Culture

Popaganda Episode: A Protest is Not a Riot

The movements that have arisen recently to challenge racism and violence in our justice system have created not only discussion and outrage, but a cultural shift. Out of racism and violence and sexism has come creativity: songs, chants, art, policy ideas, creative ways to push back against power... Read more »

"American Sniper" is Leading to an Uptick in Violent Anti-Muslim Threats

American Sniper is a massive commercial and critical success.  Read more »

For the Super Bowl, Two Ads Take Aim at Domestic Violence in the NFL

Anti-sexist activism group Ultraviolet is kicking off an ad blitz today that takes aim at the domestic abuse in the NFL. Read more »

Documentary "She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry" Will Very Possibly Make You Cry

A feminist protest march in August 1970, as seen in She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry. Photo: Diana Davies Present day. Women and men wear red and boost signs bearing the message: DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS WOMEN. From the rally stage, a woman speaks into a microphone... Read more »

Why Do We Love Dark, Violent TV?

Detective drama The Killing is part of a new wave of “grimdark” TV shows.  In 2006, something bloody came to Showtime. Dexter exploded into the popular consciousness with a splat, giving us a... Read more »

Anti-Muslim Bus Ads in San Francisco Get an Update With Ms. Marvel

With her Ms. Marvel super powers, teenager Kamala Khan usually fights drug kingpins and supernatural villains. This week, her image is being used to combat Islamaphobia.  Read more »

The Most Realistic Women on TV Are in a Wacky Accidental Pregnancy Comedy

Jane the Virgin resonates with viewers because Jane’s hopes, dreams, and worries are given real weight.  Read more »

What is a "Universal" Story, Anyway?

The moment I made the decision to write about my political communities back home during the first semester of my MFA program, I knew I would hit some walls. “It’s ill-advised to write about politics this way,” my instructor said. “Traditionally speaking, it doesn’t work. Politics are... Read more »

Oh Joy Sex Toy: Yeast Infections

Oh Joy Sex Toy is a weekly comics series that graphically explores sex and sexuality. In this week’s comic, Erika explores the icky world of yeast infections.  Read more »

Popaganda Episode: Going Viral

  Internet culture gets derided and dismissed—especially by the out-of-touch people who run a lot of our mainstream media. How often have you heard the punchline of a joke turn out to be “Twitter” or “Youtube”? That gets old fast. Especially, since, in reality, activist media... Read more »

Pages

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

The marginalization of transgender women in feminism is not new, but the decades-long debate has taken on new dimension thanks to social media and the ease of finding strangers’ personal information online. Read more »

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 »

In a Bizarre 1976 Comic Book, Spider-Man Fought the Villain of Misleading Sex Education

Last week, I came across a very strange comic book: in 1976, Planned Parenthood teamed up with Marvel to publish a one-off comic in which... Read more »

The Feminist Power of Female Ghosts

The female ghost is an enduringly fascinating figure. Read more »