Who’s got the funk?...

A young offender. Via frisse82 @ Flickr. Wimmenz got that funk!  Owwww.   At least, according to a recent study done in Switzerland, and reported in this article from New Scientist.  Women stink of onions; men smell of cheese. Never mind that the study has not been duplicated.  Overlook that the...

And They Say I Hate Men…...

It being the weekend, I am trying to occupy myself by dabbling in that shrinking subset of activities that do not involve staring at computer screens.  But I wanted to bring to readers’ attention an interesting blogular discussion I came across this week about misogyny – among men!  And...

On Disliking Updike (Instead of Women)...

Via Wolfgang @ Flickr In a famous essay criticizing Updike, and Roth, and Mailer (especially good riddance by the way to the latter pregnant-wife-beating waste of oxygen, which fuckery I notice got at best cursory mention in his obits) as Great Male Narcissists, the late David Foster Wallace said that...

Are You Ever Reluctant, Outside of Femin...

photo via sijeka @ flickr Welcome to Harpy Seminar, a regular feature we plan to have at regular intervals, unless we get too busy to have it at regular intervals, in which case it shall appear whenever we have time and inclination for it. Each Seminar begins with a question, which we discuss amongst...

A Win for Women...

Jill at Feministe brings us this study in contrasts. Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 What a difference an administration makes. While the argument can be made that increased female representation in the US Senate and House will not necessarily lead to increased...

Retro Pleasures: Needlepoint...

via LongInt57 @ flickr Next to me on my sofa are my toys: needles, scissors, and a canvas stitched with brightly colored perled thread. Yes, this harpy loves nothing more than settling in on a cold winter’s night with some needlepoint. For centuries, needlepoint–and its equally fussy sisters,...

Because You’re Worth It. Really....

Don't leave home without it? Via *Solar ikon* @ Flickr. You’ve seen the ads for years.  You deserve it.  You’re soooper. Love yourself even more with the help of Our Amazing Product.  What they’re really saying is:  We’re going to flatter-insult you until you believe...

Strut Shamer...

What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man. Via gari.baldi @ Flickr A drably colored peahen has her pick of peacocks with whom to mate. The peacocks flash their gaudy plumage, just begging to be the one she chooses. In the animal kingdom, females set the rules, and males will do whatever...

Johanna Sigurdardottir New Icelandic PM...

In the wake of economic and political meltdown in Iceland, Social Democrat Johanna Sigurdardottir has been appointed Prime Minister, replacing Geir H. Haarde. A former flight attendant and union organizer, Sigurdardottir has a 73 percent approval rating among Icelanders. She will be Iceland’s first...

High Heels: A Rant...

OMFG YOWCH!!! by Markusram via flickr I fucking hate high heels. Yes, I understand that they elongate the leg, and plump up the calf muscle and make your booty pop, and I’ve always been told my legs are my best feature. After all, when you’re a 34A you get used to how the male eye tends to drift...

What You’ve Got in that Bag...

This is actually a cake! Via SugarBloomCupcakes @ Flickr The other day Dodai at Jezebel wrote a post on how she covets a $1,500 handbag, and solicited commenter approval of said desire and, implicitly, her wish to “splurge” on said bag on a blogger’s salary.  Readers, the faint imprint of my...

Harpy Hall of Fame: Helen Suzman (1917-2...

“Helen redefined feisty. Her reputation for political courage became international. In her heyday, she was the apartheid regime’s worst nightmare: an articulate Jewish woman with an attitude and a following abroad.”—The Washington Post Born Helen Gavronsky in Johannesburg, South Africa,...