PinkStinks: campaigning to rethink girl culture

Tue, 29 Dec 2009 19:28:56 EST

I discovered a while back that if I want to use airplanes as a baby nursery theme, I'd better like the color blue. It's true that I'm a girl, avionics engineer, darn close to finishing my pilot's license, but airplanes for kids only come in one color and it's not one we'd ever want to *accidentally* mistake as being feminine. Obviously I shook the stereotypes off but look around... you have to work at it. Play kitchens and make-up sets are packaged with pictures of calm passive girls, while microscopes and train tracks are not. The EZ Bake Oven still claims in huge letters that it a "girl's first baking experience!" Because boys can't bake? Anyway all this overload is why I completely support the Pink Stinks campaign: http://www.pinkstinks.co.uk/

Pink Stinks "challenges the culture of pink which invades every aspect of girls' lives." It's about finding realistic, achieving role models... basically telling girls that they can use their intellect to do something great, instead of just using their bodies to hopefully become some football player's wife. It's about calling out companies that insist on packaging and marketing their toys in a way that puts very young girls into constricting gender roles at a very young age.

I realize that a five year old girl could easily pepper her birthday list with Barbies and princess dress-up sets, and who are we to deny her? But the fact is that when we've taught her since BIRTH that there are certain things girls "should" ask for, are we really doing her any favors? Are the princess clothes really her choice, if the media spends all their energy making sure she's brainwashed?

Roles sell. It's easy to tell kids, "Here's your place", eliminate choices, use sound-bitey surface-beautiful spokespeople. But who are those roles really helping when we've got a culture full of problems that need solved with math, science, critical thinking and socio-economic awareness? Or a scary uprise in image and self-esteem issues among youth who aren't satisfied with their ability to fit into place?(read more...)

(By Spacefem )

Spacefem's Quick Guide to Guinea Pigs

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 16:17:40 EST

Earlier this year I became the proud owner of two guinea pigs. Then we got two more! The Herd has made life pretty exciting but I've also learned a LOT, through internet research and talking to others, and I thought I'd share my advice to any other potential guinea pig owners.

First I must say that guinea pigs are fantastic. They're active, funny to watch, completely adorable, happy to stay in their pen, easy to please, soft to pet, and they make neat squeaky noises. So if you're considering a pet they're pretty awesome. But there are some things you should keep in mind, which is why I've been meaning to write this quick guide of things you should know about guinea pigs.

[b:3uwazcek]1. There are lots of homeless ones[/b:3uwazcek]
Like many pets, guinea pigs are overpopulated. Before you buy one from a petstore I'd strongly recommend looking online or checking with your local humane society. Our humane society said they didn't have any, but one week later they were bugging us with some homeless boys, one of which was only three months old. Who would give up such a tiny thing? Your guess is good as mine.

[b:3uwazcek]2. They need lots of space... so you should not buy a cage at the petstore[/b:3uwazcek]
A guinea pig needs 7-10 square feet to run around and get exercise, in addition to lots of floor time. Pet store cages are expensive and very small. Building a pen from grid shelving is cheap easy, but you have to commit some space to it. Refer to http://www.guineapigcages.com/ for more details. That said, if you already have a cage, it's not a bad thing to keep around for travel or sick pig quarantine.

[b:3uwazcek]3. They need a lot of good food[/b:3uwazcek]
They eat a LOT, and need to eat healthy... plenty of Timothy hay, quality pellets, fruits and vegetables. The veggies have actually made MY diet better so that's a highlight. But like many animals, if you buy the cheapest pellets you can find you're going to end up with sick piggies. I buy Oxbow, it's $15, it lasts about a month.

[b:3uwazcek]4. They multiply quickly[/b:3uwazcek]
I mentioned earlier that there are lots of homeless piggies... that's because they're made for RAPID BREEDING. Breeding guinea pigs is dangerous business... deadly for 20% of females and genetic mis-matches (resulting in breeders who don't know what they're doing) result in babies who don't survive. So that's why you should never intentionally breed. But you should take every precaution to avoid unintentional breeding also... choose a gender and go with it, don't mix males and females, ask your vet if you're unsure of the sex of your guinea pig. A sow can crank out litters of up to eight piggies every three months if things start going crazy. For more info refer to http://cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm

[b:3uwazcek]5. Veterinarians are expensive[/b:3uwazcek]
These are not the toughest wildest animals ever... they get sick, they get injured, and they need professional care. It's true that they're cheap to buy but vets are not cheap. Let's say someone drops your piggy and breaks his leg... you could be looking at up to $200 worth of vet visits, x-rays and maybe medication. It absolutely makes me furious when people try to avoid taking an obviously sick or injured animal to the vet. If you just wanted a toy, you should have gotten a Nintendo, not a living thing.

[b:3uwazcek]6. They do not need store-bought toys[/b:3uwazcek]
They're rodents, they'll be happier with a paper bag than a store-bought chew stick. Don't let the pet stores sell you on that junk.

[b:3uwazcek]7. They need a friend[/b:3uwazcek]
Guinea pigs are herd animals and shouldn't be kept alone for long, unless you plan to be with them all the time. Even then, consider getting a second one. Males can live happily together when properly introduced, they're not territorial unless they're cramped for space or there's a female around.

[b:3uwazcek]8. They poop a lot[/b:3uwazcek]
Sorry, I had to say it. They're messy and if we don't clean out their pen every 7-10 days our whole apartment smells like a barn. That said, their poop makes GREAT fertilizer and the pigs themselves don't smell that bad, they've got ferrets beat in that arena if I say so myself. We were able to use washable fleece on a lot of the cage area so we're not throwing out too much bedding. And since they eat all kinds of veggie peels, lettuce cores and carrot ends that we used to throw away, they're like little eco-friendly garbage disposals! Another awesome side note: Like many guinea pigs, mine are smart enough not to pee on me. I've never been peed on by one of my guinea pigs. They have signals that I have to pay attention to if I'm holding them, and I watch the time, and I always get fur shed all over me, but they're cleaner than I thought they'd be.

Okay, if I think of more things I'll add them! But I'd highly recommend getting some piggies... between that terrible G-force movie and the normal holiday rush, shelters and rescues are going to be looking to place quite a few in the next several months. So now's the time! If you're ready and want an awesome pet, get a guinea pig, you'll be thrilled.

All the pigs say yeee-ah:

[img:3uwazcek]http://lh4.ggpht.com/_lC1zNeMuxTc/SqY2ZrPHoqI/AAAAAAAAARE/PGcULlOMhs0/s640/herd%20lounging.jpg[/img:3uwazcek](read more...)

(By Spacefem )

Spacefem.com Articles

PinkStinks: campaigning to rethink girl culture

Spacefem's Quick Guide to Guinea Pigs