Sideswipe: March 8: Happy International Women's Day

Dumb Woman's Lane in Rye, East Sussex.

"Women are useless at this!" said the book for preschool girls ... At first I thought the line reflected more negatively on Mr Labrador, as Mummy Pig's shot on the next page hits the target. "But that only makes her the exception to Mr Labrador's experience which implies a rule," explains my wise friend Ruth. Further tasks in the book are described as impossible, with no reference to gender. "And let's get real, it's archery ... Mr Labrador need a copy of Hunger Games," she adds.

Separated during screenings

"One of the most unusual classifications assigned to a film in New Zealand's censorship history was the film Ulysses in 1967," writes alternative film guru Ant Timpson. "The novel Ulysses by James Joyce was controversial, though not in New Zealand and so was the film, partly because of its sexual references but mainly because the film contained one use of the word 'f***'. The New Zealand film censor screened the film to two test audiences, one made up of church representatives (all men) and the other made up of married couples. The first group recommended an R18 classification and the second felt it could only be shown to gender-segregated audiences aged 18 and over. The Film Censor followed that recommendation and men and women were separated during screenings. In larger theatres the aisle separated men and women, or one group sat upstairs and the other downstairs. In smaller theatres a rope was put down the middle of the cinema."

Literally dumb

Dumb Woman's Lane in Rye, East Sussex.

Dumb Woman's Lane in Rye, East Sussex has had plenty of attention, but the reason behind the name isn't as simple as misogyny or a personal attack. According to the Mirror the road was once a main route for smugglers bringing lace, brandy and tobacco into England and a poor, hapless woman witnessed the illegal activity ... so her tongue was cut out, so she couldn't report the crimes she was seeing.

Ladies who smile get ahead

"I once has an annual performance review where I was told I was good at my job ... BUT ... (My boss told me this shamefacedly) the important dude from upstairs, who often gave speeches about empowering women, thought it was rude that I never stopped working to smile at him when he walked by my desk. This was a well-known, progressive company and yet "hey girl, give me a smile" was an unspoken part of my job requirement, and my non-compliance warranted bringing up at my annual review."
(Source: Emotional Labour: The MetaFilter Thread)

Librarian humour

Quick Links

1."Here is some wonderful career advice so you can keep yourself busy until your Mr. Right comes along, when you can quit working," enthuses Mary from Awful Library Books.

2. The most desirable qualities in a women, (the good news is that 'smart' is on the rise!) …And as you'd expect it's quite different to a the man list…

3.A brief history of feminism.

Video pick

Women in film…

Got a Sideswipe? Send your pictures, links and anecdotes to Ana at ana.samways@nzherald.co.nz