My Favourite Internet Things (This Week) #2

This is the second installment in what I've now decided is going to be a series: My Favourite Internet Things, in which I compile interesting/amusing things I've seen on the internet this week.

Corsetry and Feminism
Since seeing the comments made about Kim Kardashian's Met Gala outfit (which I honestly liked), I've been trying to find out more about corsets and how feminists and fashion historians are responding to the current revival of interest in corsetry.

• This article at the Guardian generally has a negative view on corsets, although it does suggest that corsets and "waist trainers" are different products which appeal for different reasons.
• Marianne Faulkner, a corsetiere, argues that corsets can indeed be feminist when viewed through lens of self-expression and individual choice.
• Not analysis, but this corset made by a group of corsetmakers (directed by the aforementioned Faulkner) is really beautiful. The Underpinnings Museum website is also a good source in general if you're interested in fashion history.
• The New York Times published this article which seems to include a history of corsetry and thoughts on its feminist credentials - unfortunately I can't seem to read it. Still, I wanted to include it here as it looks good and I am hoping to find some way to look at it someday.

Interesting Articles
An assortment of random links I thought were worth sharing:

• A giant squid has been caught on film in US waters! I think this was mistakenly shared with the suggestion that it was the first time a giant squid was ever caught on camera, which I believe is incorrect, but sightings of giant squids are still definitely rare (and very exciting, if you ask me).
• The Cut published a sort of behind-the-scenes look at Babe.net, the now-defunct website that published the infamous Aziz Ansari article. Very relevant to the subjects of workplace harassment and how socially progressive, sex-positive culture can be co-opted by predatory men to take advantage of women.
• Fast fashion is actually bad for workers and the environment, according to a Guardian article. I'm sure that a lot of us already had our suspicions about this, but it's good to have the facts. Still, I was disappointed to see the Guardian end on a ethical consumerist slant, rather than a call to action against the companies which have real power in this situation.
• One of the newer entries in the Dictionary of Welsh Biography focuses on Rhiannon Davies Jones, an author and academic. I was ashamed I hadn't heard of her before seeing this biography, but then if this project is bringing attention to lesser-known Welsh historical figures then they are doing their job well.
• Ruth Hunt, the outgoing Chief Executive of Stonewall, did an interview with Buzzfeed in which she talks about a variety of topics from growing up gay to dealing with TERFs trying to co-opt the butch lesbian struggle to justify their transphobia. She seems like a brilliant woman and it's hard to read about all the harassment she's been receiving just for standing up for our trans sisters.

Websites and Resources

• My friend Sandra introduced me to this website, Radio Garden, which lets you listen to radio stations from all around the world. Useful if you want to know, for example, what people are listening to in Mexico City these days.
• Europeana: Rise of Literacy is a new digital exhibition at the National Library of Wales, focusing on the growth of literacy in Europe over the years. It's a pretty extensive collection, and I could see it being useful to those interested in either literature or history.

Fun Stuff

• Six is "a pop-opera style musical giving the wives of Henry VIII a historical revisionist feminism makeover", according to The Mary Sue, which frankly sounds amazing.
• It's an old article, but this series of photos which basically makes films into impressionist art is pretty cool.
• Miyako Ihara's photo series showing the relationship between her grandmother Misao and her cat Fukumaru is beautiful and made me want to cry. 10/10 would recommend.
• There are quite a few "Democratic Party candidates as..."  going around at the moment, but I found this one of the candidates as members of a university history department particularly amusing.
• Someone linked to these bloopers from Young Frankenstein on Twitter. I can't remember who shared it, but Gene Wilder's laugh brightened my day and for that I am thankful to them.
• I have been going on about the similarities between Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved" and O-Zone's "Dragostea Din Tei" for weeks now but nobody seemed to take it seriously (and it really is serious). Thankfully I found this mash-up of the two songs on YouTube, and now I feel peace knowing that at least one other person saw the connection.