“She’s rich, she’s beautiful, she’s smart. She has everything…but does she have everything? Not if she doesn’t have a Rusco American Bidet!” This ad was reprinted in the June 1978 No Comment section of Ms. It goes on to explain that “a woman’s femininity comes from the assurance that she’s always fresh.” Apparently you’re not […]
Author: Alexandra Tweten
Alexandra was a 2010 editorial intern at Ms. who helped launch the Ms. Blog. She is from Climax, Minnesota and has written for the Grand Forks Herald, the University Chronicle, the St. Cloud Times and Ms. She is now copy-editing for Live Nation/Ticketmaster, and is looking for employment in nonprofits, journalism/PR and/or women's rights. Check out her resume at www.wix.com/msatweet/portfolio!
Dating While Feminist: The Veggie-Feminism Correlation
We’ve established that there are feminist men out there who are looking for like-minded women, but what about other compatibility issues? I’d like to answer a good question I received from one of those men: I’ve read a bit of your writing (by no means all), and as a single man, I’ll admit, I was […]
From the Stacks: Our Maids Are Just Like Slaves!
This gem was reprinted in the No Comment section of the June 1978 issue of Ms. Seriously?! Oh, for those good ol’ days of the Depression, when maids were humble, washed windows, scrubbed floors, wore such cute outfits and loved their jobs! And this particular maid service was licensed by New York City–which makes us […]
Newsflash: Pediatricians Rescind Female Genital “Nicking” Policy
After suggesting that American doctors should be allowed to “nick” girls’ genitals if it would save them from being sent overseas to have a full female genital cutting procedure done, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has reversed its decision. Human rights group Equality Now decried the original announcement. Citing that even the nicking procedure […]
From the Stacks: Heavy Where She Has to Take the Strain
While we’re not exactly sure what this was advertisement was for, (some sort of construction equipment?) but it’s still ridiculously offensive no matter what you’re selling. Featured in the No Comment section of the March 1975 issue of Ms. Caption reads “from an advertisement in Construction News, submitted by Anita Schnee, London, England.”
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 […]
Harriet Tubman in Statuary Hall Campaign
Equal Visibility Everywhere (EVE) and Maryland’s NOW launched a campaign today to get a Harriet Tubman statue in the National Statuary Hall, where she would be the first African American and first enslaved person to be so honored. Tubman, a Maryland-born abolitionist and suffragist known for conducting the Underground Railroad to rescue slaves from servitude, […]
Feminist Craigslist Dating Experiment: The Good
As a follow-up to my first post highlighting the “bad and ugly” anti-feminist responses I received to my Craigslist ad for feminist dating partners, I promised to feature some of the good. So here’s one of the first replies I received: Thank you so much for actually being a feminist because most girls I know […]
From the Stacks: He Plays With Dolls
This Ann Landers column was featured in the No Comment section of Ms. in December 1974. It may be OK for girls to act outside of their stereotypical gender roles, but boys who do need psychological help. Gee, thanks, Ann. Fun Fact: Ann Landers (Esther Lederer) believed in 1973 that homosexual behavior was unnatural: “I […]
Feminist Craigslist Dating Experiment: The Trolls
The world of dating-while-feminist can be a challenge. For me, it is a prerequisite that my potential date identifies as a feminist, or at least is interested and can hold a conversation about feminist subjects. I also subscribe to ye olde adage “Just say no to sex with anti-choicers.” These prerequisites can make it difficult […]