Mel McLaughlin, a well-known and respected Australian sports commentator, was recently tasked with conducting a post-match interview with cricketer Chris Gayle. The reporter asked professional, though...
I have always struggled with New Year's resolutions because they so often revolve around losing weight — to look “good” in that bikini this summer and to achieve that “perfect body.” I am no stranger ...
Australia is often celebrated for its beautiful beaches and fun, laid back people, but this reputation overlooks a co-existing darker reality. The nation is actually one of the worst human rights viol...
In 1971, President Nixon infamously declared a "War on Drugs." This catalyzed an aggressive spike in incarceration rates, which increased the U.S. prison population by over 500% in just a few decades....
“It’s just an excuse for sluts to be naked all the time.”
This was my mother's response to my attempt to explain the importance of the Free the Nipple movement. Although I disagree, I also know that ...
The spring semester of my freshmen year of college, I took a class called "Intro to Political Theory." I was obsessed with the syllabus (Kant and Marx make my head hurt in all the right ways) and more...
I used to be a White Feminist. As a white woman, I thought it was my only option. But, as a video produced by the Huffington Post and a thoughtful post by the young star Rowan Blanchard both explai...
In the wake of the historic Supreme Court decision to universally legalize same-sex marriage, 26 million Facebook users demonstrated their support by superimposing a rainbow-tinted flag over their pro...
When I was sixteen my parents and I packed up and moved from Australia to New York. I left behind my school, the place I grew up, some friends, and many family members. It was a big change, but one th...
It’s clear that women are severely underrepresented in U.S. politics: Currently, only 20% of the seats in Congress, and 25% of the seats in state legislators are held by women. The fact that Hillary C...
Much lip service has been paid to feminism's supposed comeback — especially in terms of more authentic representations of women in pop culture. Charlize Theron's recent portrayal of the badass protago...
I was a teen in the '90s, and heavily influenced by Riot Grrrl feminism. Everything was DIY, dress how you want, and live with a militant independence. My feminism was raw, precocious, and wild. Now t...
Women are disrespected far too often. They're frequently interrupted, talked over, or directly insulted. So, it is particularly satisfying — even cathartic — when a woman publicly takes a stand agains...
If you’re anything like me, words like “fiscal” and “economic” and “marketplace” have always been like a Muggle version of the Petrificus Totalus curse. Despite my disdain for the stereotype of women ...
I’ve always thought of myself as a very strong, independent, and at times, outspoken young woman. I was confident in my voice and in myself, certain that I would never find myself in a situation with ...
When exactly do you become a woman? I've received a few different answers to this question that I think are worth exploring.
My elementary school nurse told me in fifth grade I would become a woman w...
Do you ever feel like you owe something to second wave feminists? I do and often think of these women who changed the world before I act. I wonder if someone who lived through some of the most revolut...
I’m a huge fan of Harry Potter. I grew up reading the books, have seen each film countless times, and dressed up as Hermione for many Halloweens. But while I’ll always love the series, I also recogniz...
More and more I see myself thinking like you. Less like a child, and more like a woman. I used to think that a woman could either have the white picket fence with a happy family and a golden retriever...
I was 11 years old when I succumbed to buying my first tube of "fairness" cream. It was right after a popular boy teased me by calling out "Weh blackie" to me.
Before he teased me, I internalized mos...
Female professional athletes in this nation do not get the recognition they deserve. As a female athlete who competes at the collegiate level, I know first hand that women's sports just do not get the...
As of 2014, women earn 82.55 percent of what men do in full-time wage and salary jobs. That's a five percent increase from the 77 percent statistic often cited by the media and some clear progress tow...
I love math and science and I don’t think I’d be who I am now without it. While I may not know how to code or have taken AP Physics, I appreciate these fields immensely. However, there have been i...
Last night, students shuffled in and out of the audition room for a production I’m working on, frantically asking about pronunciation and deciding whether to use or ignore the chairs we’d provided the...
Of the many important issues for which feminist activists today fight, intersectionality is certainly one of the biggest. There’s been a big push for inclusion as we recognize that we must correct thi...