At the beginning of each year, most of us consider changes we would like to make in our personal lives. I decided to bypass the usual weight and fitness resolutions and focus on institutions I’d like to change. The list is long, but I have prioritized mass-market advertisements because they are pervasive and have the [...]
Archive | January, 2012
What Did the Fem2.0 Executive Board Think of the State of the Union?
If you’ve been following us, you know that over the past few years Fem2.0 bloggers have written extensively about public policy, and its role in women’s lives not just here in the United States, but abroad as well. Most of us tuned in last night to watch President Obama’s Third State of the Union to [...]
“Angry Brides” Facebook App Makes For an Angry Feminist
Ok, ok I’ll admit it — from time to time I have been known to peruse the Indian matrimonial website Shaadi.com. Ok maybe more than just “from time to time.” Ok fine I’ll confess, I’ve considered paying to become a registered, paying member. This week, I’m very glad I never took that step. Here’s why: [...]
On Roe v. Wade Anniversary, Nevada Proposes Third Anti-Choice Initiative
On this 39th anniversary of Roe v Wade, the guiding question for NARAL’s Blog for Choice Day is this: What will you do to help elect pro-choice candidates in 2012? And this got me thinking about the famous JFK quote, “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do [...]
Blog for Choice: The 2 Battles of Choice
It’s been a crazy ride for the Pro-Choice movement over the last few months. There have really been two different battles going parallel to each other when it all really comes down to the same question: Can we trust women to make the right choice for their own bodies? While we’re at it, can we [...]
The Fat Bitch Syndrome
In an attempt to give myself some me-time, I’ve been trying to read more lately. I used to be a voracious reader and have a degree in English Lit. But after years working as a journalist and professional writer, which makes reading a little like work sometimes, and now in my perma-exhausted state of motherhood, [...]
Dick Jokes, Sexual Harassment & Women’s Empowerment: Gender & Sexism at the 2012 Golden Globes
As a feminist blogger and self-proclaimed pop culture aficionado, I watch awards shows looking out for sexism and rooting for women to win awards. The Golden Globes, which aired Sunday night, is rowdy and unpredictable…due to copious amounts of alcohol the actors imbibe. With awards shows, movies, TV series – pretty much everything I watch [...]
Space to Breathe: Why I Went to a Women’s College
The first time I remember being sexually harassed, I was walking out of my 8th grade history class when Eric came up behind me and snapped my bra. Loudly. Painfully. For 13 year old me, it was humiliating and shameful. I was so struck that I didn’t know what to do in response. Later that [...]
fem*ex – The Female Experience
Like many DC transplants, I had stars in my eyes and aspirations of changing the world when I moved to the city 6 years ago. I went full speed ahead, achieving my goals of working for national women’s organizations and finishing graduate school. I learned some hard lessons, most notably that building authentic professional relationships [...]
Intimate Wars: Sex is Intimate. So is Pregnancy.
War can be an intimate experience, often in a deeply personal way, even though it’s a shared collective event. People experience the physical effect of war through their bodies and perceive their emotional experience in their minds. My grandmother lived through an occupation, and her strongest memories were of being hungry. Of her brother being [...]