Gender Week Magazine —Let's Talk About Gender, Baby

GENDER WEEK MAGAZINE LET’S TALK ABOUT GENDER, BABY

GENDER WEEK MAGAZINE LET’S TALK ABOUT GENDER, BABY

March 2014 Editor Ana Flecha Marco Layout & design Ana Flecha Marco Texts by Maja Svanberg, Liri Tourgeman, Pil Tesdorpf, Guy Elisha, Micaela Domínguez Prost, Emíls Sietiņš, Andrea Galaxina, Mariano Giampietri, Stina Pettersson and Ester Laiho.

Images by Guy Eisha, Pil Tesdorpf, Alexa Vachon and Ana Flecha Marco.

Made in Flekke

GENDER WEEK MAGAZINE LET’S TALK ABOUT GENDER, BABY

Editor’s

note

by Ana Flecha Marco

Gender Week magazine is my favourite publication. I know it doesn’t have a long history (this is just the second number) but I’ve already grown particularly fond of it. It is diverse, fun and thought-provoking.

It’s full of universal musings and personal experiences.

For this year’s issue, we’ve counted on some outside contributors, as well as some old and new writers from inside our small, but charming campus. And we’ve invited international artists to star in our playlist.

I hope you will enjoy the reading. And I’m sure as the week progresses, you will come up with questions and ideas. Take this magazine as a starting point. And have a conversation. Have that conversation. Let’s talk about gender!

My personal a very pers

l reaction to sonal survey

by Maja Svanberg

Some time ago, I sent out a survey about gender identity. When I made the survey, I didn’t really know what outcomes to expect. When last year’s survey results came back, they were not very personal, but merely ended up as a bunch of numbers later transformed into graphs. This year, I wanted something different. I wanted your thoughts, and to know what you really thought about gender identity and thereby what kind of perception you have of gender.

Needless to say, my personal reaction to some of the results was stronger than I had expected. Your comments are sometimes very thoughtful, and sometimes very provoking, but I would say they always reflect the many sentiments that exist in the discussions at this college. I have heard them before, at cantina tables, in comments, and in (less or more innocent) jokes. Having collected them like this, I hope they will provide the college with a broader foundation for this week’s discussions on gender issues.

I found two somewhat contrasting responses from men. There were males who felt a need to point out that they didn’t think the survey was aimed towards them, but only targeted women, who have a need to talk about their problems. They claimed not to have any issues with their gender roles or stereotypes. Then, there were males who described how they were not okay with being generalized as “pigs”, or having their “emotions kept away in a vault, key thrown away”.

In the vast majority of cases, the same individuals expressed both of these views. How can this be? To me, this shows the trend “dudes” (the word I like to use for manly men that care a lot about fitting into the male stereotype) display in discussions about feminism, that they don’t think that they have anything to gain from it. This is far from the truth.

Men have a lot to gain from feminism, and I think this survey shows it. One aspect could be, being able to show more emotions than as of today. Another one could be not being “forced” to be a “dude”. Don’t get me wrong, it’s totally fine to feel comfortable with your gender roles, but I don’t think it is okay to stigmatize people who don’t. We can let gender roles define us, but not limit us.

Myself ? I haven’t always been a very girly girl. In fact, I’m still not a girly girl, and I don’t think I ever will be. I like fishing. I swear like a sailor. I prefer lifting weights over aerobic-style group activities. I find Jennifer Lawrence more attractive than Ryan Gosling. Even for my confirmation, I refused to wear a dress, and thereby embraced Jesus Christ in jeans, t-shirt and converse shoes (we still get along, I don’t think he minds).

Still, I could never define myself as anything but a woman. Why? I honestly don’t know. A lot of us answered: Because penis/vagina As much as I tend to relate to that kind of thinking, naming the gender the same as the biological sex does not work for everyone. Take transgender people (men born in female bodies, women born in male bodies) as an example. Many of them, after transitioning, choose to keep their “uncorrected” genitalia for practical reasons and because they

don’t believe that their genitalia is as important to their gender identity as other things. It is simply one part of the puzzle in what determines whether you are a boy, girl, neither, both, or in between.

I never intended this survey to be objective. I wanted to uncover and highlight opinions, ideas, and thoughts that our co-students have, without generalizing or in any way make people into numbers. In the end, we are all individuals, and we are all a lot more than that.

Below, I have collected some of the most thoughtful and/or outspoken comments that were received.

IDENTIFY AS MALE

IDENTIFY AS FEMALE

WHY DO YOU IDENTIFY AS MALE/FEMALE? I have a penis.

I have a vagina.

I feel more rough and able to take a punch just for fun.

Biological factors.

It is obvious.

I have a fair share of testosterone.

I have male genitals and behave as a traditional definition if a male.

I feel attracted to males.

I have never felt like anything else I really don’t know. It is not because I was born with a vagina, it is just something I feel like. It’s not about gender roles either, because even though I feel more comfortable with the female gender role (at least parts of it), I still disagree with a lot of things included in that role.

IF YOU COULD CHANGE GENDER FOR A DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU DO? As much as I would like to write something edifying and constructive, I strongly suspect that I would just play with my boobs all day. I would, however, use the opportunity to learn what women like/don’t like and act accordingly once changed back to a man.

Same as usual, I don’t feel like my gender is limiting what I can do and not.

Earn the admin’s respect!

Behave femininely more freely.

Hit on all the girls I found attractive, if I was hetero, and be a really nice guy towards all the girls I meet. Also I would not worry about toilet availability.

Pray i don’t get a period, or get pregnant

Treat all the girls like a princess because they deserve that.

Walk around in just a boxer to show that there shouldn’t be a difference between a man that walks around in the boxer and a woman that do the same

Let’s not lie to ourselves every girl would get straight to masturbating.

After that i’m not sure. I don’t think that male and females are very different besides obvious physical differences and how we are treated by society.

Know what how deep do they know each other. How the hell do they gossip about everything (at Maybe I would run for office. least most of them). And maybe challenge a guy on something more ‘mannish’ at beat him. As I believe it’s all about the psychological appeal to do the thing.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING MALE/FEMALE? The physical strength and athletic ability.

Expectations of being talkative and caring.

To be recognized and just be I can put on make-up, which somein the environment that all the how makes me more attractive. others of my gender are. You feel like brothers.

The sisterhood.

Nothing.

It is cool to have something between your legs.

I will always be taken care of and I don’t have to prove my intelligence.

Everything.

The lion attitude and everything it We are emotional creatures. implies; leadership, honor, respect, umbrella, nimbleness, nobleness.

We are strong and often a tad more rational, less emotional (on average).

WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT BEING MALE/FEMALE? I have to behave strictly manly Expectations of being sexy, stupid to meet social expectations: rude, etc. careless, sexually active, utter obscenities.

Sexualized image of the women.

The fact that I am often assumed to be a “pig” just because some members of the opposite gender believe that all men are the same.

WELL THEY ARE NOT!!

That you sometimes feel you have to do all these masculine stuff just to prove that you’re not a depressed female.

Emotions kept away in a vault.

Key thrown away.

Not having the right to my own body.

The competition!

Periods.

The sassy limit’. I mean everybody can get ‘sassy’!

People underestimating me because of my gender.

OTHER COMMENTS? It’s very hard to be proud to be a man here.

RCN is a more accepting community or at least, fakes it very well This survey is supposed to be objective while it is obviously aimed at the female part of this college to express the possible problems they experienced in their lifetime There are reasons as to why we are different genders. And don’t fool yourselves; it is to great advantage to the human race to embrace that we are different! Stop fighting for the two genders to be the same (they are not, and will never be)and start embracing and emphasizing the differences so we can grow together!

I feel almost as through the RCN should take more steps to not make gender as big of a deal/a cause for division, e.g. making it possible for a co-ed room to exist if all parties agree and encouraging that there are not activities/EACs that are “for girls” like yoga or feminist club.

Expectations towards the gender should be broken down, but I personally don’t think genderless is a solution for everyone. I am a woman, but I want to be able to do exactely what I want to do, no matter if this was originally intended for guys.

I hate the fact that most people believes that women have less “sexual necessities” or less “sexual desires” than men.

I think girl-boys are fine, guy-girls are cool. But I want to be pink,

shining and girly without people thinking I am this bimbo who is just caring about men. Being a feminine female makes me happy.

My dream would be to live in a world where I don’t have to get angry or endlessly sad about what gender I was born as. Like us women are HUMANS to feel sorry for, we are there for each other to pity each other. I wish feminists, hmm… women, and women who don’t even call themselves feminists would just act like there were no gender roles. Who did not follow them, who would not have debates about the debates, but that people would just show their great unwillingness to even listen.

To show their ignorance of the theory by their existence. But still I can’t. I’m reminded of it everyday, this ugly net of inequality. And when people have started to see it, it never fully leaves your retina. It puts a bitter edge to everything you do and everything you see around you. Mostly, it all makes me sad and hopeless. But I will try to make the best out of the situation…

I chose to present the results in binary form, simply because it cohered with the results I got. Also, since we have a limited amount of space, a lot of interesting material had to be left out: drop me a line if you want the link to the full survey results. We all have a lot to learn, hopefully we will all be a little wiser in 7 days. Happy Gender Week!

ON BODY

Y

Why did I shaving Actually, I didn’t think about it too much: one morning when I went to the bathroom after a week of laziness in which I didn’t shave, I looked at my somewhat-hairy armpit and thought, “Yeah, why not?”; It’s quite annoying to shave so frequently. “I can shave next week”, I thought.

But what was more striking is how quickly and noticeably my mind had changed: after a week or so, it became obvious that I’m not going to shave. “Of course, the hair supposed to be there! What is the problem?”

This “growing” process didn’t involve any self-judgment; it was mostly fun. It became one of the things that I’m proud of and complete with.

It’s difficult to explain why; but I feel my freedom has extended. It is hard to imagine that I’ve once put any effort on making my armpits smooth, and for no reason. A hairy armpit became some kind of a monster —we have to shave it! But when we stop we see that actually, nothing had changed.

Of course, some people might judge without saying —here in the college or back home. But it doesn’t compete with the good feeling I feel within myself since I made the decision of not shaving my armpits anymore.

stop my armpits? text by Liri Tourgeman photography by Guy Elisha

The vagina poem text and illustration

by Pil Tesdorpf

I want to tell you about my down there, cause you are surrounded by them everywhere.

Down there is my female clima, you may call it my vagina.

Some people try to spice it up, call it a pussy.

But my down there is not a harmless cat, that’s gonna obey you, spin for you.

No I’m the only emperor of that habitat.

You may try to beautify it, call it a flower. try to sweeten a thing, that’s meant to be sour.

It’s not a flower, I don’t have a fucking garden in my pants, or any of those sparkling vagina plants.

I have a vagina, and you’re made from that wonderful creation.

Show it some respect by calling it by its rightful designation.

“I have two.

There are no limitations for me to publish this photo because it is male nipples�

by Guy Elisha

March 8

th

by Micaela Domínguez Prost illustration by Ana Flecha Marco

This March 8th 2014, I will open my Facebook account and I will see a balanced mix of “Happy Women’s Day” Ad campaigns (diets, flowers, breakfasts, healthy food, gyms, spas, beauty treatments, clothes) and posts with poems dedicated to dozens of carefully tagged women who are (apparently) strong, independent, self-confident, unique, smart, creative and special.

I will probably say nothing, and just silently get frustrated.

I wouldn’t mind getting frustrated about how women are treated and treat each other if this only happened on March 8th.

But every day I open my Facebook account, and this is what I see: — The girl who posts a picture of herself looking stunningly beautiful, but comments “Oh, I look like shit here”, followed by a number of her friends trying to make her understand that she is a breathtaking goddess, all these friends’ comments liked by the suddenly beautiful girl in the picture, who ends the “conversation” by thanking them and letting them know how much she loves them, and how “the best” they are.

— The girl who has blue/green eyes and wants us to keep that in mind by posting pictures of her eyes wide open and the camera zoom inserted in her retina.

— ‘The hot intellectual’, with a ‘casual and extremely spontaneous’ picture of herself lying in bed reading Bukowski wearing only a tank top and underwear.

—‘The hot sweet girl’, caressing her puppy dog with half a breast carefully showing.

— ‘The hot badass’, dressed to kill and looking mean, showing her middle finger.

—‘The hot girl and friends’, a popular ‘group picture’ in which a bunch of female friends suddenly become playboy models every time they see a camera.

— ‘The hot mamma’, a girl who is 3 days pregnant and shares an almost naked picture with an inexistent belly.

— ‘The hot athlete’, that girl who has to tell you the number of abs, kilometers and calories that were part of her daily routine, accompanied by a picture of the part of her body in which we can see her improvement more easily.

— ‘The randomly hot’: A girl who under the pretext of showing us her new tattoo or a mosquito bite, ends up surprising us with a close up of her ass.

Etcetera. All sorts of hot types of girls, together under the Barbie principle: They may have different personalities, but they are sexy (and they are not even trying.)

At first I believed this was a teenage syndrome. Ok, I thought, they are insecure, and they need to reassure themselves publicly, and social networks seem to be the perfect place to do so.

But I was wrong. I am almost 28 and it keeps happening. So, I ask: Why? Why do we need to take a picture of ourselves looking up-

wards in order to show our cleavage? Why do we have to upload a new “artistic selfie” every day? Why do we want to ask the world whether we should cut our hair or dye it? Why do we have to upload a picture of every present our partner gives us, every dinner he/she invites us to, and let our virtual friends know that, Yes, we are together with the most wonderful person on Earth?

I am aware of the fact that men do this kind of stuff, but not as often.

And I won’t take the “you are exaggerating, I just happened to look sexy.” I am a woman myself, and a regular Facebook user: I know how long it took you to place your t-shirt exactly where your nipple is about to show in that picture you took of the mirror in your bathroom. I know how desperately you wanted that person to see how much fun you had yesterday dancing with your friends to that song you shared today.

So, well, I guess many times these girls don’t give a shit about me seeing them sucking a lollipop, but are actually expecting “that particular person” to see it and finally decide to say “Hi” in the more private chat area. That is slightly understandable: it would be way too direct to send a private message with the picture, and in the game we are playing every strategy is valid. I would personally prefer more honesty, I am waiting for the day in which someone writes: “Good morning, see how hot I look here!: PICTURE”, but I know that most people would think of it as an arrogant thing to say, and the picture wouldn’t get that many “Likes.”

I must admit that at times I’ve been tempted to get a picture of a fun moment, just to have that X person look at it and think “Oh, she is having fun without me. I love her.” Luckily I don’t have a camera, and I was always too shy to ask my friends for the proof of my “how well I’m doing without him.” And I arrived to the conclusion that maybe (and only maybe), it was even better if I didn’t say anything. If he didn’t have a clue of what the fuck I did last night or which dress I wore. And I noticed it is nice to leave some parts of my body covered in public, thus making it more interesting when I am lucky enough to show myself in all my nakedness to just one person without having to come up with an excuse to do so.

The problem is that, besides wanting to be desired by someone in particular, I fear we women compete against each other. There is a tacit war that takes place every time a girl uploads a selfie and sees who comes up with the most wonderful compliment. There is a constant need to “appear”, to be part of that “amateur top models album”, a need that came to life when Facebook allowed us to turn our wall into our personal Cosmopolitan magazine. We should, of course, also blame men for this. We know they show their friends 175 pictures of girls they fucked, and we want to look good in them. We know they miss us more when they see other men liking our pictures, or when we look more beautiful than we do in real life.

It is, after all, an era of appearance, and we cannot pretend not to be part of it.

That need to exist in the most perfect version of ourselves is, I believe, so strong, that nobody can escape it. Not even my otherwise respectable Facebook girl friends. Women who work, study, travel, read, comment with intelligence and wit, are probably left in a state of shock when the pictures of them air-kissing the camera gets 87 more likes than the article they published that took them 8 months to write.

Instant success is tempting, I know. But let’s not fall for it so easily, dear Facebook girl friends. I know you are strong, independent, selfconfident, unique, smart, creative and special.

Give me a more unexpected 2014, Facebookly speaking, and I will happily tag you next to a poem that dignifies us all on March 8th, 2015.

ON GEND EXPRES

DER S-

About and

cars barbies text by Emíls Sietiņš

illustrations by Ana Flecha Marco

Den dag da Frederik var Frida and Den dag da Rikke var Rasmus are two Danish children books that tell a story about a boy named Frederik who one day wakes up to find himself in a body of a girl, and about girl named Rikke who, instead of Frederik, finds herself in a body of a boy.

A year ago these books were translated from Danish into Latvian, and our Latvia’s minister of welfare Ilze Viņķele asked these books to be implemented in the educational system of our country’s kindergartens.

Now, before we go further, I suspect that you already now what was the reaction of majority of citizens when they found out that their children will have to read this book. Happy, because someone finally tells their son that it is ok to play with dolls or arrange tea parties for his plush toys? Relieved, because someone finally tells their daughter that it is ok to go outside and play football with the boys? Then think again!

After the publication of the translated book, 54 NGOs had signed a petition asking Ilze Viņķele to resign from her position as a minister of welfare. The majority of people going against the implementation of this book in kindergartens were calling themselves Christians, and as their main arguments they put forward the fact that this book destroys any family values that have been raised by our society and that by deciding to implement this book in the educational system, no one has asked for the opinion of society before it was done. The only kindergarten that undertook the initiative to engage in a pilot project of using this book, was experiencing actual threats from other people. The same kindergarten teacher told the press that once she was even attacked on the street by a priest who tried to rip off a chain with a cross around the teacher’s neck, yelling that she cannot believe in God if she teaches such horrible things to children.

But not only solid, hardcore Christians were the ones that engaged in protest actions. There were also people who have nothing in common with Christian believes. The majority of people who raised their anger towards the minister of welfare were just everyday citizens.

It’s sad, but this incident didn’t tell me anything new about the society from which I come from. What I hope is that this example gave a little insight for those of you who don’t know how it is to live in a society surrounded by a majority of hardcore conservatives.

Let this also stand as an introduction to the actual topic that I will write about in this article, because what I really want to talk about is the importance of gender roles in our everyday lives.

Ok, so yeah, we have these stereotypes about what girls and boys should do. Boys should play sports and play with toy cars. Girls should wear pink dresses and play with dolls. We can all see the stereotype hidden here. These examples are also mentioned in the Danish kindergarten book, where the roles are turned upside down and now suddenly the boy starts playing with dolls and the girl goes outside to play football.

Not only this stereotype but also more important ones —as for example the fact that women should be skilled in knitting, cooking and taking care of her children while men should learn how to chop wood, know how to use work tools, etc. In fact from my 5th to my 9th grade back home, one of the lessons that everyone had to take (and everyone in that age group still does) is a subject called Housekeeping. Literally boys were separated from girls, and while girls were learning how to knit and cook, boys were learning how to carve wooden figures, use work tools, etc. The division was very simple: those of you who have a penis, go chop wood. Those of you who have a vagina, go clean some dishes.

We clearly need to consider the division between gender and sex.

Although for many other languages, including Latvian, there is no distinction between what is sex and what is gender, luckily English has it, and as globalization occurs, more languages start to use this division.

Basically sex is something that you are attributed with since day one of your birth. Your sex basically is genitalia and the arrangement of your chromosomes. If XX —you are a female— your body is relatively smaller, with less hair, etc. If XY —you are a male— your body is relatively bigger, with more hair, etc.

Gender on the other hand is something discursive. It is shaped by the society around you. Gender is what you identify as yourself with based on the assumptions of what you think and what others think of

what ‘man’ and ‘woman’ means. “One is not born, but rather becomes a woman” —says the famous quote of French feminist Simone de Beauvoir.

María José Martínez-Patiño, a Spanish hurdler that participated in World University Games in Japan in 1985, is a great example of proving that there is nothing innate about one’s biological sex. She had to undergo a sex test, in order for the organizers to be sure that she is a woman (because of the rising suspicion that Soviet Union and Easter European countries are actually sending men to participate in women’s games). Yes, it turned out that the sex test tested María as a man. That was a shock for everyone including her, since all the time she conceived herself as being a woman. Instead or the XX chromosomes that are usually attributed to women, the test showed that Maria has XY chromosomes, thus despite the fact that her genitalia is a vagina, she was considered a man. So why then did Maria act out as a women her whole life, when she was actually a man (which immediately includes such descriptive words as masculine, strong, manly, etc.)? Well because although her gender was male, that doesn’t mean that she is determined to be masculine.

The sex/gender distinction is what many feminists tend to emphasize in their arguments about gender equality. Because if sex is something inevitable and something that we just simply must cope with as a natural factor of our existence, it doesn’t mean that the same thing should stand for our gender nor the stereotypes that usually comes with classifying oneself as a woman or man. If you’re born as a female it doesn’t come as some biological attributes to your character that you are less powerful than men, or that because of your ability to become mother one day you should seize this opportunity, even if you don’t really want to. Just the same goes for men.

We go on in the world believing that our gender is something a priori —something that is just simply a true fact. But the truth is, that we are born without it. As white sheets of paper, that only gain their stains in the presence of others around us. Feminist and philosopher

Judith Butler believes that our gender is something performative. We perform our gender daily, based on the assumptions of what man and women should and shouldn’t do. We act, speak, think and do things that constantly shape our gendered identity. And quite often we do it unconsciously. By performative, J. Butler doesn’t mean to say that you are performing something —as of consciously acting. Performative gender identity shapes in your head unconsciously and becomes a vital part of your character.

But what are the characteristics of one’s performative gender if not more then just some stereotypes made by the society about how men and women should behave. These stereotypes have been established because of the concrete identities of gender. All women should be feminine, raising children and cooking in the kitchen. All men should be tough, masculine and breadwinners. In Latvian we have a disturbing saying: “Boys don’t cry, but grow up and hang themselves”. The tremendous feeling of not conforming to societies definition for certain kind of identity that a person should belong to, often leads to suicide attempts.

Those who can’t perform their given roles, often feel excluded from the small but important community of their identity. We must conclude that there is nothing innate about characteristics of gender; these are just stereotypical assumptions of how one should act in his/her given role of identity.

So it is very important that from your child days you understand that it is ok if you are boy but want to play with dolls. Or that it is fine to play with toy cars even if you are a girl. Our minister of welfare saw this truth and through the implementation of the book (that at the end of the day was successful, despite all the protesters) tried to make kid’s lives better.

I remember that in my childhood I liked to play more with barbies and plush toys than with any toy cars in the world. Looking back at those innocent childish days I remember my mother. A hero —because everything that she tried to do was to make me feel happier. She lived (and still does!) only to see as many smiles on my face as possible. And isn’t this the main rule of parenting —raise your child so that his or her smile is the biggest one from all the other kids’ in the world?

The Knife: Shaking

the limits text by Andrea Galaxina photography by Alexa Vachon

The Knife is a Swedish band formed by Karin and Olof Dreijer. They have published 4 albums (plus a soundtrack and an opera) in which they have experimented with electronic and pop music. However, The Knife have exceeded the underground limits with a compromised and daring proposal.

In the promo photos of their last album, Shaking the habitual, we see two characters who seem two women, sitting down on a swing, walking on the grass, wearing jumpsuits, high heels and long-hair wigs. They turn their back to us or cover their faces with the hands. It’s hard to tell who is who, what is whom. These characters are The Knife, and these photographs aren’t a coincidence or an eccentricity: these are the starting point of an album whose conceptual depth includes the promo as well. As a total art piece which questions capitalist and patriarchal society.

Shaking the habitual is the culmination of a reflexion and a political compromise. The band has always played with the limits of the music industry and everything it symbolizes. Although The Knife started been another electro-pop band that wasn’t known outside the electro music scene, their political compromise was present in the fact that they selfpublished their albums with their own label Rabid Records. With their second album, Deep Cuts (2003), they got world fame thanks to the song Heartbeats1.

At the same time they started to define their ideology: socialist, feminist and anticapitalist. They began to treat the voices with layers and layers of filters to transform Karin’s voice into an androgynous, depersonalized and dehumanize entity. In this album we can find the song Pass this on; in its video2, Olof is seduced by Rickard Engfors, a famous Swedish drag-queen, while this one sings “I’m in love with your brother” under the watchful eye of his sister Karin.

At this time they started to give interviews but hidden under masks3 and with their voice distorted. Also theirs shows transformed into a sort of performance: a shapes game where the artist image has a secondary role in relation to the music. This way to treat live shows has a huge importance in Shaking the habitual too, as we will soon see.

Finally, critics and public recognition made they won many awards. Of course in this events The Knife show their political compromise. For example, In 2003 they won a Swedish Grammy for the best pop band of the year. To collect the prize, they sent two members of Guerrilla Girls art-group and revealed in this way the male control of the music industry. Recently, in 2010, Karin’s alter ego, Fever Ray, was awarded with P3 Guld Public radio award show. Then she made a spectacular performance against violence against women , especially against acid attacks. They question the system inside the system and provide all their movements with political charge.

Shaking the habitual is the culmination of this process. The album is the result of their reads about queer theory and the complaint of capitalism and its terrible consequences. Before the album release, a manifesto5 saw 1. In reality, Jose Gonzalez’ cover and a Sony add catapulted them to fame. // 2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gKhjaGRhIYU// 3. It was usual they gave interviews covered by masks similar to the ones used by the plague doctors. Maybe they wanted to protect themselves from the mass media “plague”. // 4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymCP6zC_qJU

the light. In this manifesto, they explained the ideas that support the album. Also, Dreijer bros explained the album development in a videointerview6. So, this album is not only music, is theory too.

Shaking the habitual highlighted ideas like the challenge to the pre-conceived rules, overcoming pre-fixed sexual roles or the notion of authenticity. The album title anticipates the premise that nothing can be taken for granted. In the same way, queer theory broke with what gender is, blurring the limits of sexuality. Shaking the habitual tries to transmit the idea that there aren’t rules that regulate creation, music, art or life.

The songs are a sound collage. There are pop songs mixed with experimental tracks, but everything has a strong political aspect. For example, in the first single, Full of fire, an almost 10 minutes song, they sing: Not a vagina, It’s an option / [...] / When you’re full of fire/ What’s the object of your desire? / Let’s talk about gender baby / Let’s talk about you and me.

As I said before, Shaking the habitual is conceived like a complete artwork and not only like a musical piece. The album is accompanied by an exquisite visual work that include a funny comic in which they expose the issues developed in the record. In addition to it, the band held a grand tour (nowadays they are immersed in this tour).

Their live show awakens a huge controversy. In live shows they shoot against two of the music industry pillars: authenticity and personality cult. As they explained: “The norms and habits that are questioned in the show —like ‘the artist as genius’, concepts of authenticity, artistic quality judgements based on white male heterosexual standards, etc.— have been dealt with for a long time in feminist discourses and the contemporary art field. But to question these things in the mainstream setting of the pop music industry seems to be quite controversial.

‘Commercial’ often equals ‘norm conservative’. It’s fun to play with conventions and expectations in this way. As much them as dancers have a fundamental role in the show, they play with confusion and misunderstanding: On stage, we wear a lot of make up, we exchange our 5. http://www.rise-music.co.uk/browse/search/knife/item/245279/The-Knife-Shaking-The-Habitual.html // 6. http://youtu.be/4F37Yg17-JQ

clothes and roles. I like the idea that some people, in the audience, stop questioning who is who because this is not important. But, at the same time, some people are questioning “Why have I paid to see this show if I don’t know if the artists are there?” But, actually, we were on stage all the time.”

The Knife is an essential band to understand the European electronic music development. But, above all, they are essential because they are a pop band which plays in big festivals, they are able to reach a massive audience and they’ve put this kind of political reflexions on the table, and they’ve opened debate, questioning, through art and music, the structures which support our sinister system.

Half

by Mariano Giampietri

Half boys don’t cry.

Tear ducts are for girls (and sissies, let’s not forget them); senseless evolutionary vestiges nipples for emotions that half men do not birth that must not be fed.

Wear grey, blue, black, brown, white at worst.

Straight lines, curt and strict and not fabrics that caress.

No flair, no frill, no flounces.

Nothing flowing, in short.

Lest someone thinks your maleness is not screwed on tightly enough.

Hug not anyone with a penis but if you must let it be shortly earthquakelike.

That’s it, detach.

On the idea of cheek kissing stomp.

And all that joy you **feel** (shhhh!) at belonging in a group or in the company of friends is most definitely not love.

It’s the Hulk wanting out.

Make sure to show that by punching your pal’s shoulder or wrestling him at worst instead of hugging him by peppering him with insults instead of insulting him with endearments by preparing nasty pranks but not girly surprises.

Because it is ok to be stunted to kill a part of you to grow into half men instead of letting other half men think you womanly.

ON FEMI

I-

To all the a out there:

antifeminists : shut up. text and illustration

by Stina Pettersson

There are people who don’t identify as feminists simply because they do not know what it is, or because they do not care. They care about other things. I have no problem with this, as I believe we cannot expect everyone to care about everything. Personally, I think we have an easier time identifying with things we relate to. Therefore, it is unfortunate that despite feminism proud history (fighting for citizenship, suffrage, dignity and respect for all people) it has mainly appealed to white, middle-class, educated, heterosexual women, historically. It is sad when an ideology whose goal is to be inclusive becomes exclusive, when it only a certain group caring or a certain way of caring matters.

Therefore, I am so happy that the 21st century feminism seems to embrace intersectional thinking more and more. It uses post-colonial ideology and challenges the heterosexual-norm and the class-system.

It embraces a new form of masculinity and femininity, as well as queer theories. It is the best feminism ever! Hopefully, more people will feel that his applies to them, because feminism should be personal to everyone. So those of you out there that feel like this just is not your thing, make it your thing! Feminism is waiting for you.

However, there is another kind of person out there too. There are the sorts of people that are not unaware, but against feminist. The anti-feminists. These people have always been around. When Mary Wollstonecraft wrote her epic book A Vindication of the Rights of Women in 1795 (she was WAY before her time in democratic thinking) women in Britain (where she lived and wrote) were still seen as property of men.

But a lot of the criticism she received was similar to what anti-feminists argue today:

What I am trying to prove is that the anti-feminists have always been there and I think they have never contributed with anything particularly valuable to the feminist debate. Although most anti-feminist today say that they would have been feminists in 1795, before “equality went to far� (when this happened is often hard for them to specify) I doubt they would be—if you are blind to the patriarchy today, what makes you sure you would have seen it back then?

Feminism is not an opinion, feminism is a level of knowledge: knowledge that there is widespread discrimination in society referred to as the patriarchy and that this influences our chances in life and prevents us from reaching our individual maximum capacity —and that this is unfair. This is not really something you can argue against, it may be the closest thing I can think of as a fact. We can all have different opinion about how to solve it, but to argue against it is just...dumb. It is like being racist. It is based on nothing except fear and expectations. It is dumb.

So to all anti-feminist out there, I have a few simple questions for you: —If you argue that feminism has gone to far, in what ways would you still like to be able to oppress me?

—And when you say you hate feminism, what is it that you hate? Your right to vote? Your citizenship? Your right to education? Your right to your body? Your right to express your opinion? (which, by the way, you just used) —And when you say; “fuck feminism” or “feminism is dead”, why don’t you want other people to have the same rights as you? Why don’t you want to stand up for it?

Guys, we

feel you.

by Ester Laiho

How many times have I heard: “Stop being such a feminist”, “It is the feminist talking”. Too many times I think. And the next time you are about to say it, please thinks twice. There is a reason for me being a feminist and I’ll tell you but not here and not right now.

I have found my thing with fighting for the same rights for women that men already have. But all the men out there: Do you feel you have too much time in your hands? You want to do something meaningful with your life? –isms are your thing? Masculinism is here to save you! Your boy club has a new fancy name! You can talk about everything especially the inequality you face as men.

Possibly someday Masculinist and Feminist club can join their forces.

Maybe not in the near future…

Now, during the times of Gender Week, you might think that women’s issues are discussed on a bigger scale than men’s. Before you open your mouth, think: Nobody denied the right of having Penis Monologues!

In a way we are in this together, believe it or not. So before you judge me or ‘us’ keep in mind the fact that everybody has the right to have their –isms, even you! Take a leap of faith and join the masculinists!

OST (AS IN NOT

MUSIC, CHEESE)

an playlist

incomplete

For Today I am a Boy —Antony and The Johnsons Androgynous —The Replacements Ain’t Nuthin’ But A She Thing —Salt-N-Pepa Let’s Talk About Gender, Baby —The Knife (remixed by Planningtorock) Doo-Wop (That Thing) —Lauryn Hill Lola —The Kinks Girls and Boys —Blur Boys Don’t Cry —The Cure I’m Just a Girl —No Doubt Rebel Girl —Bikini Kill I’m a Boy —The Who You Don’t Own Me —Lesley Gore Survivor —Destiny’s Child Keep Your Head Up —2Pac You Oughta Know —Alanis Morissette Respect —Aretha Franklin

This publication was edited with love in Flekke, Norway.