Search results for: gender identity
7 Uplifting Lessons from Bree Newsome, Riley Curry, and Other 2015 Black Girl Heroes
Serena Williams, Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, Amandla Stenberg and more – Black women and girls have done incredible things this year. How will you apply these lessons to your life?
Read MoreWhy I Delete Comments (And Why It Isn’t “Censorship”)
“Women online don’t owe you sh*t.” Somebody had to say it – and we’re sure glad Marina Watanabe did!
Read MoreHow Toxic Masculinity Dominated 2016
Donald Trump, mass shootings, police violence. What’s the danger of toxic masculinity? For an answer, look no further than this review of 2016.
Read MoreHow the ‘Angry Black Woman’ Stereotype Tries to Control Black Women
Cristen Conger continues her series on sexist racial stereotypes by taking on pop culture’s image of the “angry black woman.” Find out how outrageous the origins and impact of this trope really are.
Read More3 Damaging Stereotypes About Black Women That Need to Go
The sassy friend, the helpful maid – if you’ve come across black women in pop culture, then you’ve probably come across these stereotypes. Franchesca Ramsey breaks it down.
Read MoreWhy Commenting On Celebrity Fashion Is F*cked Up
When an actress steps onto the red carpet, the first question she’s asked is “Who are you wearing?” Why is she reduced to how she looks, and not the achievements that brought her there? Sooner or later, these narrow standards of beauty and value hurt us all. Here’s what you need to know about how, and what you can do to bring this machine to a screeching halt.
Read MoreThe Awkward Struggles of Being Latina and Meeting New People
“How do you say ‘you’re hot’ in Spanish?” Know what it’s like to meet new people as a Latina? These hilariously awful situations capture it all.
Read More6 Struggles of Being Unapologetically Black in a Professional Environment
Raven-Symoné got a lot of attention for her recent comments on “ghetto” names. And names are just one of the ways workplace norms can exclude black people. Are any of these familiar to you?
Read More4 Reasons Why ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ Matters Beyond Its Entertainment Value
In a previous article, the author outlined sexist, racist, and generally messed up thing we hoped the new Star Wars films would get right this time. Now that the film is finally out, did it repeat the mistakes of its predecessors or do better? This author tackles that question.
Read More5 Ways the Word ‘Strong’ is Used Against Black Women
Yes, black women have strength. But time and time again, the word “strong” has been used to dehumanize black women, to trivialize their pain, to create an impossible standard for young black girls to strive towards. For black women, taking that strength back means calling out the ways in which their strength is used against them. It’s time for us to debunk some myths.
Read MorePremenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) And What We Can Do About It
When I strangely began to feel useless, hopeless, and worthless, it took me a long time to see a doctor. I didn’t want to be that girl who loses control of her emotions because of something so silly as a period. That sexist stigma allowed me to live with PMDD for far longer than needed.
Read MoreGetting 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.
Read MoreHow Intersectional Feminism Transformed Me from an Asshole to an Activist
After leading my students, all high school seniors, on a field trip to a local domestic violence (DV) organization to get a better understanding of intimate partner violence (IPV), I didn’t expect to be the one to leave with an epiphany. On the bus ride back to school, I messaged my ex who had been…
Read MoreRedefining Strong: What Game of Thrones Can Teach Us About Being an Empowered Woman
Women can do anything men can do, right? Well, maybe we should ask a different question: How can we base our empowerment of women on something other than the achievements of men? Here’s how how fiction and media like Game of Thrones can reinforce harmful ideas about womanhood or celebrate the power of women. Which would you rather have in a feminist hero?
Read MoreThe Awful Origins of the Fetishized ‘Submissive Asian Woman’ Stereotype
The “submissive China doll,” the “exotic geisha” – do you know how long these stereotypes of East Asian women have been around? Cristen Conger shares some disturbing info that really puts this in perspective.
Read MoreThe Many Awesome Ways to Be Androgynous
What does androgyny look like? Maybe a certain image comes to your mind, but this comic celebrates much more than the popular picture of androgyny!
Read MoreAre You As Tired of These Comments About Women’s Bodies As We Are?
Your body is yours. That should be obvious, right? So why do so many people feel like they can label, critique, debate, and share their opinion on your body? It’s not right, and you don’t have to put up with it. Check out this video to remember that you’re not alone in your frustration. Pass it on to spread the message that your body is not up for discussion.
Read MoreHow Feminism Made Me A Better Gay Man
As a gay man, you have male privilege but being gay complicates that, making you seem less-than in many people’s eyes. Many bigots see you as being like a woman or wanting to be a woman, which some gay men will internalize as negative. Feminism looks at that thought and says, “What’s wrong with being a woman?” I needed to hear that message at 18, and I still need to hear it now.
Read More4 MRA Arguments That Actually Have a Point – And Where They Go Wrong
WAIT – if MRAs are so anti-feminist, then how can we agree with their points? Here’s where men’s rights activists are on the right track – and what they’re missing.
Read MoreWhy It’s Harder to Be a T(w)een Girl Now Than It Was in the 90s
Teen and “tween” (that difficult, in-between age of 9-12) girls nowadays have it rough. Contrast this with the caveman era that I grew up in, that oh-so-long-ago decade known as the 1990s, in which girls could simply chillax and be themselves…kind of. But before we roll our eyes at the behavior of “kids these days,” we should at least consider how our adolescence was different.
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