If you visited any of Victoria’s Secret’s social media outlets last night, you might have noticed they were advertising something slightly different from the usual lacy thongs and push-up bras. Within ten hours, 50,000 people had visited PinkLovesConsent.com, a Victoria’s Secret site featuring a collection of consent-promoting underwear. “Why does Pink heart consent?,” reads the […]
Author: Rachel Kassenbrock
Rachel Kassenbrock is a writer who works at the Feminist Majority Foundation and blogs for Ms. Follow her on Twitter at @rkassenbrock.
We Heart: Mckenna Pope for Supporting Boys Who Want to Cook
When Mckenna Pope, a New Jersey eighth-grader, found her younger brother “cooking” tortillas on his lamp’s light bulb, she knew exactly what to get him for Christmas: the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven by Hasbro. However, when she and her parents looked into purchasing one for the 4-year-old boy, they were troubled by the fact that it […]
Suing to Serve: Military Women Fight Combat Exclusion Policy
While serving in Afghanistan, Marine First Lieutenant Zoe Bedell and her Female Entanglement Team of 46 women worked within an insurgent-heavy area to improve the quality of education and health care for Afghan women and children while also gathering intelligence. In Iraq, Army Staff Sgt. Jennifer Hunt (who works with the Army’s Sexual Assault Prevention […]
Who Do You Think Is “Person of the Year?”
It’s that time of year again: On Monday, TIME published its list of nominees for 2012’s Person of the Year. This annual designation recognizes a person or group that has significantly influenced the year’s events. The title is “bestowed by the editors on the person or persons who most affected the news and our lives, […]
U.N. Committee Votes for Ban on Female Genital Mutilation
The United Nations General Assembly’s human rights committee unanimously called for a global ban on female genital mutilation (FGM). Describing the practice as harmful and “a serious threat to the psychological, sexual and reproductive health of women and girls,” the committee is now asking the U.N.’s 193 member states to denounce the practice, enforce legislation […]
Michigan Lawmakers Move to Establish Tax Credit for Fetuses
Last week, Michigan lawmakers introduced legislation that, if passed in the current lame-duck session, would allow pregnant women to claim fetuses of at least 12 weeks as dependents for income tax purposes. Sponsors claim that House Bills 5684 and 5685, which could translate to a $160 dollar savings for expectant parents. “Money saved there could […]
Monkeys Aren’t Too Fond of Unequal Pay, Either
Apparently, there are a few things we can learn from our distant primate relatives. Dutch primatologist Frans de Waal conducted a fairness experiment in which he put two Capuchin monkeys side by side and had them perform the same tasks. If both monkeys are given the same reward, a piece of cucumber, then they happily […]
Report Confirms: Sexual Abuse Rampant at Lackland Air Force Base
The Air Force released last Wednesday its report on recent incidents of sexual abuse at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas, where members of the Air Force undergo basic military training. According to the report, 25 military training instructors (MTIs) have been or are currently under investigation. So far, the scandal has […]
Planned Parenthood Suffers a Blow in Ohio, Continues to Fight in Texas
The 2012 election may be over, but Planned Parenthood continues to fight for federal funding in several states across the country. On Wednesday, the Health Committee of the Ohio House of Representatives voted to advance House Bill 298, which would strip $1.7 million in federal funding from Planned Parenthood. In essence, the bill would place […]
Nancy Pelosi Is Still Leader of the Pack
House Leader Nancy Pelosi announced to her caucus Wednesday morning that she will continue to serve as minority leader in the upcoming session of Congress. In a press conference Wednesday morning, Pelosi noted the huge impact women voters had on the outcome of the 2012 election: Yesterday, when we gathered here, I began my comments […]