Marissa Magic Reviews Tom Tom magazine

And what do I do with these wooden sticks?

I heard about Tom Tom magazine a bit ago and I was stoked. I’m always excited about ladies magazines that are made by non-corporate entities, and to focus on a field that is so male dominated? So rad! I envisioned grrls giving other grrls drumming advice and tips, gear reviews, maybe even some feminist analysis. I dreamed of a magazine that was glossy like pro magazines but filled with information and insights not normally seen in a mainstream publication, something that was entirely about grrls supporting grrls and breaking up the boys club of drumming. Recently Explode into Colors cruised through town armed with a stack of Tom Toms. Hanging out at the place EIC was crashing I spotted a couple copies on a coffee table and quietly swiped one to peruse. I sat back on the couch and began to flip through. Oh. It’s a fucking fashion magazine.

-marissa magic

read the rest of her thoughtful review here

Repost from Threadbared - Creativity and Commodity: The Subcultural Style Guide

analysis & pdf on threadbared

Angela Davis: More Than a Hair Cut

"It is both humiliating and humbling to discover that a single generation after the events that constructed me as a public personality, I am remembered as a hairdo." Angela Davis

ANGELA DAVIS
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One in 37

This is reprinted from my blog from 12/15/05:

In 1971 Angela Y. Davis faced a possible death sentence from the State of California.

A member of the communist party who studied under Theodore Adorno at the Frankfurt School in Germany, she became a public figure when she was fired from UCLA by then governor of California, Ronald Reagan, for her radical politics. She subsequently received death threats on a daily basis, and had countless mainstream news articles written about her. She was outspoken, articulate and confident and quickly became a symbol of black power in popular culture. George Jackson, an inmate at San Quentin who was doing life in prison for allegedly committing an armed robbery for $71, contacted her for help. He and two other inmates-the Soledad Brothers- were being charged with killing a guard. Jackson was also a communist, and claimed he was being persecuted for his political beliefs. Davis got involved in the campaign to clear the Soledad Brothers and educate the public about racism and the prison system. At this point she became a Black Panther.

In August of 1970, George Jackson’s younger brother Jonothan was shot and killed after allegedly seizing hostages that would presumably be exchanged for his brother’s freedom. The gun that was found was registered to Davis, who went underground and ended up on the F.B.I.’s ten most wanted list for attempted murder, conspiracy and kidnapping. She was eventually caught by police in NYC, where she did time in the Women’s Detention Center there before being transferred to the state of California where, if convicted, she could have been sent to the gas chamber.

In August 1971 George Jackson was shot and killed by prison guards a few days before his case went to court. Prison officials claim he had a gun and was trying to escape. Eyewitnesses say he was not armed or fleeing the prison. The other two Soledad Brothers were acquitted.

In 1972, Angela Y. Davis was cleared of all charges. She resumed her career as a teacher and became a writer and public intellectual. She has run for president (at least twice) and continues to fight against oppression and speak out, focusing on racism, classism, sexism and the prison industrial complex.

READ THE WHOLE POST HERE

Public Image

Public Image

Hello, hello, hello (ha, ha, ha)

You never listen to a word that I said
You only seen me
For the clothes
that I wear
Or did the interest go so much deeper
It must have been
The colour of my hair

The Public Image

What you wanted was never made clear
Behind the image was ignorance and fear
You hide behind this public machine
Still follow same old scheme

Public Image

Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
I will not be treated as property

Public Image

Two sides to every story
Somebody had to stop me
I'm not the same as when I began
Its not a game of monopoly

Public image

Public image
You got what you wanted
The public image belongs to me
It's my entrance
My own creation
My grand finale
My goodbye

Public image
Goodbye

Beth Ditto Doll

my co-worker ben just sent me this link from UK Vogue



it's weird, right?

Not Into Fashion Shows...

so, the prospect of another fashion show at the capitol theater is about as exciting to me as getting another tooth pulled...it is reminding me of 8th grade cheerleading tryouts...and while i am used to being alienated by the world at large and the mainstream of indie rock, i don't like it that the thing that the women in my town work so hard on these days is centered around the buying, selling, making and wearing of clothes. i recognize that fashion is considered an art form, and (as previously stated) yes, sometimes i like wearing outfits too, but i am not someone who thinks owning a business or being crafty is in-and-of-itself radical. so while i am hesitant to present my harsh critique here (what i really think would probably offend you) i have to say, no i will not be attending the fashion show or dying the gray out of my hair or putting myself on display any time soon. i am glad that women are being creative together, but sad that i can't relate...oh well i guess. maybe it's time to re-evaluate what feminism is. hmmm.

as an afterthought I should probably mention that i do think a political usage of style, especially with regards to youth cultural movements, (see dick hebdige subculture the meaning of style or the writing of stuart hall) is viable and can be potentially liberating, though when it comes to girls, focusing so much on appearance is always going to be a double-edged sword...and fashion, as an industry, "diy", boutique or mainstream, is not compelling to me...to each her own i suppose...i know we all have to pay the bills and...i won't voice my critique of the music industry here either, but rest assured i do have one...yep.

when I was in middle school my mom told me I didn't need to shave my legs or wear a bra or make up unless i WANTED to. in high school I found that these "choices" were less than free--if you didn't conform to traditional grooming habits for women, there were consequences. as a young woman, I resisted this programming in different ways, only conforming when I felt it was really a choice or when it seemed to make sense to comply, i.e. job interviews or whatever.

in bikini kill we tried to make the construction of femininity--and resistance to it-- visible as part of our performance. we used style politically. unfortunately this 'style' was commodified and entered the market place in weird sanitized versions...somewhere along the line, "fashion" became "hip" and the trendsetters became trendy.

as an adult woman who will be turning 40 this year, i find myself thinking a lot about what my mom told me in middle school. when i realized i was spending a bunch of money dying my hair because it was turning gray and women are supposed to try and look young forever, i stopped doing it. when i dye it next time it will be because i WANT to, not because i HAVE to if that makes sense.

in all this worrying about my appearance, the fashion show doesn't make me feel happy, it makes me stressed out. fuck it. i want to read books and try to create a world free from war, racial injustice and poverty. that to me is what it's all about. i don't give a shit what you wear. sure it's better to buy local, but do we really have to think about it so much?

Anti-Fashion Feminist

I am bummed that the feminists I know are so into fashion these days. I value personal style as a means of expression (sorta) and understand that it is considered an 'art form' but wonder what it means that most women//girls spend so much time on what we look like in comparison to most men/boys in a world where we are still judged by our appearance to a greater degree than most men/boys are. It's something I think about a lot but don' t have much to say about yet, though I will probably write about it at some point. There is a double standard at work that needs to be interrogated before this is just a matter of "personal choice". This doesn't mean I am giving away my berets or beatle-boots anytime soon by the way. I enjoy wearing 'outfits' sometimes too, but I try not to focus on it too much.