I have a love-hate relationship with Pure Barre. I find fault in the franchise’s ideology and the culture it promotes—and strength in the way my body responds to the exercise.
Tag: Body Image
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.
Welcome to Dietland
A new, feminist television series is barreling in full force to AMC this month with a scandalous proposition—that women should be unapologetically proud of who they are, regardless of their size.
Rest in Power: Remembering Laura Aguilar and Her Rebellious Photography
Laura Aguilar’s photography often portrayed her subjects frankly—but with a certain kind of tenderness, unwilling to surrender to society’s judgement of marginalized people.
Body Manifesto in Five Acts
Find her. Find the animal. Inhabit her. Leave the girl to glossy falsehood. Inherit womanhood. Zip yourself into it. Breathe.
Women of Color Take On “Humble”
Kendrick Lamar’s video for “Humble” sparked a range of responses from women of color.
How Catcalling Changed As I Lost 80 Pounds (And How It Didn’t)
I’ve been downright fat, flabbily average, curvy and 19-percent-body-fat fit. But one thing has never changed: men commenting on my body.
When It Comes to Body Hair, the Personal is (Still) Political
Failing to wear a bra is widely considered a stunt “designed” to attract men’s sexual attentions—while failing to shave may be considered purposefully off-putting and rebelliously, aggressively feminist. But unless one considers rebellious feminism a hallmark of the effort to attract male attention (hint: it’s not), these juxtaposed interpretations don’t make any sense at all.
Toxic Culture 101: Understanding the Sexualization of Women
A year ago I decided to drive across the street from my office for lunch. I wanted to avoid the catcalls I’d endured the last time I had crossed this […]
Radio Show Takes Aim at Women With “Fat Chick/Skinny Chick” Segment
If a stranger approached you with questions about your body size, would you answer them? What if the questions were being asked by a radio talk-show host with thousands of […]
Your Nail Polish Could Be Disrupting Your Hormone System
As my 10-year old daughter handed me her sleeping bag and pillow after the spa party, I noticed that her nails were decorated with multi-colored stickers. She said that she […]