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Powered by Girl brings the serious talk about girls’ activism

  “Leadership skills” are great, says Lyn Mikel Brown, but intergenerational activist work is better for girls’ development and health. This is the animating philosophy behind Brown’s new book, Powered by Girl: A Field Guide for Supporting Youth Activists (Beacon Press, 2016). In it, Brown gives an in-depth view of the potential benefits of progressive… Continue Reading →

Gender neutrality needs some skirts

Ellen Degeneres has a new line of girls’ clothes at Gap Kids, and it looks pretty great, but “gender neutral” it’s not. The Gap Kids website says that they are “dedicated to supporting girls just as they are, whether they skateboard or dance, wear dresses or jeans.” The clothes feature slogans like “Be your own… Continue Reading →

Nicki Minaj: so much more than her body

Nicki Minaj’s body is (regrettably) the media’s sole focus whenever she’s in the spotlight, but an ABC family sitcom based on her family’s immigration from Trinidad in the early 1990s is about to change all of that. Young Nicki, written by Kate Angelo and produced by Minaj herself, will focus on Minaj’s life growing up in Queens, New York,… Continue Reading →

The day I fell in love with Amy Schumer

The day I fell in love with Amy Schumer, I was preparing my Intro to Psychology lecture about gender. I was searching YouTube for clever clips that I could use, when I came across a video called “Inside Amy Schumer – Last F**kable Day”. The main character, Amy Schumer, comes across her “heroes” — Julia Louis-Dreyfus,… Continue Reading →

Does sex really sell?

Today, more than ever, sex is rampant in marketing, bolstered by the notion that “Sex Sells”, but a new study reveals that this may not in fact be the case. Since the beginning of modern advertising, sexual themes and imagery have been used to sell products. Some of the earliest sexual ads were created by tobacco companies in the late 1800s…. Continue Reading →

An A+ for Teen Wolf

Let’s talk about MTV’s Teen Wolf. As a feminist and lover of pretty much all things pop-culture related, I feel like I can easily take in a television show or film and inadvertently “grade” it on how well it measures up in its representation of women and other minority groups. Such a habit comes from being… Continue Reading →