Natalie Angier
http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/angier_24_5.htm.
Starhawk
http://www.starhawk.org.
Susan Sarandon
http://www.nndb.com/people/762/000024690.
Emily Dickinson
http://www.cswnet.com/~erin/emily.htm.
Goddesses
Kali
http://www.goddess.ws/kali.html.
Pele
http://www.thewhitemoon.com/gallery/Pele2.html.
Nemesis
http://waltm.net/nemesis.htm.
Tara
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/goddess_tara_white.htm.
Historical Figures
Hypatia, 355?–415 CE
“Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.”
—http://space.about.com/od/astronomerbiographies/a/hypatiabio.htm.
Hypatia was a natural philosopher and taught mathematics and natural sciences in Alexandria, Egypt. Little more is known about Hypatia except that she was daughter of Theon, who taught at the School of the Alexandrine Library. Hypatia made tools for her scientific experiments, and wrote treatises in the areas of geography, algebra, and astronomy. She is rumored to have been Pagan, and to have had a hand in politics. She died a violent death at the hands of a mob of Christian monks, or possibly was lynched as part of a political intrigue.
—http://pages.prodigy.net/fljustice/hypatia.htm.
Sojourner Truth, 1797–1883
“I feel that if I have to answer for the deeds done in my body just as much as a man, I have a right to have just as much as a man. There is a great stir about colored men getting their rights, but not a word about the colored women; and if colored men get their rights, and not colored women theirs, you see the colored men will be masters over the women, and it will be just as bad as it was before.”
—Excerpted from a speech by Sojourner Truth in New York, 1867, http://afroamhistory.about.com/library/blsojourner_truth_1867speech.htm.
Sojourner Truth was a woman of faith. Raised in slavery, Sojourner had a hard life, but always relied on her faith to carry her through. After emancipation, she spent years walking the east coast states and preaching. She was also took part in many utopian communities. Truth spoke for the rights of women, and of all the disenfranchised. She campaigned until her death for equality for all.
—http://search.eb.com/women/articles/Truth_Sojourner.html.
Emma Goldman, 1869–1940
“ . . . I had seen enough of the horrors of married life in my own home. Father’s harsh treatment of mother, the constant wrangles and bitter scenes that ended in mother’s fainting spells . . . Together with my own marital experiences they had convinced me that binding people for life was wrong . . .
“If ever I love a man again, I will give myself to him without being bound by the rabbi or the law . . . and when that love dies, I will leave without permission.”
—Emma Goldman, Living My Life.
Red Emma is the most famous female anarchist in history, and a foremost figure in the American Anarchist movement. Goldman believed in the freedom to love without bonds, never had children, and lived her life on her own terms. Emma was arrested numerous times for her activities on many issues, including providing impoverished women with information about birth control. (This was a good bit before Margaret Sanger came along.) She spent her life fighting for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and the rights of the poor, and organized against the draft during WWI.
—http://www.jewwatch.com/jew-mindcontrol-anarchism-emmagoldman.html.
Victoria Claflin Woodhull, 1838–1927
“While others of my sex devoted themselves to a crusade against the laws that shackle the women of the country, I asserted my individual independence . . . While others sought to show that there was no valid reason why a woman should be treated . . . as being inferior to man, I boldly entered the arena of politics and business and exercised the rights I already possessed. I therefore claim the right to speak for the unenfranchised women of the country and . . . I now announce myself as a candidate for the Presidency.”
—Victoria Claflin Woodhull, from Barbara Goldsmith’s Other Powers, pp. 212.
Woodhull was the first female stockbroker, and she ran for the Presidency in 1872, nearly fifty years before American women had won the right to vote. Victoria’s vice presidential running mate, Fredrick Douglass, was a former slave. Victoria’s platform was short skirts and free love . . . or, the right of women to wear hems above the ankle, and the right to divorce. She was hailed as “Mrs. Satan” by the press of her day. Talk about a woman ahead of her times!
—http://us.history.wisc.edu/hist102/bios/17.html.
Harriet Tubman
http://www.civilwarhome.com/tubmanbio.htm.
Simone de Beauvoir
http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/beav.htm.
Janis Joplin
http://www.officialjanis.com/bio.html.
Rosa Parks
http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0pro-1.
Evita Peron
http://womenshistory.about.com/od/peroneva.
Martha Graham
“Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion.”
—http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/m/marthagrah133358.html.
Indira Gandhi
http://www.multied.com/bio/people/gandhi.html.
Denise Levertov
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/denise-levertov.
Current Pop-Culture Icons
Madonna/Esther
She grabbed her crotch, simulated masturbation on stage, had a child on her own, founded a multimillion-dollar empire, and has never stopped looking damn good while doing, and having, it all.
—http://www.angelfire.com/co3/bigbother/madonna.htm.
Karen Finley
Finley is a fearless artist who has talked about subjects such as rape, AIDS, death, and sex. Primarily known for her performance art, she has also worked with environmental art, and a number of other mediums. As likely her largest claim to fame, Finley was the main respondent in the Supreme Court case of “the NEA Four.” It was an ongoing battle that revolved around the funding of her work, and the work of three other artists, by the National Endowment for the Arts. Finley is a feminist whose work deals with sexuality, among other topics.
—http://www.artfacts.net/index.php/pageType/artistInfo/artist/29173.
bell hooks
http://www.bookrags.com/biography/bell-hooks.
Patti Smith
http://www.aristarec.com/psmith/smithbio.html.
Katherine Dunham
“I used to want the words ‘She tried’ on my tombstone. Now I want ‘She did it.’”
—http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/k/katherined166859.html, http://www.bookrags.com/biography/katherine-dunham.
Diane di Prima
http://www.ksu.edu/english/janette/installations/MaryV/biography.htm.
Ani DiFranco
Known as “the Little Folk Singer Who Could,” Ani is a self-made woman, and she does it her way. With a number of self-produced albums under her belt, she has chosen to remain independent. In the process she ended up founding her own label, Righteous Babe Records, which gives voice to other indie artists who would have a hard time being heard without Ani’s support.
—http://www.askmen.com/women/singer_200/216_ani_difranco.html.
Mystic
http://evilmonito.com/007/mystic/mystic.htm.
Nadine Strossen
Long-time president of the ACLU and author of Defending Pornography: Free Speech, Sex and the Fight for Women’s Rights.
—http://ome.ksu.edu/lectures/dor
othy/bio/strossen.html.
Gloria Steinem
http://www.nwhp.org/tlp/biographies/steinem/steinem_bio.html.
Chief Wilma Mankiller
The first female Chief of the Cherokee Nation, Mankiller brought a sense of pride back to her people, and while she faced plenty of adversity along the way, she did it all without losing her sense of humor, honor, and humility.
—http://www.bookrags.com/biography/wilma-mankiller.
The ’91ers
The American women’s soccer team, widely known as “the ’91ers” after their first big win at the World Cup in 1991, took gold in the ’04 Olympics. It was a bittersweet and emotional moment, as Mia Hamm, Joy Fawcett, and Julie Foudy, three of the five original team members (Hamm, Foudy, Fawcett, Kristine Lilly, and Brandi Chastain) had announced plans for retirement preceding the Olympic Games. At the time of the Olympics win, not one of the five was under thirty-two years of age. In the thirteen years that these women took the soccer world by storm, they changed the rules for all the female athletes that come after them.
—http://www.unitedsoccerathletes.com.
[contents]
appendix iii
Informational Resources
This is a chapter-by-chapter listing of on-topic websites, books, and other resources. There is also an additional section for resources that are not on-topic to any specific chapter, but seem in-line with the vibe of Sexy Witch.
Chapter One: Your Body Is a Temple
Altar of Self-Love
Vulva Pillows
The Velvet Vulva™, http://www.artgoddess.com/vulva-page.html.
Kinda pricey, but very pretty.
Make Your Own Vulva Art
Leslie Olin, Yoni Shields, http://www.yoni.com/sheilds/index.shtml.
Make Your Own Pussy Coin Purse
Visit my friend Sarah’s site, All About My Vagina, http://myvag.net/zine/2004summer/luckyvulva/.
Aphrodite and Eros Statues
Mythic Images, http://www.mythicimages.com.
Chakras
Eastern Body, Western Mind, by Anodea Judith (Berkeley, CA: Celestial Arts, 2004).
Chakras, http://www.zaalberg.freeserve.co.uk/chakras.htm.
Eclectic Energies, http://www.eclecticenergies.com/chakras/differences.php.
Chapter Two: I Love Me, I Love Me Not, I Love Me!
The Great Weight Debate
The Obesity Myth: Why America’s Obsession with Weight is Hazardous to Your Health, by Paul Campos (New York: Gotham Books, 2004).
Big Fat Lies: The Truth About Your Weight and Your Health, by Glenn A. Gaesser (Carlsbad, CA: Gürze Books, 2002).
Just the Weigh You Are: How to Be Fit and Healthy, Whatever Your Size, by Steven Jonas and Linda Konner (Shelburne, VT: Chapters Pub., 1997).
The Size Acceptance Movement
Revolting Bodies? The Struggle to Redefine Fat Identity, by Kathleen LeBesco (Amherst, MA: Univ. of Mass. Press, 2004).
The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
http://www.naafa.org/.
“Millions of fat Americans, as well as individuals from around the world, constitute a group that exists in a society geared toward slimness as an ideal. They therefore constitute a minority group with many of the attributes of other minority groups: poor self-image, guilt feelings, employment discrimination, exploitation by commercial interests, and being the subject of ridicule.
. . . It is the aim of this organization to help people all sizes of large deal more effectively with these and other problems and to promote more tolerance and understanding from society.”
—From the NAAFA Constitution.
Lookism
Anti-Lookism Is Not Extreme, http://www.amnation.com/vfr/archives/000619.html.
Lookism: How It Affects Us, http://www.geocities.com/s_cullars/lookism.htm.
Charted Institute of Personnel and Development, “Getting Under the Skin of ‘Lookism,’” http://www.cipd.co.uk/press/ResourceArea/FeatureArticles/Getting+under+the+skin+of+lookism.htm.
Learn About the Media Influence on Your Self-Image
About-Face, http://about-face.org.
“About-Face promotes positive self-esteem in girls and women of all ages, sizes, races and backgrounds through a spirited approach to media education, outreach and activism.”
—From the About-Face mission statement.
Adbusters Magazine, http://www.adbusters.org/home/.
Gender Equality
United Nations Population Fund, http://www.unfpa.org/gender/faq_gender.htm.
“UNFPA . . . helps governments in the world’s poorest countries, and in other countries in need, to formulate population policies and strategies in support of sustainable development. All UNFPA-funded programmes promote women’s equality.”
—From the UNFPA website.
Dress Reform Today: Top Freedom
Legal Freedom, “Ten Women Sue for Topfree Rights in Federal Court,” http://www.legalfreedom.com/topfree/.
“Scientific studies show that forcing women to wear tops while men enjoy topfreedom causes a psychological phenomenon called ‘objectification.’ Objectification contributes to social problems of sexual assault, domestic violence, and sexual harassment. The requirement for women to wear shirts where men do not creates a badge of second-class citizenship for women.”
—Excerpt from the Legal Freedom website.
Women’s Choice, “Topfree Action,” http://www.geocities.com/womens_choice_org/topfreedom.html.
“What we are fighting for? We are fighting . . . for women’s right to be topless WHERE EVER men can . . .
What we want to explain to society is that a topless woman is NOT a nude woman—just like a man without a t-shirt is not a nude man.”
—Excerpt from the Women’s Choice website.
Gender Bending
My Gender Workbook: How to Become a Real Man, a Real Woman, the Real You, or Something Else Entirely, by Kate Bornstein (New York: Routledge, 1998).
The Chicago Kings, http://www.chicagokings.com/.
DC Drag Kings, http://www.dckings.com/.
San Diego Kings Club, http://www.sdkingsclub.com/.
Drag King Magazine, http://drag.lesbiru.com/eng/.
The Drag King Book, by Del LaGrace Volcano and Judith “Jack” Halberstam (New York: Serpent’s Tail, 1999).
Ms. Direction Zine, http://www.zinethug.com/.
Chapter Three: Pussy Power!
This Is Your Pussy!
Pretty Pussies!
Petals, by Nick Karras (San Diego, CA: Crystal River Publishing, 2004).
Snatch Styling
It’s Your Snatch, Style It if You Want!
Gusto, http://www.dailygusto.com/columns/bitchslap/index-102103.html.
A Condemnation of the Hairless Craze
Nerve, http://www.nerve.com/Dispatches/Featherstone/shockingFuzz/main.asp.
A Brief History of Pubic Coiffure
World of the Nudest Nudist, http://www.wnn.nu/UK/History/historyhair.html.
Know Your Parts!
Female Anatomy 640, http://daphne.palomar.edu/psycsoc125/HSClass/anatomy_ts/pages/F_Anat.html.
Get Your Specula Here!
Medical Toys.com, http://www.medicaltoys.com/speculum.htm.
Let the Fabulous Dr. Annie Sprinkle Tutor You in Viewing Your Own Cervix!
http://www.anniesprinkle.org/html/writings/self_exam.html.
Clitical Information
The-Clitoris.com, http://www.the-clitoris.com/f_html/fr_index.htm.
Clit-Pumping Good Times
The Village Voice, “Pump Up Your Clit,” by Tristan Taormino, http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0049/taormino.php.
The Goddess-Spot
Find Your G Spot
Tantra at Ta
hoe, http://www.tantraattahoe.com/g-spot/where-the-g-spot.htm.
G Marks the Spot: An Interview with Female Ejaculation Expert Deborah Sundahl
Toys in Babeland, http://www.babeland.com/sexinfo/features/sundahl-gspot-interview.
Anal Play
Good for Her, http://www.goodforher.com/info/anal.html.
TheSite.org, http://www.thesite.org/sexandrelationships/havingsex/styles/analplay.
The Ultimate Guide to Anal Sex for Women (book or movie), Tristan Taormino, (San Francisco, CA: Cleis Press, 1998).
Nina Hartley’s Guide to Anal Sex, CD (Adam & Eve Productions, 1995).
Vulva and Woman Worship Through the Ages
The Venus of Willendorf, http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/willendorfname.html.
Yogini Ashram.net, http://www.yoginiashram.net/HISTORY/body_history.html.
Sheela-na-gigs, http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/sheela.htm.
Chapter Four: Carnal Knowledge:
Masturbation, Menstruation, Matrices
Menstruation
The Centre for Menstruation Cycle and Ovulation Research, http://www.cemcor.ubc.ca/.
“The Centre for Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation Research is an accessible research centre with a mandate to distribute information directly to women about changes through the life cycle, from adolescence to menopause.
“. . . It is the only centre in North America that focuses on ovulation and the causes for and consequences of ovulation disturbances.”
—Excerpt from the CeMCOR website.
Museum of Menstruation and Women’s Health, http://www.mum.org/.
“Discover the rich history of menstruation and women’s health on this Web site—MUM for short—devoted to menstruation and selected topics of women’s health!”
—Excerpt from the MUM website.
Blood Art
Vanessa Tiegs Blood Art, http://www.vanessatiegs.com/paintings/pgs/statement.html.
“Between September 2000 and September 2003, I completed a series of 80 paintings using the medium that could best express my experience of the monthly presence of blood. I was inspired by the desire to affirm the bright red cycle—the hidden forbidden monthly renewal process.”
Sexy Witch Page 30
