I’ve never been a big fan of Old Navy commercials. The music is cheesy, everyone’s way too happy, and the clothing quality just doesn’t seem to match the price. But this month, Old Navy released their newest commercial, “New Girl” — and this one takes the cake. Basically, the premise of this commercial is that… Continue Reading →
Not-so-breaking news: Women more likely to be dismembered in our minds
New research confirms that sexual objectification of females is closer to the camp of knee-jerk neural responses rather than feminist fabrication. A recent study published in the European Journal of Social Psychology revealed that both male and female brains are more likely to disassemble the bodies of women, processing them in pieces rather than wholes…. Continue Reading →
Mommy vs. media in sexualization of girls: Where are the dads?
An article on AlterNet about sexualization of young girls concluded “Mothers are a strong predictor — even more than the amount of media consumption alone — of whether a girl will regard herself as a sex object.” But I couldn’t help but wonder: What role do fathers play in their daughters’ sexualization? The article, titled “I Want… Continue Reading →
Does being in a male-dominated industry make women skittish about feminism?
There was a big headline in recent weeks, one that many women rejoiced over—Marissa Mayer, a long-time Google executive, was hired as Yahoo!’s new CEO. Big news, indeed, since a mere 4% of CEOs (a grand total of… 20) of Fortune 500 companies are women. Of course, I wasn’t the only one to be disappointed… Continue Reading →
About Face doc: Want to hate yourself? Try modeling.
“I don’t think there’s any 15-year-old girl that will turn down the chance to be called beautiful. You don’t realize at that point that you’re also going to get called ugly,” says Paulina Porizkova, talking about being discovered as a model, about halfway through the new documentary film About Face (no relation to this blog… Continue Reading →
Objectification—it’s not just for women anymore!
I’ve found myself split before on the topic of male objectification, for the simple reason that men and women don’t occupy equivalent positions of power. When advertisers and filmmakers present women as sexual objects, those representations exist in a world where women are disadvantaged socially, professionally, and politically. Sexualized images of women contribute to an overall… Continue Reading →
Thanks SO much for that 90-calorie brownie, Fiber One.
Oh, Fiber One. Like other popular snack manufacturers, you decided to take the low road in selling your [not-so-]tasty treats, and have tried to convince women that they can — horror of all horrors — break their diets and satisfy their sweet tooth with your desserts! Fiber One’s approach to selling their 90-calorie brownies isn’t… Continue Reading →
Smart Girls at the Party is back, celebrating girls just as they are
Oh, how do I love Amy Poehler, let me count the ways. Her web series, Smart Girls at the Party, returns for its second season as empowering entertainment celebrating real girls. The best part? Amy Poehler’s intimate webcam video series, “Ask Amy” where the bare-faced breath of fresh air answers girls’ questions from her bed. There… Continue Reading →
Yahoo! News paints women as just haircuts and heels
As the world of media becomes increasingly digitalized, most people are giving up the Sunday morning paper for an online news peruse. Suddenly, newspapers seem too long and burdensome compared to the brief, scandalous sound bites and one-liners that online headlines provide — Yahoo! News headlines, in particular. But what happens when “top news” becomes a… Continue Reading →