The Beauty Trap: The Contradictory Message of PBS’ MAKERS

The Women of Makers

By Elizabeth Ganley-Roper When I first heard about the launching of the new initiative, “MAKERS: Women Who Make America,” by PBS and AOL in late February, I was thrilled. A new platform for highlighting and sharing the stories of powerful and inspirational women across American through video interviews, MAKERS is yet … [Read more...]

Got Milk? Angry Moms Protest Facebook’s Discrimination Against Breastfeeding

The author, Ashley-Michelle Papon, participates in the protest at Facebook's head office. Photo by Paala Anderson Secor

By Ashley-Michelle Papon On Monday, Feb. 6, five dozen women flooded Facebook's Menlo Park offices in California, challenging the social networking giant's habit of removing photos depicting breastfeeding. In addition to waving banners informing the crowd that “Breastfeeding is NOT obscene,” and exchanging peer support, … [Read more...]

What’s Up with the Super Skinny Demonic Pregnancy in “Breaking Dawn”?

kristen-stewart-bella-pregnant-breaking-dawn

By Sayantani DasGupta If you have been, say, living in outer space, in some kind of a no-media cult, or simply in possession of particularly discriminating taste, and have not seen the Twilight films, or read Stephanie Meyer’s books, then, before you read this post, I respectfully send you to these superlative examples of … [Read more...]

PETA and Porn: Exploit Women, Not Animals

PETA ad featuring Pamela Anderson that was banned by the city of Montreal in 2010 for being sexist.

By Ashley-Michelle Papon Just in time for the chill of the holidays, the marketing wizards at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have come up with a new way to keep converts to animal welfarism warm. Within the next month, PETA will capitalize on their previously raunchy skin campaigns with a companion porn site. … [Read more...]

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: Playboy, Porn, and Pole Dancing

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By Sheena Vasani, Intern (2011) “Would you rather have brains or beauty?” “Beauty,” replies the Miss University London beauty pageant contestant adding because if she weren’t beautiful “nobody would want to listen to her anyway.” Should we assume this quote came from newspaper archives, maybe from the 50s? … [Read more...]

The Naked Clam and Other Preposterous Pubic Hair Problems

http://flic.kr/p/a6TRRX

By Quinn Davis, Intern (2011) Vaginas and vulvas are confusing enough without pubes. Even though we’ve all got them, we end up feeling like we have way more hair down there than we should. It’s easy to see why; in magazines, on MTV, and pretty much everywhere else in the world where it’s PC to show the bikini line, the … [Read more...]

To BE or To Be Looked At?

Norman Rockwell's "Girl at the Mirror"

By Lexie Kite at BeautyRedefined.net; Cross-posted with permission. You are capable of much more than being looked at. Have you thought about this statement? Do you understand the gravity of it? This was the first of the four messages Lindsay and I carefully chose for our billboard campaign going up in June, and it gave … [Read more...]

A Place for Me: Art, Porn, Feminism, and Race

Image by Favianna Rodriguez

By Favianna Rodriguez Originally posted on Favianna.com; cross-posted with permission. I'm always excited when my art world merges with my personal world. As a visual artist, that personal world is one where I'm constantly imagining the sort of artwork I want to create. What kinds of images do I want to draw? What questions … [Read more...]

Older Leading Ladies and the Evolution of Hollywood

Photograph by: Handout, Disney via the Montreal Gazette

Between 2003 and 2009, the number of roles for older women in film and on television more than doubled. Rebecca Keegan of the Los Angeles Times wrote: According to the Screen Actors Guild, in 2003 women older than 40 accounted for 11 percent of the female film and TV roles (excluding reality shows); by 2009 that number was up to … [Read more...]

Are Your Roots Bad For Business?

Disney's Jasmine

By Debra J. Dickerson, SLATE Two very different stories about women—i.e., strength, beauty, femininity, fantasy, cowardice, bravery, and acquiescence—struck me this week.  I still don’t know whether they fill me with hope or sadness. First, there was the 22-year-old U. of Illinois student Disney recruited online and … [Read more...]