The Collapsible Woman: Cultural response to rape and sexual abuse
the collapsible woman—one model of mental health for an uncountable number of individuals. She is too weak to hear debate, too soft to speak openly about her experience, and too fragile to expect much from. This definition doesn't come close to accounting for the grit and character that can be... Read more »
My Cups Runneth Over
I didn't start out in the world a hard-ass, I swear. I was the nice girl, Little Mary Sunshine—turning the other cheek and searching for the good in all people. But you know what finally pushed me over the edge? I'll sum it up for you in one word: breasts. More specifically, my‑breasts. I am a... Read more »
Editors' Letter: Fighting Back
So there we were, ten hooting and hollering women clutching stacks of dollar bills. Well, nine hollerers (you didn't think I'd call my friends "hooters," did you?) and one thoughtful, if drunk, young lady. We were at my bachelorette party, and one of the revelers was suffering from a crisis of... Read more »
Bitch Reads #2
Reviewed in this issue: Defending Pornography, by Nadine Strossen; Gender Wars, by Brian Fawcett; Talk Dirty To Me, by Sallie Tisdale; Going All the Way: Teenage Girls’ Tales of Sex, Romance, and Pregnancy, by Sharon Thompson; and Unnatural Dykes to Watch Out... Read more »
Hail Harper's: An Ode
My arm fell asleep, I got so engrossed. This issue of Harper’s Bazaar is about as big as a bible—and just as full of prophecy.
I fall in love with the models, their blackened eyes and plaster pigment, all pinched and compressed into vinyl and leather, looking hot hot hot and totally unfazed... Read more »
Sassy Responds: Not to Us, Of Course...
…
but to other perceptive and right-on readers who are as upset as we are about the changes. And guess what?
The editors are defensive as hell.
Here’s what the readers are saying in their so-called “hate mail”: “I cannot tell you how much your changes SUCK!!” “I feel compelled to... Read more »
Of Kegels, Kotex, and Kate Moss: A Look at February's Women's Glossies
Allure
Irony of the month: While the Editor’s Letter says, “Shut up and eat,” and bemoans the fact that women are always “self-surveilling” their caloric intake, the mag gives information about: “Aromatrim” products (you smell them and they make you eat less); a new diet pill; “liposhaving” (... Read more »
Mad As A Wet Hen #2: A Roundup of Media Affronts
“So now you can eat like one of the boys, but still look like one of the girls,” says the male voice-over touting Baked Lays potato chips while supermodels stuff their faces on screen…
Oh, boys, did you know—Twix bars are the new way to get rid of those pesky, materialistic, shallow, shopping... Read more »
Whee! #2: Some Cockle-Warming Tidbits
Here's to Roseanne's succinct feminist history lesson...Seventeen is actually giving good advice these days. Question: "I masturbate often. Am I normal?" Answer: "Completely normal...3rd Rock from the Sun may be a wholly silly show that underuses the comic talents of Jane Curtin... Read more »
Magazines We Hate
Esquire’s annual “Women We Love” feature gives with one hand and takes away with the other. Hidden behind the premise of honoring them, the article puts women firmly in their place by using the traditional patriarchal tool of male approval—rewarding certain traits in the female while disparaging... Read more »
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