When I saw Argo in the theatre, I wasn’t really expecting to have a whole lot to say regarding gender in the film. In the majority of the trailer, all you see is men, men, brief glimpse of the women, and more men. Did Argo reaffirm my fears of making women silent and invisible? Based on the 1979 Tehran [...]
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Anne Hathaway & One Billion Rising Inspiration For 2013
Who inspires me? I could answer this question at the moment with Anne Hathaway. Of course this might just be the Les Mis high talking, but I did feel inspired by her remarkable performance in film that as Fantine. If you haven’t seen the film yet, and are not a musical theatre nerd; Fantine is [...]
Eve Ensler’s “Emotional Creature” Speaks the Language of Girls
Not every playwright wants their work to start a movement. That’s where Eve Ensler differs. When she wrote The Vagina Monologues in 1996, vagina wasn’t a word that was used during television interviews. The play has since spawned not only innumerable performances, it has launched the global action of V-Day, built the City of Joy—a center for women in the Democratic [...]
TEDxWomen 2012: No Matter Where You Are
The worldwide phenomenon known as TED was started in 1984 when designer and architect Richard Saul Wurman noticed the complex, dynamic and culture-changing confluence of Technology, Entertainment and Design. What began as a conference featuring powerpoint presentations about 3D computer technology and mapping systems has turned into an unparalleled, planetary-wide platform for artists, philosophers, designers, [...]
Is Feminism Funnier and Less Serious? How Snarky Feminism Is Making Strides
Is feminism becoming funnier and less serious? Is that a blow to women’s rights? Last month, Slate Double X’s Katie Roiphe wonders “if the era of earnest popular feminism is over.” She declares a new era of “Mockery Feminism,” in which feminists use humor to ridicule sexism. Roiphe bolsters her argument by using best-selling feminist [...]
This is where life happens—the places in between!
What do we remember about our neighborhood and the people we pass on the street each day? What do you remember about the street? These places and people make up the diversity of a neighborhood community. Physical geography and memories show that, while they share the common ground of Adams Morgan, they are ever changing [...]
In Defense of Girl Power
Last weekend during the Olympics Closing Ceremony performance, five taxicabs with the license plate “SPICE” pulled up, to turn me into a giddy child again… The Spice Girls were back! As a 90’s kid, the Spice Girls were the soundtrack to most of my favorite childhood memories. They were the five best friends and heroes [...]
War is Not Entertainment: Protests of NBC’s New Reality Show “Stars Earn Stripes” Begin
Tonight in New York City, outside of NBC headquarters, there will be a protest calling for the cancellation of “Stars Earn Stripes.” What was NBC thinking when they green-lighted a reality show where celebrities try out military training for sport? If you watched the Olympics at all, you’ve seen the commercials of celebrities in army [...]
Surfing the Rape Wave: What Tosh Teaches About Humor, Power and Privilege
In a promo video hyping Comedy Central’s highest-rated show, host Daniel Tosh promised, “On season 3 of Tosh.0, we’re raping everybody.” The clip’s copy read, “It’s about to get pretty rapey up in here.” Apparently, that should have been printed as a buyer-beware on tickets for Tosh’s gig at the Laugh Factory last weekend. If [...]
Do You Laugh At Rape Jokes?
I could have titled this “Why Rape Jokes Aren’t Funny” but sometimes they are uproariously funny, right? I mean, who hasn’t laughed at a rape joke? Rape jokes are a dime a dozen. That’s why the problem isn’t the jokes or who’s telling them. It’s that so many, many people think that stories about degrading [...]