WMC FBomb
Are "No Makeup" Campaigns Really Empowering?
Though it appeared in Vanity Fair last year, a photo for which Kate Winslet posed sans makeup recently inspired a social media-based no-makeup selfie campaign. Fans were encouraged to post their own n...
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Why We Can't Simply Ban Microaggressions On Campuses
"Where are you really from?"
"What are you?"
"You don't look Latina."
"Microaggressions" are “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unint...
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From Girl to "Princess": Experiencing Sexual Harassment for the First Time
It happened a couple of weeks after my 12th birthday. I hadn't entered high school, I didn't have my period or a crush on anyone. I was too young to experience the best, empowering parts of my sexuali...
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What Justin Bieber's VMA Performance Can Teach Us About Modern Masculinity
At the end of his VMA performance on Sunday night, Justin Bieber began to cry. This image has already launched debates about his motivations and as someone who has spent the past 4 years imme...
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On Male-Dominated Spaces and Internalized Sexism
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...
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August 25, 2015 | Saskia G |
Body image and body standards,
Education,
Feminism,
Misogyny,
Race/Ethnicity
On Women's Equality Day, Let's Talk About White Feminism
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...
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August 24, 2015 | Kinder L |
Body image and body standards,
Media
How Television Continues to Normalize Eating Disorders
“Please don’t hurl too much, because if you get any thinner I’m gonna start looking fat,” Brooke, the head cheerleader in the show One Tree Hill, nonchalantly says to her best friend in an early episo...
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It's 2015. Why Is Male Nudity Still Funny?
"There's a big problem in Hollywood today," Kevin Bacon says at the start of a recently released video. "In so many films and TV shows we see gratuitous female nudity, and that's not okay."
While rai...
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We Need To Stop Trying to Convince Girls They're Beautiful
I was lucky enough to have a healthy body image for most of my childhood. I consistently played on various soccer and basketball teams, and between going to practice and scrambling to finish my homewo...
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Why The Most Important Part of College for Women May Happen Outside the Classroom
We're often taught that college is training for "real" life. The time we spend on campus and in class is supposed to prepare us for the rest of our lives. But I feel that my summer breaks have actuall...
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July 22, 2015 | David Guirgis |
Feminism,
Gender-based violence,
International,
Violence against women
Why We Must Listen to Syrian Refugee Women
Since 2011, Syria has been embroiled in a civil war. Millions of people have been displaced — the majority of whom have fled to Jordan and Lebanon — and over 220,000 have been killed so far, according...
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What Misty Copeland's Success Reveals About Race In The Arts
Misty Copeland made history on June 30th when she was promoted within the American Ballet Theatre, becoming the first African American ballerina to reach the rank of Principal Dancer after being the ...
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How One Anti-Body Shaming Campaign Actually Reinforced Beauty Standards
I have a mole on my right cheek. As a child, it was the physical feature about which I felt the most insecure. For years, however, my mother insisted that what I considered a flaw was actually a "beau...
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HelloFlo, Hello Naama: An Interview With HelloFlo Founder, Naama Bloom
You may be familiar with HelloFlo from their viral videos that buck period-related stigmas and feature boisterous young girls celebrating their time of month. But this company is much more than these ...
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July 13, 2015 | Eliza V |
Feminism
The Importance of Embracing Change
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...
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'Miss USA' Switched Networks, But Should It Be Retired Altogether?
NBC recently dropped the Miss USA Pageant, but the pageant quickly found a new home with cable network REELZ. However, it seems like this could have been a good time to stop televising the pageant alt...
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We Need To Talk About The True Definition of Sexual Assault
*Trigger warning*
I have been sexually assaulted twice, although I didn't recognize either event as such at the time.
The first time, I was 18, asleep next to my boyfriend. I had passed out almost i...
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July 01, 2015 | Hannah B |
Arts and culture,
Feminism,
Gender-based violence,
Media,
Violence against women
The Problem With The Supposed Feminist 'Comeback'
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...
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“Hot Girls Wanted”: White Respectability and the Erasure of Men
Hot Girls Wanted — a new documentary produced by actress Rashida Jones — follows five amateur porn actresses between the ages of 18 to 25 and details their experiences filming porn and living togethe...
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June 24, 2015 | Alexis T |
Body image and body standards,
Education,
Feminism,
Violence against women
10 Lessons For Young Feminists
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...
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June 09, 2015 | Eloise Bouton |
Feminism
It’s Hard to be a Topless Feminist in France
Many people probably think France is a feminist-friendly country. My experience as an activist with the international feminist organization Femen has taught me that this is not the case. I've found th...
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Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes About Mental Illness
Close your eyes for a second and think about depression. What comes to mind? Chances are, it’s a girl (maybe with her head in her hands). Perhaps she appears as a dark silhouette, curled up in the fet...
WMC FBomb
The Problem With 'Strong Is The New Skinny'
The “ideal figure” of a woman has changed a lot over the years. But beauty has undeniably always been determined in relation to patriarchal standards.
During the Italian Renaissance, fuller figures w...
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May 03, 2015 | Stephanie L |
Feminism
When Exactly Do You Become A Woman?
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...
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April 30, 2015 | Ines R |
Feminism
Can Anyone Be The ‘Perfect’ Feminist?
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...