Senegalese rapper Fatou Mandiang Diatta defied her country’s traditional expectations for women in order to succeed in Senegal’s male-dominated hip-hop scene. A new documentary shows how, using her music as a medium, “Sister Fa” campaigns against female genital mutilation, which she herself endured as a child.
Author: Christie Thompson
Christie is a senior Journalism and International Studies major at Northwestern University. Recently returned from a semester in India, she is ready to take on international women's issues and the L.A. public transit system.
How Can We Interrupt Violence?
Ameena Matthews is used to being the only woman in a group of men. She even broke into the male-dominated world of organized crime to become the only woman lieutenant of a notorious Chicago gang. And in the opening scenes of the award-winning documentary The Interrupters, we see Matthews sitting in a large conference room, […]
School District Allegedly Expelled 7th-Grader for Reporting Her Rape
The Republic School District in Springfield, MO, is facing a lawsuit for allegedly ignoring a young victim’s multiple rapes and then expelling her for reporting her attacker. The story is yet another awful example of the victim-blaming culture surrounding rape in schools. Like the recent story of the young cheerleader in Texas–who was kicked off […]
“Circumstance” Explores LGBT Oppression in Modern Iran
Iranian American director Maryam Keshavarz had a story of modern-day Iran that she thought needed telling. A story for which she and her cast were willing to give up the right to revisit their homeland after the film came out. Fortunately, the film Circumstance, an Audience Award-winner at the Sundance Film Festival which will open […]
No Comment: Zazzle’s Pro-Anorexia Kids’ Tees
Last week, the online retailer Zazzle–which “empowers” customers to create custom T-shirts, cards and other paraphernalia–ended sales of a kids’ T-shirt and onesie that featured a pro-eating-disorder message in a scribbled font. The decision came only after the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority banned ads of the shirts for encouraging “an unsafe practice that may result […]
Women Senators Call for Action on Rape in Burma
On August 10, a group of 13 women U.S. senators sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for support of a U.N.-led investigation of rape in conflict-ridden Burma. The senators urged Clinton to take action after 18 women and girls in the Kachin territory were reportedly raped by Burmese soldiers in late […]
This Week in “Blame It on Emasculation”: The London Riots
Talking heads, academics and news outlets have been speculating about the motives behind the recent London riots. Most have agreed on a complex combination of deep-seated racial and economic inequality, made worse by record-high youth unemployment rates and abuses of authority by London police. But right-wing writer and rifle-enthusiast Frank Miniter has a different opinion. […]
Don’t Skimp on Aid to East Africa–Women Will Pay the Price
This week, President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged a total of $122 million to famine relief in East Africa, putting the total U.S. contribution to the crisis over $580 million. The recent pledges maintain the U.S. position as the biggest donor nation. But is it enough? The U.N. recently called for $2.5 […]
No Comment: “Always”‘ Transphobic Drag Queen Ad
[Update: It seems the viral video was either a spoof or a potential ad that Always decided not to run. We apologize to Always, but still find the ideas behind the video–whoever made it–pretty offensive. Thanks to Ms. blog commenters for keeping us accurate!] A viral video claiming to be an Always ad for menstrual […]
Hate Crimes Against Transgender Women Raise Questions
In April, the brutal attack of 22-year-old Chrissy Lee Polis at a McDonald’s outside Baltimore, Md. put the issue of violence against transgender women into the national spotlight. Polis was dragged by her hair and then beaten by two teenage girls when she tried to use the women’s restroom. (One of her assailants pled guilty […]