Month: May 2010

Ode to Aretha, or Reconnecting Women and Singing

When I think of music’s–or specifically singing’s–potential for liberation, one voice immediately springs to mind: the earth-shattering, shiver-inducing, bone-chilling instrument possessed by Aretha Franklin. Aretha’s amazing talent is intimately linked for me with freedom, not only because of her own, very real struggle to express herself as a black woman artist, but also because of […]

Elena Kagan and Critical Mass

Should Obama be selecting Supreme Court justices based on gender?  Absolutely. The gender composition of our current Supreme Court is a shameful reflection of the failure of our society to take gender equity seriously, so President Barack Obama’s nomination of Elena Kagan to replace Justice Stevens is a victory for women. But let’s not celebrate […]

5 of the 25 Gains for Women in the Health-Care Bill

By Eleanor Smeal, Ms. Publisher Feminists didn’t get everything we wanted in the historic health-insurance reform package passed in March: The lack of a public option and limits on abortion coverage were the most glaring setbacks, and a single-payer system wasn’t even considered. But bottom line, an additional 32 million Americans will gain health-care coverage—meaning […]

Happy 50th Birthday To The Pill

Without feminism, it would have been just another contraceptive By Elaine Tyler May Fifty years ago, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the oral contraceptive. As we mark that momentous anniversary, women have much to celebrate. The Pill changed the lives of millions of women and became one of the most successful pharmaceutical products […]

Book Review: In Our (Birth) Control

Laura Eldridge’s new book In Our Control: The Complete Guide to Contraceptive Choices for Women (Seven Stories Press, 2010) isn’t kidding with that subtitle. The last time I remember reading so much detail about contraceptive options was poring over Our Bodies, Ourselves when I was in my 20s. Eldridge reviews every method of birth control […]

We Heart: Feminist Hulk

Twitter seems to reveal an endless capacity for creativity.  The Hulk, that comic book icon of exaggerated masculinity and brief sentences, is a natural fit for some Twitter satire. The Hulk has several online personas, including Drunk Hulk, Cross Dressing Hulk, and of course, The Real Hulk. Our latest favorite Twitter feed is Feminist Hulk, who’s […]

Bad Shoes and the Author Who Takes Them On

It happened in Milan at a 2008 Prada fashion show.  “I was having a panic attack, my hands were shaking,” a runway model recalls.  “Some of the girls were crying backstage, they were so scared.”  Why the dramatics—An Act of terrorism?  An explosion? Had the prime minister been assassinated? No. These women were fearful of […]

Feminist Online Dating Experiment Pt. 3: OKCupid

No new dates lately, but I’ve signed up for OKCupid, as per the suggestion of commenters to my previous posts. Overall, it’s a very nice site for finding feminists, since users get to answer questions like “To you, is abortion an option in case of an unwanted accidental pregnancy? Yes or No.” Helpful in sorting out the […]

Abused Women in Maryland Aren’t Lying

This spring, the Maryland legislature killed a bill that would have brought Maryland’s restraining order policies into line with every other state in the union. Remarkably, in Maryland, a stalking victim seeking help is required to prove her case with “clear and convincing” evidence, a higher standard than “preponderance of the evidence,” which is the […]