Since this year is the 50th anniversary of the pill, there are lots of interesting retrospectives on its history and significance. TIME has a cover article with some really interesting tidbits. In 1873 Congress passed a law banning birth control information as obscene. So women seeking ways to limit the number of children they bore had [...]
Archive for the ‘Feminism’ Category
You will pry my Ocella from my palsied old lady hands
Posted in Feminism, Stupidity on May 6, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
But he was just being nice!
Posted in Feminism on March 13, 2010 | 8 Comments »
A woman in a New York bar declined to dance with a guy, and then this happened: After a while, she went to the ladies’ room in the basement, and the man followed her, the police said. (The police initially said she was attacked in a second-floor bathroom but updated their account.) The nurse was [...]
Ugh
Posted in Feminism, Sex on March 10, 2010 | 3 Comments »
Someday soon, when I’m not engulfed by other responsibilities, I want to write something thoughtful and interesting about porn. For now, all I can do is seethe at this comment on Jezebel from one of the Fleshbot editors: So basically, I’m going to issue the challenge I issue everyone: if you want to see better [...]
How not to say “I love you”
Posted in Consumerism, Feminism on December 30, 2009 | 2 Comments »
For the past month, I’ve had a seasonal job selling jewelry in a large department store. Most of the merchandise is expensive and, in my opinion, ugly. But, as retail jobs go, it really hasn’t been so bad. And now that I’ve sufficiently damned it with faint praise, I’ll even go so far as to [...]
the wild west (of pregnancy)
Posted in Consumerism, Feminism on December 15, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The New York Times has a fascinating piece on the woolly legal issues surrounding surrogacy, highlighted by a sad, complicated case in Michigan. The short version of the story: an infertile couple, the Kehoes, created embryos with donor eggs and sperm. They then selected a surrogate, Laschell Baker, to carry the pregnancy to term. The Kehoes [...]
You know what really grinds my gears?
Posted in Feminism on November 11, 2009 | 3 Comments »
When I read a post on a feminist blog about sexism or masculinity or some such, and instead of having a discussion, a bunch of the commenters write REALLY LONG comments about how this makes them so glad to have such awesome boyfriends! My boyfriend thinks women’s bodies are beautiful, and he has never once [...]
Scientism and The Second Sex
Posted in Books, Feminism on November 6, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I recently dug up my old copy of The Second Sex, and because I feel guilty for never having read it all the way through, I started reading at the beginning a few days ago. I’m so glad I did; I’d forgotten what an amazing tour de force it is. Not only is De Beauvoir [...]
I do not want a baby
Posted in Feminism on September 28, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
I used to think I would, after I’d done the requisite stuff one does in order to be a good parent*. But the closer I get to baby making age (which is what? late 20s/early 30s for middle class people?), the less appealing it becomes. And now, over the past year, my feelings on the [...]
Reasons not to move to D.C.
Posted in Feminism on August 5, 2009 | 3 Comments »
1. The rents are pretty expensive. 2. I just might run into this guy. I hesitate even to link his vile blog, but it really has to be seen to be believed. (By now, everyone has heard about the PA man who went on a misogynist killing spree at a gym. By his own admission [...]
Sexism & Commodification
Posted in Consumerism, Feminism on August 5, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Some British politicians are calling for a ban on photoshopping images in advertising aimed at children. They also want mandatory disclaimers to accompany images marketed toward adults which detail the extent to which the images have been retouched.
