Here’s something I find disturbing: The cover of April’s Women’s Health magazine. Here are some of their cover stories: “20 Easy Ways to Look Hot Now”; “Drop 5 Pounds-Eat Your Way to a Smaller Size”; “You’ll Own Spring in the Coolest Shoes, Bags, Jewelry, and More”; “The Single Best Anti-Ager Most Women Skip”; “Working Out… Continue Reading →
Thin is OUT — for some runways
The protruding edges of hip bones used to be a defining feature of most fashion runways. Jutting collarbones, visible ribcages, and minimal curves have long made up the standard body type used to showcase what fashion designers have created for their next season’s clothing line. This body type, possessed naturally by a very small portion… Continue Reading →
All-natural or all-sexist? Carl’s Jr. does it again
Why go all-natural? Carl’s Jr.’s latest burger commercial can tell you. “I love going all natural. It just makes me feel better,” says a voluptuous blond woman wearing little more than…well…anything. This woman, who has hobbies, goals, dreams, and a personality that we know nothing about, is the spokesperson for the new All-Natural Burger at… Continue Reading →
Hello Flo’s “Postpartum: The Musical” has us laughing and learning
Hello Flo, the creative genius behind the hilarious Camp Gyno and First Moon Party videos, has a new story to tell. Introducing Postpartum: The Musical. The mockumentary uses Hello Flo’s usual hilarious wit and blunt openness about messy subjects to advertise their New Mom Kit, which includes things like pads, nipple cream, a postpartum survival guide,… Continue Reading →
Advertising and porn: Why can’t we tell the difference?
What is porn, anyway? Is this porn? Is this? How about this? How do you know? It’s been said that porn is hard to define, but “you know it when you see it.” So what do we see when we see porn? Documentary filmmaker Rashida Jones… Continue Reading →
Why my potato chips are healthier than the diet mentality
Saturday afternoon: another Netflix marathon, full relaxation mode… Until the TV screen is taken over by a pile of steaming, fluffy French toast, seductively dripping with sticky, golden maple syrup. “Yum,” I think. All of a sudden, the breakfast of dreams is destroyed as a towering box of Special K lands smack on top of… Continue Reading →
Am I allowed to like Valentine’s Day?
A dilemma: I’m a feminist. Am I allowed to like the “patriarchal nonsense” that is Valentine’s Day? The answer: I sure as hell am, if I want to. Valentine’s Day is one of my favorite holidays — I show loved ones that I care, and it’s not for a holiday or because society dictates that… Continue Reading →
Cause for celebration? Sports Illustrated discovers plus-size women
Yesterday, About-Face’s executive director, Jennifer Berger, was published in the San Francisco Chronicle with an op-ed (that is, “opinion editorial”) about the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue. In it, Jennifer praises Sports Illustrated for running the images of the larger models, but also states: On the other hand, the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue is really just… Continue Reading →
Great Super Bowl for women and girls, right? Wrong.
After so many years of incredibly degrading, sexist, and sexualized ads, the ways women were represented in this year’s Super Bowl commercials, overall, were much less problematic and insulting. It sure seems like advertisers have been listening to what gender equity activists have been saying for many years. So this is great. Sexism in the Super… Continue Reading →