Friday Fun Thread: Halloween Costumes...

Faces blurred to protect the (not so) innocent. I’m going to spare you the requisite ARGGH SEXXXY HALLOWEEN COSTUMES! post because I’m exhaused by the ever-worsening sexxxy Halloween costumes, and you can find hilarious take-downs and round-ups elsewhere. Instead, I am sharing with you the...

On Polanski and Other Gods and Monsters...

We’ve now all had a chance to sit and get to know our Polanski-related rage for a few weeks.  Things are simmering down, though there have been a few developments, the latest one to break my heart being that Emma Thompson signed The Petition.   There go my fantasies of her beating on the signatories...

Why Do People Hate Betty?...

No, not this Betty. But speaking of her... Via cliff1066 @ Flickr.Now that we’ve decided to Talk About Mad Men here on Harpyness, I want to discuss Betty Draper a bit. Namely, how so many people seem to hate Betty more than any other character on the show. Most everyone will admit that...

The Oxford Comma: A Good Idea...

Although I’m not immune to typos and certainly make my fair share of mistakes, I can be a pedant when it comes to grammar and usage, especially to my students.  But really, it matters, as I noted again this morning, while skimming an AP story on a new stream of evangelical Christians taking their...

Women’s Bodies Are Not Political C...

Men have been citing “their” women’s greater attractiveness as proof of their superiority over political rivals for as long as I can remember. Probably longer. It’s a fun excuse to objectify women and emphasize one’s status as alpha male, if you’re a guy. If you’re...

The First (Base) Wives Club...

Who wouldn't want to marry one of these? via dgstinner @ flickr Well, it’s time for the World Series to start. But you don’t have to give a hoot about baseball to be annoyed by this piece of dreck from Monday’s New York Daily News. I rarely purchase the News because, well, it’s...

Ayn Rand and the Gov Who Loves Her...

LOL courtesy of our buddy andBegorrah's LOLerature Tumblr. As y’all know, I’m pretty much incapable of passing up a snarka-tunity when it comes to hypocritical Republican politicians who can’t keep it in their pants. This week, Newsweek gift-wrapped the snarka-tunity and placed...

Well, Women Are Fighting To Be Heard...

Emily Gould, of former Gawker fame and current proprietress of Emily Magazine, has written an article on More Intelligent Life entitled “What Are Women Fighting About?“  Before I even get to the meat of it, allow me to remark that though the title may not be Gould’s own fault, woe...

Harpy Televisual Society: Mad Men...

PhDork: First of all: fuck yeah, Betty. Whenever she acts like an adult, I think she’s amazing. Unfortunately, that’s not been often this season. Last night, though, she was really mature. She demanded long-deserved answers. She listened but wasn’t a push-over. And she let didn’t...

Disability and Sexuality Co-Exist...

There was a bizarre scene in last week’s episode of The Office, wherein Pam complained to Oscar that their boss Michael was sleeping with her mother. “How would you like it if Michael was having sex with your mom!?” Pam asked. After a brief pause, Oscar told her, “My mom is in...

From the Women Can’t Win Files...

I am home and feverish today so not up to my usual verbosity, but I happened to catch this new piece by Nell Scovell, a female comedy writer, on the Vanity Fair website this morning, regarding her experience working on Letterman.  I’d urge you to read the whole thing, of course, but she answers...

This Voice You Hear Is Not My Own...

Seventeen years ago today a girl I knew well was killed when she was hit by a car while walking home from school.  We were both misfits; she had recently become more popular, and though usually we would have been walking together we were not that evening because she had stayed late to decorate a locker...