Nicki Minaj has always taken pride in and ownership of her sexuality in her work. While some deem these choices to be controversial, it seems that she's trying to demonstrate that women's sexuality an...
“You're a feminist?”
That's the most frequently asked question when you reveal your “secret identity” to someone in Slovenia. In the Slovenian “urban” dictionary, feminism is defined as being a hater...
I have always tried to be the best person I can be. I'm 16, do well in my homeschooling, don't drink or do drugs. I try to be as respectful as possible to everyone: I consider others, and treat others...
Sometimes I walk into my high school and realize that the young boys and girls who surround me will grow up and have children of their own. Just like we learn from our parents, so will our future chil...
I’m a proud member of the Women’s Issues Club at my school (Horace Mann in New York City), which is dedicated to discussing gender equality. We recently helped organize a “Unity Assembly” for our peer...
A woman in skateboarding isn’t something you hear about often. It’s a male-dominated sport and this fact has ingrained a certain mindset in skating culture. Despite this, I have always been interested...
Whether it’s the annoyingly catchy five-dollar footlong jingle or Jared Fogle’s promise that you will lose weight by eating sandwiches, Subway commercials are abundantly recognizable in our culture. T...
“Entertain me.”
“If you play too hard to get, then it’s just like, ‘Oh, she doesn’t even like me,’ but if you play easy, then it’s just like, ‘Oh, she’s a whore.’ Find a balance.”
“Wax, shave. It’s ...
Listening to (and belting out) Top 40 songs in the car is non-negotiable if you’re riding along with me. I love the bubble-gum-for-your-brain songs and gush over new pop tunes. However, I also identif...
It was a hot Los Angeles Saturday and I decided to walk my dog down my usually quiet residential street. I was sixteen at the time and wearing jeans and a T-shirt. Three men, probably in their late tw...
Typically, the heterosexual male gaze controls the depiction of women’s bodies and sexuality in pop culture. Music videos especially tend to enforce the idea that female sexuality is defined by what i...
As a Latina living in a society in which white privilege is very real, I have come to understand the importance of colored feminism. It turns out that while the fight against racism and the feminist m...
In popular culture, women’s breasts are often seen as the ultimate symbol of sex. Women are bombarded with a variety of consumeristic options to “improve” our breasts: we can buy numerous types of bra...
I like to think that feminism is becoming a topic of household discussion now. Celebrities are increasingly claiming the feminist label, sexist media depictions are causing more of an uproar and femin...
I'm sorry to say that I’ve witnessed far too many conversations in which my friends attack other girls for their sexual experiences. I have finally had enough of the way teen girls (or women of all ag...
On March 27th, 2014, former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was arrested and indicted for third-degree aggravated assault. He had punched his fiancee, Janay Palmer, in the face, knocking her un...
“Be careful, you’re just a girl!” I heard this phrase far too many times this summer as I prepared to leave for Brazil and Peru. Every Spring Break since I can remember I’ve traveled to Peru, and I’m ...
We need feminism now more than ever for many reasons, but rampant internalized misogyny -- which often goes unnoticed and, in some situations, is even understood as social norms – is as good a reason ...
What do astronaut Neil Armstrong, President Bill Clinton, basketball star Michael Jordan, and singer Bon Jovi all have in common? When they were juniors in high school, they all attended a prestigious...
Most do not realize that
they have swallowed you up
today along with their breakfast
and that you are their favorite cereal
Yours is a deceptive brand
claiming to have enough
servings of...
It has been almost two years since I heard the infamous Todd Akin remark about “legitimate rape” and abortions and I am still as angry as I was then. Recently, Todd Akin rereleased a statement in his ...
Last weekend I saw Beyoncé in concert. It was a tremendously epic and empowering evening and everything one would hope and expect seeing Beyoncé in the flesh would be.
But that’s not the point of thi...
A few weeks ago, Jada, a 16-year-old girl from Houston, Texas, went to a house party and was given a drink by the host. Little did she know that the drink was drugged, and that she would wake up later...
For years I, like most of my peers, always struggled to answer the question "why do we still need feminism?" But ever since I took a class about feminism my Junior year of high school, I can't and won...
"The Big Bang Theory" is one of my all-time favorite television shows. The show's protagonist, Sheldon Cooper, is basically my role model, and I’m obsessed with Raj, Howard, and Leonard as well. But I...