Autostraddle Calendar Girls: Sarah is Miss April

It’s April, it’s time to search for bunnies and look at a brand-new smokin’ hot lesbian lady! It’s Autostraddle Calendar Girl time!

Firstly, a little refresh of the Calendar Girl concept for any newbies:

We just think Maxim, COED and Playboy shouldn’t get to corner the market on “monthly devotions to very very good looking women.” We know lots of hot lesbians who also look good casually lounging on bedsheets and hanging out at the pool/on the couch.

Each month our photographer Robin will shoot a Le Cadeau by Robin set (as featured on WeTV) with one beautiful, talented, smart, interesting and sexy lesbian lady. At the end of the year, we’ll have a pretty kickass calendar that you can buy for 2011, which is our last year on earth before the apocalypse. Don’t you want to keep track of that in style?

As always; if you’d like to be gawked at by thousands of lesbians and get photographed by celebrity world-famous photog Robin Roemer, email Robin at robin[at]autostraddle[dot]com with two photos of yourself and tell her a little something about why you’re so special. You must live in the NYC area or be able to get there and be 21+.

Missed a month, or need an repeat performance?
We made this page of our 2011 Calendar Girls
for your browsing needs!

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This month’s Autostraddle Calendar Girl is:

Sarah

Miss April

From Photoblogger Robin:

Miss April Sarah Croce met stylist Sara Medd, make-up artist Christina Natale, and I at my new digs on a rainy Sunday.

Sarah’s a rugby player, an actress, and an all around blast to hang out with.  I actually photographed Sarah once before when she was doing the Logo/Levis Unbuttoned campaign.  So, Sarah and her crazy abs are no stranger to the lens.  I was glad when she contacted us to be an Autostraddle Calendar Girl and thought everyone else might be to!

Christina did beautiful natural make-up and Sara got some really fun, sporty threads that we knew Miss Croce would rock!  So I’ll say this in advance for Sarah and the whole team… You’re Welcome.  :)

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Sarah Croce is an actress best known for her spots in Girl Talk, Bleeder, The Levi’s Unbuttoned campaign, AT&T and Issues: The Series. Also, she looks damn good in boyshorts, plays rugby and wants to be an activist for reals reals.

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See all our calendar girls so far.

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Robin

Robin specializes in entertainment, lifestyle and portrait photography. She's also a Creative Producer, Director of Photography and co-owner of Scheme Machine Studios LLC, her production company based in Los Angeles. Robin loves shooting for TV and film and has worked with media companies like Legendary Pictures and Viacom. She shot and directed the Pride campaign for Google called #ThisIsFamily. Robin has had the pleasure of working on national campaigns for companies like Dove and Levis, and had the unique opportunity to shoot for non-profits and initiatives such as The Black List, Save the Children, Move to End Violence, Have a Hart Day, and The Clinton Global Initiative. She is most proud of the work she has done with organizations such as The Ad Council and RAINN working on national impact campaigns. Her celebrity roster includes Cyndi Lauper, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, The B-52s, Keri Hilson, JB Smoove, Tegan and Sara, Margaret Cho, The B-52’s, Andreja Pejic, and many more. She was there for Autostraddle’s birth and proudly served as A-Camp co-director for many years.

Robin has written 82 articles for us.

147 Comments

  2. Yum!
    I love how she’s all ‘EFF you Gender Binary, Imma blur the lines between masculinity and femininity ” and then kicks the Gender Binary’s ass, and then looks really hot in boy shorts and tube socks.

  3. As super cute as she is, can we start seeing some women that don’t fit into conventional beauty standards? Do women have to be skinny to be sexy or attractive? ‘Cause that’s kind of what I’m seeing.
    And it’s not just the calendar girls posts, but pictures of women in general on the site.

    It makes me feel unattractive, because I don’t have the figure that these women have.

    • Grrrl, as a fat queer I understand.

      However, the other thing to account is not just recognizing body diversity as attractive for those who are fat/thick/curvy/short/chub/whatever is outside the conventions, but also recognizing those who prefer fat/thick/curvy/short/chub/etc. Just as we all are all different shapes and sizes, we all have different standards for what turns us on.

      Sarah is very hot, but I’d love to see what turns me on, which is FAT QUEERS.

      In conclusion, jacqueline we can go eat cookies together and talk fat positivity. xoxox

      • it’s only month four! judging us at this point is out of line and counterproductive.

        we can’t represent every type of woman in four months ’cause there are more than four types of women, and you also have to consider the applications we receive, but you can’t look at four months of a 12-month calendar and judge the overall project. Have faith, grasshopper! FAITH

        • Riese I got your back!

          I was just trying to affirm that it’s not out of charity to include body diversity, but that it something other queers find attractive too. I wasn’t judging or condemning the project.

          I really love that you guys have hot chicks on here, and I don’t have to pretend they’re gay. It’s great!

          • thank you queermo! much love and we are defo hoping to feature a diverse range of hot homos in the months ahead!

    • WHERE ARE ALL THE FAT DEAF JEWISH HALF AFRICAN-AMERICAN, HALF ASIAN TRANSGENDERED PEOPLE ON THIS SITE? NOT DIVERSE ENOUGH.

    • ALSO. Also. Also.

      There are some HOT GIRLS taking off their clothes for your goddamn enjoyment! I’m proud of the job we’ve done diversifying thus far based on what’s been offered to us and who has applied. I guess at the end of 12 months you’ll know better and can judge or not.. Also, we’ve intentionally not featured model-anorexic-skinny girls here like the girls you see in Maxim or any women’s magazine; respect.

      And you know what else they’ve all been? Beautiful. These are some hot lesbian girls just here to turn you on. And I’m sorry that this month’s girl doesn’t reflect what you’re into, but I can’t handle disrespect towards any woman’s body, even if it’s to say that she’s “too thin.” I’m sorry if my reaction sounds severe, and I think women of all shapes & sizes are beautiful (seriously, it’s slightly out of control that i am attracted to like every girl in the entire universe, ask laneia, she has lots of texts about it), but show some fucking respect for these women! Insulting them or saying their bodies aren’t good enough isn’t cool, no matter what the context of it.

      • also also also also

        if this is what you’d like to see, please feel free to go do it yourself!

        ok thanks.

      • Oh, I was in no way intending to insult them! Forcing standards on any woman’s body is inappropriate, despite her size! I was just saying, I would like to see a little curvy inclusion is all. I’m more than aware that women who are thinner are under just as much scrutiny as women who aren’t.

        I wasn’t personally attacking anyone. Please, it’s nothing personal. Just because I had a little something to say doesn’t mean I hate Autostraddle/the Calendar girls thus far/the world.

    • Oh lawd, I had no idea I’d piss so many people off. I wasn’t directly criticizing. All I was doing was making sure it doesn’t become a habit of ostracizing curvier girls into a “hey look we’re going to separate all the curvier girls into a separate post and look how different they are from the normal women!”
      I’m not saying you did that, I’m just saying to be careful. I’ve seen it happen before.

      I’m not criticizing Autostraddle! I love Autostraddle! It turns me off a little bit that there was some really angry & defensive posts, though. I meant no harm! Just be able to take in a comment and not take it personally. I also think all of the calendar girls thus far have been attractive. I just don’t want to see an exclusionary practice is all.

      • I think you were just an innocent victim of a feelings avalanche. Please come back and comment! I hope I didn’t sound angry and I absolutely want you to know I hear you and have taken everyone’s feedback to heart. We haven’t shot months June- December yet so I’m keeping my eyes open wherever we go, approaching people, posting about it where I can, when I’m not swamped in my actual work. ;) And to anyone who wants to model for us, please email me and don’t be afraid that you will start WWIII. We encourage discussion and I think sometimes it gets heated and that’s ok too!

  4. sarah is hot. really really really hot. not just because she is to the eyes, her thoughts and feelings seems pretty hot too.

  5. oh my gawd i love her locs and she’s a vegetarian like me, and she’s a Capricorn like me ummmm BEST CALENDER GIRL EVER!

  8. I second Lexi’s comment!
    All I could do was moan as I looked at these pictures so there ya go.
    In short DAMN!

  11. i recognized her from the unbuttoned ads right away
    gahhhhhhhhd, she’s gorgeous!

  12. Suddenly I am acutely aware that I am a very bad feminist. Very bad. However, rather talented lesbian.

  13. hello, blue eyes.

    also “i know this is really gay, but i would make gay marriage legal” L-O-L.

    nice pics, robin!

  15. Oh wow, those eyes.

    Fantastic photos, as always, Robin.

    And I second all those turn-offs.

  18. Oh my. Sarah was quite foxy until I read her questionnaire. Now she has me swooning.

    P.S. Sarah, the olive bar is totally fair game.

  21. Hey everyone!! Thanks for the comments!! I know Sarah will be excited to see all the positive responses!! I have to comment again and let everyone know that they should refer again to the Mission Statement if they have questions about this particular calendar/project. If you have your own ideas about what should be featured in a lesbian calendar… by all means… GO DO IT. ;) And keep those submissions coming…

  22. These photos are amazing Robin! Sarah is a FOXXXY lady!

    I had the honor of getting to witness Robin shoot on this particular day and she never ceases to amaze me. Sara and Christina are amazing at what they do and the whole team works so well together. So I for one would like to THANK the team for all the hard work they’ve put into 4 months worth of amazing shoots. Thank you for the dedication to eye candy, please don’t ever change.

    I think it’s important to celebrate what you’re doing here instead of bashing it, I would much rather have this calendar on my wall than something out of Maxim or whatever. This is so much more interesting and creative and well-designed and of interest to me than anything else out there. I actually think the 4 ladies so far have been very diverse! And isn’t the point of the calendar to show that lesbians can be hot and sexy and way more awesome than the oversaturated male-targeted fake-boobed craziness out there? If you’re looking to be up in arms about photos of half-naked women, I think that would be a great place to start, not here.

    I can’t wait to see what the next 8 months will bring! Excellent work ladies, as always.

    • WORD.

      I keep forgetting about the end product. 2011 is going to be difficult. I mean, obviously I haven’t seen the lovely lady for May yet, but there is a damn good chance I won’t be able to talk myself into turning the calendar from April. I might need multiple copies.

      Also, I tend to forget that these women don’t just show up in hot boy shorts and matching athletic socks and start posing for Robin. Sara and Christina – THANK YOU! Wonderful work.

      • Thank YOU! Our team really does enjoy putting this all together for you all, and I am so encouraged by all the great feedback!

  23. O.o !!

    Thats all i have to say..besides the fact that I take “free samples” from the olive bar at Whole Foods, too.

  24. Yeah I agree with Carlytron!
    All the girls SO FAR might fit in to traditional standards of beauty by some definition, but I wouldn’t think you would see anything like them in a Maxim amongst the huge breasted overly fake blonde ladies. And while your opinions are totally valid, keep in mind that the ladies in the Calendar submit themselves, so the plump queer ladies might not personally feel attractive enough to submit themselves. They need to know that they are TOTALLY WRONG, and they should submit some photos because we want to see them!
    As long as you have respect for your body and yourself, it shows and you end up looking really hot. So, submit plump queers, submit!

    • Dude, I totally would submit myself (as a curvy queer minority); I just happen to be on the other side of the world and have no access to plane or visa. Boo immigration.

      Though I can see where the comment came from – even the queer scene in some places can be horrifyingly restrictive. I didn’t get picked for a Lesbian Black Book project in Malaysia because I wasn’t lesbian enough for them (o_O??) and even in the local queer scene I’m not the model for “attractive”. It is a third of the way through the year – it can be frustrating when _nowhere else_ seems to be open to your look. It doesn’t mean Autostraddle’s gotten it completely wrong, as y’all said there’s still 9 months left, but it doesn’t make Jacqueline’s request unreasonable either.

      • I think that everyone’s opinion is important, so hooray for your comments and Jacqueline’s comments, BUT it seems to me that the wonderful, hard-working people involved in this project, and the website in general, value diversity as well. As an Autostraddle worshiper, it gets me fired up to see Robin and the gang attacked. Miss April has a redonk body, and it’s clearly expressed that the way she got that body is by exercising and being HEALTHY, not by having an eating disorder.

        PS – Diversity rocks!

        • I don’t see how asking whether the calendar would be more diverse is “attacking”. It’s not like she’s saying “YOU GUYS SUCK”.

      • I would submit myself too except I am not a lesbian and I am not in New York. So.. I am S.O.L…

  25. Sarah you look awesome. Robin the photos are gorgeous as always. I also enjoyed the wardrobe choices.

    Autostraddle works so hard to try and listen to its readers. Trust me I have heard long conversations behind the scenes about trying to compile a diverse and well-rounded group of girls for the calendar.

    • I think Julia is saying ‘I have personally heard Riese talk about this for about ten hours and TRUST ME SHE CARES SHE CAN TALK ABOUT IT FOREVER’

  26. the white t-shirt & white briefs shots by the window are so ridiculously hot, it’s insane.

    i love these photos robin so so so so much, they are amazing.

    “this is the hottest girl ever i don’t even know why everyone has time to complain just go masturbate!” (laneia just now yelling on the bed)

  27. Also it can be hard to just “make your own” if you’ve been surrounded by cultures that tell you that you’re either not good enough to do something like this because you look horrible, or that you’re not supposed to do something like this because it’s irresponsible and not in your culture. Which would explain the lack of diversity you’re likely facing with your selection. So uh, lay off the “why are you people COMPLAINING WAAAAH” too guys, not really helping!

      • It’s not helping Autostraddle or the readers if any comment that’s not 100% YAY AWESOME gets a beatdown from the regulars. I read A/S everyday and the comment thread made me go “@_@!!” multiple times. All for one request of “hey, can we have more curvy chicks?”!

        • Its so hard to convey tone over the internet but I don’t think we meant any anger by any of the statements. The volunteer efforts of the style team and myself in this project as well as the efforts by each model stepping forward to do such a brave thing are cause for support and celebration. I think its perfectly normal for Riese to want to defend her stance on diversity. I think these things get out of hand when they don’t need to. We of course appreciate feedback, when its constructive and positive. Lesbians need to support other lesbians efforts as well instead of trying to tear each other down.

    • I’m still baffled that so much time is spent here yelling at US about these issues when this is really a systematic issue that begins with the patriarchy and the images produced by mass media and that we actively fight here every day. I know this stuff, I anticipate these criticisms and we try really heard to combat it with what tools I have access to.

      We accept responsibility and we’re trying.

      Show some respect for Robin’s talent and for all of the girls who pose here. We’re a small startup with no budget running on emotional energy and it’s hard to have it drained at every opportunity.

      Manners, people. Manners!

      Also? — you catch more bees with honey than vinegar. That’s all I’m gonna say about that.

      • ……WOOO-SAAA..Riese…Breathe…..
        You all are doing a FANTASTIC job. All of the women have been beautiful and unique. It has been diverse. This girl is white with dreads, which is def not a norm but still beautiful!

        I remember everyone wanted a curvy gallery and you all [&me :)]made it happen so you are doing a great job. Also the OP may be relatively new here.

      • It’s not unmannered to ask about whether there will be more curvy people in the future – we can’t read your mind. Waiting till December would be pointless because then the project’s all over and nothing can change.

        If anything, the “manners” comment should be directed at everyone else yelling at Jacqueline – geez, all she did was ask! She asked you, because she felt that you would listen and take that into consideration. We all have a part to play in dismantling the patriarchy and it’s not wrong for her to check on whether she would be accepted.

        Honestly, the anger is quite confusing.

        • I think mostly the anger is because autostraddle gets comments like this all the time. The exact same thing happened in when Miss March came out and Riese responded to it. It’s just frustrating because it feels like someone is going to come around in May and be like “where are the fat queers?”

          Of course no one at autostraddle wants to belittle anyone for their comments. We appreciate feedback, etc. but when it’s the same stuff over and over again, for something that we are trying to accomplish every day… it just gets frustrating, you know?

        • As a couple of people have said previously..this is a user submitted thing where people email Robin or Riese or whoever with their interest and it goes from there. It may be that they have not had curvy people or people with other diversities (or however you want to describe it) so how can they be expected to provide it within the calender if it’s not being presented to them? You say in your blog that the onus is on them to seek out the people that wish to be in the calender but that’s not what they’re trying to do. That would be a different project and I think then we’d see bias (unintentional or not) towards certain looks because we all have who we’re in to. And this is the first time they’ve done something like this I think so it’s not going to be perfect the first time and I doubt they’re not recognising ways to improve how they do it next time.

          I’m sure all the AS ladies have spread the word (and may have even approached people, you just don’t know)and we can do that to by accessing networks we’re in outside of this website. I think throwing back the responsibility on them solely if you have a disagreement with who they have featured so far isn’t helpful. I’ve found Autostraddle to be user inclusive and they respond amazingly to feedback and try to give us what we as readers want whilst balancing it with their mission statement. Saying that, they are human beings doing this off of their own steam with a small team (poet and I know it)so we also have to be realistic about what they can do with the time that they have.

          I think it can be very easy to critique something and think that’s all (royal) you have to do. I think it stagnates a process which can be speeded up by at least attempting to work towards a solution you know? If everyone put a link to this on their blog then thats an extra however many people that are aware of it yes?

          Again, and I think this is SO important, we have to remember to be realistic about how much time and energy the AS team has to devote to this off of their own backs, including other work that is done on the site and in their lives offline.Because I think, especially on the blog that you wrote, you have made a lot of assumptions and snarky comments about tiredness etc which are not helpful and undermine what they try to do.

          On a way more personal note – i GET that you’re pissed that the ‘norm’ in a lot of media is for girls to be skinny and wear size nothing pants and that’s bloody unhealthy to aspire to if you don’t have the bone structure to go with it. I am not skinny. I get pissed when I don’t see diversity in magazines that I read or online (especially tumblr..love it but jeeze) but I don’t think that any lack of percieved diversity is intentional here. I really don’t. I have a pretty strong bullshit meter for when someone’s talking the talk but isn’t walking it and I don’t feel that here.

          That’s all I’m going to say because I just wrote a damn essay!!!

          • Stars, these are my thoughts exactly. (I just can’t make them all pretty and understandable like yours…) Also, I didn’t feel threatened by your tone at all. I’m a wussy and get scared by people arguing. Great way to talk it out. I think you should write more poems. K thanks. ;)

          • Shucks! Was just typing what I was thinking (#SOMANYFEELINGS), and I didn’t want to seem too confrontational or bitchy so I’m glad it makes sense! Ok, I’ll start writing some haiku’s and stuff while I’m on a roll :D

        • thanks, y’all, for the brave defenses. also i swear every other world IRL so really, my tone is probs very hard to read.

          The fact is that all four of the women we’ve featured would not be thin enough for mainstream fashion magazines or Maxim calendars! Crazy & pathetic, but true. Sooooo we have taken this into consideration from the get-go; not wanting to promote unhealthy beauty standards and to feature healthy, sexy women. We’ve featured two women of color in four months and every time we go out, Robin and Sarah (the stylist) approach probably 10 to 20 girls a night who have unique/different looks to see if they want to participate. Unfortch, Lesbians who live in NYC who are interested in posing for a lesbian calendar is not a large group of people.

          But really, this conversation scares me for another reason – as we all know here, we live in a society where women’s bodies are constantly scrutinized, and judged, and we want this to be a safe space for the women who model for us. It can be scary to do this, and knowing that controversy erupts or you will be criticized for being too thin or too femme when you model here isn’t going to help us find good people. It’s very scary. So concerns about diversity would be better addressed in emails rather than in critical comments towards our women.

          Ultimately though, we’re defending a hypothetical here… when we say “it’s only April”… perhaps consider that we are confident when we say this because we already have shoots planned for upcoming months which will feature “curvier” women. We like curvy women too! We’re not part of The Machine. I ask you to give us the benefit of the doubt here. We object to the tone and the assumptions in the OP’s comment, and it’s hard & frustrating.

          This is a free website and we’re all working for free and you can enjoy our content for free! Considering Robin & Sarah are doing this all at their own expense, it’s hard to hear criticisms which we have addressed already in previous months (and yes, it is your responsibility to see what’s already been said before saying it again) . We just want some positive reinforcement too.

          • i swear every other word IRL too, except at work where sadly I only swear if i am talking to my boss or the hr generalist b/c they are the only people that get life.

            the 4 women you’ve featured so far are crazy beautiful in the best sort of way and so props to them for being so real and willing to put themselves out there as these intelligent/beautiful/sexy/interesting gay women, and props to you for featuring them and also btw this free website is the best thing that ever happened to me in my entire life probably so keep on keeping on.

  28. I don’t think you can accuse Autostraddle of shying away from diverse participation. Not just in them having actively stated since the start of the calendar girls project that they want to represent diversity, but in other things like them wanting to get a music writer that isn’t just into the same old white indie-rock, and I get the feeling that the comment from the April’s fool post about the last thing them needing is another white girl from Long Island is probably not a joke…

    So the frustration about any lack of diversity is shared. However, instead of attacking the feature, shouldn’t this be a signal to go out and do something about it? For the people that don’t think all their interests are being served here, I’m guessing there are other places you go on the internet and communities you participate in…so point them all this way and maybe a few of them will be/have friends that are your ideal of beauty, and are gagging for a photoshoot in the NYC area.

    This probably makes me sound like a naive idealist, but I just hate non-constructive criticism and defeatist attitudes.

    (p.s. I know Sarah is probs v hot, but she reminds me too much of a crazy girl I knew at uni, so I am sticking with Miss March instead, who is still cute, I just checked.)

  29. Always so much drama on lesbian sites! Can’t we just enjoy the great job Robin is doing.

  30. in the pic in front of the window where she’s giving herself a bear hug: Bonus points for the books on the shelf being color coordinated! I want to do this with all of my books. Maybe i can have a hot lady sit on top of them too.

    Thank you robin and friends for doing this each month!

  31. i automatically want to gay marry anyone who lists a Margaret Atwood novel as their first favourite book. it’s this automatic thing that i just cannot help.

    also, sarah is insanely beautiful. it’s insane. there is so much beauty-insanity i cannot even handle it.

    robin these photographs are amazing, as always.

  32. The complaints about lack of diversity would be valid if this was December.

    Some people can’t see the forest for the trees…..the really really super hot, intelligent, super hot trees…

  33. Here’s an idea, for those of you in/near NYC:
    Next time you see a girl you think is hot and underrepresented, tell her about Autostraddle, tell her about the Calendar Girls, and TELL HER YOU THINK SHE’S HOT AND SHOULD SUBMIT HERSELF.

  34. Wow, shes intimidatingly (is that a word) beautiful! Fair play to her for having the guts to pose on the internet like that where the whole world can see her, id never ever be able to do that! Anyway, this whole calender thing is a great idea, thanks very much! :-D

  35. All I have to say is wow. Wow Sarah, wow Robin. Usually I’m not very into dreads, but Sarah is so beautiful, and she seem sso down to earth and awesome, she really makes them work. And Robin, I’ve seen enough of your work at this point that I shouldn’t be surprised at your wonderful photos, but then I see a new shot and I’m awed all over again. You have such a great eye, I’m jealous. Good work, ladies.

  38. Question: how are you going to choose what pic to use for the calendar? Each of the girls you’ve photographed so far have so many great pictures to choose from! Seems too difficult a choice …i say you make it a poll at the end of the year haha

    ps – I remember meeting sarah at the rodeo disco and she was awesome… also met “Miss February” , Julia…also really awesome person from short time had w/ both of them…. just saying

  40. i just want us to be happy queers (skinny, fat, or otherwise) who gather around campfires and hold hands and sing “kum ba yah.” is that too much to ask?

  41. I’m just pretty happy that autostraddle exists, and that this project exists. Let’s try to support the work going on here because it’s awesome.

    • i really want someone to answer this question so i can say “that’s what she said” regardless of the answer

          • she’s not stocky enough to be in the pack. no offense to my packies, someone’s gotta scrum.

          • Haha yeah you guessed it…scrum half! I play for the Brooklyn Womens team (we have home games in Red Hook so come and check us out if you’re local)! Thank you all so much for the love and positivity that has come out this month. I know Robin is working incredibly hard to make this an amazing calendar and I feel ridiculously lucky to be a part of this avant-garde project.

  43. These are great shots, Robin. =D Really, I’d like to thank Robin, Sarah, all previous calendar girls, and the team for putting this together. You’re doing an excellent/beautiful (literally) job. I think you already knew that though… Can’t wait to buy/see the completed project/calendar.

  44. Swooooooonnnn COLOR COORDINATED BOOKSHELF<3 Haha These are the times when I realize just how much of a nerd I am.

  45. Loving all the positive comments :)

    It’s just really interesting/funny to me… just last month after we put up Miss March, we get “Where are the butch girls?” So what did we bring this month? hmm…

    The month previous to that, I believe someone wanted to know where the non-white girls were… then there was Carmen, Miss March (and actually Miss January was not white either, but that was maybe overlooked?)

    Listen, I appreciate feedback and opposing opinions and whatever. But this stuff is really getting to me. Take a chill pill, sit back, and relax. Cause we got a lot of months to go.

    And sidenote: I don’t think these last 4 months have been THAT bad (in terms of defying “conventional beauty standards”) and I’m really sorry some of you feel this way.

    Good stuff Robin and company — your calendar girls make me proud to be a lesbian.

  47. um I LOVE THIS SO MUCH. SARA- are the black boyshorts dykes in the city? they look familiar. ROBIN- OMG LOVE THE LAST TWO SHOTS.

    Also I met Sarah and she is super cool!

  48. I love Autostraddle, and this is the first time I’ve ever posted, and I think it’ll be the last. So much anger and defensiveness from a simple comment!
    I’ll continue reading Autostraddle, but I’ll never comment again, so you’ll never have to worry about my pesky comments again. Jeez!

    • People get really fucking passionate sometimes (including myself) and that can be really confronting I know. I hope you feel you can comment again sometimes because SRSLY it’s not always like this..everyone had a big weekend of family times and Dinah which might mean people have chocolate and booze hangovers. Hope to see you commenting again but allll good if you hang out in the background.

  49. Oh, and one more point of clarification:
    I am against criticizing any body types. All women are scrutinized, and that’s totally wrong. Whether you’re heavier (like me), muscular, thin, or even anorexic, it’s nobody’s right to tell you that your body isn’t acceptable. The last thing I would say to anybody would be to tell them that their body is unacceptable. I don’t want anyone to assume that I am criticizing any of the Calendar girls (or women of ANY body type) for their body type.

    That is all. I promise.

    • Thanks for the clarification. That makes sense! It did sound like a criticism and I think the defensiveness (well, I can only speak for myself here) comes from the constant criticism we’ve gotten about not representing this or that kind of girl no matter how hard we’ve been trying to mix it up every month. I can imagine if you thought you were the first person to bring it up, the defensiveness probs seems totally out of left field. Sorry about that. Hearing that these photos make you feel bad about yourself and that we should fix that is hard to hear, ’cause that’s not what we want to do, we want to make you happy, and it logically implies that we are making you feel bad on purpose, which is a frustrating and hurtful thing to hear.

      GOD COMMUNICATION IS SO HARD ON THE INTERNET CAN WE ALL JUST HAVE A PARTY IN REAL LIFE.

      • We have so many feelings on here. We all love Autostraddle in a really fierce way but sometimes RARGH out comes the maternal instincts and we go cray-cray because there’s so much love I think. I kind of wanted to apologise for continuing the trend where the comments were going.I forget, sometimes, about lack of tone/facial expression and all that non-verbal communication when I’m on the internet and I start blabbering.

  50. I keep forgetting to say that SHE IS A MEGA BABE. Mega. Hotness x10000. I should say something about her intellect but I can’t stop looking at her. Mmmmm objectification.

  51. I’ve been loving all of the different beautiful women you showcase on Autostraddle. Thank you! I am also putting in my two cents with a request for a lil’ more butchy representation. I think Miss April is a hotty fo’ sho’, but she doesn’t quite fit my butch quota. That said, I know you’ve got a lot more months to go, as you’ve said. =) Looking forward to what/who you come up with next! Glad this community exists.

  52. SO MANY COMMENTS.

    I know I’m a little late to the party, but I wanted to point this out.

    I’m a plus-sized person, and I submitted to the AS calendar. This was before the age limit was made explicit (I’m not 21), but the email I received in reply (and very quickly I might add, way to go AS!) was nothing but encouraging and polite. That alone was able to make it clear to me that Autostraddle had every intention to include as much diversity as possible in the calendar.

    While I believe that the reaction to the initial comments was strong and that the original request for more diversity did not read as accusatory or insulting, I wanted to offer up my experience as evidence of the amazing work that AS is doing to represent women of all types.

    Also, damn, Sarah. Dreads do it for me every time.

  53. Wow, I actually went to college w her bff. I remember the levi’s ads and girltalk cuz my friend had em plastered all over her facebook. I really wish id hung out w her bff more so I coulda tried to holla, lol.

  54. this calendar might be my favorite autostraddle feature. AAAAAHHHHH WHAT KIND OF PERSON DOES THAT MAKE ME

  55. Yooooooo Miss April is the hotness!!!! Robin, next time I have a photo shoot with you…can she be a part of the session?! Just wondering…hahaha These are great! Ladies, I’m gonna have to address this diversity issue-Mama Carmen is wondering…how could you even think about anyyything else besides how hot Miss April is. I mean, REALLY?! C’mon. Ladies these days are unappreciative of half naked women and I do not understand!!!! Oooo and this is an online Calendar…Ya’ll could look at this all damnn day without feeling guilty about it bc nobody would know and you complain?! Hummphhh! Please marinate on that.

    <3 n Sunshine,

    C

  57. So, lez be honest, this chick is mad hot. She’s so fit, you can tell just by looking at her that she’s active and shit. The fact that people are getting all butthurt about Miss April not looking like Beth Ditto (and, tangent, i’m so sick of hearing from all these feminist websites about how hot Beth Ditto is… she’s really really unhealthy) makes me SO MAD. Go make your own website and fill it with pictures of fat chicks, if that’s what you’re into.

    Finally, let’s not forget that binge eating is also an eating disorder…just as awful as anorexia. If AS puts up pictures of really skinny girls, they’re endorsing anorexia somehow. Well, if they put up pictures of really fat girls, they’re likewise endorsing an unhealthy lifestyle, and a another type of disordered eating. Miss April is clearly neither, so stop bitching.

  58. miss april…on the lhs of the homepage…totally makes up for having to scroll past the creepy unappealing kink ad. Yay for robin, sara, gorgeous apt, rainbow books, christina and miss april.

  59. I have several points I would like to make.
    1) oh em geee ! Yes please
    2) I’m so printing out one of these photos as inspiration for my new hot summer bod
    3) I read like half of th comments, skipped to th bottom cos I got fed up with the bitchin/ hatin on AS/hatin on miss April/ non-love of female body … Totes not feelin th negativity- as B.E.P said ” where is th love??”
    4) and finally – shoot looks beautiful, excellent work ladies that’s to every one Involved – photographer, stylist, model, web-kremlins, thanks for making my enormously hetro world that lil bit gayer- tis great to perv on a hot girl in work n nobody knowing! Lol I <3 meine iPhone lol

  60. Sarah is hot! and I really appreciate that her books are color coded and arranged in order of a rainbow :) so gay. I used to arrange my dvds like that until my roommates ocd made her freak out and arrange them alphabetically

  61. Very lovely photos. I love that this is not your “average” pinup girl, but in my opinion, sooooo much hotter.

    Side note: where can I get those undies?

    Secondary side note: Robin you’re so ridiculously sweet. Great job keeping the peace on the comment board while making everyone feel like their opinions count:) Looking forward to seeing what’s in store for May!

  62. I’m really late to this vegan stand but:
    1. The girls I play rugby with do not look like her :(
    2. HOLY GORGEOUS BATMAN!

  63. Holy drama llama, batman. I don’t even know, but Riese’s comments are all toppy and hella hot right now.

    Beautiful work, Robin. Sarah is GORGEOUS.

  69. Yes, I am wandering through Autostraddle stuff more than a year late, but I just love the fabulous mixture of admiration, fire, and heart, that makes Autostraddle what it is.

    El Fin.

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