The Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue is a friendly annual reminder that the media’s obsession with sexualizing and objectifying women is still very much alive. Despite the magazine’s focus on sports and athleticism, the swimsuit issue focuses on the bodies of conventionally attractive women—almost none of whom are actually athletes. This year is a bit different,… Continue Reading →
Mixed signals: football and feminism
Many people think of football as the classic man’s sport. Certainly, the game appeals to some basic masculine desires like physical strength, competition, and bravado. But many women enjoy the sport as well; things like loyalty to a region or player, a sense of community, or even just love for the game are all reasons… Continue Reading →
Orange is the New Black, white, straight, gay, and everything in between
I’m extremely skeptical about television. I don’t have cable because, save for Breaking Bad, I’m generally not interested. So when I first saw the ads for Netflix’s Orange is the New Black, I was quick to write it off as a scripted and gimmicky tale of a white girl in prison. But after watching it, I… Continue Reading →
Fun, games, and misogyny at E3
E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) is meant to highlight upcoming video games and advances in game technology. But this year’s event, which took place from June 11-13th, was overshadowed by a few unfortunate incidents that highlighted the still-present sexism in video game culture instead. On the first day of E3, feminist video game critic, Anita Sarkeesian, tweeted… 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 →
A damsel in progress: analyzing BioShock Infinite’s Elizabeth
From Peach to Zelda, the damsel in distress is a classic video game figure. Countless games have featured the helpless princess in need of rescuing, and despite its blatant sexism, the trope is still widely used. When Irrational Games’ BioShock: Infinite was released March 26th, female character Elizabeth seemed to be just another damsel in… Continue Reading →
The reinvention of girl power: new Lara Croft is still a bad-ass, with a new bra
Since Tomb Raider’s debut in 1996, the game’s hero, Lara Croft, has been most every adolescent boy’s dream and every grown woman’s nightmare. Despite her bad-ass moves, Lara’s body—most notably a pair of laughably enormous breasts—has always been overtly objectified and sexualized. But in the most recent iteration of the Tomb Raider franchise, Tomb Raider:… Continue Reading →