Culture

Tropes vs. Women: #5 The Mystical Pregnancy

Tropes vs. Women is a six-part video series by Feminist Frequency that explores the reoccurring stories, themes and representations of women in Hollywood films and TV shows. The Mystical Pregnancy is a trope writers use to create drama and... Read more »

Sexual Inadequacy: Anoka-Hennepin School District

The School District held an investigation you see, nothing too formal, they just sat down amongst themselves and members of the community, and decided they didn’t have a bullying problem. Members of the community formed the Parents Action League, to make certain the neutrality policy, the... Read more »

Murder, She Blogged: Class and Fashion in Miss Marple

As well as showcasing the quintessential Spinster Detective, the Miss Marple adaptations have plenty to say about England’s shifting class structures in the decades after World War II and women’s changing roles. It’s all played out in microcosm in the fictional village of St Mary... Read more »

Political Inqueery: Depart the Representative

Amid the debt ceiling debacle, Norway shooting, and fears about Europe’s next default, a news story broke about Oregon Representative David Wu allegedly sexually assaulting a young woman. I’m calling it simply a news story because as we’ll see, the reporting frames it strangely... Read more »

Stage Left: Thoroughly Modern Racism, or, the problem with MILLIE

Thoroughly Modern Millie has all the makings of what could be an incredibly charming, silly film: it has tap-dancing in elevators, inexplicably well-choreographed impromptu dances, and Carol Channing making what may be the greatest entrance in movie history. However, what it also features... Read more »

Dark of the Matin

Despite the obvious social critiques in the books, I never consciously drew parallels between the wizarding world and my world. I wanted Harry Potter to exist in a vacuum. But as the books went on, the back stories grew more complex, the danger became more insidious and intimidating, and the... Read more »

Murder, She Blogged: Retrosexism in Life on Mars and LA Noire

From the village bobby on his bicycle to elaborate games of cops and robbers in mid-20th century America, detective fiction often harks back to the past. From a feminist perspective, this is a can of worms. Read more »

Political InQueery: Mourning in a Busy Internet World

Anyone on Twitter or Facebook this weekend learned quickly that UK singer Amy Winehouse passed away, and speculation about a drug overdose ran rampant over the information highway. The attention, in the United States anyway, dwarfed the other big story of the weekend, that an extreme right-wing man... Read more »

Bitch Radio: An Interview with Autry!

Earlier this week I wrote about Autry!, a Portland-based, goof-punk musician set to release her debut album A.U.T.R.Y.! on July 29th. Autry!’s unique musical style as well as the success of her personal blog Hello,... Read more »

Political InQueery: Why the GOP Will Fracture

I’ve avoided talking about the debt ceiling debates for as long as the people on the Hill have avoided doing anything about the debt ceiling itself. Also, it’s hard to make financial ratings, credit defaults, and inadequate remedies sound like popular culture—unless, I guess, we’... Read more »

Pages

No Disrespect: Black Women and the Burden of Respectability

Hollywood still filters (and distorts) the lives and histories of minorities through the eyes of the majority. Read more »

It’s Time to End the Long History of Feminism Failing Transgender Women

To imply that trans women pose a threat to cisgender women in restrooms is misinformation that preys on unfounded fears. Read more »

Ms. Opinionated: I'm a Man. How Can I Help the Feminist Movement?

Welcome to Ms. Opinionated, our weekly advice column dealing with questions of life, love, feminism, and pop culture. This week, a reader... Read more »

Why You Should Pay for Porn

If you’re a progressive middle-class individual, chances are you think about where your food comes from. Maybe you try to buy shoes that are... Read more »