Culture

Girls, Girls, Girls: “I Don’t Live in a World Where There Are Divisions. But You Do!”

If last week’s season premiere was the leadup to the inevitable conversation about race that Girls has needed, last night’s episode, “I Get Ideas,” finally delivered, with mixed results. Read more »

On Language with Amanda Valentine, Part 2

“One thing I’ve noticed in particular is that randomly assigning gender to characters in examples can lead to unintended apparent biases. Even if you’re alternating, you can end up accidentally playing into some negative stereotypes. Simply making sure you have an equal number of... Read more »

Is the Fashion Industry a Hot Mess?

It’s no wonder that there’s a spot for Gossip Girl’s Blair in the competitive world of fashion: she’s the daughter of the creator of Waldorf Designs, she attended an elite private school where she gained connections to high society, and her family has no shortage of... Read more »

Ms. Opinionated: All the Advice You Asked For, and Some You Didn't

Welcome to the latest installment of Ms. Opinionated, in which readers have questions about the pesky day-to-day choices we all face, and I give advice about how to make ones that (hopefully) best reflect our shared commitment to feminist values—as well as advice on what to do when they don’t... Read more »

On Language, with Amanda Valentine, Part 1

This two part conversation with Valentine covers what she’s working on now, and how she works as an editor to assist authors in crafting books with inclusive language. As the number of women both creating and playing tabletop games continues to increase, thoughtful approaches to gender in... Read more »

You Be The Judge

Women have comprised almost half of law school enrollments in the last three decades. But in terms of the federal judiciary, the numbers haven’t risen a bit. Currently, fewer than one in three of the... Read more »

Girls, Girls, Girls: “Don’t Try to be Anything You Aren’t”

When Girls premiered last year, so many pop culture–loving feminists had pinned hopes on the show that it disappointment was almost inevitable. In a raft of post–Season 1 interviews, Dunham hinted that many critiques of the show—chief among them the issue of its attitude toward race—would... Read more »

Enjoying a Fiasco

I find Fiasco fascinating because the game experience is built heavily on the people at the table and what they bring to it. Read more »

Opening Frida's Closet: An Exhibition of Kahlo's Clothing Reveals Fierce Feminism

An exhibition in Mexico City showcases the wardrobe of one of the art world’s most beloved feminist icons. Read more »

Lady Liquor: I'll Tell You When I've Had Enough!

Stories of self-censorship in the media are sadly common; here’s one that’s relevant to what I tried to do with this series. Years ago, Barry Lopez addressed an environmental philosophy class at my alma mater and I cornered him later to ask him some questions about journalism. He said... Read more »

Pages

A Look at How Media Writes Women of Color

Nearly every Saturday morning, feminists of color hold Twitter discussions taking a deeper look at issues, such as gender violence. It’s the... Read more »

Hot Under the Bonnet: The Cooptation of Amish Culture in Mass-Market Fiction

Dubbed “Amish romance novels,” “Amish fiction,” or the more waggish “bonnet rippers,” these novels just one entry point into the varying images of Amish communities in U.S. popular culture. Read more »

Game Changer: Why Gaming Culture Allows Abuse... and How We Can Stop It

You're a Bolshevik feminist jewess that hates white people… and you expect to be taken seriously when you're “critique-ing” ...

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Saying Goodbye to Maria and the End of a Sesame Street Era

Growing up, Sesame Street's Maria was one of the best Latina role models I had. Read more »