Activism
Mom & Pop Culture: An Interview With Peggy Orenstein
“There is still pressure to do everything, do everything well, and look hot while doing it. And I think that ‘and look hot while doing it’ part, that’s the new piece. It used to be that having it all did not include looking hot… But now it does and it includes it at a really young age.... Read more »
The H-Word: Big Money, No Whammies
I wanted to be beautiful. I wanted to be taken care of. I wanted to be rescued. I was sexualized long before I sexualized myself. Even as a child, I knew the way men looked at me. I knew what it meant. In Mexico, men called out in the street and hissed when I walked past. Even older men—friend... Read more »
Bringing Up Baby: Farewell And Thanks From Bringing Up Baby!
This is my final post for Bringing Up Baby! I want to thank you wonderful readers for making this experience so enriching and enlightening.
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Headless Bodies Found in Shameless Media: When is it okay to cut off someone’s head? When she’s a fat person, and your news outlet is reporting on “the obesity epidemic,” apparently.
Headless photos are only one of the rampant problems with mainstream news coverage of weight issues. Last spring, Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity pinned a disturbing number on the shoddy coverage: 72 percent of the 429 stories they examined from the websites of CBS... Read more »
Mom & Pop Culture: The Princess Paradox
It’s hard to overlook all of the negative aspects that pop up along the princess path, and I knew that I would be very particular regarding exposure and access to princesses if I had a girl. Never in a million years did it cross my mind that I would be trying to navigate the same murky waters... Read more »
In The Frame: Nan Goldin, "One Month After Being Battered"
“There is no separation between me and what I photograph,” said the artist Nan Goldin. This has never been truer than with the self-portrait that captures her injuries caused by an abusive boyfriend. Domestic violence is never an easy subject to talk about, but this image speaks volumes.
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Bringing Up Baby: Reagan's Cesarean on Up All Night and the Issue of Control in Childbirth
Today, new methods have replaced DeLee’s, and yet popular obstetric interventions (cesareans, amniotomies, labor-inducing drugs, episiotomies, epidurals) are still designed to transfer control from the woman to her labor assistant. 33% of births in the United States are by cesarean, a rate... Read more »
The H-Word: Jessie Talks "Retirement"
The H-Word presents first person stories from current and former sex workers across the U.S. Jessie Nicole describes herself as a queer, stubborn, and committed anarcha-feminist. A former prostitute and dedicated activist, she lives in West Hollywood with her longterm partner. I asked Jessie... Read more »
Mom & Pop Culture: Princess Week!
As Disney continues to sell their princesses (and make no mistake, they’re selling a brand, not just characters), they continue to show us that people will eat up these negative messages as long as they’re packaged in an appealing way—in this case, in pinks and purples and lots of... Read more »
Bringing Up Baby: Pregnancy (and Zombies) Are Scary on The Walking Dead
I’m having a bad day. Last night, I had a nightmare about the Bella Swan birth scene from Breaking Dawn. (To summarize: I was Bella.) I’m... Read more »
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