Rape has been everywhere in the news lately. It’s hard to escape it. At first I really wanted to. Then as more stories kept coming it seemed time to pay attention. Last week I wrote about sexual assault becoming a greater issue on college campuses and prevention programs that should be put in place. I [...]
Tag Archives: Media
does abortion belong in popular films? a response
Recently, Jaime Keiles (of the Seventeen Magazine Project) asked some great questions about films and abortion: why do so few films depict abortions? Should we see them in films more often? Jaime had just finished watching Enter the Void, which includes a pretty realistic abortion scene. She noted that the scene made her uncomfortable, but [...]
The 2000s: Favorite Feminist Moments in Television
Ever since I read Susan J. Douglas’ Where the Girls Are: Growing Up Female With the Mass Media when I was 17, I have found myself searching in television and film for the nuggets of feminism that women can now find in popular culture. As the ’00 decade concludes, quite a bit of feminist gold [...]
Finding the Power in Women’s Voices
A growing group of organizations work on what is called “media democracy,” that is, changing the structure and legal framework of the media so that it reflects something a smidgeon closer to the actual public – including women. In all its complexity, the media – TV and cable, newspapers and film, magazines and podcasts – [...]
Feminism, Changing the World, and the Internet
The Daily Beast recently polled 1,000 US voters about sexism in the 2008 elections. For me, the most striking poll result was that only 20 percent of women are willing to use the word "feminist" about themselves, and only 17 percent of all voters said they would welcome their daughters using that label. Yet, more [...]
Gender, Politics & Media Redux
One topic that spawned plenty of conversation during the race for the presidency, was the role of gender. Last week, New York Women In Communications presented The Spin Room: Gender, Politics & Media in the 2008 Election. The panel of four, Geraldine Ferraro, Arianna Huffington, Lesley Jane Seymour, and Marie Wilson — with moderator Carol [...]