I made an effort over the holidays to see some of the movies that have been generating awards buzz, looking at the nominations for the Screen Actors Guild, the Golden Globes, the Critics’ Choice Awards. I saw Black Swan, The Fighter, The King’s Speech, and True Grit. Scrolling down the nominations pages, I was feeling [...]
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Corporations, Women, and Equal Protection
Supreme Court Justice Scalia recently declared (not for the first time) his opinion that sex and gender discrimination are not covered by the 14th Amendment, otherwise known as the Equal Protection clause. Just to review, the 14th Amendment forbids states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to [...]
The End of Marriage
I recently finished reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, a mere 11 months after it came out – a true feat for me. It was hardly what I’d expected, an interesting read, and possibly not the best idea for someone so neutral on marriage to be reading. I felt myself saying, “Yes! I agree – exactly [...]
Sports Fans and Femininity
The UConn women’s basketball team has received a lot of attention in the past week, having just set a new record for consecutive games won in college basketball. Some of the attention has been positive, some negative, but there do seem to be signs of progress. Yet in the area of professional sports, women remain [...]
Cristina Yang, Charlotte King, and the Virgin/Whore Dichotomy
ABC is a popular network, made all the more so by shows like Grey’s Anatomy and its spinoff, Private Practice. But as popular as these shows are, and as much as I’ve enjoyed watching them over the years, like so many of my 20-something, female friends, they are striking the wrong chords lately. Mainly in [...]
Help Change.org Remove Offensive Cards on Etsy
"You were raped? Congratulations!" Of the many things you can say to some who just shared with you they were raped – that is not one sentiment I, or most people, would choose. But one seller on Etsy has chosen just those sentiments. In a variety of offensive and just disgusting cards available, one is [...]
TEDwomen 2010: “Reshaping the Future”
Cross-posted with permission from Marcia G. Yerman When it was announced that the TED enterprise—which features global conferences with idea innovators and change agents—was gearing up to present a TEDwomen conference, there was immediate push back. Reactions included, “Why are women being siloed? Why not more diversity and gender parity in the TED conferences that [...]
Why the Repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is a Win for Women
Last Saturday, the Senate voted to repeal the "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy that prevented gay men and women from serving in the armed forces. On Wednesday, President Obama will sign this repeal into law. This is not just a victory for gay servicemembers and their families, or even for Americans and our quest to [...]
what about this weekend
Reading Materials The new book “The Possessed Adventures with Rusian Books and the People who Read Them” by Elif Batuman is a smart and winning book, offering a new look at Russian authors in an "absurdist" way (via Amazon). "Disaster Preparedness" by Heather Havrilesky is a series of essays exploring life in the 1970′s, "namely [...]
Police Officers in Miniskirts
“The objectification of women” is one of those phrases that I think causes people to roll their eyes at this point – it’s trite and overused and misunderstood as a phrase. But yesterday I was reminded of exactly what we mean when we talk about this objectification. When we’re very young children, we think of [...]