Ed Note — This was originally published October 2016 — before Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration and the ensuing protests that filled the streets (god bless your lil’ anti-Trump hearts).
Our We’re Not A Pussy essay is here, and if you’re looking for a chilling sci fi take on the whole political situation, be sure to read Liz McAdam’s The Man Who Knew. The original editor’s page follows below.
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The North American media have been ablaze with a certain presidential candidate’s comments about just ‘grab them by the pussy’ in referring to how to establish a sexual or romantic relationship with women.
Quick vocab lesson – pussy (noun) may be used to describe an entire female in terms of her sexual organs (I’m gonna get some pussy) or as slang for a specific anatomical part (female genitalia) or a nickname for a cat. Or, it may be used as an adjective, to insult an individual for their lack of bravery or overall wimpy qualities (Don’t be a pussy.)
And here at Twisted Sister, we’re pushing aside political leanings, and announcing that we’re not pussies.
What better place to talk about this than through fiction?
And we’re in good company; although the ladies of noire may be helpless victims screaming into the night, they are often the vampires or witches that send *you* screaming instead. So tread carefully, my friends.
We’ve got a short essay on ‘Not a Pussy’ and a great assortment of fiction, poetry, and reviews about female characters who kick-ass (although given that at one point we’re talking about a female serial killer, the legalities get a little blurry).
So in the spirit of strong female characters who get shit done, we’ve got some serious action on tap for you. Drop into a coven of witches with a double hit of Tinder Sacrifices (parts one and two are up now). And the sky’s the limit in interplanetary action in Larissa is Coming.
High crime and the paranormal come together in unusual ways in A Matter of Taste by Gary Clifton, and Liz McAdams shows us a couple ladies you don’t want to mess with in Canis Familiaris and Fortune Becomes You.
Our literary men and ladies kick ass, and clearly we’re not a bunch of pussies.
So we’re having fun with this pussy comment, but what’s the real deal going on here?
Sexual violence, as eloquently described in David Spicer’s Awakened She-Wolf.
The idea that anyone can just grab another human by the genitals (in legal terms, sexual assault) and believe they are justified in doing so because they are ‘just drawn to beautiful women, like a magnet’ is the issue here. Lack of consent. In effect, we’re talking rape culture, where a sense of entitlement to another person’s body and disregard for the other’s thoughts, feelings, and individual rights contributes to sexual assault.
A few quick American stats — 1/3 women will be victims of violence and 1/5 women will be victims of sexual assault in their lifetimes. Given the current US population of approximately 320 million people, and that half of them are women, we’re talking about 50 million female victims of violence and 32 million female victims of sexual assault. Millions of people will be victims of violence, and the underlying reason is that they are female. Add in the male victims of violence and sexual assault and the numbers are truly mindboggling.
Take some time to think about it.
So, on the more serious side of things, we have a review of the documentary Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer. Aileen Wuorons is the former prostitute who, after surviving a sexual assault, murdered seven men along the Florida highways. This incident was also made into the movie Monster.
And our literary review A Feminist Look into the World of A Brief History of Seven Killings drops us into the 1970s rape culture that permeated Jamaican life, and gives us a good look at the reasons why comments like ‘grab them by the pussy’ are so damaging.
So around Twisted Sister, we’re standing up to say we’re not pussies.
XO,
Twisted Sister
If you’re looking for more on strong female characters who kick ass, be sure to scroll through other work around here, and be sure to check out our Freaks and Weirdos (aka contributor’s page) for some killer reads. You might want to start with Brookelynn Berry’s Fine Dining, Steve Hillman’s Payback featuring Detective Jodi Cinto, the killer Meat Whiplash by Tom Leins or drop into Catherine McKenzie’s Garden. If you’re hungry, go see what good ol’ Edna or Alice are up to in the kitchen.
You won’t be disappointed.
Twisted Sister lit mag 