Culture

Mom & Pop Culture: The Reality of Reality TV Parenting

I understand that reality television has to have some sort of “hook” to get you, the viewer, interested enough to stick around. For the most part, that’s usually drama. Even when shows are about parenting, it’s not the day-to-day rhythm that gets airtime, but rather the sensational,... Read more »

Bechdel Test Canon: Come Back to the Five and Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean

Robert Altman’s Come Back to the Five and Dime offers a space to explore film characters’ relationship to fandom and identity politics, as well as the relationship between actresses and male directors.... Read more »

The 99%: What

Can being broke be funny, after all?  Monday’s post on 2 Broke Girls generated a lot of comments—from fans of the show who felt I was being too harsh, and from others who felt I was too forgiving of the show... Read more »

Mom & Pop Culture: Gender is NOT a Genre

With gender stereotypes pervading our TVs, movies, toys, clothes, etc., can’t we just have kids’ books without adding more labels? Read more »

Mom & Pop Culture: Drowning in the Fountain Of Youth

Dressing up and pretending to be an adult is a natural part of childhood. Adults (just like fairies, kings, or queens) hold a bit of allure and enticement for young kids, making it a treat to pretend to be them for a while. Yet, in today’s consumer-driven culture, the notion of “aging up”... Read more »

Bechdel Test Canon: The Watermelon Woman

Today we consider Cheryl Dunye’s 1996 feature The Watermelon Woman and how and why certain filmmakers use fiction to write their own histories. Read more »

Bitchtapes: Gender Bender Covers 2.0

I like to think of cover songs as a gift from a band. In the holiday spirit I decided to put together a whole mix of gifts, and to carry on in the tradition of a previous Bitchtapes, make a playlist of gender-bending coversRead more »

On Our Radar

Let’s face it, sometimes real life is just the moments between reading blogs. “This is what sets Pariah apart from (white) singular-narrative LGBT films; it debunks the myth that life begins and ends between the point of self-acceptance, and a wedding.” Spectra Speaks... Read more »

Douchebag Decree: H&M's "Totally Virtual" Models

H&M is taking fashion douchebaggery to the next level this week by using computer-generated models in its holiday lingerie campaign. As if the photo shopping, airbrushing,... Read more »

Mom & Pop Culture: Beyond Pink & Blue Toys

If you know even one kid, you already know they’re more than a stereotype of their gender with a myriad of interests—so why don’t toy manufacturers and ad executives acknowledge this? Read more »

Pages

Where My Girls At: Meet Two of Ferguson's Black Queer Activists

Amid national discussions of police brutality and systemic racism, Black women have been the loudest and most consistent voices demanding change. 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 »

Tina Belcher's Sexual Revolution

Tina Belcher breaks all the rules of network sitcoms. That's why she's wonderful.  Read more »

Dear Bear: My Partner Makes No Money. Is That a Problem?

Our advice columnist offers a lesson in anticapitalist self-care. Read more »