Absorbents, menstruation and Our stuff...

Red on White, the documentary about menstruation
https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/red-on-white#/

It may seem strange but in Italy it is a field of debate an exclusively female reality: menstruation. Yes, because here it is considered a privilege. 

They started to talk about it in 2017 when it was pointed out that there are products with a very high VAT tax, goods that are not considered primary but instead they are. 

Absorbents are essential in those days, but they are much more expensive than they could be with lower VAT than now applied.

The sanitary napkins are expensive because there is an applied VAT base as if they were luxury goods, a DVD for example and think instead that the shaving foam is considered a good of first necessity and is therefore taxed with a lower rate that makes the final price at acceptable consumption. This different gender approach compared to some commercial products, the so-called "Pink Tax", has been taken up over the years here and there by TV and other media but never as striking as it deserves given the disparity it creates. 

These days however the question of the so-called "Tampon Tax" has arrived in Parliament to be addressed. Filed in 2016 the "tampon tax" which highlighted the need to apply the primary good rate of 4% and no more than 22% of VAT to sanitary napkins, was discussed only in these days but with a negative outcome because there are no funds to support the lowering of the tax and moreover, it seems almost a joke, it has been emphasized and reminded to women that this practice, the use of disposable sanitary napkins, pollutes the environment! 

There have obviously been many reactions to these statements, issued in a television interview by a member of the largest party now in government, and to the lack of consideration of the female body to which "natural" claims are attributed, and this is indeed, but not evidently enough to be considered basic needs.

The best answers, however, are coming from civil society with initiatives like that of an Umbrian pharmacy that has decided to apply a 22% discount on the brands of sanitary napkins for sale or from various installations appeared in the bathrooms of some Roman universities that invite to leave a towel for those in necessity and need it, a sort of "suspended towel" like coffee in Naples, designed by a collective created by five girls "Our Stuff (Le Cose Nostre)" or even from a documentary about menstruation wanted to educate girls and boys in schools on this topic.

Red on White is the name of the documentary film and is now looking for funds to complete post-production and then be presented in schools and made available to those who with knowledge and education will want to contribute to change the perception of the body of women that is still evidently considered a taboo albeit luxury!

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Heroines and Heroes by Botticelli

"The Tragedy of Lucretia" by Sandro Botticelli, 1510.
Licensed byGardnerMuseum

"Heroines+Heroes" by Botticelli, at The Gardner Museum of Boston in February 14th to May 19th.

In Boston, at the Gardner Museum for the first time, this exhibition will pay tribute to the Heroines that the famous Italian Renaissance painter was able to tell with a new narrative, adapting the Roman myth to the needs of his era; a rereading that today thanks also to the contribution of the graphic novel Karl Stevens seems to be current even for our days. 

Starting from the two works at the center of the exhibition "The legend of Lucretia" and "The legend of Virginia", there are many events that will be organized to enhance these two figures of exemplary women that with their lives and especially death have fought against the tyranny. So readings, dances, concerts, performances will be staged to accompany this inspiring event to give voice to other stories of contemporary women and not, an emblem of female strength even if victims of tyranny and injustice.

The concert "The city of women" on February 17th will give light to the protagonists of the show with dances inspired by them but will also be an opportunity to hear the story of Cristina di Pisan, Sister Juan Ines de la Cruz or readings of Malala Yousafzai or in memory of Sandra Bland, the woman stopped by the police of Texas for not having put the arrow while turning with her car, arrested, beaten up and found dead in her cell three days after the arrest, in 2015.

At the center of the exhibition there are the two masterpieces by Botticelli, "The Story of Virginia" which is present here from the Accademia di Carrara of Bergamo and "The Story of Lucretia" the first Botticellian work arrived in US in 1894 thanks to Isabella Stewart Gardner who bought it convinced to create her museum. 

The two paintings were conceived together by Botticelli, both were in fact commissioned by the Vespucci family, probably by Giovanni di Guidantonio Vespucci and Namicina by Benedetto Nerli for their palazzo in Florence in via de 'Servi. Over the centuries, however, they were divided between different owners and only today they find their original location.

The exhibition is composed of other works by the great Italian painter from Europe and the United States as "The Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius" from the National Gallery of London or "The Adoration of the Magi" from the Uffizi of Florence, but it is precisely the two works of the heroines who inspired the entire exhibition, note the title "Heroines and heroes", and the reflection of the message of their existences, however legendary, to which even a great master like Botticelli wanted to pay homage making them become full protagonists of the Renaissance.

"Heroines+Heros" by Botticelli, Gardner Museum, 25 Evans Way, Boston, Hostetter Gallery,
14 February- 19 May 2019.

Virginia and Lucretia were two girls of the era of the Roman Republic who were the victims of violence and abuse. Both died in order not to succumb to the tyranny of the most powerful men.

Virginia (V century b. C.)  was stabbed by her father to save her from the eagerness of King Appius Claudius who wanted to steal her from her family and her promised spouse. 

Lucretia  (509 b.C.) was the wife of a Roman noble, of who fell in love one of the sons of the King who abused her one night. Lucretia stabbed herself while confessing what happened to her husband and her relatives. She was avenged by her husband who, by hunting from Rome the Traquini family, gave rise to the Roman Republic.

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The first Italian Women Publisher Fair

The first Italian Women Publisher Fair was held in Rome from 8th of March to 11th March at the International Women's House at Trastevere in Rome.

The location at the International Women's House was not an accidental choice but due to its history, it means a political choice.

The House in fact represenst the place where the Roman and Italian feminism from the 70's found home. It's nowaday a place where women can find legal patronage, health advises and where many Women associations work to ensure abused, wicked and immigrant Women a place to stay and an help.

So it was clear that the first Italian Women Publisher Fair would be in a such of place.

From an idea by  Maria Palazzesi and with the main publisher as Iacobelli  and the Observatory of the Independent Publishers, Archivia and Leggendaria, the Fair has seen almost seventy publishers from all over Italy. 

From the biggest Italian editors Mondadori or Rosenberg&Sallier to the smaller and independent as L'Orma, or Ortica publisher. To the most popular such as DWF directly from the 70's feminism to the newest as "Le Ginestre" (The Brooms) by Herald publisher. All deal with Women as authors or as topic.

Many were also the book presentations, the previews of the incoming books and many were also the meetings e.g. about the Italian metoo movement #quellavoltache (thattimethat) or about the need to involve Women in publishing.

A success of public which came from all over the country to this first Italian Women Publisher Fair that we hope was just at its start and where Women  have could find a "place of their own".

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The Nino/Nina

The issue of climate change is usually accompanied to the debate on the need to transform our way of life, our way of production, our progressive vision which is day by day called into question by scientific data. Actually in this last decade one has witnessed a global warming that led to a complaint of this situation, but this spring, and summer as well, will be cold because there will be a "natural", cyclic, climatic condition which will increase cold by lowering temperatures, even for a while, and which will slow down global warming that start to grow again passed this period, breaking our vain illusions of a general better weather conditions.
This cooling phenomenon is qualified under the name of Nina which is the female equivalent of the Nino, climate phenomenon that brings warmth to planet earth and is best known.
So even in climatic appellations we can find the typical dichotomy of good/bad, dry/wet, heat/cold of that "natural" vision of woman that from the XX century has spread in the predominant culture. This vision has characterized woman as antithetic to man, a man starring qualifications of a highly, beneficial, positive value and a necessary contrary female value. This vision has dominated culture that has so influenced the status of women until considered them unable to testify because too emotional and therefore unreliable, or untill to call into question their membership or not to mankind.
And so here in XXIth century raises the old but clearly present dichotomy of the "natural" of good/bad applied to meteorology where is not a coincidence that we find the male phenomenon linked to the heat that benefits of a common wellness vision even if for our days is in reality degenerative while watching a cooling phenomenon which has generally a negative perception one has give a female designation which, beard to common view, is today a good thing because stops a negative one, in this case represented by the male phenomenon, so we are indeed facing a full representation of reality in which women are defined in negative irrespective of their social contribution, always and in general positive and essential compared instead of a positive male consideration which in practice is excessive and harmful and which is the guilty of the overheating and of the natural, that is, environmental decline.
Here is the overturned of the natural, sexist and climatic vision of the dichotomy represented by the Nino/Nina.

That is why we are still in nineteenth century

The US elections this time more than ever focus our attention as they refer us to a wellknown ancient "querelle".

In XIXth century, the condition of women was claimed as for the slaves, women were a political issue whom vastness and importance affects all the nation, becoming a fondamental issue for the entire US society as the slaves issue as well, this was for Mary Wollstonecraft, for Jhon Stuart Mill as for William Thompson.

Nowadays we are at the same point, we assist to an electoral match where there is a man who is a symbol of social redemption for those slaves mentioned in the past and who had progress and a woman symbol of other significances and fights.

The true is that we will attend to an epochal changing in the same way but as the black people issues were noted, disclosed and supported, from women themselves, more clearly from the beginning, the issue of women was dealt on a secondary level and overshadowed by the first one. As racism is still alive is already present a common, shared condemns of this phenomenon, otherwise the anti-feminism is still more hidden, sly and got more detrimental cultural features which concerns more people because if is true that many will be the moral beneficiaries seeing at the White House an ancestor of those slaves came without rights or dignity recognized, it is already true that a woman presence would gratified twice that person as well because black women are usually double affected, a time because they are black, twice because they are women.

If is it true that slaves came without rights or dignity, woman (also the white one) had suffered for centuries before that exclusion from human race which precluded her dignity, rationality and for consequence equal rights but not only civil, political or legal rights but human rights as well.

One started with a fight for civil acknowledgement of one part and then from this it has developped a new, different asserting also for the other part, they divided but only for meeting again two centuries after struggling for a power which will be a symbol of a compleate redemption. That is why after two centuries we are still in nineteenth century where from the slaves problem born the feminism mouvement for civil women rights and which are nowadays contending an important position for the redemption of both. Again after two centuries we are still in front of the two issues which see in their more important symbol of representation not an end but a further unknown propulsive beginning.