If you happened to be watching the Today Show earlier this week, you might have caught a segment on how women bosses are more likely to promote men, and how this relates to “Queen Bee Syndrome.” According to the story, a Queen Bee is a woman in a supervisory position within a company and “once she […]
Author: Carmen Siering
Carmen Siering, Ph.D., a visiting professor in the Department of Gender Studies at Indiana University, is a researcher and writer interested in the ways pop culture influences our understanding of gender, race, age, place, and class.
Boardwalk Empire: Women Have the Vote, Now What?
Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that the best new series on television are to be found outside the Big Three commercial networks, and HBO’s Boardwalk Empire is another example of this modern truism. Season One, which wraps up December 5, has taken viewers from the eve of Prohibition through the passage of […]
Today’s the Day to Love Your Body
There are things we say to ourselves that we would never say to the people we love. Can you imagine telling your best friend her butt is too big or her breasts are too small? Or telling your daughter she’d have more friends if she just lost a few pounds? How about letting grandmother in on how much more beautiful […]
We ALL Need to Come Out for Equality
To say it has been a difficult autumn for the LGBT community is not nearly strong enough. News accounts of young people committing suicide after being bullied and harassed because they are LGBT, or perceived to be so, seemed to be a daily occurence in September. Billy Lucas, a 15-year-old freshman at Greensburg High School in Indiana, […]
Sexualizing Young Girls Is Nothing to Cheer About
Last week’s MSNBC news story about the Michigan six-year-old booted off the cheerleading squad after her mom objected to a risque routine got me thinking. This has been a strange season for news stories concerning the sexualization of young girls. Back in April, the UK’s Primark department store was taken to task for selling padded […]
Sex Week Arouses Conservative Ire
President Obama’s first budget proposal in 2009 redirected millions of dollars of federal funds from abstinence-only sex education programs to comprehensive sex ed. Unfortunately, many students are still graduating high school without hearing much beyond Joe Friday “just the facts, ma’am” presentations on how to–or more likely how not to–“do it.” Into this educational breach […]
Bella’s Eclipsed Role in Twilight Lacks Fangs
As The Twilight Saga: Eclipse hit theaters this week, fans and critics alike anticipated a film packed with both more action and more romance, and they weren’t disappointed. But feminist critics ought to be, as Bella (Kristen Stewart) continues to be less a person than a puppet, a character who is pulled from scene to […]
June is a High-Flying Month for Women
Although June is often associated with weddings, it would be better known as the month of women’s firsts in flight. Women achieved a remarkable number of aviation records in June, beginning on June 4, 1784, when Madame Elisabeth Thible of Lyons, France, became the first woman to take to the air (in a balloon piloted by one […]
Can Genetically Modified Foods Modify Your Fertility?
Genetically modified (GM) foods are increasingly found on supermarket shelves, but most consumers seem unaware of their potential impact on sexual health. Maybe a recently released report showing that hamsters are rendered sterile after just three generations of eating a diet of GM foods will change that apathy into concern. In joint research by Russia’s […]
Sarah Palin is Not a Feminist
Not to dismiss Shakespeare, but in some cases what’s in a name really does matter. Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is pushing the boundaries of what it can possibly mean to be a feminist by boldly dropping the f-bomb in a speech to the Susan B. Anthony List, a PAC that supports anti-choice congressional candidates. […]