#i have issues with the feminism in the show its not 100% awesome all the time

[dietmezzaninesheep-blog]

She has bathed

She has bathed in beetroot, set her nipple on fire and has spent 16 hours at a time on camera. Another camgirl, Heidi, 23, has bright blue hair and once sat on a kitchen bench and painted herself while more than 40 men – paying customers - tuned in to watch. I met Anna because she flatly offered to talk to me — clothed or unclothed — in exchange for money. She's Romanian, a model from a region with a reputation for sordid conditions and rapacious studio owners. If there were a dark side to the industry, she'd at least be nestled closest to it. But when her camera first flipped on for me, I didn't see the stained walls of a prostitute's den. Instead: a bright, modern apartment inhabited by a bright, modern girl. In her pink underwear. Anna embodies almost every delightful stereotype an American brain can hold over a young girl from Romania. At 24, she's clever — even cunning — sarcastically flirtatious in a way that makes you want to check your back pocket, and possesses stunning slavic beauty.Yes, they work even when they have their periods. This model says she fortunately has "the world's shortest, lightest periods" so she just chooses to do shows that don't require her to remove her underwear while wearing a tampon and then occasionally takes a day off if she feels like it. Makes sense.

So as I sat there, in front of my laptop, I thought to myself, Why didnt I just respond the way that I normally do when somebody proclaims something which I dont agree with? Why didnt I just say, firmly but reasonably, you are wrong and these are the reasons why… Perhaps it was because it was so personal, that I felt like for once, I wasnt defending femininity as a whole, but just myself. Which on the surface would seem like a less daunting task, but for me it left me stumped. I knew that I was a feminist and it wasnt often that I had to justify myself to anybody. I was used to breaking down all the reasons that men used to justify their behavior.The important thing is to keep a paying client online for as many minutes as possible.I knew then, that before I could construct a cohesive argument to put toward my friend, that I needed to take another look at the situation from a broader perspective. I knew that if I came at it purely from my own personal experience that I would ultimately fail. Firstly, I needed to find out if the topic had been discussed at length already - I had heard bits and pieces about the industry and its link to feminism but this time I immersed myself. When I typed in feminism and stripping there was more material than I ever would have possibly imagined, and I read article after article after article.Theres so much free porn that I feel webcamming is more of a personal one-on-one. You can go online and find any ol stuff, but webcamming is more personal; its tailored exactly to what you want and what youre looking for. Youre not sharing it with 100 thousand other people. This is your show. Most of the time you build up a relationship, I talk to you as a friend and I respect you as a person. How has your day been, what did you get from the shops, what are you cooking for dinner… its like an online relationship.

Some guys they date are actually really understanding of their profession. While odds are that she has exes who weren't totally cool with it, she says she's dated men who have been "incredibly supportive and understanding" once she was honest about what was happening. "I explained, 'No one is touching me. I set my boundaries. I will never meet these people. I don't know their names, where they live, or what they look like. I do only what I want, when I want, how I want to, at the touch of my own hand. I end anything if I feel weird.'" Once they had that chat, she says it wasn't an issue, which is awesome. I had the opportunity to watch her cam, and I realized that she has a persona when she’s camming—in the same way that a lot of media people do. It’s not like she’s drastically different, but there’s a version of herself that she shares with people while shes at work in the same way that an actress would go on a talk show and be the sweeter, funnier, more engaged version of herself. She puts on a show, and gives her best, sexiest performance, reading what the client wants, asking questions, and taking directions. All the while, she’s sort of straddling the line between sexual partner, therapist, and moral supporter. It’s a ton of emotional labor—like any type of sex work. I think we often forget that being a sex worker is essentially working in the service industry.Some of the girls broadcast risqué photos of themselves for free using sites like Instagram and Tumblr while others only use sites which require payment before viewing. I was shocked and cut the conversation short because a) I felt like I didnt need to deal with such negative bullshit and b) I needed to get ready for my next show. But her words lingered in my mind all night. The moment that somebody questions my stance on feminism I get overwhelmingly upset, as it is a cause that I put my heart and soul into. It is in everything that I do and say and it is in how I perceive the world. Feminism has come to be in every essence of my being, and having somebody question my core beliefs was incredibly jarring. CONTINUED BELOW...

[fandomforward]

This Week in Wizard Activism: #BelieveSurvivors, Azkabanned Books Week, and Owls For Hope!

By Jessica Rozycki

Owls of Hope: Teamwork makes the dream work!

We officially have partners for Owls of Hope, our project to send letters to refugees letting them know that they are welcomed and loved in our communities.! We’ll be sending letters to newly resettled refugees in Dallas, TX through For the Nations Refugee Outreach and the Northwest Community Center. Letters submitted through the website will be hand-delivered by our very own Press Specialist & Copywriter, Devra Dato-on, who will also assist with a Resource Distribution Day at the Northwest Community Center. We can’t wait to see photos and read about Devra’s deliveries! For those writing from outside the U.S., your letters will be submitted to Any Refugee and sent to a refugee await resettlement in camps around the world. We’re at 74 owls this week already! Add your owl and help us reach 100!

The reasons books get banned often have us thinking there’s another issue.

Because the truth is, the stories told in banned books are some of the most important out there. For Banned Books Week, we’re sharing about books that not only feature stories of refugees and immigrants, but also prove that diverse communities with rich cultural tapestries enrich everyone’s lives. Share your favorite banned book with us on social media for (Azka)banned Books Week!

HPA Staffer of the Week!

We want you to know more about the Senior and Volunteer Staff that make the HPA tick! Sara Mortensen, Campaigns Manager, was nominated for this week! All of Sara’s awesomeness resides in San Diego and she has fearlessly defied the rules of the Sorting Hat and has dubbed herself a Ravenpuff. She is super passionate about reproductive justice, intersectional feminism, and literacy.

Sara remembers one of her first social justice actions being a phone call to one of her representatives while watching an HPA livestream a few years ago on National Library Legislative Day. While Sara isn’t a fan of making phone calls and never thought it was something she’d ever do, she thought Janae, Katie, and Jack made it look so easy! Since then she’s called her reps so. many. times. and has also written letters & postcards, attended protests, and participated in phone banking! Thanks for being such a dedicated activist, Sara!

Here are some extra questions for funsies:

How do you feel about pickles on pizza? I’m willing to give it a try!

If you were a potato, what kind would you be? 100% I would be sweet potato fries

Fave HP book and why (or favorite book of all time)? HP Book: Prisoner of Azkaban almost solely for the Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs chapter. When I was younger I would re-read that chapter over and over again! All-Time: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss!

Last show you binge watched? American Vandal! As someone who loves true crime podcasts and documentaries, this is SUCH a good parody while also being a completely compelling mystery on its own! This second season had such an interesting underlying message about teenagers and how we use the internet that I’m still thinking about!

Favorite class you’ve ever taken in school? I was lucky enough to study abroad in Rome my junior year of college and one of my classes was an on-site art history class, meaning each class took place at a different ruin, church, museum around the city. I had class at the Colosseum, Roman Forum, St. Peters, and tons of other really cool sites. Nothing could beat that!

What’s Happening in the Wider Wizarding World?

This was a hard week. If you need a reminder of some of the good happening in the world right now, we’ve got a list to boost your spirit!

As some of you may have seen on social media, Monday was the #BelieveSurvivors walkout. Folks around the country wore black and walked out of their schools, homes, offices, and more to show their support for all sexual assault survivors. Amid the process of choosing a new Supreme Court justice, Dr. Christine Blasey Ford and Deborah Ramirez have come forward to share their stories about sexual misconduct and assault at the hands of SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh. This walkout was a statement to show that we believe Dr. Blasey Ford. We believe Deborah Ramirez. We believe survivors. The HPA sends love and gratitude to all who are fighting against Senate Republicans’ attempts to silence survivors.

Tuesday was National Voter Registration Day, so we highlighted our beautiful WROCK the Vote zines to make sure everyone is mega prepared for this November! Download and share them with every person you’ve ever met in your entire life. Because why not?

Our LGBTQ+ researcher is giving us serious flashbacks to JK Rowling declaring “Dumbledore is gay” with the discussion surrounding whether or not Bert and Ernie are a couple.

You can bring this type of joy into someone’s life.

At the HPA, we’re all about sharing, supporting, and even snacking with each other. Volunteer with us to experience the magic!

[dentalrecordsmusic]

Interview: Andie Aronow, co-founder of Women That Rock, on kickass women, equally kickass bands, and what both mean for the changing scenery of the music world.

Who run the world? GIRLS. No one else knows this factoid better than Andie Aronow, founder of the collective Women That Rock. Their mission? Spotlight and celebrate talented, badass female musicians. Women That Rock hosts daily artist/music features through its Instagram platform at @womenthatrock, plus monthly collaborative articles with women's lifestyle mag Harness Magazine, and their own website. Women That Rock is in the live event space - putting on showcases, concerts and other related music events. Behind Andie is a slew of knowledge -- knowledge about feminism, good loud music, and the badass women who create it. We got to sit down with Andie to talk about some of the intense highs and (sometimes) lows of working in the music sector and what it means for the greater good to feature women on the stage.

DRM: Who or what inspired you to create Women That Rock? Was there a particular moment when the idea came to you?

AA: Women That Rock came to life one night on my girlfriend's couch in Williamsburg! We're both in the music world - she's an amazing musical artist (check out her awesome band MONTE - @monte.music on Instagram!) and I've worked on the business side of the music industry since I was in college at NYU's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, in lots of areas & jobs - marketing and digital promotions, music event planning, A&R, executive production, management.  We were hanging out and casually talking about music and the business; specifically, we were talking about how challenging press & promotion can be for indie artists - how hard it is to get press outlets to pay attention and how difficult it can be in the current industry landscape for up-and-coming artists to cut through the clutter and get their names out there, especially for female artists who are often marginalized or stereotyped.

We were chatting about the many amazing women artists we know, and how much they needed a more dedicated platform to shine a light on them, celebrate them and help share their amazing talents. That's when the idea of Women That Rock was born. My girlfriend encouraged me to strike out and take a chance launching a project I was passionate about, and that's exactly what I did. I created the WTR Instagram account and started doing super DIY social media outreach. I simultaneously texted all my incredible female artist friends telling them about the concept and asking if they were okay with me featuring them, and their responses were SO enthusiastic - they immediately loved the idea and were super excited to be involved.

Within a few days of outreach I had an inbox of 25, then 50, then 100, then 500, then too many Instagram messages to count from female artists who wanted to be featured. The message was so clear - women wanted & needed a platform that celebrated and spotlighted on their creativity and talents, as well as the musical support network that Women That Rock could provide.

Women tend to be the biggest consumers of music (in any genre). Do you think the landscape of women consuming (and now, making) music is changing?

Absolutely! I think that day by day, women's voices are getting louder and clearer in the music space and in all spaces, which is awesome! A positive result of the current political landscape and recent spotlight on feminism & women's rights is that more women seem to be getting more of the respect, attention & support that they deserve. I absolutely think that is reflected in the landscape of women consuming & making music - and I feel the key point here is making sure that women support women, which traditionally can be difficult in certain industries, particularly in entertainment & media. The more women fans/consumers that support female artists (financially and otherwise), the more empowered female artists will be. Moreover, the more that female artists support one another (rather than seeing one another as competition), the more we'll all rise & succeed together and the more opportunities will come our way!

What is the process like when choosing the bands you feature at your showcases? What is it that gravitates you (and the audience) to them? Are there certain things you look for?

The process of choosing bands for Women That Rock's show bills is challenging - because there are SO MANY amazing artists! More than anything, we look for great performers & great onstage energy. We, of course, want all of our shows to be as fun and dynamic as possible, so that magical (and somewhat undefinable) artist energy is top of the list! Beyond that, we try to create lineups that are simultaneously cohesive & unique - we don't want all 4 bands on a bill to sound exactly the same, but we typically want them to make sense together (unless we're deliberately doing a grab-bag style showcase of many genres all on one lineup)! We'll sometimes theme around a genre, topic, vibe - something to tie the show together.

We also always keep diversity in mind, and work to make our shows inclusive of all types of womxn - all colors, all shapes, all sizes and all identities. But I'd say that what gravitates us (and the audience) to the bands we feature is their talent and stage presence. And what's especially cool about every Women That Rock show is that, since all the bands include female front-people and/or female musicians, nobody is "the girl" onstage or the "girl band." By making it a femme-focused space, it actually takes the focus OFF gender and makes the experience truly about the music!

More women are joining together and starting bands. What do you think this says about the path it took to get here, and where this will lead femme musicians in the future? Where do you see the sound / content evolving?

I'm so glad to see that more women are banding together and starting new musical projects!! I think this indicates that grrrl musicians are getting more confident, more inclined to collaborate and support one another, and that lines of communication between women in the music world are opening up. Hopefully, more young girls & women will be encouraged to pursue music & pick up instruments. Hopefully, they'll have unwavering confidence that they can achieve whatever they want musically, without feeling that gender is an obstacle. And the more inclusive the music space is, the more this effect will snowball.

I also believe that a shift is happening towards women being less inclined to tolerate sexism & misogyny in the music world. This will likely lead to femme community building - I think (and hope!) that women are feeling more emboldened to go for what they want and if they can't find it, create it themselves - with other women as musical partners, confidants, and friends.

As a woman working in the music industry and putting together these showcases, what are some of the hurdles you face? There is a lot of work involved, as well as a lot of sexism that still exists. What advice can you give other women who are looking to accomplish similar things to you?

I'll start with the positive: Ask for what you want!!! That's my biggest, most universal piece of advice! A lot of the time, getting what you want or need really just requires having a great attitude, being friendly & professional, and asking for whatever you want/need in a confident & fearless way. For example, if I come across an artist, organization or company that I think would be great to partner with (even if they seem big & intimidating), I just reach out and ask! And often, I get a fantastic response! This applies across all areas of Women That Rock's business and all business!

In terms of hurdles, two things come to mind. Firstly, time (or lack thereof!). As you said, there is a lot of work involved! Sometimes, how much work there is to be done versus how many hours are in a day feels like a hurdle! I work A LOT. Often late into the night, on weekends, etc. If you dream of starting your own project or company, be prepared to work really hard!

The second hurdle touches a bit on the sexism issue you mentioned. Yes, a lot of sexism does still exist, unfortunately! Sometimes, behavioral standards for women versus men feel very unequal and marginalizing. Sometimes I feel judged as a woman for being assertive, entrepreneurial & bold. It can feel like certain actions or behaviors if done by a man, would either barely be noticed or would be celebrated. But coming from a woman, it's criticized or threatening. These qualities that are looked at as extremely positive for men are not looked at as extremely positive for women, which can be frustrating.  Beyond that, certain spaces (particularly venues) still feel heavily male-dominated; at moments I have felt overlooked (sometimes even literally - it can be hard to feel noticed in a group of 6ft tall men as a 5ft tall woman!). I combat these things by just persevering with confidence and a good attitude and letting challenging moments roll off as much as possible!

Women That Rock are hosting a showcase tomorrow night (11/29) at the Knitting Factory Brooklyn featuring an incredible lineup of femme-fronted bands: headlining group Starbenders alongside Scarlet Sails, Astra the 22s and opener Natalie Claro. The evening will be MC’ed by popular New York-based artist Ess See. Doors are at 7:30PM. 

In addition to the incredible artist lineup, guests will enjoy a Women That Rock photo booth experience, Brooklyn-based femme vendors, a glitter bar, sparkly mini cupcakes, raffles, and more starry surprises! The event is being sponsored by LIT Cosmetics, Kate’s Magik, Rudy's Music, & Billy’s Bakery.

Tickets for the event can be purchased here. Tickets at the door are only $15.

You can keep up with Women That Rock on Instagram.

Catherine Dempsey will be at this show. Come and say hi and share a sparkly cupcake with her. You can follow her on Instagram and Twitter. 

Follow DRM on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

[developing-feminist07-blog]

Women in Media

In 1991, Kimberle Crenshaw explored race and gender dimensions of sexual violence against women of color. In her article, Crenshaw explores the idea of intersectionality in feminism. Alright, bear with me. Probably most of us probably do not know exactly what that means. But fear not, here is a good comparison. Let’s say that you want to invest in a specific sector. As you know, holding an ETF within a specific sector is too risky. For example, the macro economic of consumer spending is a great indicator within the stock market. However, this risk impacts sectors differently. Historically aggressive sectors such as consumer discretionary and technology sectors will be more sensitive to changes in this statistic compared to more defensive sectors. Consumers will always buy staples such as milk and eggs, but if times are tough, purchases on laptops, televisions and phones will be significantly impacted. You might come to a decision to buy the SPY ETF. What a great idea you figure! With this one investment product, you gain exposure to the entire S&P 500. With the SPY, you are able to invest in hundreds of companies throughout all sectors of the S&P 500 with a single ETF. Further, with SPY the impact of changes in consumer spending will be diversified throughout all sectors. 

An intersectional approach to feminism is much like holding SPY. Feminism appealing to one specific race (or company in the example above) does not allow you to gain exposure to the interests of all women (or sectors in the S&P 500). Intersectionality is all about appealing to all races and genders, just as holding the SPY allows you to hold all sectors. In the paragraph above we saw how changes in consumer spending impact different sectors differently. Think of how things such as sexual assault, discriminatory hiring and pay differences impact different races of women. For example, women make less than men. But this disparity impacts women differently, or by their race. Asian women make 87% of what males do, compared to hispanic women who make 58% of what males do. An intersectional approach to feminism combines all women, despite their sexual orientation, race, nationality or gender identity. Just as different risks affect different sector in the stock market, different sexual identities, nationalities and races face different challenges as women.

To explain intersectionality a bit better, I originally intended on putting in a picture. However, I found a video instead. I originally thought that intersectionality was generally accepted by all. As the video below shows, there are some people that call it “nonsense”. In fact, the video attacks Crenshaw’s work by calling it “nonsensical theories”. This video seems to undermine intersectionality theory by essentially victimizing “the straight while male” by showing how their opinion matters less since they do not belong to any “victim groups”. However, intersectionality is not about deciding whose voice matters, but recognizing that “victim groups” have been devalued and their opinions have been disregarded. Remember Woolf’s article? Historically, these “victim” groups have not been given weight in popular culture, nonetheless in congress. Intersectionality is not about calling out people, but rather advocating for groups who have long had their opinion stifled. In a sense, this video shows how the majority creates a defensive mechanism. By asking “since when do you have to live someone’s experience in order to understand them?” the video assumes people can relate to everyone, no matter the circumstances. From what Crenshaw sets forth, I find this question to have little validity as “the straight white male” would never be able to experience the structural and legislative issues that minorities face on a daily basis. Check the video out, I found it quite shocking

Crenshaw shows in her article the many challenges facing minority women. For example, Crenshaw shows how structural issues within the political system make it hard for women to get out of abusive relationships with their spouse. These obstacles include language, feminist organizations primarily only hiring white middle-class women, and white middle-class women being the main people who come up with policy. As Crenshaw put it, “women of color are less likely to have their needs met than women who are racially privileged” (p. 1250).

Crenshaw found that black women are more likely to be victimized than white women, but are less likely to report rape, less likely to have cases brought to court, and less likely to seek support services after a rape. Unfortunately, Crenshaw states that “black women are essentially prepackaged as bad women within cultural narratives about good women who can be raped and bad women who cannot” (p. 1271). In this article, Crenshaw is making an intersectional argument that experiences of women of different races are simply different. The experiences of one race of woman does not wholly capture the experiences of all women, and therefore, adopting an intersectional approach to feminism is so important.

As a way to drive home her point, Crenshaw dives into popular culture. Specifically, she cites As Nasty As They Wanna Be by 2 Live Crew. In 1990, “members of 2 Live Crew were arrested and charged under a Florida obscenity statue for their performance in an adults-only club in Hollywood, Florida” (p. 1283). Despite being acquitted of these charges, this performance sparked “an intense public controversy about rap music, a controversy that merged with a broader debate about the representation of sex and violence in popular music” (p. 1283). Additionally, artists such as N.W.A, Too Short, Ice Cube, and the Geto Boys all depict “violent assault, rape, rape-murder and mutilation” in their music (p. 1289).

The point Crenshaw is making is that women are portrayed as sexual objects in popular culture. Although written three decades ago, this point is perhaps more relevant today than then. Although I cannot track down the performance of Nasty As They Wanna Be by 2 Live Crew, it is not hard whatsoever to find modern day rap music videos portraying women in the same way, or perhaps even worse. Most of us have probably heard of the rap artist Tyga and his song Make It Nasty, which was released in 2012. However, most of us have probably not seen the music video. Warning – it contains very explicit and graphic content. This music video was so graphic that Tyga was ultimately sued by three of the women that appeared in the music video. According to the women, they were assured that whenever they were filmed topless, these parts of the music video would be edited out. As the video reveals, this was not the case. 

Perhaps even worse, the author to this article referred to the Make It Nasty Music as “Yeah, its pretty awesome”. Consumers of popular culture agreed with this claim as Make It Nasty peaked at number 91 on the BillBoard top 100 on March 10, 2012. Make It Nasty received a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America as it had over a half billion listeners. 

Unfortunately, in a business setting women are portrayed in a similar manor. In a study conducted by Julie M. Stankiewicz and Francine Roselli, they examined almost 2,000 advertisements from 58 popular U.S. magazines and found that “one of two advertisements that featured women portrayed them as sex objects”. Jaimee Swift and Hannah Gould of UNICEF USA state that “when women and girls are repeatedly objectified and their bodies hypersexualized, the media contributes to harmful gender stereotypes that often trivialize violence against girls”. Because women are always treated as sexual objects in ads, “only 11 percent of girls worldwide would call themselves beautiful”. Due to this, women now more than ever are more concerned about the way they look which leads to poor mental health. Swift and Gould argue that these way women are portrayed by the media in not only harmful to women, but also boys as well. As boys see these advertisements, their desire for dominance, power and aggression raises.

I believe Crenshaw would not only agree with the claims made by Swift and Gould, and at the same time be horrified that women are treated as sexual objects as much as what they are in popular culture.

[genderassignment]

Fools, Fellas, Feminism and Oprah: An Interview with Stephanie Graham

Fella #3, Stephanie Graham

I got to meet Stephanie Graham at the BING Reading Room for the Chicago on My Mind afterparty, thanks to connector extraordinare, Sabina Ott. We swung it out and I felt great in her presence. Graham says “Oprah is a girlfriend and I want to be that to my subjects”, which feels 100% true spending even five minutes with her. It makes for some extraordinary artwork—from the loving, hilarious, and incredibly absorbing interviews in So This One Guy, to #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY, her project with Maya Mackrandilal slaying sexism for all.

Enjoy this irresistible interview!

First of all, I am crazy about your work from a lot of perspectives. I really enjoy the performance strategies, the inclusion of many voices—even when they are all your own. Let’s start with Fellas Project, a series of re-enactments and photographs staging relationship events. I would love to hear more about your choice to use yourself as all the characters! As well, I’d love to hear what you’ve uncovered in the process.

YAY! That makes me so happy to hear you enjoy the work! Thanks for interviewing me too! I'm really honored!! Shout out to Sabina Ott for connecting us! I'm very thankful!

So the FELLA Project was a personal project I wanted to create after I felt like I was just getting into these ridiculous situations with guys I was dating, and I was over it! I was over them, and I was over myself for putting myself in these situations with FOOLS. I mean complete FOOLS! I don't know if they are Fools or just the situations but anyway. Since these were my stories, I wanted to participate in them. I don't think it would have worked the other way.  Dudes would be like "ooh are you going to do a photo on me?" I'm like um…this is not a celebratory thing boo boo this is real life LOL.

Others have wanted me to photograph them as their past relationships, I thought that was interesting, but then it also felt gimmicky like I was running a Groupon and that's not the goal of the work.  FELLAS is a project of how I saw the situation.

FELLAS was also a project where I learned that I was being seen as a performance artist and I didn't like that because I always saw performance art as black leotards and being weird but now I see that its not ALWAYS black leotards and I'm getting better at accepting the medium for myself now.

Laura, So This One Guy Project

So This One Guy explores similar themes, but from the perspective of diverse, dating women. I love the inclusion of your laughter and feedback in the interviews, it has an intimacy. These have a conversational, but storytelling quality and reveal a lot about gender dynamics. How do you think your various strategies uncovered new narratives? What was your process of interviewee selection?

Thank you! I love hearing peoples’ experiences it's my favorite thing to listen to a great story. I'm also very nosy so I like to ask questions to find out how someone got to a certain point. I'm trying to be Oprah in my interview strategy, Oprah is a girlfriend I want to be that to my subjects. Also sometimes feminism stuff can be so structured, I can be mad feminist but homeboy still needs to pay the bill WTF! 

My process for finding interviewees was anyone who felt comfortable sharing a story where they can have a good sense of humor. I never know the stories the ladies are going to share, unless they have several stories and just need help picking one, and then I look at the following:

1. Is this funny;

2. Will the dude bother my subject after this story is out there;

3. Does this show the woman in a good light?

#3 is interesting for me, and something I think about. I remember interviewing a woman that was a jerk about her situation; she used the man she was speaking about for free meals and jewelry! It was intriguing because that's not my life I've never dated someone to take me out to get jewelry but I'm not trying to have comments making fun of my subjects or putting them down, and that was what would have happened to her. Maybe I will change that in the future because dating has all sorts of levels but for now. I just want the ladies to be chill, look fly and tell a story that we can all chuckle at and find it relatable.

I'm always experimenting with different ways to get the stories because this is a project that I want to keep going but I want it to be visually interesting for the viewer.

I have learned that internet dating is a no go! I have tried it I know many finds success but damn...lots of the stories comes from dudes found on a website or app.

#NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY Maya Mackrandilal, Stephanie Graham Photo: Doug McGoldrick

I am beyond excited you will be sharing #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY at our Revolution at Point Zero Feminist Social Practice Symposium April 21! As someone who grew up around goddess-worshiping feminists, I particularly love the strategies of performance of myth and radical rethinking of culture and our collective future. How did this project evolve, and what are your plans for new interventions?

Thanks! I'm excited also the line up you have is awesome its going to be a beautiful day! I'm curious which goddesses you grew up worshiping that's amazing!

Maya and I met at the HATCH Projects Residency at the Chicago Artists Coalition. Maya had been working on this project called "Bedtime Stories of White Supremacy" where she plays the Goddess Lakshmi and tells stories of slaying white supremacy with another performance collective FemMelanin.  I loved it, and Maya approached me about working together once. I said to her hmmm what if Lakshmi had a friend... 

So here comes Oya. If you look at the way media displays female friendships there is some sort of hierarchy where there is always one friend that is higher than the other, I always give the example of Oprah and Gayle, both successful but we all know Oprah is the big dog right? With Oya and Lakshmi, both of these goddesses can end the world on their own neither is bigger than the other they are seen and treat each other as equals. 

So together Oya and Lakshmi has come into Chicago creating mini-protests and letting the world know that we are not here for the patriarchal bullshit!! They are ruining everything, so we are here to fix it all, per usual everything is better when a woman takes care of it.

I think #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY is fun and approachable which is good because I like to create things that have an easy access point because once you've decided to go to the party the next step is talking to the people and the viewer gets to decide how deep they want to get in the work. Some people like to just take a protest button and post themselves wearing it, others want to go deeper and share their own experiences of and radical dreams and I'm here for all of that. 

Maya and I recently contributed an essay to Jessica Caprnigro's "Feminist Advice From the City of Broad Shoulders." That was a fantastic opportunity and challenge for me because I've never contributed an essay before so now not only am I performance artist( got dammit!) I'm an essayist. Maya on the other hand writes all the time and is an excellent writer.

Maya is currently living and working in Los Angeles which is great for expansion, we are brainstorming what’s next.

I am crazy for this quote from #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY: “What does it mean to be a strong woman with friends in a culture that can only imagine female sexual competition for the ever-elusive ‘good man’?” How do you two construct new mythologies and futures for women?

Well, I would hope at its most basic form it shows “see women can get along and love each other and slay the world all at the same damn time, we recognize each others strengths see each other as equals and get the job done”!

I get tired of the nit pick that women can bring or hearing women maybe having issue with another woman co worker or someone in management and its like okay.. if everyone would stop and work together everyone would have a lot less anxiety and a lot more could get done. Oya and Lakshmi both understand each other in a sense that they are both equally the bomb. You don’t want to mess with either goddess on there own but once you found out they are best girlfriends…look out world!!!! The Patriarchy should be afraid….

Sort of reminds me of a friend of mine that was shocked to find out a girl he once dated was one of my friends. He was like “oh i didn’t know y’all were friends’ well now you know buddy so WATCH OUT!!

I’m really interested in hearing how you see your mythical and fantasy-based work like #NEWGLOBALMATRIARCHY in conversation with the womanist tradition of artists like Walker and Morrison, and current artists like Cauleen Smith, Wagechi Mutu, Krista Franklin, and other artists who use Afrosurreal or AfroFuturist strategies to construct representations of women.

Oh man these are some heavy hitters that you have named here. It would be an honor to be grouped with any of these women I’m fans of them all, I think I am still discovering where my voice would lie with these women but what I do know is that I like to make work that has an easy entry point because art can be hard to get into, I want to make that easier because I think art should be enjoyed and talked about with everyone so it takes all kinds and all access points, and I think if you imagining with me that you are a goddess and it makes you slay your day and stand up to racism and patriarchal foolishness dope, if hearing a woman talk about a date makes you think…you know what EFF MY SITUATION or whatever that's good with me. I think my work is playful and humorous but still deals with real shit so its digestible...hmmm gee could I be the Key and Peele of the art world oh shit I don’t know if i like that…I’m new to the game so I’m still working on that.

Golden Kids, exhibition still. Photo: David Crewe

Some artists who come to mind I think share some your ideas include Ryan Trecartin, Nikki S. Lee, and Howardina Pindell--who are some of your inspirations?

Wow, thanks for the afternoon of learning of these artists, the only one out of this bunch that I heard of was Nikki S. Lee.  I love Carrie Mae Weems, Mickalene Thomas, Renee Cox and of course Cindy Sherman, Gary Wineogrand, Kerry James Marshall but most of all I really really love Anthony Gioceloa. 

Where can we see your work in the upcoming months?

I'm really working on organizing and making my studio great because I want to start having people over for conversations about my work, so after your symposium and Open Engagement are concluded I'm participating in the Petty Biennial curated by La Keisha Leek and Sadie Woods.  I'm exploring a new idea for that show though and that idea is investigating and celebrating the culture around a leather coat company called Pelle Pelle! I’m really excited about the show and it opens May 19th.