More Than A Magazine, A Movement
Body image is a person’s perception of their physical self and the thoughts and feelings, positive, negative or both. Because of negative media representation and prevalent gender stereotypes, many people of all genders struggle with body confidence.
It’s no coincidence that fat commentaries revolve around female bodies: Even though women are statistically less likely than men to be overweight, feminists have long pointed out how twin fantasies of beauty and thinness torment us.
(For more ground-breaking stories like this, order 50 YEARS OF Ms.: THE BEST OF THE PATHFINDING MAGAZINE THAT IGNITED A REVOLUTION, Alfred A. Knopf—a collection of the most audacious, norm-breaking coverage Ms. has published.)
We are seeing success and the benefits of investing financially in women, but how can we fast track gender equality? How can we help the younger generation strive for equality? Maybe the answer is “The Caitlin Clark effect.”
On March 1, the The Star Tribune out of Minneapolis posted a heartfelt and moving op-ed by Dr. Asitha Jayawardena, a proud dad to two young daughters that went viral: “Dear Caitlin Clark … You’re amazing on the court—but that’s just the start of your influence.”
We live in a society obsessed with fatness. Or, perhaps more accurately, obsessed with fighting it. Fatness has been rendered a disease, and we are inundated with “cures,” which particularly haunt women’s bodies—and their wallets.
Questioning the devotion to anti-fatness usually prompts a “well, being fat is unhealthy!” But according to Kate Manne, feminist philosopher and author of the recently released Unshrinking: How to Face Fatphobia, the connection between weight and health is not so clear cut. What is clear, Manne brilliantly reveals, is that fatphobia, not fatness, is the problem.
Right-wing politicians like Ron DeSantis are ranting about the “woke” media, yet most women’s sites today stick to “traditional” female topics: beauty, shopping, fashion, shopping, relationship issues and more shopping.
Perusing the happy headlines featured on women’s media sites, their readers would have no idea that abortion bans have demolished the rights of women in 21 states, nor that the maternal mortality rate has spiked in those states. Are women’s digital media site editors living in a Barbieland bubble?
Each month, we provide Ms. readers with a list of new books being published by writers from historically excluded groups.
In Barbie, Greta Gerwig pushes her message of feminist disruption as far as she can for a mainstream movie. She is reckoning with Barbie’s legacy and literally rewriting the script through active questioning and engagement. It’s a huge start.
What does Barbie mean to a Black woman who was once “the Black girl”?
She reminds me that representation does not always come in the form of a person; sometimes, it’s a doll that allows you to embrace your creativity, dreams and imagination far beyond what society believes you are capable of … all in pink stiletto heels.
And so it is summer! Are you enjoying it? Are you on a beach with a cocktail in one hand and a book in the other? I wish I was!
Check out any (or all!) of these 30 June releases which are sure to enthrall, enlighten, educate and excite you—wherever you happen to be.
The Islamic Republic’s existence depends on controlling women because this is also how they control men. But for brave young people, the slogan ‘Woman, Life, Freedom’ doesn’t represent three ideas, but rather one: Only in a world that truly respects women can liberty prevail.
It is time to stop judging women by their age and presuming that their assumed ability to reproduce (or at least be sexually available) is their defining, or most valuable, characteristic. But also, thank you Don Lemon, for giving us a sneak-peak on what to expect for the 2024 election cycle.
