Little later than usual, but perhaps Sunday is the better day for these “things I read” roundups, anyway. Here’s some stuff I read that I found interesting, and perhaps you will too. Please drop by in the comments and let me know if there’s anything else I might like.
The Sun: Shocking but not surprising (The Media Blog)- Analysis of last week’s Sun front page wanking over Reeva Steenkamp, and why we’ll be seeing more, not less, of this in the future.
Deep inside: a study of 10000 porn stars (Jon Millward)- Detailed analysis of the profiles of a vast sample of porn actors, examining what they look like physically, what kind of work they do, and even what names they choose. A fascinating read, illustrated by infographics.
Hidden Misogyny: Why the Menimists should take stock (tintinnytins)- Tinny calling other men out on some bullshit and talking about what a male ally should look like.
World’s oldest porn “is bisexual” (Gay Star News)- The title here really sells the content short. The world’s oldest porn is queer as all fuck, and that’s fabulous. Also, bisexual. They use that word a lot. I do not think it means what they think it means.
Sex, friends and strangers: what to expect when you stop shaving (Marie le Conte)- Marie stopped removing her body hair. Here’s a funny, personal account of what happened after that.
A plea for policy based on evidence, not anecdote (itsjustahobby)- Heartfelt plea from Jemima, which does exactly what it says on the tin.
Hilary Mantel v Kate: a story of lazy journalism and raging hypocrisy (Hadley Freeman)- Just about the smartest, best thing I’ve read on this Mantel/Middleton nonsense.
Munchausen by Internet: Current Research and Future Directions (Whitty, Buchanen & Feldman)- Open-source journal article on the phenomenon of “Munchausen by Internet”, where people fake medical conditions in online spaces.
On the composition of lasagna: A caprice on horses, abstraction, and the division of labour (Prolapsarian)- A gallop through why we’re disgusted at eating horse and what it all means. Yes, I made a vague horse pun. No, I’m not ashamed.
Why do women always have to be the condom police, anyway? (xoJane)- Good articulation of how women are expected to be the ones enforcing condom use in heterosex.
Don’t Menshn the Blog: The Unfashionista Train-Wreck (Perestroika)- Louise Mensch has moved into fashion blogging, and it’s predictably very problematic. The brave Perestroika gives us an overview of what’s wrong.
And finally, a short story based on a fair few in-jokes: “The Kernel of Truth”. If more than one thing on the following list amuses you, you’ll probably enjoy it: var of piss, Luke Bozier, Louise Mensch, Milo Yiannopolis’s “trollwatch”, the Guardian.
Another angry woman 