Amazons International # 16 -------------------------- Topics: Notes from Editor Thomas: Amazon feminism refs. file Jamie: Amazon image archive Alex: Bio ********************************************************************* Welcome to yet another issue of Amazons International! Quite a bit seems to be happening these days. AI is now listed in the FAQ- and reference files of the soc.feminism usenet newsgroup, and they've also included a definition and description of Amazon Feminism that I sent them, as well as a bibliography with books about wider aspects of female athletes and athleticism. You'll find a copy of the message with this information below. Talking about FAQ files, I've written one for Amazons International, and I include that below as well. The manuscript of the book that I was interviewed for (see issue # 11) was sent to the publisher one week ago. I'm working on a file that I tentatively call _The Amazon Guide to Better Sex_. I don't want that to sound like Reader's Digest, nor like some alt.sex drop-out, but I do want something snappy. The purpose of this file is to compile and describe sexual practices that express the strong, physical and aggressive sides of sexuality in women, sides that are all too often repressed or denied in our culture, in the form of concise how-to descriptions like a manual. I welcome submissions and ideas for this file. AI membership has increased and is now 69 (no pun intended). ********************************************************************* From: Thomas Subject: soc.feminism information Amazon Feminism Amazon feminism is dedicated to the image of the female hero in fiction and in fact, as it is expressed in art and literature, in the physiques and feats of female athletes, and in sexual values and practices. Amazon feminism is concerned about physical equality and is opposed to gender role stereotypes and discrimination against women based on assumptions that women are supposed to be, look or behave as if they are passive, weak and physically helpless. Amazon feminism rejects the idea that certain characteristics or interests are inherently masculine (or feminine), and upholds and explores a vision of heroic womanhood. Thus Amazon feminism advocates e.g., female strength athletes, martial artists, soldiers, etc. Literature: "Women on the Verge of an Athletic Showdown" in _Science News_, Jan 11, 1992, Vol 141, No. 2, p 141. Female track athletes are improving their performances at faster rates than men and, if the trend continues, should be running marathons as fast as men by 1998, says Brian J. Whipp, a physiologist at the University of California, Lost Angeles. He and UCLA co-worker Susan A. Ward predict that women will catch up with men in most track events by early next century. Lenskij, Helen: _Out of Bounds: Women, Sport and Sexuality_. Women's Press, Toronto, 1986. ISBN 0-88961-105-X. Very powerful book about the 20th century changes in how female sexuality, gender roles, and the waves of female athleticism have been perceived, and about how these factors influence each other. A must read. Dyer, K.F.: _Catching up the Men -- Women in Sport_. Junction Books (UK), 1982. ISBN 086245-075-X. This book debunks a lot of myths about female inferiority and fragility by careful investigation and documentation, another must read. Adrian, M.J.: _Sports Women_. Medicine and Sport Science Vol. 24 Interesting essays ranging from physiology to Ancient Greece. Mangan/Park (Eds.): _From Fair Sex to Feminism_. Frank Cass & Company Lim. 1987. ISBN 0-7146-4049-2. Sabo/Runfola (Eds.): _Jock -- Sports & Male Identity_. Spectrum/Prentice-Hall 1980. ISBN 0-13-510131-X. This book also contains several essays on female identity and sports. Velden, Lee van der & James H. Humphrey: Psychology and sociology of sport, vol. 1. AMS Press Inc., NY 1986. ISBN 0-404-63401-X. ********************************************************************* Amazons International FAQ file: [See the most recent version that has been mailed to you. -- Ed.] ********************************************************************* From: gairns@ccrs.emr.ca (Jamie Gairns) Subject: Amazon image archive [Note: I've merged two of Jamie's letters from my correspondence with him into one. -- Editor] I just recently gained 'access' to a video scanner. I was wondering if you wanted to include some scanned images of Amazons in your newsletter, or at least an e-mail address to send for some images. I would *LOVE* to scan the images and then offer them out to the members of Amazons International. This is something I want to build up on my own anyways, and I just thought that it might appeal to some other people too. Let me know how you feel about this. The basic scenario I envision is this: I would scan a number of my personal favorite Amazons (barring any copyright violation, of course) and archive them in my account. Any requests from outside people would be honored once per week, for example, until I get the hang of this system. Anyone who sent me a photo, I would scan and send to them right away. This would be a good way to get images of our 'friends' circulated around amongst ourselves. Permission, of course, would have to be given by the subject of the photograph, wherever possible, or something like that. I forsee that I would receive photos of the local Amazons through you and I would scan and maintain the archive myself. If something happened (god forbid) I would mail the images (on diskette) to you and you could decide what to do from there. I use a computer where I work, and I would 'run' the archive from here. That is how I see it. Jamie PS: I scanned a few tests of a few of my favorite female bodybuilders (Denise Rutowski, CARLA DUNLAP (my all-time favorite), Nancy Lewis and Michelle Andrea) I would prefer that photos of our 'connections' be used for this archive. I think we could even scan a few 'flyers' for Builtmore or AmFem or something like that to promote their products. You must know more about their organizations than I do. Cheers. [Good idea! However, I won't include such images in AI, because they'd take too much space and then mailings of AI would take too much resources on the local machine. I'm tight on disk space as well. I suggest that everybody who wants images get them from Jamie. And I hope that some of the local Amazons will want to contribute to the archive -- you can either send photos via me or directly to Jamie; contact either one of us to get the physical address (well, you got mine in issue # 11...). Jamie: If you can make the images available via FTP, you can save yourself a lot of work, then people can copy them on their own, without having to send you requests for mailing them. As for org's like Builtmore etc., you probably want to contact them before scanning their flyers. Of course, you are welcome to announce new additions to the image library here. -- Ed.] ********************************************************************* Date: 05 Jul 92 13:31:45 EDT From: Alexander <76040.2124@CompuServe.COM> Subject: Bio After reading the back issues (2-15) I don't seem to be your typical male on this list. I'm a slight person at 5'8" 135lbs, although in good shape, and I don't seem to have quite the same complete (apparent) fascination with the very large ladies; I prefer them to be a little closer to my size (5'7"-6'). What attracts me though is the *attitude* and *mind set* apparent in your discussions. Although a small part of my attraction towards the Amazon type is that with smaller women, I just can't believe that they won't break (I've been told *MANY* times by my big friends that it 'aint so). The other thing about the Amazon type is it seems to me to be the best complement to my personality. This is a self-confident woman who knows what she wants and is willing to get it. It is a person who would be with another because they *want* to be with that person. I also think that an Amazon wouldn't be intimidated by me (more on that later), and would complement my "feminine" side. It is that idea of a true *partner* and equal that is most attractive to me. As to my personality, well I'm an unusual specimen. I write poetry, and enjoy painting, sculpture, and gardens (bonsi). I'm also very "in-touch" with my emotions, and I show them easely in some situations. I enjoy my work with computers immensely, and love word games, and other forms of mental exercise and fencing. And I am not an avid TV sports fan. Yet I'm finishing out my term in the light infantry, and I'm the company sniper, and dragon gunner. I've been involved in the martial arts for a little over 9 years (full contact karate, and kendo). Even though I've got a very long fuse, when I get angry I am supposedly an incredibly intimidating person. I don't take any "stuff" from people, and I hate mind games and lying. This combination seems to give most people the wrong (?) idea about me. They either mistake my niceness as weakness, or my more violent (for lack of a better term) activities as being exclusive of the other "softer" side. So as may be evident by that short intro (there's always so much more..) I am attracted to women who have done the same thing I have.. Not followed what society says we should be, and have developed into our own selves. - alex ********************************************************* * Amazons International: thomasg@ulrik.uio.no * * Thomas Gramstad, editor * ********************************************************* "A Hard Woman is Good to Find" -- The Valkyries