The clothes may not make the man, but they certainly define the woman. At least they do according Rosea Lake, a first-year student at Capilano University in Vancouver, B.C. A photo posted by Lake of the back of a model's leg prompted a lot of discussion on how women are judged by the length of their skirts.
According to an article in the Star, the photo was taken by Lake as part of a high school art project last year. From “matronly” to “whore” scrawled in marker up a woman's bare leg, the provocative shot garnered more than 280,000 'likes' and shares on Tumblr.
“If you see a girl wearing something you see as distasteful, then you automatically discount them as a person and you don’t give them the opportunity to really be somebody in your eyes,” said 18-year-old Lake. “And that’s really shameful.”
In addition to “slut” and “whore,” the words “asking for it” were also included on model Ali Mackenzie’s leg—a social commentary on rape culture, one which plagues Lake, who wonders whether walking around her "rough neighbourhood” in a particular outfit will incite sexually or verbal harassment.
“These are the things I think about, and I don’t think women in particular should have to worry about am I going to be raped because of what I am wearing today?”
Pretty potent stuff from a high school student. Fortunately the medium is the message, and it's spreading... Emails of support have come from locations as far flung as Turkey and Bosnia; professors have asked for permission to use the image in their lectures.
“I’m just happy that it has sparked so much dialogue and conversation," said Lake. "The message is much more important than I am, so I want people to use it.”
We're happy, too. Keep the discussion going, girl!
Health Canada has recalled carry handles for Bugaboo Cameleon strollers and Bugaboo Donkey strollers with the following serial numbers:
Bugaboo Cameleon
Bugaboo Donkey
When placed on on the ground or an unstable surface, the carry handle's white button may pop out causing the handle to detach, resulting in a potential fall or choking hazard.
While no injuries occurred, a total of 58 incidents in North America were reported to Bugaboo International BV.
Customers are advised to remove the handle immediately and contact Bugaboo for a free replacement carry handle.
For further information, customers can visit Bugaboo's website or via [email protected] or at 1-800-460-2922 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. PST Monday through Friday.
From September 2009 to June 2012, approximately 3,869 Cameleon strollers were sold in Canada, and 38,653 in the United States.
From January 2011 to December 2012, approximately 576 Donkey strollers were sold in Canada, and 7,703 in the United States.
"That is SO gay!" Ever slipped such a phrase unthinkingly? A site called NoHomophobes.com is campaigning to end what it dubs the "prevalence of casual homophobia in our society." Words stick, and you'd be surprised at just how often we use terms like “faggot,” “dyke,” “homo,” and “so gay” in throwaway speech.
Don't believe me? Just check out NoHomophobes to see how prolific and thoughtlessly these terms are thrown around on social media sites every single day.
There are certain words that horrify us, words that most of us recognize are inherently bigoted. (I can think of one beginning with an 'n' and another beginning with an 'r'...) But homophobic and transphobic language is rampant, and we need to put an end to it if we are to stop needless bullying and suicides within the LGBTQ community.
Call people out when you hear homophobic or transphobic language anywhere in your community—be in online or in person. By all means, check out the site for ways to get involved and tweet out the #NoHomophobes tag to show that words matter and names truly do hurt.
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