Feminist Revolutions (and Why Ladyblogs ...

Recently, I’ve taken to firing sporadic, angry twitter messages in the direction of @SarahPalinUSA. This, in itself, is perhaps not a very odd thing to do. Sarah Palin seems to possess an uncanny ability to draw out vitriol from nearly all corners, turning liberals who pride themselves on their openness...

Katie Roiphe and the Great Male Narcissi...

You’ve probably heard by now that Katie Roiphe wrote an essay for the New York Times in which she lamented the loss of virile sex writing as practiced by my favourite writers-I-hate, Updike, Roth and Mailer.  Her argument, such as it is, is that the “provocativeness” of their take on sex is aesthetically...

Standing your ground when you’re o...

As someone who spends a lot of time reading, commenting, and writing online, I consider myself adept at arguing with people on the Internet. When I come across bigotry or ignorance or misinformation on the web, I enjoy educating, enlightening, refuting, and smackin’ down. But, as I was reminded...

Attention, Ladies! A Man is Here to Hel...

Yesterday a man was invited to share his perspective at Jezebel on why women should not complain about women getting hit, for no reason, by men.  The title he chose was, “Why is Snooki More Precious Than I Am?“  You can sort of imagine how it evolved from there. I don’t want to rehash...

Gender Studies for Kindergarteners (and ...

The Guardian recently published a list of feminist books for five-year-olds.  Being one of those feminists who wasn’t exactly trained from the cradle, this sort of thing doesn’t tend to catch my interest; it seems to me that children either will find their way to right-thinking or they won’t,...

Is Feminist Punditry Really Possible? (...

Lately I’ve been realizing that feminist discussions tend to go better in general when we all give each other the benefit of the doubt.  Just look at that sex work discussion we have two days ago before about comment 125 (although I admit, I have NOT been getting laid enough lately), and you’ll...

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...

Privilege Is As Privilege Does...

Recently I was talking to a friend (not a Harpy, actually) about the feminist blogosphere generally and she said, “You know, sometimes I just get to a point where I’m all Jan Brady and I think to myself, ‘Privilege privilege privilege!’ ” Now, I gave my friend the benefit...

Childless Artists and Other Half-Existen...

Heh. I searched for existentialism and this is what came up. Via lordsutch @ Flickr. Lately I’ve been contemplating – and actually planning, and taking concrete steps toward – taking my life in another direction altogether.  This direction is, to put it bluntly, rather more risky...

Maternity Leave as a Feminist Flashpoint...

I read Hortense’s piece at Jezebel about this UK survey – in which 74% of women surveyed allegedly said they believed childless women should be entitled to something equivalent to the standard six-months given for maternity leave in the UK – and sort of thought to myself: I smell some...

Through Every Open Door: Patrick Swayze,...

It’s sort of weird to write an encomium to a dude, isn’t it, on a feminist website?  And yet I cried today when I heard about Patrick Swayze – and I am not a crier – and I wanted to say something to you. I make a habit in this space (and others) of picking apart pop culture for...

Policing Ourselves and Each Other...

There is an interesting conversation happening at Racialicious, which was inspired by this post about racist criticisms of the “Real Housewives of Atlanta.” Four out of the five “Real Housewives” in that cast are black, and, as Tami says: A foray into online coverage, blogs and...