Category Archives: Feminism and Culture

Hollywood, Historical Accuracy and the Civil Rights Era

Posted on August 10, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Writer Martha Southgate reviews the novel-now-movie The Help for EW.com.  Here is an excerpt: Implicit in The Help and a number of other popular works that deal with the civil rights era is the notion that a white character is … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminist Legal History, Race and Racism | Comments Off on Hollywood, Historical Accuracy and the Civil Rights Era

Masturbation and Female Empowerment in Photos (and the Law?)

Posted on August 7, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

In The New Republic Ruth Franklin asks, Is Female Masturbation Really the Last Sexual Taboo? That’s the title of her review of a book of photographs by Will Santillo called La Petite Morte: Female Masturbation, Fantasies and Orgasm (Taschen 2011). Open any … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts | Comments Off on Masturbation and Female Empowerment in Photos (and the Law?)

Spindelman on “Sexual Freedom’s Shadows”

Posted on August 5, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Marc Spindelman (Ohio State) has published his essay Sexual Freedom’s Shadows, 23 Yale J.L. & Feminism 179 (2011).  It is both review of a book by Tim Dean called Unlimited Intimacy: Reflections on the Subculture of Barebacking (UChicago Press, 2009), … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Feminism and Medicine, Feminism and Politics, LGBT Rights | Comments Off on Spindelman on “Sexual Freedom’s Shadows”

“Dangerously Straight”

Posted on July 30, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

The preferred shampoo of the religious right? -Bridget Crawford

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on “Dangerously Straight”

“Arab and Arab American Feminisms: Gender, Violence, and Belonging”

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Ann Bartow

Overview here, below is an except: Arab and Arab American Feminisms, edited by Rabab Abdulhadi, Evelyn Alsultany, and Nadine Naber, is a book I wish every feminist/womanist would pick up. Though it is mostly academic in nature, the book is … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Race and Racism, Sisters In Other Nations | 1 Comment

“Female Armor Sucks”

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Ann Bartow
Posted in Feminism and Culture, Sexism in the Media | Comments Off on “Female Armor Sucks”

Janell Hobson on Rihanna’s New Video

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Over at the Ms. Magazine blog, Janell Hobson writes about the reaction to Rihanna’s video for her new song, “Man Down.”  Here is an excerpt from Professor Hobson’s commentary: While certain groups may be shocked at the image of yet … Continue reading →

Posted in Acts of Violence, Feminism and Culture | 1 Comment

“Run the World (Girls)”? Not So Much

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

I want to like Beyonce’s “Run the World (Girls),” but I don’t (and girls don’t … run the world, that is).  Here’s one commentator’s response to the slogan — not the song: The video’s creator explains (here): This video is … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on “Run the World (Girls)”? Not So Much

“Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets”

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Ann Bartow

Hey, Shorty! is pitched as a resource for parents, teachers and community leaders who want to take action against bullying and sexual harassment in their communities. Learn more here.

Posted in Feminism and Culture, From the FLP mailbox, Masculinity | Comments Off on “Hey, Shorty!: A Guide to Combating Sexual Harassment and Violence in Schools and on the Streets”

David Fagundes, “Talk Derby to Me: Emergent Intellectual Property Norms Governing Roller Derby Pseudonyms”

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Ann Bartow

Here is the abstract: “Some groups use endemic social norms rather than formal law to regulate their intellectual property (IP). This qualitative empirical study extends and critiques existing work on this topic by examining how roller derby skaters guarantee exclusive … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Sociolinguistics | Comments Off on David Fagundes, “Talk Derby to Me: Emergent Intellectual Property Norms Governing Roller Derby Pseudonyms”

Second Shift Redux: New Study on Working Women’s Minimal Leisure Time

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

The Journal of Family Psychology wasn’t on my summer reading list until yesterday.  The LA Times reported (here) on a new Journal of Family Psychology study about the comparative leisure time of men and women in 2-career families with at … Continue reading →

Posted in Employment Discrimination, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Women's Health | 1 Comment

“How to Be a Black Male Feminist”

Posted on May 20, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

The Renaissance Male Project Inc. has released a short video on “Feminism and Masculinity: How to Be a Black Male Feminist.” Here it is: The video’s title over-promises, but it is still worth a watch.  It is primarily a presentation … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Pornography's Harms | Comments Off on “How to Be a Black Male Feminist”

Susan B. Anthony’s Handbag

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

  The Susan B. Anthony House in Rochester, New York is selling the “Ms. Anthony,” a faux alligator handbag inspired by the one that Susan B. Anthony used to carry her speeches and other items while traveling.  The bag has … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminist Legal History | Comments Off on Susan B. Anthony’s Handbag

Word Clouds: Gender and the Vocabulary of Advertisements for Toys

Posted on March 30, 2011 by Ann Bartow

From here, where the author of the linked post did all the work, and explains the data!

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Masculinity, Sociolinguistics | Comments Off on Word Clouds: Gender and the Vocabulary of Advertisements for Toys

The New Wonder Woman?

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

There is a NBC pilot in the works for a new “Wonder Woman” television series.  Judging by the costume preview (here, at EW.com), I predict the show never gets picked up. Apparently, the costume designer did not use the lasso … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | 1 Comment

Catchy Tune, Disgusting Lyrics

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Ann Bartow

See also this.

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Catchy Tune, Disgusting Lyrics

Black on “Stalled: Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards”

Posted on March 10, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Barbara Black, the Charles Hartsock Professor of Law and Director of the Corporate Law Center at the University of Cincinnati College of Law has posted to SSRN her essay, Stalled: Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards.  Here is the abstract: In … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal Scholarship, The Underrepresentation of Women | Comments Off on Black on “Stalled: Gender Diversity on Corporate Boards”

When Will Equality Be “Sexy”?

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Kanye West’s “Monster” video has been banned from MTV “for its violence and explicit content toward women,” according to Essence magazine (here).  That’s a rather glossy description of the video.  According to the petition signed by over 5,000 people: “The … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on When Will Equality Be “Sexy”?

Fatal Charmers

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Christine Corcos

Kevin Nance investigates the disappearance of the femme fatale from our screens. “For all her lying,” he says, “the femme fatale was a truth-teller, a bad woman whose real crime was to introduce a man to his own innate badness. … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts | Comments Off on Fatal Charmers

Janell Hobson on Hip-Hop Feminism

Posted on February 24, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Over at the Ms. Magazine blog, Janell Hobson (Women’s Studies, SUNY) writes Can’t Stop the Women of Hip-Hop: [N]ow that mainstream hip-hop has become corporate, such women have been mostly silenced (most infamously when Sarah Jones was fined in 2001 by the FCC … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Race and Racism | 1 Comment

Where are the Women? Not Too Often Among Magazine Authors, Either

Posted on February 23, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

VIDA: Women in Literary Arts has published The Count 2010, its annual tally of authors whose work appeared (or was reviewed) in magazines like the Atlantic, Granta, Harpers, London Review of Books, the New Yorker, the NY Times Book Review, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, The Underrepresentation of Women | Comments Off on Where are the Women? Not Too Often Among Magazine Authors, Either

The Value of a Name

Posted on February 15, 2011 by Nancy Leong

Names are important.  They reflect our identity, and so the ability to keep or change them implicates our autonomy.  A recent lawsuit in Japan brings this importance into sharp relief.  There, a group of women filed suit yesterday, challenging a … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law | 3 Comments

Oedipus, Kay Jewelry Style

Posted on February 6, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

Kay Jewelers is running a commercial showing a male uniformed soldier (presumably) overseas, speaking by video phone with his wife.  As the wife opens a jewelry box, the husband says proudly that he had help from his “wingman” — his … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | 1 Comment

What’s in a name? For married women, a lifetime of effort.

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Nancy Leong

A woman who decides to marry a man sets herself up for a lot of time spent thinking and talking about her name.  If she decides to change her name, she opts in to a lengthy bureaucratic name-changing process so … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Sexism in the Media | 4 Comments

Karlyn on “Unruly Girls, Unrepentant Mothers”

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

This new book announcement from the University of Texas Press caught my eye: Unruly Girls, Unrepentent Mothers, a companion to Kathleen Rowe Karlyn’s groundbreaking work, The Unruly Woman, studies the ways popular culture and current debates within and about feminism inform … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts | 1 Comment

CFP: Women and New Media in the Mediterranean Region

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Bridget Crawford

From the FLP mailbox, this call for abstracts from the Isis Center for Women and Development: INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE WOMEN & NEW MEDIA IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION ISIS CENTER FOR WOMEN & DEVELOPMENT June 24, 25, 26, 2011 – Fez, Morocco … Continue reading →

Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Technology, Sisters In Other Nations | 3 Comments

Comic Journalism’s “Brenda Starr” Retires

Posted on January 2, 2011 by Christine Corcos

Mary Schmich is retiring the comic strip “Brenda Starr” tomorrow after writing her adventures for twenty-five years. Ms. Schmich took over duties for “Brenda Starr” in 1985 after the originator, Dale Messick, retired. Brenda was a trailblazer, a woman who … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Tagged | 1 Comment

Isabelle Caro, Model, Anti-Anorexia Campaigner, Dies

Posted on December 30, 2010 by Christine Corcos

Daniele Gouzard-Dubreuil Prevot, model Isabelle Caro’s acting teacher, announced that Ms. Caro died (Los Angeles Times obit) last month and was buried November 24. Ms. Caro, who suffered from anorexia, posed for the famous anti-anorexia ad labelled “No Anorexia” in … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts, Women's Health | 1 Comment

Documentary on Black Masculinities in Comic Books, “From Shaft to Sidney Poitier”

Posted on December 25, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

Readers may be interested in the film Shaft or Sidney Poitier, “a documentary film examining the representation of Black masculinity in comic books” produced by Jonathan Gayles. Academics writing on comics, popular culture and gender include Mark Anthony Neal (Duke, … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Masculinity | 1 Comment

Grabbing a Woman’s Backside: Does the Gender of the Grabber Matter?

Posted on December 3, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

Hypothetical:  Person A grabs/touches/pinches Person B’s backside without Person B’s consent. Does one’s assessment of the situation change based on the sex or gender identity of Person A and/or Person B? Does it matter if Person A and/or Person B … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Sexual Harassment | 2 Comments

Are the Media’s Representations of Supreme Court Nominees Gendered?

Posted on November 30, 2010 by Christine Corcos

Renee Newman Knake and Hannah Brenner, both of Michigan State University College of Law, have published Rethinking Gender Equality in the Legal Profession: What the Media’s Depiction of Supreme Court Nominees Reveals About the Pipeline to Power as an MSU Legal … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Law, Legal Profession, The Underrepresentation of Women | 1 Comment

Nothing Says ‘Thanksgiving’ Like ’99 männliche Luftballons’

Posted on November 24, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

Healthy Girls Healthy Women reports here on its on-line petition requesting that Macy’s add an equal number of female-character balloons to its annual Thanksgiving Day Parade. In the 84-year history of the parade, only 8% of all the balloons were of … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, The Underrepresentation of Women | 2 Comments

CFP: “Precarious Spaces: (Dis-) Locating Gender,” U Rochester March 24, 2011

Posted on November 16, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

From the FLP mailbox, this call for papers: Precarious Spaces:  (Dis-) Locating Gender The 18th Annual Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference at the University of Rochester March 24th & 25th, 2011 Keynote Speaker: *Laura … Continue reading →

Posted in Call for Papers or Participation, Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on CFP: “Precarious Spaces: (Dis-) Locating Gender,” U Rochester March 24, 2011

Guest Blogger Amanda Gonzalez: Can Acting Like a Man Really Work Against Patriarchy?

Posted on November 4, 2010 by admin

I have a confession to make: I truly love trashy television and radio. I’m not above any of it. Not 16 and Pregnant, not Justin Bieber, not Real Housewives. I love it all. As I was singing along to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Guest Blogger | 2 Comments

Can you picture an ad for prostate cancer featuring a delicate, manicured hand squishing a dude’s junk?

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Ann Bartow

That is the question posed at IBTP in a post excerpted below: It’s breast cancer awareness month! Awesome! There is much patriarchy to blame when it comes to breast cancer awareness month. Such as Komen. Komen, as I have declaimed … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminist Blogs Of Interest, Sexism in the Media, The Overrepresentation of Women, Women's Health | 1 Comment

Manliness, Part III: Paradox

Posted on October 19, 2010 by John Kang

Thanks to Bridget for calling our attention to this curious story involving female political candidates challenging the manliness of their male adversaries; the story also includes male candidates ascribing feminine vices to their female candidates.  Both phenomena are interesting, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Masculinity | 1 Comment

Calling All Bloggers

Posted on October 14, 2010 by Christine Corcos

The blog Girl With Pen is seeking assistance. See the job posting below. It’s been a little quite round here this summer.  But we’re coming back in blazes come fall.  And speaking of: Author and Founding Partner of She Writes Deborah … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts, Feminist Blogs Of Interest | Comments Off on Calling All Bloggers

New Book Announcement: ‘Girls to the Front’ by Sara Marcus

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

Music and politics writer Sara Marcus has published Girls to the Front: The True Story of the Riot Grrrl Revolution (Harper Perennial, Paperback, 2010).  Here’s the description from the book’s website: Riot Grrrl roared into the spotlight in 1991: an … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminist Blogs Of Interest | 1 Comment

Festschrift 2.0: Ms. Magazine Blog Celebrates bell hooks

Posted on September 10, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

 The Ms. Magazine blog is in the middle of bell hooks week, “a series of essays celebrating the life and works of the extraordinary bell hooks. hooks has made a significant impact on feminism, race theory, education, class politics, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminists in Academia, Masculinity, Race and Racism | Comments Off on Festschrift 2.0: Ms. Magazine Blog Celebrates bell hooks

Sizzle and Steak

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

Lady Gaga is wearing a meat mini on the cover of Vogue Homme Japan: I have a feeling that this magazine cover will inspire “Is Lady Gaga a feminist icon?” debates in Women’s Studies classes all across the country (Madonna … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Animal Law, Feminism and Culture | 2 Comments

Vintage Clairol Ad

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

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

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Vintage Clairol Ad

Is (Black) Beauty Still a Feminist Issue?

Posted on August 25, 2010 by 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 →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Is (Black) Beauty Still a Feminist Issue?

Middle Men’s Tax Angle

Posted on August 11, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

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 →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Middle Men’s Tax Angle

In the Library With the Man Your Grades Could Be

Posted on July 21, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

The video was produced by the library at Brigham Young University.  Hilarious! H/T Paul Caron (here). -Bridget Crawford

Posted in Academia, Feminism and Culture | 1 Comment

Strawberry Shortcake Gets a Makeover at 30

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

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 →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Strawberry Shortcake Gets a Makeover at 30

New Study Finds Women and Girls Underrepresented and Oversexualized in Media

Posted on May 21, 2010 by Ann Bartow

The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media has recently issued a report of the results of studies conducted about gender in media. The results can be viewed here (PDF). Among them: Study 1: G-rated movies from 1990-Jan. 2005: Fewer … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Feminism and the Arts, The Overrepresentation of Men, The Underrepresentation of Women | 1 Comment

Ambivalent About the Boobquake

Posted on April 28, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

You’ve probably seen it by now. First, a Neanderthal Iranian cleric scolded women for wearing “immodest” Western clothing which of course leads to adultery, which of course causes earthquakes. In response, blogger Jen McCreight announced: On Monday, April 26th, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Feminism and Culture, Sisters In Other Nations | 1 Comment

Please Don’t Put a Wig on Your Baby

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Bridget Crawford

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 →

Posted in Feminism and Culture | Comments Off on Please Don’t Put a Wig on Your Baby

The Regulation of Naming

Posted on April 21, 2010 by Christine Corcos

Yofi Tirosh, Faculty of Law, Tel Aviv University, has published A Name of One’s Own: Gender and Symbolic Legal Personhood in the European Court of Human Rights, in volume 33 of the Harvard Journal of Law and Gender (2010). Here … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Feminism and Culture, Feminism and Families, Feminism and Law, Feminist Legal History | Comments Off on The Regulation of Naming

Why did David Brooks feel the need to churn out another concern-trolling column urging women to choose marriage over career success?

Posted on April 2, 2010 by Ann Bartow

Historiann contemplated that question here. –Ann Bartow

Posted in Feminism and Culture, If you're a woman, Sexism in the Media | 2 Comments