Culture
Political Fictions: Behind the Scenes in DC
If the fictional representatives, senators, and political wannabes we’ve looked at so far in this series have been limited by sexist stereotyping—emotional instability, petty greed, and weakness among these ideas—some of the women who are portrayed working outside of the spotlight come off a... Read more »
Visi(bi)lity: Isn't it Bromantic?
What’s the line between friendship and romance? This is a big question that we’ll address throughout this series, but today, I want to explore it in the context of heterosexual male friendships. Specifically, I want to explore it in the context of the 21st century’s offshoot of... Read more »
Visi(bi)lity: Glee
I used to be a regular Glee viewer. For the first two seasons, it was possible (though not necessarily easy) for me to look past the cringe-worthy storylines and enjoy the musical sequences. But as each new episode aired, it became harder and... Read more »
School's Out: The Real World?
Apparently, we have to get an education in some land of make-believe shot through a vaseline-covered lens in order to get a “real” job, and then endure the “real world” where we won’t have it so easy, and then, at some undisclosed point in the future, “it gets better”? If we don’t... Read more »
Adventures in Feministory: Mary Elizabeth Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew, Co-conspirators Against the Confederacy
Mary Elizabeth Bowser and Elizabeth Van Lew, a former slave and a wealthy white woman in Richmond, Virginia, might seem unlikely members of a successful espionage ring. Thanks to Hollywood, the typical images surrounding spies include scantily clad women, technological gadgets, and Pierce Brosnan—... Read more »
Political Fictions: Fictionalizing History
We often hear people refer to entertainment as threat-less, as in “It’s just a movie,” or “It’s only a story.” The bullets shot in blockbuster action movies are blanks, falls from buildings are all staged, and White House-destroying explosions are created only with pixels. Fantasy, not... Read more »
Visi(bi)lity: America
I have never been much of a reality television viewer, and any lingering desire I may have had to watch reality shows disappeared after I read Jennifer Pozner’s Reality Bites Back earlier this year. But as soon as I... Read more »
Douchebag Decree: Ernest Perce V, Slavery Billboard Defender
In an attempt to protest the Pennsylvania state House’s recent designation of 2012 as “The Year of the Bible” (which is admittedly messed up), two atheist groups went the fight-douche-with-douche route last week and erected a slavery-themed billboard in “... Read more »
School's Out: Of Sexts and Sex Textbooks
What do you think? Is it more important to adhere to laws that draw the age of minority at 18 for the protection of young people? Or to allow people under the age of 18 to participate in research about their own sexual health that concerns the erotic materials that they access and make?
Read more »
Visi(bi)lity: In Praise of Callie Torres
Yesterday, I wrote about one of the worst bisexual characters I’ve ever seen. By contrast, I want to spend today focusing on one of the best bisexual characters I’ve ever seen: Dr.... Read more »
Pages
