Facebook falls flat in fighting gender-based hate speech

I am an avid Facebook user (is anyone reading this not?); it is an integrated part of my everyday life. So when I heard that Facebook had agreed to better control the content on their site and eliminate gender-based hate speech, I was thrilled. Or so I thought. When I learned that they had only Continue reading

Why Jes Baker is totally a fat positive hero

Jes Baker is okay with being fat. Get over it. That’s just the message the 26-year-old Behavioral Health Professional recently sent to Abercrombie & Fitch CEO, Mike Jeffries (anyone else tired of hearing that guy’s name?). But she also sent that message to society itself. Jes has garnered millions of views on her blog, The Militant Continue reading

Who run the (advertising) world? (Beyoncé)

A couple of weeks ago, Beyoncé debuted her new song from a forthcoming album, “Standing on the Sun” in a commercial for H&M. Earlier in the year she launched a new $50 million campaign with Pepsi, including commercials, visual ads, and limited-edition Beyoncé Pepsi cans. Of course, Beyoncé also sang at President Obama’s Inauguration and Continue reading

A relatable disclosure of an eating disorder from NYC powerhouse

It’s not easy to disclose an eating disorder, much less discuss in detail where you feel its origins are and how you coped with addressing it. Doing this as a public figure—and a political one at that—is even more difficult. As someone who researches eating disorders, I have to say, I was both proud of and Continue reading

Braving the princess cliché: Disney misses the mark with Merida’s makeover

Disney/Pixar’s 2012 animated film Brave was groundbreaking, not only for its exceptional graphics, but for its portrayal of an unconventional princess, the independent sharpshooter, Merida. Children and adults of all ages were delighted by Merida and the film has been a huge success—which is why many parents are outraged at Disney’s “makeover” of Merida for Continue reading

My body: a (developing) love story

The number of advertisements that make us want to strip out of our skin and into something more slimming and youthful are more numerous than I would like to discuss. I’ve become wrapped up in the diet craze time and time again, though I’ve tried to mask it with words like “lifestyle change” or “getting Continue reading

Women’s talents: alas, shrugged

I was pleased to learn that the topic this week in my male-dominated political discussion group would be Ayn Rand. If you don’t know, Ayn Rand is a famed female philosopher and author of the novel, Atlas Shrugged. She was no feminist—some would say she was the opposite—but she was strong in her principles, a Continue reading

Dannon ad sells women, guilt, and, oh yeah—food

Woe to the woman who enjoys food and does not restrict: society just doesn’t seem to like her. Women, guilt, and food are constantly working together to sell products. But half the time, it’s hard to tell what those products are: the women, the guilt, or the food. The great news? Dannon’s latest Light & Continue reading

From the diary of the 6th grade “slut” — The UnSlut Project

“I can’t dump him now, because then people would think I am even more of a slut than they already do. How could one mistake cause my life to crumble like this?” Would you publish your diary from when you were a pre-teen on the Internet for the entire world to read? This is exactly Continue reading

Kia chalks up another ad as a sexist fail

Oh, Kia. Weren’t you listening when I praised you for your refreshing new take on the car ad? Or do you just not look to your partner companies in different countries for progressive advertising? I’m speaking, of course, about the latest ad for the 2014 Kia Forte. Carrying on from the theme of their “Hotbots” Continue reading