Good Luck! Thanks for a GREAT Year!

Hi All,

I just wanted to wish all students good luck on papers and exams coming up in the next two weeks, and good luck to all profs who have to deal with us stressed out students!!!

We have had a GREAT year, and I'd like to thank everyone who helped make the UPEI Women's Studies society such a great success! Our Babes Beyond Borders film series was hugely successful, and will hopefully return in the fall.

Hopefully some of you will continue to post interesting things on this blog over the summer - feel free to share cool things that happen to you or articles that you come across! If you have lost the password and sign-in information, contact me, Kerrilynn, Marianne, or Ann!

Reminder that the deadline for WS conference abstracts was this past friday april 3rd, however we will accept a couple more that trickle in. Email abstracts to upei_wst_society@hotmail.com

Thanks again everyone, have a fantastic summer!

Erica

Gendered Spaces Blog

Hey All!

I've created a blog for my WS 211 class, and I'd love it if you could check it out, make some comments, become a "follower", etc!! Feedback would be great too as it's a work in progress for my final assignment!! Thanks!

http://problematizinggenderedspaces.blogspot.com

Erica

Keep Hanging Tough!

Happy Sunday again!

Check out this video to keep you motivated on a long day.

Peace,
Kerrilynn

More, more, too much?

Hello Blog Readers, happy Sunday,

Here is an update on the woman who was banned from X Box Live for identifying as a lesbian. I think it is interesting how they use say "for gamertags or profiles we do not allow expression of any type of orientation, be that hetero or other". That heterosexuality is always biting people in the butt. The article is concluded by saying that "Microsoft's position on this issue has been consistent — whether you are actually gay or if the word gay is in your name.". WTF? What about if you are straight and identify as it? And, whether you are actually gay... heaven forbid someone actually be something.

Stephen Toulouse handles the policy for XBox Live service and here is what he had to say about the issue. I think it is funny how they are changing the word banned to suspended in the articles. And how they try to stop all forms of sexual and racial harrassment. Do they try to stop harrassment against women that doesn't involved sex or race?

Here is another comment about the article.



This isn't the first time that someone has been suspended on XBox for stating their sexuality in their name. Here is an aricle about thegayergamer and how he was suspended. Make sure to read the comments attached to see what people say about these types of articles. It is mind
blowing.


Probably the last post on 'gay gaming' minus the updates on Theresa. This man's last name was Gaywood and was suspended.


Well I am happy that Microsoft is finally looking into a way to represent gender and sexuality in gaming. Microsoft is currently looking at "a way to safely express relationship preference" without it getting misused.


Peace,
Kerrilynn

BBB - Mona Lisa Smile

Hi All, After an unintentional hiatus, the Babes Beyond Borders Film series is back in action!! This Friday March 6th at 3pm we will be showing Mona Lisa Smile, starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhall.

This film tells the tale of a young university professor who discovers that nearly all of her female students are only in university to find a husband - and when they do, they drop out. She struggles to convince her students that they should be able to pursue careers and lives of their own, not simply define themselves by what their husbands do.

Come out on Friday to see how the rest of the film unfolds - it's a good one!!! Some great discussion will follow afterwards for sure, therefore we shall reconvene at the wave immediately after the film, around 5 pm!!! Hope to see you all there!

ps - There will be a meeting at 1:30 to discuss the upcoming Women's Studies conference that UPEI will be hosting in October - please make every effort to attend because some very important things need to be discussed!!

Lesbian Profiles

On an Xbox Live console you are able to create a gamers profile. When you create the profile you are allowed to put anything you like but as soon as you start playing 'live' with other people they have the option of complaining about your profile.

This is a short write up about one woman who identified as lesbian on Xbox Live and was ban from the service after her Xbox Live peers complained about her profile.


Peace,
Kerrilynn

Nude Moments in Gaming: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I don't think that I am going to apologize for posting links for article related to gaming anymore.

Here is another link to an article that discusses naked women in video games. The article looks at about ten different games. Most of the women in them are topless, don't get too excited because there are little fish covering their nipples. Little fish?

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Exciting Updates!!

Hi Everyone!

I hope you all had a fantastic reading week and are now sufficiently rested and ready to go for the rest of the semester! For those of you who are not in school or are on sabbatical (Ann and Fiona), I hope you're all reading and doing things the rest of us wish we could be doing right now!!

I just wanted to let you all know about some exciting updates that the WS Society has to announce!

First off, we are planning the first (?) ever UPEI Women's Studies Conference, set for October 23-24, 2009. Posters for the call for paper submissions have been designed by the lovely Kerrilynn, and have been printed and sent off to the various universities and colleges in Atlantic Canada, as well as Concordia and McGill Universities (in Montreal). More information will follow, but if you require some info before I post more updates, please contact me, Ann, Kerrilynn, or Marianne!!

Secondly, after a bit of an unintentional hiatus, the Babes Beyond Borders film series will continue with its second movie of the semester - Mona Lisa Smile! We are still in the process of determining which friday works the best for everyone - March 6th or 13th - and we'd like your feedback! Please post a comment on this blog post, or send us an email at upei_wst_society@hotmail.com. I'll have that information up for you all asap!!!

Anyway, that's all for now - just wanted to give you guys a bit of a teaser update before the official info hits the airwaves!! Bye for now,

Erica

More Video Gaming Fun!

You can find this stuff everywhere! I think it is interesting.

This first story is about a 13 year old dad. Do you think that the actions in video games really helps to shape a persons behavior?

This one is about full frontal nudity in games. I don't really know how I feel about this one. I mean, I don't really care if people are naked or not but it is the type of thing that causes a lot of social tensions within communities regarding who should play games like this. It is the foul language that I don't like.

This one has the revealing of full frontal nudity. Oooooo I know curious minds might take a look. My partner told me that "the first game that they mention at the top of that page, Custer's Revenge, is considered to be the crudest game ever made. You play as a cowboy who rapes indian women... it was made in the 80's, a little extreme" and that "you should Wikipedia it."

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Pregnancy in Video Games

Here is another interesting read about pregnancy in video games

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Update!

Do you remember the link I posted a while ago about the woman who wanted a divorce because her husband was cheating on her online? Here is an update on the story. If you can watch the whole video, it is really interesting.

http://kotaku.com/5141854/cheating-second-life-husband-the-movie

The full documentary can be found here:

http://www.cbc.ca/fifth/2008-2009/strangers_in_paradise/video.html

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Milk

I highly recommend this film!

It's based on a true (very amazing) story about a gay rights activist named Harvey Milk (Sean Penn) and the progress he made in San Francisco and around the world.

It's in theatres now! :)

I could use one of whatever it is

My mom sent me this picture in an email. I just thought that I would share it with the world.

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Derogatory words don't make my day.

This is my last picture from my trip to Florida. I took the picture while in Disneyland. There was a ride called Tom Sawyer's Island and you had to get to it by a boat that looked like a raft. On top of the raft read the sign in the picture. I could not believe it! That Disney Land, out of all places in the world, would have such a derogatory word especially on a sign for a kids ride.



Here's to world peace,
Kerrilynn

Pro-Kerrilynn : A parody on the Catholic Vote Video

I had great fun doing this.

Peace,

Kerrilynn

Babes Beyond Borders Returns!

Hello All!

I am happy to announce that the Babes Beyond Borders film series has been ressurected!!

The UPEI Women's Studies Society is proud to present:

CALENDAR GIRLS!!!!!!!

When: Friday December 30, 2009

Where: Blanchard Hall Residence - Apartment 222

Time: 3-5 pm

There will be a WSS Meeting before hand, so please try to be there around 1:00. We have lots to discuss regarding fundraisers, possible conference, and of course, upcoming BBB films!! For more info, see the Facebook Event page under the UPEI Women's Studies 08-09 group, or contact me at 626-4620. Hope to see you all there!

*PLEASE NOTE* Location Change - We will now be having our meeting and watching the film in Blanchard Hall Residence in Kerrilynn's apartment. Blanchard Hall is the residence that parallels Bellvedere Ave., beside Subway. For more directions, and for someone to come downstairs to let you in, call 626-4620 OR 626-4585. See you friday!

Erica

What to choose, what to choose?

This is kind of going around in my world like a hot cake.

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Why I like Daytona Beach

My Winter vacation in Florida this year was most enjoyable for me and my camera. The talk of gendered bathrooms is one that comes up at least once during a Women's Studies class at UPEI. Students and Profs can sit there for hours and rant about the number of ways that our campus has gendered bathrooms, the way that these bathrooms regulate gender, and the consequences in doing so. The main problem that I find with all the bathrooms on campus is not so much that they are gendered, but that they show a little figure of either a 'male' or a 'female' on the door. This figure has multiple looks in many different settings. Sometimes one will see the traditional boxy looking figure, in Jungle Jim's they have Jane or Jim on the door, at fancier resturants they may have a lady in a big poofy hat and a man in a tuxedo, and so on. These pictures to me are not very inclusive and make me feel as if one must look like the image - look female - in order to go into the bathroom. The pictures are exclusive in that they do not include all people who may not necessarily look feminine but identify as female.
What I liked so much about this bathroom on Daytona Beach is that it did not contain a little figure, it strictly said the word women. I felt like it was inclusive to everyone who identified as woman and did not exclude by putting up a boxy little figure.

Peace,
Kerrilynn

The Virginity Post

There are so many things to say about a video like this. First, kudos's to my biggest blog supporter in the world for giving me the link, thanks.

So when you want to make a little extra money these days the best way to go about doing it is to auction off your virginity - this is especially enticing if you are a Women's Studies Major. Don't fear feminists of tomorrow, because there are plenty of hairy men out there who would give you millions to take your V-card.

Check out the video,

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Peace,
Kerrilynn

First WSS Meeting of 2009!

First Women's Studies Society meeting of 2009!!

Come out and be a part of the discussions and brainstorming for the events, activities, and fundraisers that the UPEI WSS will be presenting this semester! Things discussed will include the return of the Babes Beyond Borders film series, a fundraiser for Anderson House, a possible coffee shop, wine/cheese event at Ann's place, and more!!!

When: Friday January 16th - 1:00 pm
Where: Dawson Lounge - Main 420


Bring your friends and your ideas - see you friday!

Erica

626-4620

Came across this website today.

Looks like a good film, doesn't it!?



Martha

Stereotypical Soap

I took a trip down to Daytona Beach Florida for Christmas Break this year. While there I went to a huge flea market and in it was a soap stand. I was doing all that I could not to take pictures of all the soap packages there. Here are just a few

Peace,
Kerrilynn

Gender Gaming

I am sometimes glad that my partner is a gamer who reads gamer blogs. He forwarded me these links, you should check them out:

The first one talks about the rise in bisexual gamers:

http://kotaku.com/5116637/study-shows-mmo+playing-women-overwhelmingly-bisexual

The second one talks about womens role in gaming:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7796482.stm


Peace,

Kerrilynn