One of the treasured women of pop music died on Monday: Lesley Gore. A hitmaker at the age of 16 with the indelible “It’s My Party,” she followed that up with what she called “the first truly bitchy song,” “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” and then with one of the first and greatest proto-feminist anthems, “You […]
Inside Wonder Woman’s Secret History
Since her creation more than 70 years ago, Wonder Woman has been a feminist icon. The Amazon warrior princess first appeared on comic book stands in 1942 and fought for love, justice, truth, beauty and, of course, women’s rights, using her famed Lasso of Truth to wrangle villains. Solidifying her place in feminist history decades […]
Black Women’s Histories: A Conversation with T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting
Black Women’s Histories, a conversation series, will profile different feminist scholars engaging Black women’s histories and narratives during Black and Women’s History Months (February and March, respectively). The series continues with T. Denean Sharpley-Whiting, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt distinguished professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and French at Vanderbilt University, and the author of the […]
I Watched “50 Shades of Grey” So You Don’t Have To
I saw 50 Shades of Grey at a free preview screening Tuesday night, several days before its day-before-Valentine’s-Day premiere, and I wish I’d been given a safe word to make the movie stop. Because 50 Shades of Grey is bad. Not so bad it’s good, but just bad. And it’s boring. Especially the sex. I mean, if you thought the books […]
The Politics of Sia’s Face
In the megawatt haze of the recording industry’s biggest night, we tend to gravitate towards the most shocking, eccentric or bizarre displays of showmanship. So it should come as no surprise that eyebrows were raised by singer/songwriter Sia’s three-foot platinum wig, which obscured her face on the Grammy red carpet. Later, to perform her hit song […]
Seeing Myself in Fresh Off the Boat
When I watch ABC’s Fresh Off The Boat, I see my mom. I see her packing three lunches, feet shuffling in house slippers, wearing an oversized T-shirt from a summer trip to Waikiki, lovingly instructing her two xiao bao beis to eat their xi fan for breakfast and not-so-lovingly screaming for her third offspring to wake up. I […]
“Seventh Son”: Witches Aren’t Merely Wicked
Seventh Son, the film adaption of portions of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney has much going for it: compelling visuals, an episodic format with lots of beasties and action, a pleasing admixture of humor, horror and romance wrapped in a fantasy/supernatural package and, best of all, witches: good, bad and in-between. You might […]
Angelina Jolie and the Courage to Resist Child Marriage
The article below is excerpted from a longer piece on the film Difret and child marriage in the Winter 2015 issue of Ms. The film will be released widely on Oct. 23—pre-order your tickets today! A 14-year-old girl runs joyfully across a field, celebrating her advancement to 5th grade at her rural Ethiopian school. Suddenly she’s surrounded by a half-dozen […]
Why “Top Five” Ranks in the Bottom Five for Women Journalists
Chris Rock’s new film, Top Five, has been lauded as a funny and provocative work that showcases groups generally marginalized in movies, including people of color and strong women. But critical backlash has highlighted the way in which the movie strips its leading lady of her supposed intellect and instead turns her into what New […]
Downton Gabby’s Bawdy Feminist Commentary
Fans of Downton Abbey will know the forlorn feeling I’m talking about: It’s when a cliff-hanging final scene ends and you are left with the sad realization (and a mysterious craving for PBS advertisers’ Viking River Cruises and Ralph Lauren floor-length yellow skirts) that you have to wait an entire week to bask in the […]