“We need to understand that style and adornment have always been central to a feminist project and how feminists have defined themselves or pushed back against normative readings of the body.”
Beauty
Beauty norms are societal standards that dictate ideal physical appearance and vary across cultures and history. Despite being unrealistic, norms are instilled in women from a young age, harming those who feel they do not fit the mold.
We Heart: Miss USA’s #MeToo Moment
The newly-crowned Miss USA supports #MeToo and #TimesUp—and she didn’t shy away from saying so on the pageant stage.
Sex Work, the “Girlfriend Experience” and the Labors of Feminine Beauty
During the final year of my undergraduate degree, in a small, rural city in the south of England, I was supplementing my fragile self esteem with an over-the-counter laxative habit. I told people around me that my newly svelte frame came courtesy of my giving up alcohol (a fair-weather friend) and adopting a Japanese “eating […]
Bloomingdale’s Issues Apology for Printing Date Rape-y Ad
Department store Bloomingdale’s came under fire this week after customers discovered a highly questionable ad in its holiday catalog, and called out the retailer on social media. Decked out in clothing from designer Rebecca Minkoff, a male model (described by Jezebel writer Stassa Edwards as “some creep, who looks a little too much like Robin Thicke”) […]
No Comment: Target’s “Trophy” T-Shirt Is Sexist
Target is selling a shirt with the word “Trophy” printed across the front in big, bold letters—in its juniors section. (!) After stumbling upon the shirt in her local Target about a month ago, a Wisconsin woman launched a petition on Change.org calling for the company to stop selling the shirt. For a bit of background, […]
My Hair, My Self
A few weeks ago, I went with my friend Stacey to pick up her daughter from school. As my friend’s daughter, Elizabeth, and two of her friends, Sarah and Lydia, piled into the backseat, Stacey told her daughter that the stuff they’d ordered for her hair had come in the mail. Elizabeth excitedly opened the […]
The Beauty Industry’s Invisible Victims
Getting a manicure or a blowout is a regular part of many women’s grooming routines, and we’re all familiar with the risks those treatments can sometimes involve. But we don’t always consider the consequences of hair and nail pampering on the women providing those services. A new report from Women’s Voices for the Earth, “Beauty […]