Today’s Headline
Lessons from Boston: Racism’s Blindness to Violence and Peace as a Form of Privilege
In the wake of the tragedies in Boston, we must challenge ourselves to reflect on our reactions to loss of life, violence, and tragedy. Why don’t Americans express the same outrage when similar — and far greater — tragedies occur abroad, or even in our own urban neighborhoods? Perhaps the barometer to our reactions is grounded in racism and xenophobia.
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Hey, Skinny!
I’m concerned when superficial observations are made which in some way praise or compliment someone’s appearance. Because at the end of the day, It’s impossible to know what kind of perception someone has of their own body image. Is it really appropriate or even friendly to make random comments on someone’s body, regardless of how short, tall, fat, or thin they are?
How I Stood Up for Myself
I stood up for myself for what felt like the first time in my life. I defended myself. I put my foot down and made a pact with every punch, every kick, every stride I took through that desert that never again would I compromise my own potential, health, and safety to be obliging to someone who does not deserve me. I’ve learned how to apply feminism. It is a new era.
Approaching the Thinspiration Conversation
Thinspiration — images created and used to inspire its consumers to be thin — is now plastered all over every social media website. It isn’t confined to the realm of eating disorders anymore. It’s mainstream. And yet we’re not talking to consumers about it. But how do we talk to our friends, children, and students about it without being at war with them? Here’s a place to start.
Things I’ve Learned from Writing Under a Gender-Neutral Name
When someone wants to tear apart my writing, they often bring up my presumed gender to do so. My presumed femaleness is never mentioned with respect. They say, “Stop being so easily offended, b*tch.” Femaleness is used to discredit me in a way that maleness is not. When I’m presumed male, my maleness never comes up at all. Because maleness is our societal default setting, it’s never mentioned.
Men Feel the Pain of Infertility, Too
Infertility is not a battle of the worst off or a race to the bottom of despair. Whether men or women hurt more is irrelevant. But men have a cultural narrative that says kids are fun but optional, and “real men” have aggressive, uber-sperm so potent it makes babies from across the room. And this makes infertility issues a place where men find little support. It’s time we change the narrative.
8 Secrets from 8 Curvy Women Who Love Their Bodies
Everyone is entitled to a relationship with their body that is based in care and respect. It’s time to stop thinking of your body as a hostile encasing in which you are imprisoned. So, in search of answers about self-love, I asked eight of the most fabulous curvy women that I know one question: What is the big secret of your relationship to your body? And here’s what they said.
Getting With Girls Like Us: A Radical Guide to Dating Trans Women for Cis Women
Trans women are a component of queer women’s communities, so a lack of respect amongst us just means more devaluing of women, when society dishes out plenty of that for all of us already. So with that in mind, I have put together some suggestions for cis women on thinking through some basic trans issues, including ideas on approaching trans women in a romantic or intimate context.
A Feminist Approach to Good Loving in 5 Steps
Most articles about being a good lover begin with “How to Please Your Man” directives. Not this one. The heart of being a good lover starts with communication and self-awareness, making sure that you always carry a self-awareness and communication tool-kit. So here are a few pointers on how to be a good lover. This is a start to a feminist approach to good — and hopefully great — loving.
Why Not Say Everyday Humanism Instead of Everyday Feminism?
Humanism and feminism are not mutually exclusive and can coexist. A vested interest in general human welfare is an implicit goal of feminism. If you’re helping women, you’re helping people. Some might prefer to call this humanitarianism, humanism, or being-a-decent-human-being-ism, but many of us are content to call it feminism. And there’s nothing exclusionary about that.
