The Little Mermaid says, “You’ve come a long way, baby”
Disney’s Little Mermaid will celebrate her 25th birthday in a few days.
Ariel was the first Disney Princess to be touched by feminism. And she is plenty different from her predecessors — good girls who never rocked the boat, and who all needed saving by their Prince Charmings.
In Ariel we find a young woman with a strong sense of self who seeks independence and empowerment.
But she reflects the early tensions of our feminist beginnings. Read the rest of this entry
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Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze
Della Calfee. Ass Like That
Men act and women appear. Men look at women. Women watch themselves being looked at.
That’s what art critic John Berger famously observed.
But some feminist artists have turned the tables in the exhibit, Man as Object: Reversing the Gaze:
With a gallery filled with men stripped naked this body of work exposes women’s cheeky, provocative and sometimes shocking commentaries on the opposite sex (which) may make the viewer squirm a little. But that is precisely the point.
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Using Racism to Excuse Sexism
You’ve probably seen this anti-street harassment video:
It’s part of Hollaback’s ongoing work to empower women by boosting empathy, understanding and change.
But the video has been called racist for over representing men of color.
Here’s what Dr. Brittany Cooper, a Rutgers University professor of women, gender and Africana studies, had to say about that: Read the rest of this entry
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Guys Care About Their Looks, But It’s Complicated
Guys care about their looks.
Less so than girls — who are more strongly judged by their appearance. But they do care.
And no wonder, since looks are one way to gain sex, status and self-esteem. (So no surprise that Casanovas — who want A LOT of sex partners — are especially body-conscious.)
But it’s complicated. Read the rest of this entry
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We Like People Who Like Us
What attracts?
Just knowing that someone likes us spurs attraction to them.
In one experiment a young woman acted interested in men via eye contact, leaning toward them, and listening attentively. Afterward, the men said they liked her very much.
In fact, “liking” — or not — can be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you expect someone won’t like you, you probably won’t act like you like them. And then they won’t like you. This has been borne out in experiments, too. Read the rest of this entry
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Vote to Lower Your Wages
RIP American middle-class
A lot of folks are voting Republican this November in frustration with stalled wage growth.
Yet Democrats voted for — and Republicans voted against:
- Projects to build and repair roads, bridges and schools — which create good-paying jobs
- Raising the minimum wage
- Equal pay for women
- Union-friendly bills — which pressure nonunion companies to raise wages, too
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A Sexy Halloween for Grade Schoolers?
Check out the change in Halloween costumes over the years. Girls are learning that a big part of their job is to look sexy. And they’re getting that message at a tender age.
Now that’s scary!
Then and now images, via Sociological Images:
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Repression: Not What You Think It Is
A culture of sexual repression
Misconceptions surround sexual repression. And both women and men can be confused.
Some women feel insulted if anyone suggests they might be repressed.
And conversations with guys have made me realize that plenty of them think that repression means, “I really want to have sex with you but I’m going to consciously repress the idea.”
Repression isn’t quite like that. Read the rest of this entry
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Feminists Must Fight For Men’s Rights?
MRAs blame feminism for problems caused by patriarchy
Men’s Rights Activists (MRAs) frequently say women should fight for men’s rights. Like this guy:
Men face sexism too. Who advocates for us?
Or this:
Why aren’t you mentioning the fact that sexism against men gets ignored?
So I ask this:
Why do MRAs insist that women must fight for them when they feel no obligation to fight for women?
Because they never do. Read the rest of this entry
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Don’t Bully: The Kind Campaign
Lauren Paul and Molly Thompson
My junior year in high school, there was one girl who didn’t want to be my friend. She turned my whole group against me. We were also all on the dance team, so on water breaks, I sometimes had fake phone conversations so they thought I had friends.
That’s how Molly Thompson endured high school.
Lauren Paul was tortured every single day of high school by a group of girls who were angry because a boy liked her instead of one of them.
Lauren and Molly met while studying at Pepperdine University. After sharing their stories, they founded The Kind Campaign: Read the rest of this entry
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