Links for Sexy Feminists: Against “Dieting”, Safer Sweatshops, Women Vote in Pakistan, More

Against the “Diet”: A poignantly inspiring tale of a woman who watched her father waste away due to self starvation and vows to embrace her own plus -ize figure. If you’re ever at a loss for body positivity, may we recommend reading and rereading this compilation of advice from fat women who love their curves. Meanwhile, having broken the “We don’t want fat people” Abercrombie story, Business Insider charts a precipitous drop in the brand’s popularity following the story.

Safer Sweatshops: On the other end of the fashion cycle, we were encouraged to hear that several prominent retailers are committing to improve factory conditions in Bangladesh.

Rethinking Choice: One woman’s interesting take on the semantic argument between “Life” and “Choice.”

Surprise!: Greater access to and education about birth control leads to fewer abortions. Interestingly, education in the study led many women to conclude that an IUD was the right choice for them, suggesting that the long-term solution may be underused.

Sex Positivity: Thanks to Jezebel for this primer on the so-called “looseness” of the vulva. NSFW.

Mommy Life: One woman’s story about coming to terms with postpartum depression and accepting that her husband could be the better caregiver at the beginning.

Activism Works: The Florida teen whose science experiment caused a minor explosion has had charges dropped after internet activists accused the accusers of racism. Meanwhile, though Disney has publicly backed down from its Merida makeover, only time will tell if they’re changing her back.

Women in the World: Pakistani women braved threats of violence to vote this past weekend, while Kuwaiti women are gaining grounds for athletic competition. Coming from a different religious perspective, Israel has struck down the mandate that women and men be segregated on public bus rides through conservative neighborhoods. Meanwhile, Canadian students created this funny and thought-provoking spoof of gender roles in advertising.


Links for Sexy Feminists: Men’s Rights Activists, More Steubenville Fallout, Keeping Dads Involved, and more

Death to the Patriarchy: Jezebel’s inimitable Lindy West succinctly breaks down why everything MRAs rail against are symptoms of patriarchy, not feminism.

Continuing the Steubenville Dialogue: A U of Rochester econ prof put up a thought experiment about “reaping the benefits” of a passed-out individual on his blog, which upset quite a few folks, understandably. Meanwhile, an awesome male feminist starts a dialogue with teenage boys on how to not rape girls. And a queer-friendly blog has some great thoughts on why the silence of a female partner should not signify her consent.

Involved Dads: Iceland requires dads to take paternity leave, and having Dad help out so much in the early stages helps gender equality, both for the household and across the small country.

Dating Dan: A well-intentioned, self-aware man with Asperger’s and OCD searches for love, raising interesting questions about self-disclosure for all of us who have “issues.”

Exotic Dancing: The Frisky offers an anonymous expose of what a dancer deals with at a high-end strip club.


Female Condoms: Sexy and Empowering or ‘Ew’?

Dr. Donna Espeut takes on the female condom debate in this guest post.

For some of us, male condoms are the go-to, dual-protection method, even though there are other options in our cache of safer sex tools. Female condoms, on the other hand, get little or no love. A recent piece on Jezebel.com suggests that this case of unrequited love is justified. (Tracie Egan Morrissey writes, “female condoms are just ew.”) However, here are four reasons why we should stop giving the female condom the cold shoulder:

 

1. It adds a dash of empowerment to our safer-sex pursuits.

Of all the methods designed to prevent both pregnancy and STIs, only the female condom bears the distinction of being completely woman-initiated and woman-controlled. A lubricated and soft hypoallergenic sheath with a flexible ring on each end, it fits in with our diverse sexual repertoire. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when used correctly, a female condom’s effectiveness in preventing pregnancy is 95 percent, compared with 98 percent for male condoms. Female condoms also cover more of the external genitalia than male condoms, offering better protection against herpes and other STIs. Those of us who have grown weary of negotiating male condom use every time we have sex might therefore find a welcomed bedfellow in the female condom.

[Read more...]


Links for Sexy Feminists: The Feminine Mystique, Fashion Week, Lena Dunham, and more

The Feminine Mystique: 40 years after the landmark book’s publication, Stephanie Coontz reflects on why gender equality stalled. On the positive side, a recent study suggests that menopause and grandmothering were critical to human evolution.

Diversity is Hot: NYC just wrapped up Fashion Week, and way too few women of color hit the runways.

Your Rights at Risk: Just in case you thought Mississippi was the only state passing legislation that severely endangers a woman’s right to choose, Alabama is here for you.

Exhibitionist Girls: Vulture on why Lena Dunham may be an iconic feminist but her nude scences aren’t “brave.”

No to Shame: On the other side of the world, feminist women are courageous in standing up for their human rights.

Hey Oscar! Women are talented behind the camera, too, yet the categories with no women or one woman nominated suggest an industry bias.


Links for Sexy Feminists: Valentine’s Day, One Billion Rising, Mansplaining, and more

Conversation Hearts: As Valentine’s Day approaches, let’s all take a moment to consider the plight of women in abusive relationships. And hope that the Violence Against Women Act makes it through the House. If you’d like a side of activism with your V-Day, seek out a One Billion Rising event near you.

Women are Citizens: The problem with Obama’s rhetoric in the State of the Union, explained at Feministing.

Opposite Day: Hilarious tweets which point out the clear silliness of Men’s Rights Activists.

Mansplained! A space for accomplished women to vent when men don’t take them seriously. And check out this list of ways society lies to women.

People Aren’t Props: Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition has a problematic approach to “other” cultures in this year’s issue.

Stay Cool: Fun valentines from Ryan Gosling, Forever Alone Guy, and Vladimir Putin (?).


Links for Sexy Feminists: Vulvas, Sheryl Sandberg, Chelsea Welch, and more

Lights Out on Superbowl Trafficking: Beyoncé owned at Superbowl halftime. Don’t believe us? Check the NYT. But even our favorite independent lady can’t distract us from raising awareness of huge human trafficking concerns that come to light with the Super Bowl.

Vulvas are Vonderful: If the “Barbie” vulva offered by plastic surgeons makes you cringe, check out this awesome artwork with sex positive tips on a woman’s natural exterior “down there.”

Jesus the Feminist: Feminism and Christianity may not be as mutually exclusive as it seems right now.

Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg is making waves as “a pom pom girl for feminism.” The WSJ got a sneak peak at her upcoming book, and points out that her privilege prevents her from understanding the struggles regular women face.

Chelsea Welch, the waitress who Applebee’s very controversially fired, speaks out in a new piece. Jezebel on the social justice aspects of tipping, and Feministe on the unacceptable service side of not tipping.


Links for Sexy Feminists: Roe v. Wade at 40, Clothes Make the Woman, Fetishes, and more

My Body My Choice: Roe v. Wade turns forty this week, and co-creator of The Daily Show Lizz Winstead teams up with Ultraviolet in a catchy video about the creeping erosion of our right to safe, legal abortion. Guttmacher Institute offers five detailed, elegant infographics about the decision’s continued importance, while This Is Personal offers a visual Q&A about what its erosion means to you.

Reacting to Roe: The Washington Post covers a new study which says most Americans support Roe v. Wade. Meanwhile, Supreme Court journalist Jeffrey Toobin offers a favorable polemic as the leadoff Comment in the New Yorker’s Talk of the Town.

I Can’t Even… : Cutting up your vagina to look like Barbie.

Clothes Make the Woman: A sociology professor tells us what’s so awesome about this viral image.

Feminist Fetish: Our friend in feminism, Jessica Wakeman, wrote a great exploration of what “kinks” and “fetishes” are, and why they’re too often used incorrectly.


Links for Sexy Feminists: Magical HIV-fighting condoms, Hillary’s possible presidential run, and more …

Now this is the future we’d hoped for: No flying cars, but io9 tells us about these female “condoms” that contain HIV-fighting drugs, kill sperm, then disappear, no muss, no fuss, thanks to nanotechnology. No wonder these scientists got a million-dollar grant.

25 articles every woman should read: We agree, HuffPo, though we think men should read them, too.

Hillary Clinton is basically running for president: Or we’re all acting like it, or we just miss having an election to talk about, or we just enjoy fanciful daydreams. The New Yorker breaks down the pros and cons. We’re not the only ones kinda moony-eyed over the idea, either.

Women are now a third of nation’s doctors and lawyers: So says The Wall Street Journal.

Two sexual assaults reported at Yale this week: The Yale Daily News reports


A Skeptical Lesbian Goes to a Strip Club

On the Upper East Side, at the edge of the Triborough Bridge, there is a place called Sapphire where girls are gems and dollars translate to lap dances, or very expensive bottles of Dom Perignon.

Last Friday was my first foray into the stereotypical straight man’s playground otherwise known as the Strip Club. My friend, M. planned this evening in honor of her birthday. She had never been to one and I decided I’d use this gathering as my excuse to see what all the fuss was about.

About ten of us, mostly lesbians, took the nervous/excited walk from a nearby bar to the club. As we walked farther east—almost no-man’s land by this West Sider’s standards—some of us made dirty jokes to keep our minds occupied while others smoked hurriedly in the thirty-degree cold.

Soon, we found ourselves at the foot of our own Troy. With topless girls. We were going in.

Full disclosure: I made the initial notes for this article on a scrap piece of paper while still at the club.

[Read more...]


Links for Sexy Feminists: Middle Earth couture, Kate and Wills’ royal spawn, and more …

Geeky girls need couture, too: Love this Middle Earth map dress on io9.com.

“What it’s like to be the only sister in the sex club”: From Jezebel.

Curvy vs. Skinny: Good point: It’s not okay to put skinny ladies down in your quest to make curvy ladies appreciate their own bodies. Cara Alwill Leyba breaks it down on HuffPo.

The Church of England’s woman problem: Even a denomination known for its (sorta, generally, relatively) progressive stance on female clergy can’t quite get over the Biblical sexist-speak. The New Yorker explains. In related news, we love this protest-singer nun featured in The New York Times.

Brace yourselves: Kate and Wills have confirmed they are expecting their first royal spawn.


Switch to our mobile site