Feminism | Posted by Mansi K on 02/13/2013
I’m Not Sorry I’m A Girl. I’m Sorry You Care.
How are you supposed to feel the first time you realize your grandparents wish you had been born a boy? I’m still not sure. I do know, however, that if my paternal grandparents had the option to transfer my identity into a body with a penis, they would gladly capitalize on the opportunity. I, the oldest child, should have been born a boy. When I came out penis-less, this hope was transferred to my younger sibling. Well, exactly 4.5 years later, my mother disappointed again. And that was it; my parents didn’t want more children.
I have never doubted the fact that my grandparents love me. But every time I remember that I am worth even a little bit less because I have breasts or because I will not carry …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Mareike S on 05/7/2012
Why Does Exceptionally Smart = Crazy On TV?
Now, before launching into this, let me make one thing clear: I love the TV show Bones and have for a long time. I also kind of like Rizzoli & Isles, but there’s one thing that’s been irking me about these two series, even though they feature women in the leading roles and (especially in the case of Bones) have diverse casts. My problem is the fact that while both Temperance Brennan of Bones and Maura Isles of Rizzoli & Isles are portrayed as unusually smart and gifted females, they are also portrayed as socially awkward to a point that borders on a psychological disorder.
As anyone who has read The Yellow Wallpaper might know, there’s been a long standing tradition of portraying women as crazy and in need of psychiatric …
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Feminism | Posted by Julia O on 04/9/2012
Nujood Ali: A Real Life Heroine
The quote I have taped to the lower right hand corner of my bathroom mirror is “I no longer think about marriage.” Nujood Ali spoke those words after successfully gaining her divorce at the age of 10. She became the youngest divorcee ever, and sparked a worldwide awakening about the horrors child brides face and the injustice they experience.
Nujood’s father arranged a marriage for her when she was ten years old. The man she married was over 20 years older than her. Her husband and mother-in-law physically and mentally abused her. In Yemen, it’s legal for girls to wed at any age, but they cannot have sexual relations until the court deems them old enough. Nujood’s husband raped her repeatedly even though the court had never “given him …
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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Emily T on 04/6/2012
Feminist Harry Potter
Since I’ve been a die-hard Harry Potter fan since I was ten, I immediately followed Feminist Harry Potter on Tumblr when I heard of it. Within the last year, I’ve become more interested in gender studies and feminism, so I’ve been finding the posts on Feminist Harry Potter more interesting and comedic than I would have before.
Feminist Harry Potter features movie stills with text to emphasize not only feminist messages, but also flaws in the Harry Potter series, such as a lack of ethnic diversity among the characters.
What I like about the tumblr is that it advertises all aspects of messages established in the series. Although I’ve read the Harry Potter series multiple times, and if you’ve read or seen any installment of the Harry Potter series, it’s …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Lauren M on 12/2/2011
My New Hermione: Miranda Lambert
Ever since the beginning, Hermione Granger has been praised as being the first female character who showed girls that it is ok to be the hero of the story, to be smart, to stick up for yourself and to not take a back seat to the boys. Now that the series is over, who will us girls look to for inspiration? I think I may have found our answer in the music world.
You may know her as an outlaw of country music. Or you may know her as Blake Shelton’s “honey bee.” Or you may have no idea who she is. Her name is Miranda Lambert and she is my heroine: she’s my new Hermione. Bet she’s never gotten that comparison before.
Miranda first came to the scene with a …
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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 08/9/2011
An Ode To Sheryl Sandberg’s Awesomeness
I’m always bitching about how few really positive female role models are out there for young girls. Considering the celebrities we have worshiped / continue to worship - Snooki, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton – it doesn’t exactly take a rocket scientist to wonder why so many girls are more concerned with partying than studying and why their number one life goal is to date a rock star rather than become the first female president.
But that is exactly why it’s so important to focus on the women who are positive role models – who are doing amazing things in the world and whom young girls everywhere should be looking up to. Enter Sheryl Sandberg.
Sheryl Sandberg has been on my radar for a little while. She gave this year’s …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 06/26/2011
Support Women Artists Sunday: Gossip
Danielle B’s post earlier this week reminded me how awesome Beth Ditto and Gossip are. Enjoy!
Gossip (formerly The Gossip) is a three-piece American indie rock band formed in 1999. The band consists of singer Beth Ditto, guitarist Brace Paine and drummer Hannah Blilie. After releasing several recordings, the band broke through with their 2006 studio album, Standing in the Way of Control (2006). A follow-up, Music for Men, was released in 2009. The band plays a mix of post punk indie rock and dance-punk.
Gossip was formed in 1999 in Olympia, Washington with vocalist Beth Ditto, guitarist Nathan “Brace Paine” Howdeshell and drummer Kathy Mendonca. All three were originally from Arkansas; Mendonca moved to Olympia to attend Evergreen State College and Howdeshell and Ditto followed. Howdeshell and Mendonca had …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 01/14/2011
Snooki: An Emblem of Female Polarization
There is probably nothing that depresses me more than walking into a bookstore – to me, a sacred institution – and coming face to face with the most recent attempt of a starlet to write a book (because apparently literacy is now the only requirement for authorship). First there was Nicole Richie with The Truth About Diamonds, who, even though she wrote a “novel,” couldn’t help but put her own image on the cover. Then Lauren Conrad (who I still don’t get. Like…as a person) wrote L.A. Candy. After those two made their way to shelves across America, my eyes would always travel in bookstores from Twilight to these winners and a sob would inevitably rise in my chest. I considered wearing black and prostrating myself on the ground …
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