Megan Bonnell "Apple Trees"

MEGAN BONNELL - Apple Trees from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

Tonight this is my soft, glowing lullaby.

Gaga's on my speed dial

She's done it again.

Mixin' hot bits and bites from Kill Bill, Thelma and Louise and grunge-meets-glamazon all-female prison sequences in "Telephone". The device has never, nor will ever look so nuts and sexy on any head but Gaga's.

This jarring, campy, seductive ride into madness is almost too good to be true. Like the moment when Beyonce becomes "mama" to Gaga, scolding her in the car and offering her a bite of her bar. Priceless.

Or dead-bar-full-of-bodies dance scenes with the star spangled banner painted on a crotch, not to mention killer silver boots. It makes me want Gaga to "serve me" up a sandwich.


I love that these ladies drive the pussywagon.

The Elwins "Propinquity"

THE ELWINS - Propinquity from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

The Elwins on Myspace

Gregory Pepper "Drop the plot"

GREGORY PEPPER - Drop The Plot from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

Gregory Pepper on Myspace

Tit-for-tat

When I hear the words “sale” and “bra” pushed together my nips perk up.

Especially when the comfy-cups in question are of superior quality, not like those flimsy items that La Senza sells. Much like the illusion that bin after bin of padded “push up” bras offer, they lie (Must we, must we, must we all increase our busts? What happened to au natural?)

Once again, Secrets From Your Sister is holding a “Dead Bra Sale.” On Saturday, Feb. 13, 2010 you can put your tired bras to rest. Bring in a bra that is washed and in good condition (hygiene people) and get 25% off on a regular priced bra.

Sounds like a tit-tastic trade since the old bras that have had their run go on to romp in soft, laundry detergent scented pastures. In reality they are given a new home, a lovely new set of tats to support.

Every gently worn bra will be donated to Sistering, a women’s agency that provides programs and services to homeless, low-income and marginalized women in Toronto. A bra is something that is easy to take for granted. It may not be a necessity, but it’s a form of support, and for some women it can make all the difference.

The sale will go on from 10am until 7pm at both of their busty, bustling locations at 560 Bloor Street West (Bathurst station) and 2501 Yonge Street (Eglinton station.)

So whip em’ out for a good cause and you can get your paws on something special for the ladies. They deserve it.

Porn consumption stats: Who's dining?

If the internet was an entity it would be a porn addict. The proof is in the profits. You need your fix and there are millions of options to choose from.

Buffet style, exotic cuisine, the obscene and everything in between. It’s disposable, fast food consumption and it’s interesting to note although we often turn to idealized fantasy in our sexual romps through cyber space (ie. Waxed, fake bodies, synchronized orgasms, non-stop jackhammer intercourse, and prolific moans) a movement of amateur, independent porn is emerging too.

For those of us who want to see people fucking who have some believable chemistry, real orgasms and less-than-perfect bodies there are other options, like feminist porn. With a mandate of real pleasure, women run production companies and mainstream stereotype challenging material it’s an organic alternative to the mickey D’s fare. But tastes vary, so here are some interesting statistics about the porn we consume.

Amount of pornographic websites: 4.2 million (12% of websites)

Daily search engine requests that are pornographic: 68 million (25% of total requests)

US adults who regularly visit pornography on the web: 40 million

Visitors to pornography sites who are male: 72%

Visitors to pornography sites who are female: 28%

1 in 3 visitors to adult sites are women

Statistics should be conveyed this way more often.

Lights "Ice" acoustic

Burn Planetarium "Architeuthis, Skeleton, and Young Chameleon"

BURN PLANETARIUM from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

Burn Planetrium MySpace

She’s Shameless:

Women write about growing up, rocking out and fighting back
By Adriana Rolston

These are stories for every woman, young or old, who has ever felt like a misfit, or who don’t fit the mould of the “good girl.” Women who saw rules about how to look, think and act scrawled on the chalkboard and sought to furiously erase them.

She’s Shameless is an anthology of 25 women’s reflections on their experiences as girls and teens. But Shameless magazine editor Megan Griffith-Greene and publisher Stacey May Fowles make it clear in the introduction that these are not cautionary tales. There is no list of do’s and don’ts. What you’ll find instead are raw, defiant and honest journal-style narratives from women of different races and sexualities, women who are artists, activists or feminists, who often weren’t accepted by their peers and survived to tell the tale.

The short stories deal with guilt and rebellion about dating boys, loving girls, having small breasts, being too skinny, vaginas, having sex, self-inflicting pain, making zines, reading erotica, getting pregnant, having a baby or having an abortion, striving to be normal and learning that normal never existed in the first place. It’s evident that for every way to conform there is a way to break free.

These tales of girlhood and womanhood are powerful and relatable. When you read them, you will feel as though you know these shameless women, these strong sisters, these kindred spirits, even if you’ve never met them. This is the place to embrace their stories. m

Megan Griffith-Greene and Stacey May Fowles

*Featured in McClung's 2010 Winter issue

Feminist porn awards jury member contest

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Changing Gears

Women are the driving force behind Ms. Lube

By Adriana Rolston

Mathilda’s sitting on the hoist and she needs fixing. One of her headlights burned out, her washer fluid won’t spray and her driver’s side window doesn’t close all the way.

“Okay, so she’s a nightmare,” announces Maud Sailland, a licensed auto mechanic from France, as she walks into the office of auto shop Ms. Lube in downtown Toronto.

“Yeah, it sounds like it,” says Jessica Gilbank, the shop’s owner, sitting in stained jeans and a black T-shirt. Both women erupt into laughter. Mathilda, a grey van, will be alright. She’s waiting on a part and once it arrives, she’ll drive off the lot.

Gilbank has 13 years of experience as an auto mechanic and has put in time at car manufacturers Volvo and Mercedes-Benz. She was frustrated by the lack of women working in the auto shops she frequented and by the condescending attitude she sometimes got from male mechanics. “Like I’m a complete moron because I’m a girl and they’re just going to tell me whatever they feel like and I’m going to buy it,” she says. So she opened Ms. Lube, which is staffed solely by female mechanics—the first in North America—and hopes to open a second location one day.

Ms. Lube upholds a user-friendly environment by having clients deal directly with one of the five mechanics, not a secretary. Both women and men enjoy dealing with a female technician, says Gilbank, because they feel women will be more honest, communicative and careful in following instructions. She knows her staff won’t charge customers for unnecessary repairs and will only take care of what’s needed.

Safety is the top priority at Ms. Lube. “We look at it and say, ‘Okay, if this person is driving down the street and a little kid’s ball goes out in front of the car, are they going to be able to stop?’” says Gilbank.

When you walk into Ms. Lube, you’ll meet the cars since some clients name their rides. When Gilbank opened at College and Bathurst streets in March 2009, she knew that vehicles are often an extension of a customer’s personality.
The shop’s persona is reflected in the 1950s-era motif, with teal and orange stripes running around the walls and a cheeky pin-up style mechanic as the logo. But Ms. Lube hopes to offer more than auto service with a smile to customers. The second floor is being renovated into a lounge to display local art. It’ll have wireless internet along with yoga, self-defence and auto-maintenance classes.

Erica Reed, an apprentice from Centennial College, enjoys working in the mellow atmosphere at Ms. Lube, knowing that in a typical shop, men far outnumber women. In her high school shop class, she got razzed for being the only girl but she knew her ambitions to become a certified auto mechanic were more important than jabs about her gender.

Although entering a male-dominated profession can be intimidating, Gilbank sees that this is starting to change as more single women own cars and want to know how they work. Wrench Wenches is a group she recently started with female clients to show off their rides at car shows. They plan on getting matching jackets.

Gilbank believes society perpetuates the idea that fixing cars is “a guy thing” and many women think, “‘I’m a girl. I don’t really need to know anything about a car.’ I think that’s stopping.”

*featured in McClungs Winter 2010 issue

Olenka and the Autumn Lovers "No Coins"

OLENKA AND THE AUTUMN LOVERS - No Coins from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.

myspace.com/olenkalovers

olenkalovers.com

Florence and the Machine "My boy builds coffins"

Mother Mother "Arms Tonite"

MOTHER MOTHER - Arms Tonite from Mitch Fillion on Vimeo.