Tuesday, August 21, 2012

CUPID

I ran across a reference to an organization called Citizens for Upgrading Prostitution in Detroit (CUPID) in a 1980 article from The Observer on the Women's Movement in the US.  Hunh.   Anybody know anything about them?  Well, I'll start asking around...

Young Woman Goes to the City (1970s-style)




"Dear Mom & Dad,
Have gone to Chicato to seek fame and fortune. Don't wait up.
-Love, T.R."


T.R. Baskin, 1971


I need to track down a copy of this film!  I remember seeing it once before, long, long ago and long before this research project existed.  I think it will help with my chapter on the 1970s and it can't possibly be worse than "Looking for Mr. Goodbar" or "An Unmarried Woman."

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Street Harassment in Belgium

Ms. seems to have street harassment on their radar of late.  Here is an article on a short film that is reminiscent of Hadleigh-West's War Zone.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Personal Space and Beach Volleyball

A recent article in The Atlantic raises many key points in just a few short paragraphs.  Not surprisingly, the author darts between culture, law, custom, and activism leaving them all underexplored.

"The perception of women’s bodies as public property to be commented upon and regulated is one of the universal undercurrents of urban life, no matter what we are wearing. Covered or uncovered, women are targets for judgment, appraisal, and harassment."

I particularly appreciated that the article offered a critique of "women-only spaces" by quoting a woman from Delhi: "Segregating men and women will never help anyone develop tolerance and respect for others’ PERSONAL SPACE."