Mirror Mirror...
Who's a girl got to poison to get some uterine research around here?
This may not come as a surprise, but here at HEX, we love a female villain – and Disney have delivered some truly cracking ones.
Why would you sell your voice for a vagina and some dude who apparently can’t even swim when you could have villainy, fashionable capes, an insatiable lust for power, and (often) the best song in the movie?
Disney aren’t getting off easily though; many of their offerings leave plenty to be desired. Just like research into COVID periods – find more on this below, along with womb power, how diets fuck up your sleep, and us absolutely slagging Disney off (for balance, obvs).
Yours in maleficence,
The HEX gang
TIT BITS
Keeping abreast of the latest news, views, and research
Amazing womb-en
"The regeneration of the endometrium is weirdly not studied as much as it should be,” says biological engineer, Linda Griffith. Thankfully, Linda is on the case and her amazing work on uterine tissues is closing the knowledge gap for endometriosis (she’s also a total badass – we’re obsessed 😍). Settle down, whisper some kind words to your ute, and read about this inspirational woman and how the uterus holds the answer to some of biology’s greatest secrets.
Menstrual mystery
Women around the world have been reporting changes to their period shortly after COVID vaccination. Initially dismissed as women worrying “too much” (that old chestnut), there are actually plausible reasons why vaccination could have a short-term effect on periods. Right now, there’s not enough data to know what (if anything) is going on – but you can help by doing this survey. Don’t let it put you off getting your jab though – the risks of vaccination are much lower than getting COVID (which can also mess with your menstrual cycle). And so far, the HEX coven has suffered nothing worse than “a sore arm” and “going to bed a bit early.”
If it fits...
You don’t have to be a cat owner to know that cats love sitting in boxes, on stuff and… well, wherever they want, quite frankly. But these fluffy overlords can be fooled. Turns out they’ll still sit in a ‘square’, even when it is an optical illusion. “Cat ladies” take note of potential cat-luring purposes… Next step, teaching them to bring wine...
Sweet dreams
Having trouble sleeping? Between the pandemic, hormones, and anxiety there’s no shortage of reasons to be losing ZZZs right now. But here’s one sleep-stealer you might not have thought about: dieting. A new study showed that women who had lost and then gained back 10 lbs or more (even once) slept less well than those who hadn’t – and the more times your weight cycles, the worse your sleep. It’s almost as if dieting (aka stressing your body by losing – and inevitably regaining – weight in a short space of time) is actually bad for you….
TO THE KRAKEN 🦑
The only Bluetooth down here is the Kraken’s gleaming fang
After a night on the mollusc martinis, the Kraken has a bad temper and a raging appetite.
She’s in the mood for something big and crunchy, so she’s tackling a group that has long been the subject of her ire: big tech. There’s plenty to hate about these behemoth bros – from sexist, racist work cultures to “default male” design – but twisting her tentacles right now is their failure to recognise that their latest whizzy gadget might pose a risk to women.
Meet the Apple Airtag – a tiny $30 “precision tracking” device. Apple says you’ll never lose your keys again. We say it doesn’t take a genius to see that this could be misused. While the company has included some features meant to deter stalking, they’re pretty weak and clearly not designed with domestic abuse in mind. Similar tracking devices, like Tile, haven’t bothered with any safety measures.
Even innocuous-seeming tech is being co-opted by abusers, while companies bury their heads in the sand. Spotify was alerted over 7 years ago that stalkers are using the app to intimidate victims – it has yet to introduce a much-requested block function. And don’t even get us started on dating apps.
Tired of this cavalier attitude, the marauding monster is cutting a swathe through Silicon Valley — and she doesn’t need an Airtag to find her prey. It’s hard to make anything out over the gnashing of serrated teeth, but we think Ms K is bellowing that with tech abuse and online stalking mushrooming during the pandemic, there’s no excuse for this willful ignorance.
Sorting through the mangled piles of silicon left in her wake, we found a survivor... IBM was spared from the Kraken’s none-too-loving embrace after they showed her their Technology Design Principles to Combat Domestic Abuse. All she asks is a bit of effort, guys.
Visit refugetechsafety.org for information and support on tech abuse, including guides to securing your tech
FEMINISTS RUIN EVERYTHING
The coven discusses what we’re reading, watching, loving, and loathing.
Do better, Disney
Misogynistic cartoons I accidentally watched with my toddler: the sequel
By Jean Splicer
The HEX team giveth, and we taketh away. We may love your female villains, Disney, but we’re afraid we still need to talk about sexism. And not your extremely questionable films from the 40s.
Let’s take two modern Disney offerings that one HEXer has frequently been subjected to while attempting to drag up a toddler during a national lockdown: Mickey Mouse Roadster Racers and Puppy Dog Pals (both debuted in the grand old year of 2017). In Roadster Racers, Mickey, Donald and Goofy frequently split off for their own, high-octane adventure and leave the gals to more, er, domestic tasks. In one episode, Mickey and co. immediately shoot off to hunt down a thief. Cut to Minnie and Daisy offering to help cook while “the fellas” take care of business. In another episode, the female characters cut short a trip to Paris because Clarabelle Cow rings them with – we shit you not – a banana bread emergency.
Then there’s Puppy Dog Pals: the globetrotting adventures of two young pugs. The issue here? Their sister; a cat named Hissy. While the two boy dogs just look like, well, dogs, Hissy is bright pink/purple, sporting big eyelashes and what looks suspiciously like lipstick. In most episodes, Hissy declines the offer of adventure to stay home, sleep, and keep her hair tidy. Although on one memorable occasion she joins the boys on their adventure and teaches them a very important lesson on “How to Be More Quiet”. FFS.
Forgive us being joyless harpies, (jokes, we LOVE IT) but why are we still teaching children that worthy “girl jobs” include 1. Banana bread and 2. Silence? It’s 2021, people.
More things whispering kind words to our utes this week:
The awesome Dr Jen Gunter has launched a debunking podcast | Frog buttcheeks | Why other people eating is so fucking annoying | Maintenance Phase’s hilarious podcast on celery juice
The HEX Science team
🧬Jean Splicer | ☢ Marie Fury | 🧠 Rorschach Tess | 🔬 Rosalind Frankly