arts & entertainment

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‘Reality’ shows and bullying judges

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I had no idea who Brynne was, or the level of her claim to fame, this morning. Now since I googled it, I know: she married a much older, much richer man and she generally dresses to show off lots of skin. Apparently that makes her a target for the judges for more than just her unimpressive dancing, which is what they are supposed to talk about.

This week in Spooks related obstreperation

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In a world where women who are about to become royalty can go shopping in exclusive boutiques wearing ballet flats without upsetting the world’s incredulity meters, why the fuck do you put a woman who is supposed to be an active espionage agent in six inch fucking heels to go and strew misleading evidence around a very ordinary flat?

A Prize of One’s Own

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A group of Australian women writers and publishers are working to set up an equivalent of the Orange prize in their country, to combat what they describe as “the systemic exclusion of women writers over several decades” from the country’s major literary awards.

The Conversation: Guest Post by Laughingrat

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Joanna Russ died today; I didn’t know her.

This is how the conversation goes: a professor, a pal or two, mention a book by Joanna Russ called How to Suppress Women’s Writing. I see it referenced online sometimes; I find an image, occasionally, of the cover, with the phrases “She didn’t write it,” “She wrote it, but she had help,” etc., naming and de-normalizing bad ideas that are always sneaking into my subconscious.