Pop-Culture | Posted by Kate M on 03/28/2011
Virgin Shaming
I am almost 18 years old and I am a virgin.
When I tell people this, they kind of just stare at me. They automatically become suspicious because, to look at me, there’s nothing obviously “wrong” with me. And apparently there would have to be if I’m still a virgin. I might as well go buy a couple dozen cats and move into a log cabin on the edge of modern society, though, because if I haven’t lost it yet then I’m destined to be forever alone, in their opinion.
Let me be clear. I’ve been dating since I was about fifteen. I am a healthy, social person who has had opportunities to have sex. And I chose not to. It’s not because I proudly wear a purity ring or …
More >
Feminism | Posted by A. on 03/23/2011
What Exactly Are We Saying? An Analysis of Today’s Derogatory Slang for Girls
There are lots of dirty words reserved for females, particularly those of high school age. But there are three words that, arguably, epitomize them all. Some are considered to be profane; others are not. As has been shouted down many a junior high hallway: “You are just a fat, slutty, lesbian.” This is enough to make some girls cry, others defiant. Still, they have an immeasurably notable effect on girls of this generation as a whole.
“Being” one of these words is, essentially, one of the worst things a teen girl could be branded as. Many of these words are used also as terms of endearment amongst certain clans of females; others find them dreadfully offensive. The words’ meanings fluctuate extremely based on by and to whom it is said. …
More >
Feminism | Posted by janedoe225 on 03/11/2011
What Is Rape Culture?
There is a married woman and her husband works long nights and doesn’t return until the early morning. When her husband is away, the wife gets dressed up and goes to an island where she has affairs with random men. When these men get too close to her, like if they want to take their affair to the next level, she purposely gets in fights with them. Then she takes the ferry back home before her husband arrives. She’s also really drunk.
So one night she does her usual routine. She goes to the island, has sex with a guy and then acts like a jerk so they can break up. As she is on her way back to the ferry she realizes she doesn’t have enough money to get …
More >
Feminism | Posted by Alana M on 02/7/2011
“Smack A Slut Week” is No Laughing Matter
These days, the only way I can get my friends together is through Facebook. That handy little “Events” section has really helped organize my social life. So, imagine my surprise when I logged on today to see“Smack a Slut Week” as an event I was previously invited to. Smack a Slut week, if you aren’t privy to such information, lasts from October 3rd to October 7th and can be celebrated “anywhere you like,” by, you guessed it, smackin’ sluts.
Most of the comments were your standard derogatory jokes about those darn sluts and their slutty, evil ways. Some of my more enlightened folks bravely attempted to battle this obviously sexist malarkey. But then I saw this gem from one of the event’s attendees. She said, “Nobody realizes the levels of …
More >
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 …
More >
Feminism | Posted by Haley S on 11/23/2010
Formspring and Feminism
Bullying has been an issue that has been affecting our country for a long time, but has recently recaptured our nation. Lets face it, some people are mean. It seems, however, that children and teenagers are becoming meaner with new technologies available to them. Through texting, twitter, facebook etc, there are more ways to attack others than ever before.
Formspring is the worst of them all. Because of a slew of bizarre questions I received on mine, I decided to deactivate it. Thankfully, I have confidence in myself, and therefore am not phased by bullies who chose to lurk on my page. But I know that there are a lot of people out there who do not have the same self assurance that I do, and are greatly affected when …
More >
Feminism | Posted by Liz P on 10/5/2010
Street Harassment and Sluts
I’m currently studying abroad in Quito, Ecuador, and I love nearly all of it so far. One of the things I do NOT love, however, is the prevalence of harassment here. I’m kind of accustomed to harassment because I go to school in Philadelphia. Usually when guys yell, “I loove youuu!” or call us pretty and stuff we’re on the street and they’re in cars, or we can easily get away from them.
However, last Friday, a few friends and I had to sit diagonally across from some 3 drunk harassers while we were trying to enjoy a French-fry break from our discoteca-night. And they would not give up. We ignored them for a while, and then one of them came over with a half-full glass of beer and offered it to us.
“Absolutamente no (Absolutely not),” I said …
More >
Pop-Culture | Posted by Julie Z on 06/19/2010
Perez, Miley and Slut Shaming
Last Sunday, gossip blogger Perez Hilton made the controversial decision to post a photo of Miley Cyrus exiting a car on his twitter, implying that she was not wearing underwear. Now, the internet is firing back, with claims that Perez could go to jail under child pornography charges.
Initially, when I heard about this story, I was pretty disgusted. What an idiot Perez Hilton must be, I thought to myself, so obsessed with attacking people that he doesn’t know where to draw the line. I’m not a fan of Perez or Miley – they both annoy me in general – but seriously? Posting a photo of anybody in a sexual way without their permission is just wrong. But as commenters on the blogosphere, and even Perez himself, started firing …
More >
