Yakama two-hide dress, ca. 1890. Washington. Hide, pony beads, faceted Russian glass beads, fire-polished glass beads, cut glass beads, seed beads, sinew. From the online NMAI exhibit ‘Identity by Design: Tradition, Change, and Celebration in Native Women’s Dresses.’
In many cultures around the world, probably most, the making of clothing is traditionally the province of women. From sewing hides to weaving fine cloth, textile work has been women’s work for thousands of years. Women invented these technologies, just as they probably invented pottery and agriculture. …

I set out this morning to write about the depressing Rihanna-Chris Brown case, but I got distracted. My attention was caught by Samantha Henig’s post on Slate’s The XX Factor, in which she asks, “Should We Give Chris A Break?” Her answer, incredible as it may seem, is yes:
When I heard that Rihanna might be back together with Chris Brown, only a few weeks after he was arrested for allegedly assaulting her, I found myself hoping that she was right to forgive him, that he isn’t like those …

Editor’s note: Violet Socks is in a bad mood and speaking only for herself. Her opinions should not be construed as an official statement by The New Agenda.
What does this picture have to do with the post? Guess you’d better read the post and see. — V.S.
I know I put a provocative title on this post, but I call ‘em like I see ‘em. In her Below The Belt column of February 20, Kim Gandy spends half a sentence mourning the fate of Aasiya Hassan, and …

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers a lecture on women’s competitiveness at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, Friday. (Yonhap)
You can’t make this stuff up.
On Friday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivered a speech in Seoul on the importance of women’s rights:

“No country has yet achieved full equality for women. There is still a lot ahead for us to make sure that gender equality becomes reality,” she said. “Part of my mission as the secretary of state is (making sure) the United States is committed to enhancing the rights of …

Aasiya HassanEarlier this week I wrote about the horrific murder of Aasiya Hassan, whose husband beheaded her in what may have been an honor killing. For many commenters on the web, it is apparently impossible to condemn this nightmare without hastening to add that American culture has plenty of its own home-grown brand of misogyny, and it’s therefore “intolerant” to notice the particular lethalness of the honor-shame paradigm in some non-Western cultures. You know the argument: America is full of sexism and the commodification of women and …

Aasiya and Muzzammil Hassan at the Bridges TV studio
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Police say an upstate New York television executive who sought to improve the image of Muslims in the media beheaded his wife after she filed for divorce.
Muzzammil Hassan (moo-ZAHM’-mel HAH’-sahn) is charged with murdering his wife, Aasiya (AH’-see-ya) Hassan. Police say she had an order of protection against her husband and he had been kicked out of the house they shared in Orchard Park, near Buffalo.
They accuse the 44-year-old Hassan of cutting off his wife’s head at the …

Toledo, Ohio, is a city awash in mortgage foreclosures. The county employs a full-time clerk just to type up and send out the foreclosure notices. Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D), who has represented Ohio’s 9th District for 26 years, is telling homeowners to stay put:

Rep. Kaptur is well-known as an economic populist and champion of working people. In the current foreclosure crisis, she’s urging homeowners to become aware of all the legal and financial intricacies involved — details that may enable them to save their homes. …

Gov. David A. Paterson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Kirsten E. Gillibrand, and Senator Charles E. Schumer at lunch on Sunday after the announcement of Gillibrand’s appointment. Kathy Willens/Associated Press
Three of my current favorite people in one picture! (Nothing against you, Sen. Schumer — I’m just currently crushing on your lunch companions.)
I’ve been reading up on soon-to-be-Senator Gillibrand, and she’s fascinating. (Did you know she speaks Chinese?) I’m not surprised she and Hillary are sympatico: she’s a brilliant, knowledgeable, politically savvy super-achiever, just like our beloved Secretary …

The news is flashing around the media tonight that Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand will be Governor Paterson’s choice to fill Hillary Clinton’s Senate seat. We’ve been lobbying Paterson to appoint a woman, so let’s hope the rumor is true. The official announcement is tomorrow.
According to the Huffington Post, Paterson made his decision before the Inauguration. If that’s the case, then I think we know now why Caroline “withdrew” her name.

Rick Warren delivers the Inaugural invocation.
The dominant narrative of Barack Obama’s inauguration is that it represents the triumph of civil rights for African-Americans. And it does, undeniably. It’s a transcendent moment in America’s tortured history of race relations.
But there’s another, unacknowledged narrative. This one is about the role of men and women in the world, and about shoring up the patriarchal order. It’s about putting women in their place.
Throughout the 2008 campaign, Barack Obama’s candidacy was framed as America’s chance to elect …