Given their ubiquitous presence in the public eye, celebrities often end up being role models without even knowing it. Sometimes without understanding the impact they have on their fans, celebrities’ actions unduly influence us as we navigate the ever-evolving landscape of young adulthood. This can be both good and bad. In the case of Kelly… Continue Reading →
Dear Glamour, loving your body is never dangerous
In a recent article in Glamour, body image activist Jess Weiner describes a health scare that made her re-evaluate her relationship with her body. At 250 pounds, with high cholesterol and low blood sugar, her doctor informed her she was pre-diabetic. Weiner made some lifestyle changes, dropped 25 pounds, and found herself with a clean… Continue Reading →
Dressing for whose shape, exactly?
A few days ago, I heard a young woman, about my age, express the sentiment, “Women should really dress for the body type they have, not the one they want.” She isn’t alone in her thinking. It seems finding flattering clothing is a universal concern for women. In department store dressing rooms, we search for… Continue Reading →
Miller revokes ‘man cards’ for men lite on manliness
The sexism of beer and other alcohol commercials has been well-documented by About-Face. So, I can’t say I was terribly surprised to see the line of the latest Miller Lite commercials. I’m referring to, of course, the series of advertisements that the company has been promoting as part of their “Un-Manly” campaign. I’m sure you’ve… Continue Reading →
In the space between Old and New: Irish girls, the body, and self
[Ed. note: This article is part one of a three-part series about the intersection of secular and religious culture in Ireland and the effect of those forces on Ireland’s young women.] Some time ago I came across an Irish Times article entitled Working the Hooker Look. In the article, Alda Austin writes about her experience… Continue Reading →
Sugar in the Raw delivers a sweet insult
Calorie-free sweeteners might sound great, but many of them are actually chemically altered, and all of them are contributing to the collective cultural goal to eventually subsist on, well…nothing. Given that, it came as no big surprise to me that one of these companies, Sugar in the Raw, has a new commercial that takes a swing… Continue Reading →
Who you callin’ a slut?
By now, you’ve probably heard that last January, a Toronto police officer told students that that they should avoid dressing like sluts in order to prevent being victimized. (Oh, yes he did.) Since then, “SlutWalks” have taken place in over 80 cities worldwide including New York, Boston, Dallas, Melbourne, and London to publicly protest the… Continue Reading →
Women laughing alone (and on TV and in the movies) with salad
What’s the last thing you saw a woman eating on television? Once you start looking for it, it seems women eating salad are everywhere–and not a whole lot else. But sometimes even salad isn’t “lady” enough: A scene from the 2009 film The Invention of Lying limits women’s options even more. Jennifer Garner’s character (“the… Continue Reading →
Tom Ford continues to objectify women, be lauded for genius
It seemed unlikely that anything Tom Ford could do at this point would shock us. After being named International Man of the Year by Russian GQ, he graced the cover fully clothed and surrounded by naked women, but that just made us roll our eyes and proclaim that it’s typical Tom Ford…what else would we… Continue Reading →