Culture

Bechdel Test Canon: I Like It Like That

Darnell Martin’s I Like It Like That may push the boundaries of the Bechdel Test, but its insights into black Latina motherhood, sisterhood, and professional identity are fascinating, rare, and in need of recognition. Read more »

Double Rainbow: Erasure and Asexuality

The result of prevailing cultural attitudes is that autistic people are perceived as inherently non-sexual. Not as asexual—the mainstream paradigm erases the experiences of asexual autists right along with those of other queer people on the spectrum. Read more »

Douchebag Decree: Sarah "Human Barbie" Burge, Mother and Plastic Surgery Voucher-Giver

What do you get the seven-year-old girl who has everything? Well, if you’re Sarah Burge, self-proclaimed “Human Barbie,” and the girl in question is your... Read more »

Double Rainbow: On Lisbeth Salander

 When I first conceived the idea for this blog, I knew that I had to write a post about Lisbeth Salander. For the most part, any discussion of queer autistic sexuality in fiction must focus on lack, on the absence of representations, but Stieg Larsson’s lurid... Read more »

The 99%: Money Can't Buy You Love (and it Might Get in the Way)

Shows like The Bachelor and Millionaire Matchmaker not only reduce romance to opulent displays of consumerism and gender conformity, but they distract us from actual consideration of the role of class in relationships and the need to negotiate those differences on a real, ongoing... Read more »

Double Rainbow: Navigating Autism, Gender, and Sexuality

Welcome to my guest blog series, Double Rainbow. I am very excited to be blogging for Bitch and for the opportunity to lend my voice to discussion about representations of autistic sexuality (and lack thereof) in popular media. I chose the title of my blog both as a playful reference to... Read more »

Mom & Pop Culture: Now it

My goal in writing this series was to delve into the intersections of feminism, parenting and pop culture, and I did my best to tackle as many topics as possible in my eight weeks here. (Although of course, I’m still left staring at a laundry list of things I wanted to write about…... Read more »

In The Frame: Life, Death, and Other Lessons Learned from Art

For me, art isn’t just about finding something pretty or intelligent, or wishing I could paint as well as someone else. It’s about looking at a piece and knowing that it’s taught you something and you feel better for having seen it. You understand the world a little better... Read more »

Bibliobitch: Modelland

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be sent to a nonsensical, exclusive modeling school where girls acquire magical powers that allow them to convince people to buy useless products? Me neither. But Tyra Banks has. Read more »

The 99%: Champagne Toasts and Caviar Receptions: Buying the American Wedding

Yet, as a proportion of their annual incomes, the Kardashian kouple may actually be more reasonable than many other Americans. In 2007, the average cost of the American wedding was over $28,000; while the recession caused a bit of a dip for a few years, the price is now... Read more »

Pages

The Dramatic History of American Sex-Ed Films

In 1948, in a seventh grade classroom in Eugene, Oregon, a teacher dimmed the lights and flipped on 16mm projector. A film called Human... Read more »

Will Filming the Police Keep Us Safe?

There’s a cultural idea that having someone looking over our shoulder makes us behave better. From fake security cameras to Elf... Read more »

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 »

What I Learned About Gender and Power from Sailor Moon

My life began in 1995 — the year I turned eight and became a divorced kid.    Read more »