Category Archives: Feminism and Culture

From 1952. I find it interesting that the “sleeping beauty” who is awakens is a redhead, not the blonde who went to sleep.  And those eyebrows would be no minor feat.  image source: Duke Library Digital Collections. -Bridget Crawford

That’s the question that Feminist Law Prof Imani Perry (Princeton) asks in this piece over at HuffPo: Last night I read my friends’ tweets about the Miss Universe Pageant. But I didn’t watch it. I am an old fashioned feminist when … Continue reading →

This week, I saw the movie “Middle Men” starring Luke Wilson and Giovanni Ribisi.  I won’t spoil the ending, but income tax considerations — and a collective desire to outwit the “tax man” — play a huge role in the … Continue reading →

It looks like Rainbow Brite is not the only toy getting a makeover.  Strawberry Shortcake has a new look, too. Today’s New York Times reports (here) that the new Strawberry Shortcake will be introduced by Hasbro at this year’s Comic-Con … Continue reading →

I know some people find “baby wigs” funny and harmless, but I find them utterly disturbing.  In my view, putting a wig on a baby either (a) sexualizes the child; or (b) functions as a type of minstrelsy (coincidence that … Continue reading →

Artist Linda Stein breaks it down in this video.  [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-xMFvGSPH4[/youtube] In an article for the most recent On the Issues Magazine (here),   Stein writes: Created by William Moulten Marston in 1941, Wonder Woman was the”invincible enemy of injustice.”She … Continue reading →

Via her website.

The Windsor (Ontario) Star reports here on a psychological study by Professor Diane Quinn (Psychology, UConn) and others of the impact on women’s behavior of visual assessments (aka, getting “checked out”): Though it’s impossible to know the weight of a … Continue reading →

From here: All Tech contributor Omar Gallaga wrote a great post about rejected names for Apple’s new tablet computer, but I know he didn’t see the iPad coming! Good thing Mad Tv did way back in 2006. I’m assuming there … Continue reading →

Over at Alternet Vanessa Richmond asks: “Why Do People Want to Have Sex with the 9-Foot Tall Natives in ‘Avatar’?” But by “people” she clearly means men. Here is an excerpt: James Cameron’s comments in interviews suggest the reaction is … Continue reading →

Earlier this month, I blogged (here) about the “No Pants Subway Ride” organized by Improv Everywhere.  On my way home from the AALS, I encountered several pants-less riders at the Jay Street Station in Brooklyn.  I asked two of them … Continue reading →

Throughout watching Avatar, I kept thinking, “What would be different about the story if the sexes of the main characters were different?     What if the lead were a woman, and her love interest, the Pandoran local, were a … Continue reading →

Today was the “No Pants! Subway Ride” in New York and other cities.  It’s now an annual tradition — “organized” by Improv Everywhere, a group devoted to creating “scenes of chaos and joy in public places.”  The group’s history of … Continue reading →

Here. She is retiring, she has not passed away thank goodness. A short clip: Now, when people ask what are you going to do next, I am tempted to co-opt Susan Stamberg’s one-word answer when she left her anchor post … Continue reading →

As a holiday gift-giver, I acknowledge my share of “hits” and “misses” — sometimes with the same gift.  One family member never met a gift certificate she didn’t like.  Another considers a gift certificate the ultimate in impersonality.  In the … Continue reading →

–Ann Bartow