Amazons International # 55 ************************** Contents: Words from Editor Review of Vamps Review of Builtmore videos Tammy Jo Eckhart: My new book Tracy: letter from a fat Amazon Richard: Bio & causes for coming to love Amazons Date of publication: 18.05.97 ********************************************************************* WORDS FROM EDITOR The gap between issues # 53 and # 54 has been the longest by far in AI's history; I hope that AI is getting back on the track now though. The gap does not mean that I did nothing in the Amazon area in that interval, however. First, those of you who have followed my Amazon Connection web site, will have noticed its continual growth, up to the current size which now really demands a systematic reorganization into subsections. Second, I've written an extensive academic article about The Female Hero. I'll get back to you in a future issue with more information about this project, which is really quite exciting. Third, I've been expanding considerably my Amazon/feminism/female hero/androgyny/etc. library, mostly from the extensive stocks of Amazon.com (what a fitting name that is! :-) online bookstore. You'll probably see reviews now and then in future issues. Fourth, I've founded an Amazon group at our local university (those able to read Norwegian may look up http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/lister/ag.html). As to Amazons International, you may be interested to know that the current number of subscribers is hovering around 1600, after clearing out defunct addresses from the interval period. There is also a new archive site for AI at: http://diana.announce.com/stories/news/aipage.htm. Both web-based archives are linked from The Amazon Connection. In addition, AI is also available at the Amazons Arena BBS (info about the BBS at http://www.globalmark.com/globalmark/amarena.html). With that in hand, let's get to the beef, starting with some long overdue reviews. (Note: I have no commercial affiliations with the producers of the products being reviewed.) REVIEW OF VAMPS Vamps by Elaine Lee and William Simpson (1995), DC Comics, New York. Vamps is a "vampire road movie comic", if such an animal exists -- a slick, seamless synthesis of a vampire story and a road movie as graphical novel, sprinkled with dark humor, feminism and lots of gratuitous violence. Vamps is the story of five female vampires, thundering down America's highways on Harleys, drunk on freedom, high octane, blood and chrome. If this sounds like your thing (and it certainly is mine), you may pick it up and look forward to an original and well-written story with a tight plot and sparkling dialogue. These are bad, strong women, in the Thelma & Louise tradition, and they get away with it. "But are they Amazons?" Probably not, but as Elaine Lee points out in the interesting and provocative afterword, "Any vampire story is rape fantasy without guilt", and this is a story with female vampires, so the implications for alternative sexualities are obvious. This is obviously a feminist liberation project in more ways than one. Enjoy! REVIEW OF VIDEOS FROM BUILTMORE PRODUCTIONS The three videos "Amazon Supermodels", "Futureshoxx: the Shape of Things to Come", and "Afrodisiac" are samples from the growing output of Builtmore Productions (BMP), a model agency and video and magazine publishing company specializing in "heroically proportioned women" -- women of Amazonian proportions, tall and/or muscular women. BMP is the brainchild of Nercy Navab, and is located in Santa Monica, California. Their web pages at http://www.builtmore.com/ contain a lot of interesting stuff, including articles written about them in the press. "Amazon Supermodels" presents many different women, from different parts of the world, and with a diversity of physiques, with Amazonian stature and attitudes (and an interest in modeling) as a common unifying theme. When one is championing new ideals and new concepts, there is always the risk that one is creating a new stereotype, instead of breaking away from stereotypes. Therefore it is very satisfying to see that all the three videos emphasize -- indeed, celebrate -- diversity and individuality. Gender stereotypes are challenged in many ways, for example by the beautiful androgynous appearance of strong-faced Lori (a 6'2" volleyball player), and by the more classically feminine but very muscular appearance and demeanor of Suzanne (a 6'1" bodybuilder and fitness athlete). Sometimes the (Eastern European and Midwestern) accents of the interviewed women make them hard to understand, a problem that could have been alleviated by suspending the background music during the interviews. "Futureshoxx" is a fantasy story with excellent and precisely choreographed (by Athena Worthey) martial arts scenes, in a "Mad Max in Thunderdome"-esque setting. The action is fast-paced, violent and fun, as Psychoviolet, Madame Stud and The Annihilatrix tear into their opponents. A creative video that is as fun for the viewer as it clearly is for the participants. "Fun", or should I say life-affirming joy, is a common element in all three videos; it is evident that these people are doing creative work that they enjoy. "Afrodisiac" presents four different women, all into martial arts and/or bodybuilding. A central virtue of this video is that it presents women who are both sensual and powerful at the same time. Our culture has sundered female power and female sexuality, so that the common presentations and images of female sexuality tend to belittle and objectify women, while the common presentations and images of powerful women tend to present them as sexless or chaste (this dichotomy is often referred to as the madonna/whore complex -- girls and women are presented with two roles to choose from, madonna or whore). The widespread hunger, both in women and men, for a healing of this chasm is evident for example in the explosive popularity of "Xena, the Warrior Princess" show. "Afrodisiac" addresses the same hunger, and presents four real life women who seem to have healed the gap, women who are able to be playful and powerful, heroic and sexy, at the same time. If one is searching for images of The Female Hero, and images for a 21st century feminism, I submit that this would be a good place to look. This video is on my top three videos list. It's hard to single out specific scenes from a video with so many highlights, but I find myself returning often to the "shootfighting" (an allround streetfighter system) martial arts sessions of Julianne(sp?) Graves. Builtmore Productions P.O.Box 571 Santa Monica CA 90406-0571 USA nercy@builtmore.com http://www.builtmore.com/ ********************************************************************* Date: Thu, 17 Apr 97 9:49:26 EDT From: Tammy Jo Eckhart Subject: new book that might be of interest Fellow subscribers to Amazons International: I have a new collection of short erotica that might be of interest to you. In the collection I retale the four hero myths of the Greeks which concern Amazons and also write three stories based on various cultural myths about them. Between each story is an essay discussing issues raised in the story (homosexuality, religion, gender roles) in lay person terms with books that might be of interest for further reading. I list AI as a possible source for modern interest in "Amazon" type women in the introduction to the book. Information below: "Amazons: Erotic Explorations of Ancient Myths" by Tammy Jo Eckhart. New York: Masquerade Books, Inc, July 1997. Love, Peace, Hugs, Kisses, Whips, and Chains, Tammy Jo Eckhart | http://www.columbia.edu/~tje3/ Author of "Punishment for the Crime" | Five kinky erotic tales, now in stores | Also available from Masquerade Books (800-375-2356; masqbks@aol.com) ********************************************************************* Date: Mon, 21 Apr 1997 22:12:48 -0400 (EDT) From: tbrant1@aol.com Subject: Letter from a Fat Amazon (reply to Meriruka in AI # 54) AI # 54 was my first communication from the Amazons list, and (although I had forgotten I had subscribed months ago) I was eager to see what kind of conversation would occur. "Amazon" is a description I can apply to myself mentally, but I wonder if I would been seen as such by others. I am big and strong and I disregard gender labels in my activities, yet I am definitely feminine. But I am also FAT, and that physical characteristic that makes me wonder if other Amazons or Amazon-admirers would find me Amazon-like. And I don't mean just an extra 20 pounds, I mean 5'7" 270# fat over considerable muscle. People often sterotype fat women as lazy, weak-willed, or unhealthy, none of which describe me. I am merely genetically pre-disposed to be fat when I engage in a normal eating-and-exercise pattern. Picture a hardy farm woman that feeds and clothes her family and her livestock, bears and nurtures child after child, does endless laundry/cooking/cleaning without mechanical aid, pitches into agricultural tasks and weather emergencies. Her life requires Herculean, let alone Amazonian, strength and endurance. This is my cultural and genetic heritage -- although I am now a city dweller with only two children, a tiny flower garden, and lots of household appliances. I found it interesting to compare myself to the qualifications proposed by Meriruka in AI # 54: > 1. Independent. (Financially and more importantly, emotionally.) > Men are "nice to haves", not necessities. Through accidents of parentage and childhood, I grew up codependent. But I always had the attitude that I could do it alone, if neccessary. And, when it became neccessary, I initiated a painful separation from my partner and am going on alone. Independence is important to me. Men are nice to have (and pretty indispensable if you plan to have children), but depending upon them for anything is a risky business. > 2. Fearless. (But not reckless) step on that bug, slide on the > ice, jump off the plane, grab the chainsaw... Not fearless -- able to confront fear. Fear is a biological signal that caution is important for the survival of the species. Facing fears that one can intellectually determine are not life-threatening is called courage. Be that the courage to jump off the plane, the courage to face one's childhood damage, the courage to take on single parenthood in the face of overwhelming exhaustion -- courage comes in many varieties. Sometimes, the hardest courage to find is the courage to examine one's emotional life -- the courage to face what one must in order to progress, grow up, have a better life, get stronger, get knowledge, etc. Men who do not have the courage to face their own internal monsters, are no more brave because they foolishly confront better armed men in bad neighborhoods and survive. I think that women find this kind of courage more often, perhaps because they often have children to provide for, perhaps because they had been conditioned not to find emotional self- improvement "unfeminine." > 3. Solitary. Being alone is NOT a bad thing. If you don't enjoy > your own company, no one else will. (Took myself to Egypt last > year..best vacation I ever had.) Being comfortable alone, being your own best friend, being able to meet your own needs -- all wonderful signs of a healthy outlook and positive self-image. But why are is solitude a requirement of "Amazonian-ness?" I like to have friends, family, partners, correspondents with which to share my life. Is the "solitary Amazon" part of a "lone superheroine" image. Or has it become an expectation that one who is Amazonian will have trouble finding company that accepts our strength and courage? > 4. Educated. Teach yourself everything that interests you no > matter how tough it looks. (Bought myself a brand new Harley and > taught myself to ride it.) Read a lot. The more you learn, the > more interesting you are to talk to when you decide you'd like > company. Again, continuing education, whether formal or from the "school of life" is important to the development of any human being. But what is its special association with the Amazon image? > 5. Active. Don't be afraid to do things typically considered > "male" activities if it's something you want to do. Build a deck, > gut a deer, play football (get good medical insurance). I am currently a construction worker by trade. I take care of my yard and house, fix my car, support my family -- but I don't like to kill things or engage in contact sports. I am physically aggressive -- I have hit men when I have been very angry at their failings -- but I look at that as a personal flaw, an inablility to maturely approach conflict, not as an "Amazon thing." A tendency to violence in men or women is, in my mind, a lack of maturity. > 6. Feminine. Don't be afraid to celebrate the fact that you're > female. Wear lace, grow your nails, decorate. Know that you are > the equal of any man yet wonderfully different. My body can do lots of things that men's can't. My body can make a child from little nothings, swell to enormous proportions and split open to give birth while enduring tremendous pain -- and then heal up and be back to normal in a relatively short period of time while simultaneously feeding and nurturing the baby. The female body is amazing in all of its shapes and sizes. We have reserves of strength and endurance that are uniquely feminine. And men have reserves of caring, thoughfulness, style, and creativity that they have been conditioned to downplay in the rigid gender-role games of yesterday. Both genders need to be able to celebrate the various aspects of their individuality. > 7. Loyal. Stand by what you believe...ALWAYS. Stand by the ones > you love, cuss them out later in private. Never back down to > bullies. (Again, get good medical insurance.) The tongue and the pen are also good weapons against bullies, and are less likely to test your medical coverage. > 8. Healthy. While your body is not as important as your mind, the > better shape it's in, the more cool things you'll be able to do. > Don't obsess about it, be proud and if you choose to share it with > someone, be sure they understand what a gift they're getting. > (That last works both ways.) It sounds more as if you are talking about body image than physique. > 9. Strong. Endure, never give in or up. Get through it on your > own. Don't let anyone tell you that you can't do something, find > that out on your own, then have a good laugh if you screw up. > (Took sword fighting lessons and promptly got the sword stuck in > the ceiling.) I am not sure that I agree with the "get through it on your own" part. Why must everything be done alone. Is it not a strength to be able to organize and lead a group effort, to motivate others and create the synergy that accomplishes in groups what one cannot accomplish alone? There is also a certain self-destructive insanity in "never" giving in or giving up -- especially if it means one cannot admit that one was misguided, under-informed, or just plain wrong. > 10. Caring. A woman's capacity to love is legendary. You can be > all of the other things above and still be compassionate. Just > make sure there is a balance of give and take. Never settle for > less than your equal match. (That means no cowardly, sniveling, > insecure males who need to be dominated.) Love should never > diminish you. Love should not be giving up a part of yourself, it should be an expansion of the self. Perhaps I am not an Amazon, after all. I feel Amazonian when I attack my problems, face my fears, knock down obstacles, power through a task. When I am superwoman, and doing myself all of the tasks that usually require a parenting couple to handle. When I do not have to ask for help with something that an ordinary un-gender-bound person can do alone. But I sense a certain cartoonish superhero worship in the desire to be or admire Amazons. Many ordinary women are brave, strong, loyal, caring, smart, etc. But the desire to be all these things, and want to do alone in order to be considered "Amazon," seems a lonely image. Humans are social animals. I am human before I am female, or Amazon. Perhaps no one can be a real Amazon without becoming a fictional cartoon heroine. Tracy ********************************************************************* Date: Wed, 23 Apr 1997 13:27:14 From: Richard Sotter Subject: Bio & causes for coming to love Amazons I am a recent subcriber to AI, and have read all the back issues at Diana the Valkyrie's site. I am very encouraged by the caliber of the content of AI, and by the contribution of the female members. I am a long-time admirer of athletic & muscular women. Before commenting on some of the issues AI is dealing with, I will give you some of my personal background. I am 50 years old, 5'11" and 170 lb, but as a youngster was a 90-lb weakling. I was overprotected by my mother, plus my parents were late in noticing my extreme myopia. As a result, I was encouraged to concentrate on academics, which did come easiest for me. My social skills were also underdeveloped. I became interested in sports at age 9, but did not have the strength to excel at it. Finally, around age 16, no longer "cute" to my parents, I began to develop some physical strength, mostly through manual labor. I think the contribution of physical education in the schools during all this time was negligible. As an adult, I discovered the benefits of exercise on my own, and it has given me much satisfaction. I work out regularly, and have discovered as I get older that I am wiser in getting that ideal mix of exercise, nutrition, and rest to feel my best. Looking back on my childhood, I regret the lack of balance in my physical/mental/social development. I think that many girls are also victims of parents' failing to encourage development of ALL their abilities. I also think that, since my own muscular development came so late, I was more appreciative of it in the opposite sex. Running, swimming, and working out around athletic females has inspired my own determination to stay strong and fit. It has also had the effect of spoiling me, so that the nonathletic women don't attract me anymore. Starting around 1980, I developed a passion for female bodybuilders (unfortunately, mostly as a spectator). I also discovered that physical attributes were not enough. I dated some athletic women who were rather passive and slow-witted, despite having college educations. Those relationships were doomed to failure. So I definitely appreciate the qualities of an Amazon, involving a strong body, mind, and character, that our editor has developed. And to Osprey's challenge in issue # 45, I say YES, I will accept an Amazon as a partner (if one will have me). Some comments on what is an Amazon -- traditionally, Amazons are considered physically strong, and usually tall females. I think it makes more sense to maintain this as an ideal for very few females to actually meet 100 % , and to say that someone has Amazon-like qualities. To paraphrase the famous saying, "Ah, but a woman's reach should exceed her grasp, or what's a heaven for." I would like to firmly disagree, however, with the notion that height=power. Body type is more correlated with power, a short mesomorph is likely to be stronger than a tall ectomorph. Just look at many of the powerlifters and Olympic weight lifters. Strength and shape is what counts. (Not that I don't admire a tall female athlete.) Finally, I would like to encourage continued contribution from the female members, to maintain the balance of AI. We men naturally have different motivations; we are dazzled by the beauty of female muscle. We need your input to remind us of the real accomplishments, problems, etc. of Amazondom. Richard Sotter (rjs-t@usa.net) ***************************************************************** * Amazons International * * Thomas Gramstad, editor: thomas@math.uio.no * * Administravia/Listserver: amazons-request@ifi.uio.no * * Submissions: amazons@math.uio.no * * http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/lists/amazons.html * * * * The Amazon Connection -- Links to Amazon web sites: * * http://www.math.uio.no/~thomas/lists/amazon-links.html * ***************************************************************** "A Hard Woman is Good to Find" -- The Valkyries