Feminism in News and Popular Media

femmeInterrupted · 05-07-2013, 04:03 PM

http://www.policymic.com/articles/40...n-you-shoot-it

NRA Vendor Sells Ex-Girlfriend Target That Bleeds When You Shoot It

*Trigger warning*

Sometimes I feel like the NRA is actively just trying to lose all the credibility it has left in this world.

Just when you thought the NRA's annual convention in Houston this weekend couldn't draw any more negative attention, it goes out and casually promotes a company selling a product that can help you practice shooting your ex-girlfriend. You know, just in case you need that to defend yourself one day. We all know them ex-honeys be crazzzzy.

The target, which is delightfully called "the ex," is sold by a vendor who was present at the convention. The company goes by the name of Zombie Industries and market themselves as the maker of "life-sized tactical mannequin targets." It bleeds heavily when you shoot it and eventually looks like this.

Cowboy hat not included, but the promotion of men's violence against women is.

The company has a line of 15 zombies (one of which resembled President Obama so much that it was pulled by the NRA) and only one is a female mannequin. "To discriminate against Women by not having them represented in our product selection would be just plain sexist," the website says. YES, because having the only female character in your line of mannequin targets be "the ex-girlfriend" doesn't reinforce sexist and fatally dangerous stereotypes.
I'm not even sure how to begin unpacking this, so let me start with some stats. Men's violence against women is not a small pickle, it's a huge problem. Not just all over the world and in every society, but particularly here in the United States where "domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women — more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined." One third of female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner.

Gun violence is a gendered issue since it impacts women and men in very different ways. Because women are more vulnerable to violence within the home than men (and men are most often the perpetrators of violence against women), the presence of a gun makes females less safe, not more. How do we know? A woman's likelyhood of a violent death within the home actually increases by 270% when a gun is kept inside the house. Homicide figures don't lie. Having a gun within their possession didn't protect women from murder. In fact, it accurately predicted their higher likelyhood of death.

"Women who were murdered were more likely, not less likely, to have purchased a handgun in the three years prior to their deaths, again invalidating the idea that a handgun has a protective effect against homicide."

Giving women guns will not solve domestic violence. Normalizing men's violence against women with an ex-girlfriend mannequin will not solve domestic violence. It can only make the problem worse.

Every day, at least three women are killed by an intimate partner in the US alone. Let's make sure those numbers go down, not up. Let's make sure companies like Zombies Industries know that we're not buying it.

Let them know what you think on Twitter by pinging them at @ZombieInd and don't forget to use the hashtag #NotBuyingIt. Here's a sample tweet, but feel free to make up your own.

@ZombieInd Stop promoting men's violence against women. 1 in 3 women women murdered were killed by an intimate partner. #NotBuyingIt.

Kobi · 05-07-2013, 04:11 PM

The above has left me speechless and that isn't easy to do.

femmeInterrupted · 05-07-2013, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kobi

The above has left me speechless and that isn't easy to do.

I hear you. I don't actually know where to begin either. Just the representation ( notice, her tits are ALSO hanging out! ) of a bloodied woman is brutal. The normalization of violence against women that this brings is astonishing. Of course, being able to 'purchase' an otherwise already commodified female 'ex-girlfriend' embodies and solidifies that ongoing notion and reality already too.

It's just fucking unbelievable.

This brings to mind the whole https://www.realdoll.com thing from years back.

Shitballs.

CherylNYC · 05-07-2013, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmeInterrupted

I hear you. I don't actually know where to begin either. ...

Shitballs.

The place to begin is signing this petition:

http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign...QG3VQ&rd=1&t=1

No, I don't think it's pointless to sign a petition. It doesn't have as much weight as a court order, but there is strength in numbers.

femmeInterrupted · 05-07-2013, 05:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

The place to begin is signing this petition:

http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign...QG3VQ&rd=1&t=1

No, I don't think it's pointless to sign a petition. It doesn't have as much weight as a court order, but there is strength in numbers.

Signed!!!!

femmeInterrupted · 05-10-2013, 08:46 AM

femmeInterrupted · 05-10-2013, 08:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CherylNYC

The place to begin is signing this petition:

http://act.weareultraviolet.org/sign...QG3VQ&rd=1&t=1

No, I don't think it's pointless to sign a petition. It doesn't have as much weight as a court order, but there is strength in numbers.

No only was it NOT pointless-- it WORKED!

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/201...cry/?mobile=nc

femmeInterrupted · 05-10-2013, 03:10 PM

Have you ever wondered why Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing?

Well, CEO Mike Jeffries can put an end to your curiosity, though his response may make you never want to shop at the teen retail store ever again.

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the Salon. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand.
They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/aberc...#ixzz2SvUPwh1e

CherylNYC · 05-10-2013, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmeInterrupted

Have you ever wondered why Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing?

Well, CEO Mike Jeffries can put an end to your curiosity, though his response may make you never want to shop at the teen retail store ever again.

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the Salon. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand.
They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/aberc...#ixzz2SvUPwh1e

Now I'm speechless.

Allison W · 05-10-2013, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by femmeInterrupted

Have you ever wondered why Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing?

Well, CEO Mike Jeffries can put an end to your curiosity, though his response may make you never want to shop at the teen retail store ever again.

“In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the Salon. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely."

Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand.
They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/aberc...#ixzz2SvUPwh1e

...But I bet they stock XL and XXL in men's sizes. (I'd have checked the article, but I can't get it to load. It seems that my neck of the woods has been having DNS problems for the past several days.)

05-07-2013, 04:03 PM	#1
femmeInterrupted Member How Do You Identify?: Queer femme Preferred Pronoun?: she works out well ;) Relationship Status: Happily married. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ontario Posts: 812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,885 Thanked 3,215 Times in 666 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	And then there's this: http://www.policymic.com/articles/40...n-you-shoot-it NRA Vendor Sells Ex-Girlfriend Target That Bleeds When You Shoot It Trigger warning Sometimes I feel like the NRA is actively just trying to lose all the credibility it has left in this world. Just when you thought the NRA's annual convention in Houston this weekend couldn't draw any more negative attention, it goes out and casually promotes a company selling a product that can help you practice shooting your ex-girlfriend. You know, just in case you need that to defend yourself one day. We all know them ex-honeys be crazzzzy. The target, which is delightfully called "the ex," is sold by a vendor who was present at the convention. The company goes by the name of Zombie Industries and market themselves as the maker of "life-sized tactical mannequin targets." It bleeds heavily when you shoot it and eventually looks like this. Cowboy hat not included, but the promotion of men's violence against women is. The company has a line of 15 zombies (one of which resembled President Obama so much that it was pulled by the NRA) and only one is a female mannequin. "To discriminate against Women by not having them represented in our product selection would be just plain sexist," the website says. YES, because having the only female character in your line of mannequin targets be "the ex-girlfriend" doesn't reinforce sexist and fatally dangerous stereotypes. I'm not even sure how to begin unpacking this, so let me start with some stats. Men's violence against women is not a small pickle, it's a huge problem. Not just all over the world and in every society, but particularly here in the United States where "domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women — more than car accidents, muggings, and rapes combined." One third of female murder victims are killed by an intimate partner. Gun violence is a gendered issue since it impacts women and men in very different ways. Because women are more vulnerable to violence within the home than men (and men are most often the perpetrators of violence against women), the presence of a gun makes females less safe, not more. How do we know? A woman's likelyhood of a violent death within the home actually increases by 270% when a gun is kept inside the house. Homicide figures don't lie. Having a gun within their possession didn't protect women from murder. In fact, it accurately predicted their higher likelyhood of death. "Women who were murdered were more likely, not less likely, to have purchased a handgun in the three years prior to their deaths, again invalidating the idea that a handgun has a protective effect against homicide." Giving women guns will not solve domestic violence. Normalizing men's violence against women with an ex-girlfriend mannequin will not solve domestic violence. It can only make the problem worse. Every day, at least three women are killed by an intimate partner in the US alone. Let's make sure those numbers go down, not up. Let's make sure companies like Zombies Industries know that we're not buying it. Let them know what you think on Twitter by pinging them at @ZombieInd and don't forget to use the hashtag #NotBuyingIt. Here's a sample tweet, but feel free to make up your own. @ZombieInd Stop promoting men's violence against women. 1 in 3 women women murdered were killed by an intimate partner. #NotBuyingIt. __________________ "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together." Lila Watson You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun, but you seek shade when its shining. You say you love wind, but when its comes you close your window. So that's why I'm scared, when you say you love me. -- Bob Marley

05-07-2013, 04:11 PM	#2
Kobi Infamous Member How Do You Identify?: Biological female. Lesbian. Relationship Status: Happy Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hanging out in the Atlantic. Posts: 9,234 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 9,840 Thanked 34,613 Times in 7,637 Posts Rep Power: 21474860	The above has left me speechless and that isn't easy to do. __________________

05-10-2013, 08:46 AM	#6
femmeInterrupted Member How Do You Identify?: Queer femme Preferred Pronoun?: she works out well ;) Relationship Status: Happily married. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ontario Posts: 812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,885 Thanked 3,215 Times in 666 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	__________________ "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together." Lila Watson You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun, but you seek shade when its shining. You say you love wind, but when its comes you close your window. So that's why I'm scared, when you say you love me. -- Bob Marley

05-10-2013, 03:10 PM	#8
femmeInterrupted Member How Do You Identify?: Queer femme Preferred Pronoun?: she works out well ;) Relationship Status: Happily married. Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Ontario Posts: 812 My Photo Gallery Thanks: 1,885 Thanked 3,215 Times in 666 Posts Rep Power: 21474853	Abercrombie & Fitch Refuses To Make Clothes For Large Women Have you ever wondered why Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing? Well, CEO Mike Jeffries can put an end to your curiosity, though his response may make you never want to shop at the teen retail store ever again. “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids,” he told the Salon. “Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely." Teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch doesn't stock XL or XXL sizes in women's clothing because they don't want overweight women wearing their brand. They want the "cool kids," and they don't consider plus-sized women as being a part of that group. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/aberc...#ixzz2SvUPwh1e __________________ "If you have come to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us walk together." Lila Watson You say you love rain, but you use an umbrella to walk under it. You say you love sun, but you seek shade when its shining. You say you love wind, but when its comes you close your window. So that's why I'm scared, when you say you love me. -- Bob Marley

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Switch to Linear Mode Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode