Feminists have no sense of humor. We flip out at every tiny thing. We make a big fuss about inconsequential, totally minor things that absolutely aren’t a big deal instead of focusing on the big and important issues. Lipstick feminism, it’s called. So why are jokes about women making sandwiches and language like “banging chicks” [...]
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Binary Thinking About Body Image Hurts Us All
“They say that white has might And thin is in, well that’s just bull. Cause ladies, big is back And as for black, it’s beautiful” -Hairspray: “Big, Blonde and Beautiful” A Washington Post-Kaiser Family Foundation poll surfaced earlier this year finding that black women have overall higher levels of self-esteem than women in other ethnic [...]
Vogue and the Diet Debate: Why Are We So Horrified?
In the most recent edition of Vogue, New York socialite Dara-Lynn Weiss shares her experience of putting her 7-year old child on a weight loss diet. Her intent: for her daughter, Bea, to shed pounds after discovering that she “had grown fat.” Obesity is a worldwide epidemic; the World Health Organization (WHO) describes childhood obesity, [...]
“Thinspiration” Reaches Pinterest
Like so many other people, the minute I heard about Pinterest I immediately signed up for an account and starting pinning; mostly ideas of bedroom décor and recipe ideas. However, I started to see a scary trend I’ve seen so many times before on other social network forums and websites from all over the world. [...]
Manentine’s Day: Dating Just Got Dumber
Hey, ladies, how are you planning to spend March 14th, 2012? Won’t you join me in being repulsed by misogyny’s latest invention, Manentine’s Day? Manentine’s Day is the latest in a long line of ordinary words that have been reclaimed by men (I’m thinking of guyliner, mantyhose, and mansplaining as only some of the examples [...]
Sluts and Bitches: The Barnard Commencement Speaker Controversy and the Rush Limbaugh Show
I was eleven years old the first time a classmate called me a fucking bitch. I think he had tried to push in front of me to get on the bus first, and I had stood my ground. Something like that. Something totally deserving of being called a name like that. Over the course of [...]
“Doonesbury” Takes on Ultrasound Laws
Over the past forty years, Garry Trudeau’s Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip “Doonesbury” has tackled its fair share of controversial topics. But this week marks the first time that Trudeau will address abortion, and as a result newspaper editors across the country are refusing the run the six-day series. The series will focus on mandatory ultrasounds, [...]
Sex is Not a Recreational Activity
Sex is not a recreational activity. Tennis is a recreational activity. Sex is a natural human urge and a normal part of everyday life. In all the coverage of Rush Limbaugh’s misogynist rant, the key point no one seems to be bringing up is that sex is not a sinful thing bad girls do. Sex [...]
Reality Bites: Love and Marriage in TV Land
Whenever I’m sick I give myself license to watch whatever trashy TV I want. And since my toddler started daycare, well… I’ve had a lot of colds lately! And with all this bed rest has come a lot more time in the world of reality TV. It’s my guilty pleasure! While watching Kourtney & Kim [...]
Killer Advertising
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 [...]