Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Crystal O on 05/23/2012
Let’s Embrace Our Bodies (And That Includes Aging)
The sexualization of young girls and women begins at a very early age. But what happens when you get older? There’s a suspicious trend that starts to arise as you go from being a young adult to an older woman — the marketing of beauty and anti-aging products exclusively to women.
I’m talking about products like Latisse to lengthen your eyelashes, because apparently you can’t get older without losing a few and, surprisingly, that matters. And how about neckline slimmers (seriously), breast support for when you’re asleep, Botox, anti-wrinkle creams, and millions of products to “slow down” the aging process? You name it. To me, it all boils down to America’s obsession with youth and the idea of being young.
To be young in the United States is to be …
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A Little F'd Up, Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 05/21/2012
A Conversation with Young Author Alex Schnee
When I heard about Alex Schnee, an author and student at Sarah Lawrence college, and her recently published novel, Shakespeare’s Lady, I knew that I had to talk with her. We decided to Skype about both publishing books around the same time, what our experiences were like and why some view young women our age as complacent.
Julie Zeilinger: Ok, so can you just start by explaining briefly what your book is about?
Alex Schnee: Sure. It’s about the “dark lady” of Shakespeare’s sonnets. Nobody really knows who she is, but I found a woman living at that time who has been propositioned as the dark lady by several scholars. I tried to weave together a fictional romance between William Shakespeare and this woman, Emilia Bassano …
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Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 05/19/2012
Saturday Vids: Republicans, Get In My Vagina
Funny Or Die does it again. Please enjoy, “Republicans, Get In My Vagina.”
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Feminism, Pop-Culture | Posted by Talia on 05/17/2012
Women In The Kitchen: The Surprising Reality
Over the past several months, I’ve begun to watch competitive cooking shows obsessively. I mean, I don’t really know how to turn on my own oven and have never cooked anything in my life, but watching food shows has given me a desire to learn how to cook something simple…someday in the far future. But while these competitive food shows are certainly good for cooking tips, I couldn’t help but notice that women are largely underrepresented.
One of my favorite shows is Chopped, where four professional chefs are given a very short amount of time to make a dish composed of three or four random ingredients. There is usually only one female competitor on each episode. Every once in a while, you’ll see two women, but it’s unusual. There …
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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 05/15/2012
Writing “A Little F’d Up: Why Feminism Is Not A Dirty Word”
On May 15th, my first book will be published. This fact is not a result of some pretentious belief that at 19, my writing skills have been so carefully honed to the point that my work must be shared with the world. It was not some ploy to get into college. Contrarily, writing this book was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and something I almost didn’t do. But it was also an experience that completely transformed me, and for which I will forever be thankful.
After a year of running the FBomb, I was approached to write a book about the next generation of feminism. I tried to explain that the FBomb was always meant to be a community – a place I may have started, but a …
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Feminism | Posted by Fiona L on 05/2/2012
An Open Letter to Street Harassers Everywhere
Dear leering men on street corners and subway cars staring and grabbing your crotches:
It’s me…the eighteen-year-old girl who is probably just one of many you all have directed your attentions to over the past seven years. Anyhoo, I’m just writing to express my sincere thanks for your behavior.
In my opinion there is nothing more attractive than a man who makes me scared to walk down the street—and that whole grabbing your crotch and licking your lips bit? I think it’s so sexy how you make it known what you want, regardless of my consent.
Sure, I’ve yelled back a couple of times, but you were right when you called me a bitch for doing that or told your friend that I wanted you. When I yelled “f**ck off” …
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Feminism | Posted by Julie Z on 04/30/2012
The Women’s College Experience
Over the past few weeks, there has been an influx of accepted students on Barnard’s campus. I’ve tried to talk to as many as possible, successfully resisting the urge to desperately grab them and urge them to get as much sleep as possible before Fall, and instead asking them if they have any questions about what it’s like to go to Barnard. Time and time again, these prospective students mentioned their trepidation about the idea of attending a women’s college — which is something I totally understand.
When I initially began the college application process, I had absolutely no interest in attending a single sex institution. In fact, I knew exactly what I wanted in a school. I wanted to go to a small liberal arts school in New York …
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Feminism | Posted by Sarah M on 04/16/2012
A Feminist Education
Feminism is a huge part of my life; it is as core to who I am as my hazel eyes or the heart-shaped birthmark on my calf. As such, I believe strongly in feminist sex education – sex ed that teaches students that sexual desires are nothing to be ashamed of, how to safely and effectively use contraception, and about queer sexuality, among other things. In other words, I believe with every inch of me that students in public schools should have access to a comprehensive sexual education.
Every so often, there is an outrage in the media about the rising rates of teen pregnancy and STIs, especially among young women. These articles and reports are often accompanied with headlines such as, “Where have we gone wrong with the girls?”…
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