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...
The Internet is incredible. Our generation has seemingly limitless access to information and can connect with people anywhere in the world in an unprecedented way. It has given people the opportunity ...
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...
When Nika Shelby, a student at Union College, started weightlifting it wasn’t to get fit. She was fighting to save her life.
In high school, her friends knew her as a powerhouse. She was the stronges...
To say sexism and gender-based discrimination don’t exist would be like claiming oceans aren’t wet. There are, in fact, many issues facing women of the present, and they need to be addressed. So thank...
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...
Several weeks ago I overheard a conversation between two of my male peers. They were discussing what they felt was a grossly unequal method of teaching by one of our mutual teachers.
The teacher they...
Many people have praised the effort made to raise awareness about domestic violence at the Grammys. Yet plenty have also noted the irony of the same organization that nominated Chris Brown acknowledgi...
Over the past six months, we have certainly seen positive change when it comes to feminist progress. For example, in September of last year, the California State Senate unanimously voted to enact 'Yes...
“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...
It's a well known fact that women still face inequality like sexism and discrimination in the workplace. However, while we often focus on the dismal representation of women in STEM fields or at the to...
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...
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...
I must say for a teenage girl I have always been pretty confident about my body. I have never been a twig but am also not overweight and have never felt bothered by my appearance. Every year, I fly to...
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...
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...
“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 ...
“The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.” -- 1 Corinthians 14:34, from the New American Standard B...
We must, we must, we must increase our bust. The bigger, the better, the tighter the sweater, the boys will like us.
This is the jingle my friends taught me in the gym locker room in the fifth grade....
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 ...
As a kid I was very chubby and sturdy, but that all changed once puberty kicked in. People wondered if I went on a diet to lose weight when I was younger, but my eating habits hadn’t changed. This com...
Lately, I have been swept up in the flurry of beautiful videos detailing why what we say to young girls matters - videos from companies like Always and Verizon. Videos that remind me why I am thankful...
Home Economics, renamed Family and Consumer Sciences in 1994, had its heyday in the mid-1900s. It was taught in almost all schools and offered as a major in college. Unfortunately, despite being conce...
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...