Feminism and the 'empowerment' of idiocy

Empowered or idiotic?

Say it isn't so! Full-circle feminism

It's finally arrived: the empowerment of pointing the finger at someone else.

According to USA Today: "Ashley Judd slams critics of Women's March speech: I got the P word from Trump."

For those who weren't in attendance, or who were otherwise busy doing not only women's work, but the work of those who put stock in action (not words), Judd is referring to her speech of last Saturday where she stated, "And our p---s ain't for grabbing. They're for reminding you that our walls are stronger than America's ever will be. Our p---s are for our pleasure. They are for birthing new generations of filthy, vulgar, nasty, proud, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, you name it, for new generations of nasty women."

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Funny thing, Judd initially stated at the rally that she was privileged to give voice to a "poem" written by a 19-year-old Tennessean woman named Nina Donovan. So, on Saturday the words were Donovan's; today they're Donald Trump's.

Anatomically correct headgear

I guess the Donald-made-me-do-it is now the catch phrase of empowered women. Meanwhile men and children are corrected when they attribute their own bad behavior to the Devil, or whatever scapegoat happens to be nearest in explaining away poor choices. (And here I thought the women's movement was all about taking agency over one's body. That should include words spoken, no?)

The walls of ignorance, however, have truly risen. It would appear these walls have hardened to the degree of taking zero ownership for one's own actions or the implication: not that women are of equal value as men ("Wive la différence" is a saying for good reason!) but that men's parts are similarly designated only for their pleasure; and we should all get on with the business of sexism. (One can only wonder why the enlightened "men" on Saturday's march didn't wear anatomically complimentary headgear.)

Excellent message, however, Ms. Judd: Turning what was once a good thing (sticking up for oneself and others) into something grotesque and ultimately perverted. Why? Because you can, not because anyone made you do it.

Roaring like wounded animals deprived of intellect and free will, and the ability to see that degrading oneself to little more than body parts – whether you're a man or a woman – is no empowerment at all.

Vaginal steaming: Secret to world peace

Who knows? The Women's March, disturbing as snapshots of men and women in anatomical headgear may be, may well have begun at Gwyneth Paltrow's exalted advisory of sophisticated living blog-spot, Goop. Well, maybe not begun there, but promoted? Absolutely.

"Writing about a high-end Santa Monica retreat called Tikkun Holistic Spa, Paltrow spills, "The real golden ticket here is the Mugworth V-Steam: You sit on what is essentially a mini-throne, and a combination of infrared and mugwort steam cleanses your uterus, et al. 'It is an energetic release – not just a steam douche – that balances female hormone levels,' she adds. 'If you're in L.A., you have to do it.'

And yet: "According to Dr. Siri Chand Kaur Khalsa of One Medical Group, in LA, in general, spa claims of 'detoxifying' have not been substantiated in research," FastCompany reports. "The premise that the body needs spa treatments to remove toxins has no clear basis in human biology," she wrote. "However, these treatments can be beneficial in reducing mental, emotional and physical stress."

So, the treatment makes you feel like you feel better. Got that? Sitting on a throne, getting special attention, and fixating on being unique because of certain body parts will make you feel better ... provided you're female, obviously.

Clean beauty or clean getaway?

Jade eggs

Rawstory reports the following:

Gwyneth Paltrow is hawking a new product on her site Goop called the "Jade Egg." The object is to be inserted vaginally to "harness the power of energy work, crystal healing, and a Kegel-like physical practice," one endorsement explains. But one OBGYN was so furious after reading about the eggs she couldn't hold back.

"All I can tell you is it is the biggest load of garbage I have read on your site since vaginal steaming," Dr. Jen wrote on her blog. "It's even worse than claiming bras cause cancer. But hey, you aren't one to let facts get in the way of profiting from snake oil."

The endorsement justifies the use of the jade eggs because "queens and concubines used them to stay in shape for emperors."

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Dr. Gunter slammed the concept, saying "Nothing says female empowerment more than the only reason to do this is for your man!"

The claim that the jade egg can somehow balance hormones, Dr. Gunter calls "biologically impossible." She concedes that pelvic floor exercises can help with increasing desire and intensity of orgasms for some women but the jade egg changing hormones is absurd.

When it comes to the claim that the jade egg can "increase energy," Dr. Gunter admits she doesn't even understand what that means.

"How does one test for it? Organically sourced, fair trade urine pH sticks coming soon to GOOP for $77 I presume?" the doctor asked.

"The word for our womb, yoni, translates as 'sacred place,' and it is a sacred place – it's where many women access their intuition, their power, and their wisdom," the Goop endorsement for the jade egg reads. "It's this inner sanctum that we can access when it's not in use creating life."

Dr. Gunter explained that there is a difference between a uterus and a vagina.

"If you are using the Sanskrit, while I admit I am no language scholar, it seems that yoni means the entire female reproductive tract and you should say that," Dr. Gunter explained. "Terminology aside, the vulva, vagina, cervix, and uterus are not intuition repositories and neither are they sources of 'power' or 'wisdom.' If fact, I find that assertion insulting. Do you really mean a woman who does not have a uterus is less effective? Is a woman without a vagina less intelligent? Is a woman who had a vulvectomy due to cancer less creative?"

A major warning Dr. Gunter attacked Paltrow's store for is the idea that a woman should sleep with the jade egg inside of her. Because jade is porous it can introduce dangerous bacteria into the vagina which "could act like a fomite." Like a kind of smallpox blanket stuck inside.

She also cautions women from wearing the egg while walking around because pelvic floor muscles are not meant to contract continuously.

Gwyneth Paltrow looking "strained"

"It is quite difficult to isolate your pelvic floor while walking so many women could actually clench other muscles to keep the egg inside," Dr. Gunter explained. "It is possible the pained expression of clenching your butt all day could be what is leading people to stare, not some energy glow."

If women want to work on their pelvic floor muscles, Dr. Gunter encourages women to buy products that are made of medical grade silicone or plastic and refrain from wearing them for long periods of time.

I've got one suggestion here. Read the book "The Ugly-Girl Papers" (published in 1874) and understand this: women, just like any other person, can fall for the ridiculous ... without the proper development of the mind.