Has anyone else noticed that when it comes to popular media, some celebrities are praised for their apparently unbelievably fantabulous bodies and amazing physiques, while others who look pretty much exactly the same in terms of size and weight are criticized for their curves? Or how sometimes “real” – as in, real bodies – is… Continue Reading →
I’m not bossy. I’m the boss.
Ban Bossy. These two words designate a campaign designed to encourage girls to lead without being labeled as bossy. (Or, more commonly, the other B word. But that’s a campaign for another time.) You’ve probably seen the Lifetime PSA by now, as part of the #BanBossy campaign spearheaded by Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. The video… Continue Reading →
Weight loss fairy tales
Unless it’s “too much,” magazines and TV shows always portray weight loss as an inherent good. Weight loss makes you healthier, happier, and more attractive, able to do so much you couldn’t do before. We’ve all seen the beaming smiles on People Magazine’s cover, with text reading “Half Their Size!” or articles about “How I… Continue Reading →
Why I say I’m bossy
I remember the first time someone told me that I was being bossy. I think I was about five or six years old and was playing with friends at a park or someplace. Anyway, I remember blinking and then shrugging my shoulders as I said, “So?” with all the sass a five — almost six… Continue Reading →
Packed with sexist blunders, Snickers really objectifies
Did you know that more than 80% of women worldwide will face gender-based street harassment at some point in their lives? They—or rather we—will be approached or accosted on the street, subjected to unwanted whistles, cat calls, sexual comments, and lewd gestures in which men “assert the right to intrude on women’s attention, defining her… Continue Reading →
Fit Mom’s publicity undermines her message
If you haven’t heard about the body-shaming sensation that is “Fit Mom,” here’s a primer: Maria Kang, from Sacramento, California, is a self-employed mother of three boys. She owns two residential care homes for the elderly, and she founded a nonprofit called Fitness Without Borders. In September 2013, Kang posted a photo on her Facebook… Continue Reading →
Fictional food is more real than you think
What does Winnie the Pooh have in common with Lorelai and Rory Gilmore? They all love food. In fact, they don’t just love food—food is their ticket to winning the hearts of their audiences. From Popeye, to Garfield, to Kevin Malone from The Office, food is a means for fictional characters to express themselves and… Continue Reading →
This statement is bound to shock you for no good reason
“Women aren’t funny.” Consistently repeated and supported by journalists, comedians, and researchers, this statement is an old standby whenever someone wants to shock an audience and spark heated conversation. Though it is constantly refuted — by funny women, progressives, and common sense — this easily defeated opinion refuses to die. At lunch recently, I was seated near… Continue Reading →
Think only white women get eating disorders? Think again.
In popular culture, stories of eating disorders are dominated by white women. But what about the other sufferers? Women of color have been sidelined in eating disorder funding and research, and have therefore been underestimated in our perception of the affected demographic. In the new Slate article “Eating disorders do not discriminate“, Michelle Konstantinovsky explores… Continue Reading →