuck Taylors.” As the song chorus goes: “Nanananananana, I don’t want to be like everybody else!,” it’s become quite clear, Care Bears on Fire aren’t like everybody else. They’re the real deal.

The Striped Socks Story

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 21:05:00 -0400

I was at a local coffee shop, waiting on my coffee, and standing next to a mother and daughter. I estimated the girl’s age at about 11.

I noticed her mainly because of her flamboyant clothing choices. She was wearing a hoodie/poncho combination thing. With a little button. She had on flipflops with socks.

Not just any socks. Purple striped toe socks. Except they were sort of toeless socks, similar to fingerless gloves.

I thought “Ha. I like those socks” and, then, “I should tell her that”. So I glanced over and said with a smile, “I like your socks”. She beamed back and said, “Thank you.”

I mean BEAMED. In a matter of seconds, I saw across her face pride and joy. It was obvious that she was at an age where she was experimenting with clothing as an expression of her personality. Also, she was probably a bit quirky. My simple comment validated her decision.

The next thing I thought was “I wish I had a mix tape to give her”. Which translates to “I wish I had a mix CD of pro-woman, feminist, girl-positive music to give her. To share with a fellow eccentric.”

Recently I read a story about a girl who, in the early 90s, was on public transit, and a stranger handed her a mix tape. The tape turned out to be a bunch of Riot Grrrl bands. Oddly enough, the two ran into each other a couple years later, and when questions about why she had passed along the tape, the stranger said simply, “I don’t know, you just looked like a Riot Grrrl”.

How cool would it be if there were CDs with pro-girl messages to pass along to girls, especially at those critical ages where they’re developing self-esteem and learning to interact with the adult world? What if those CDs didn’t just have awesome music, but if they included liner notes with a statement encouraging those girls to continue being true to themselves? Heck, what if it was actually a mini ‘zine (in Riot Grrrl spirit), with the CD as a sort of companion EP? What if these pro-woman ideas weren’t just always given to girls, but sometimes fell into the hands of boys?

It wouldn’t just be cool. It would be fantastic. Maybe even radical.

That’s what the Striped Socks Project is setting out to do.

The ‘zines will be produced periodically, and available for download here. CDs will not be available due to copyright laws. (If we receive submissions from bands/artists who wish to have their music included and available, those may become available.)

The Striped Socks Project is always accepting submissions at: stripedsocksproject (at) gmail (dot) com or via the ASK page

Submissions can be writing (articles, poems, etc.) or artwork.