Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 01/19/2011

Beauty Pageants: What You Should Do Instead

I usually don’t pay attention to beauty pageants anymore. My reasons for hating them are pretty obvious and I’ve written about them here before. They blatantly objectify women. If they’re boosting “self-esteem,” as pageant promoting talking heads often claim they do, then it seems to me that said confidence is mostly based on being held up as a figure of immense beauty in a global society where beauty is valued above all else. And while confidence is great, that’s a pretty shallow and transparent thing to feel confident about. And I get that a woman should be able to do whatever the hell she wants (within reason) and that entering a beauty pageant is a choice, but if we cut the shit the “ugh” factor here is a little …

More >

Feminism | Posted by Ashley P on 07/9/2010

Female Bodies and Female Genital Mutilation: There is No Room for Compromise

Apparently, parental request for altering their young daughters’ genitalia had reached the magnitude to which the American Academy of Pediatrics issued their policy statement in April condoning and introducing the implementation of a “mild” procedure where a girl’s clitoris could be “nicked” in order to satisfy a certain element of “cultural sensitivity.” Recently, however, the AAP has withdrawn the policy statement made in April and have since reverted back to the their initial stance as deeming any altering of the female genitals “unnecessary”. However, the fact remains our AAP felt compelled to compromise in the realm of Female Genital Mutilation.

Female Genital Mutilation is not an issue of cultural differences, nor should it be observed as one. In reality, FGM is an inhumane, cruel, and botched exertion of forcible female subservience. There …

More >