Romantic comedies generate a perception of love that frequently reinforces gender expectations. This discrepancy between dreams and reality can put strain on people, particularly women. The last-minute airport chase, the big confession in the rain, and the notion that if it’s “real love,” it will be evident, effortless, and all-consuming are all moments that we have all […]
Read More Rom-Coms vs. RealityA interview with the women owned business the LO|CAL Market In Harrisonburg, we have many thrift stores and local markets for everyone to explore. A few examples are the Agora shops, Lady Jane, and the LO|CAL Market. I learned that the LO|CAL Market is run and owned by a woman who grew up pretty close […]
Read More A LO|CAL InterviewFollowing the recent cancellation of the hit reality television show, The Bachelorette, fans have expressed their opinions on the sudden cancellation and the incident leading up to the show’s premiere. Upcoming Bachelorette, Taylor Frankie Paul was no stranger to the public eye, but a recently released video has taken her out of Bachelor nation spotlight. […]
Read More The Bachelorette Fallout: Why Reality TV Stars Need to Take AccountabilityHow do you tell someone you love that you are good enough and you deserve to eat? I asked myself this question a countless number of times as I watched my childhood best friend, a Black woman who was a track athlete, run over 10 miles every single day, and only fueling herself with one […]
Read More You Are Good EnoughOn Tuesday in our class, bostonbabe and justbeachy14 discussed local, national, and global news stories. The topics covered ranged from March Madness to an upcoming feminist conference to the recent drama regarding the cancelled Bachelorette season. With the month of March coming to a close, we’re discussing the JMU women’s and Kentucky men’s March Madness […]
Read More Newsroom 3/27Not meaning stupid, a model or replica, pacifier, or anything else Urban Dictionary may come up with. I’m talking about crash test dummies. Because if you’re a woman, apparently we aren’t considered as one yet. While on a scrolling spree on TikTok the other night, the video above appeared and proceeded to send me on […]
Read More Don’t You Wanna Be a Dummy?If my best friend, who is the same age as me, born just two weeks apart, the same major, the same values, and even the same shade of blonde if you want to get specific, goes to school at Auburn in Alabama and needs healthcare, and I need that same healthcare here in Virginia, why […]
Read More Access Should Not Depend on Your Zip CodeI swear this is something I think about all the time. Why is birth control basically seen as a “girl thing”? Like genuinely. Any time it comes up, it’s always directed at women. Doctor appointments, conversations with friends, even random comments people make. It’s just assumed that we’re the ones handling it. And honestly, I’ve […]
Read More It Takes Two… So Why Is It On One?The “Safeguard American Voter Eligibility” (SAVE) Act was introduced in January 2025 to ensure only U.S. citizens can vote in federal elections. To register, you need a REAL ID—a birth certificate or a passport—that confirms your citizenship. Previously, voters only needed a driver’s license or a state ID. The aim of the bill is to […]
Read More S.A.V.E.ING THE DAY? White Feminism In The Conversation Around Voting RightsThe Pros of Living with Someone Else This post was edited on March 24th, 2026 at 1pm by JustBeachy14. When looking for a place to live on my own after I graduated college, it was no easy task. I not only had to look for a place to call home, but my mom was nagging me to live with someone. […]
Read More Safety In NumbersYour favorite source for feminist discourse will be back in action on Tuesday, March 24!
Read More BRB! We’re Taking a Moment to Recharge…On Tuesday in class, twihard, usuallyalwaysright, and dailycuriosity discussed local, national, and global news stories. The stories we discussed were on women’s healthcare, paid family leave, and a women run radio station in Afghanistan giving Afghan women a platform to discuss education, health, and social issues. LOCAL The local news took place in Harrisonburg. Shannon […]
Read More NEWSROOM 3/10When Riley Gaines brings her “Pick Up the Mic” tour to our college campus, it usually turns into much more than a typical guest speaker event. Instead of just another talk in a classroom, her visits normally create bigger conversations amongst students about gender, sports, and what feminism actually means. Gaines, who is a former […]
Read More Fairness Or Exclusion? Riley Gaines’ Campus TourUnless you’re living under a rock, you know what a GLP-1 is. I can’t be the only one that has noticed the resurgence of WICKED thin celebrities, or influencers on skinny tok. It seems like everywhere you go, there’s a reminder of what your body looks like. Do we think this is a coincidence? I […]
Read More Injected into skinny cultureI acknowledge that everyone feels pressure in day-to-day life, but who feels it the most? I think the vast majority of women could attest that they feel immense responsibility to fill their traditional gender roles and identities. To be more specific, I think teenage girls are impacted the most. Society’s overall accepted gender norms are […]
Read More The Pressure to be Everything: Facing Gender Expectations as a Young WomanReality TV is known for edited scenes, pushed storylines and of course, lots of drama. But, these shows involve real people and real relationships. As entertaining as the scandals are, the gender dynamics behind them unfortunately mirror real life. Vanderpump Rules, beneath the screaming fights and SUR uniforms, shows what you can’t fake: sexism. If […]
Read More You Can’t Script Sexism: How Vanderpump Rules Puts the “Real” in Reality TVIn history classes, we typically learned that women earned the right to vote in 1920, and that’s where the chapter seemed to close on the struggle for women’s suffrage. What these books often don’t elaborate upon is the struggle to vote, even after the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Neely Tucker for the Library of […]
Read More Has Voting Become A Privilege?I was 15 when I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, otherwise known as PCOS. The age where I was supposed to be learning how to drive and navigate high school course work was suddenly replaced by doctor’s visits and self-negativity. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome is a common condition in women that imbalances hormones in the ovaries. It’s become one of the […]
Read More PCOS Awareness is Important for Women’s HealthI’m no stranger to having a crush. The thrill it brings me, from texting the person I like and knowing there’s a possibility they feel the same, and then going on a first date. I love the title of “girlfriend”, mainly because it makes me feel more secure in what I am to my crush, […]
Read More More Than Someone’s GirlfriendA Weekend to Celebrate All the Women Out There This weekend, we celebrated International Women’s Day. There were speeches given and markets displayed to show what women have been capable of. When seeing everyone come out and celebrate what amazing things we do as women, it shows how we can be united as one front. […]
Read More Women’s WeekendVirginia is my soul state. I was born and raised here, went to K-12 up in NOVA before moving to JMU to complete my undergrad, and God do I love it here. The small town feeling of Harrisonburg, with its rolling countryside that feeds into the Blue Ridge Mountains and the kindness shown to me […]
Read More It’s the little things.On Tuesday in class, wr1tergirl, TheTalker, and lunarletters covered topics in local, national, and global news. These topics covered what’s occurring in politics, other territories including Iran, and history being honored in local spaces. We discussed the SAVE Act and how it would impact women and marginalized groups, Iranian feminists coming together during a tragic […]
Read More News Round-Up 3/3This post was edited on March 25, 2026 by lunarletters. We encourage women to break glass ceilings, while others sit detained in cages. We love the idea of empowering women- the CEO, the politician, the “girl boss”. But what about the migrant mother detained in an immigration center? Why does feminism suddenly get quiet at […]
Read More GLASS CEILINGS vs IRON CAGES: WHY IMMIGRATION DETENTION IS A FEMINIST ISSUEIt’s no secret that worldwide, women carry far more of the culinary responsibilities at home than men. In 2023, women over doubled men in the number of meals cooked within the average household. Despite this outsized role in food preparation at home, women have consistently struggled to break through in the restaurant industry. In the […]
Read More The Secret ingredient is Feminism?This post was edited on 04/25/2026 by Usuallyalwaysright. While exploring the history of the feminist movement in Bolivia, one name kept appearing again and again: Adela Zamudio. It made me pause. How had I never heard of her before? The more I looked into her life, the more I learned that Zamudio wasn’t just a […]
Read More Who is Adela Zamudio?In February 2026, a bill straight out of The Handmaid’s Tale made its way onto the floor of the Illinois Senate when Neil Anderson, a Republican state senator from Andalusia, introduced perhaps the most extreme anti-abortion bill in recent years. Under SB3572, also referred to as the Abolish Abortion Illinois Act, fetuses and embryos would […]
Read More Modern-Day Handmaid’s Tale: Illinois Senator Says Women Should Get Death Penalty for AbortionsI’ve always had a huge heart. I feel like I care more deeply than the average person. I love harder. I hurt harder. Everything has always felt amplified through my lens. For a long time, I called that my greatest blessing, but it has also been my biggest curse, because I always seem to end […]
Read More JMU Hookup cultureOh, not this again. “You should smile more.” That phrase haunted me when I worked as a server. I heard it more times than I can count. It did not matter if I was already doing my job well, handling multiple tables, or just concentrating. Somehow my facial expression always seemed to be the thing […]
Read More “You Should Smile More”In the beginning, it’s Easter Sunday, and I’m sitting ankles-crossed in the pews with my new boyfriend. He grew up on homeschool Bibles and Walmart parking lot sermons, and the last time I prayed in earnest was for a parking spot in Chesapeake. By comparison, the arches, the choir, and the linen tablecloths are lovely. […]
Read More Feminist(?) Goes To ChurchHappy Women’s History Month! I love all genres of music, but my favorite has to be rock. For Women’s History Month I want to talk about five of my favorite female fronted rock bands and how they’ve impacted the genre as well as bent the norms in a male dominated field. Let’s start off with […]
Read More Celebrating Women Who Shaped Rock MusicThis post was edited on 3/25/25 by lifeisgood77 When people say the phrase crazy cat lady, it is casual. It’s on the couch with friends, poking fun at someone that you went to high school with and weren’t a fan of, that still isn’t married. It’s supposed to be a dig, but not harsh. But […]
Read More What does it really mean to call someone a Crazy Cat Lady?We’ve all heard it before. Women just know when something is wrong. Women have intuition. A gut feeling. A sixth sense. But what if women’s intuition isn’t mystical at all? What if it’s survival? From a young age, girls are taught to be aware. We are told not to walk alone at night. We are […]
Read More Women’s Intuition Isn’t Magic, It’s SurvivalOn Tuesday in class, xoxogossipgirl, EyesWideShut, and StoryPaws drew attention to local, national and global stories that reflect what’s happening right now in sports, economics, and society. We discussed James Madison University’s women’s basketball team, rising unemployment rates among Black women nationally, the U.S. women’s Olympic hockey team, and Swedish skiier Elis Lundholm, the first […]
Read More NEWSROOM 2/24The mens olympic hockey team is making headlines everywhere following their huge win for the first time in years. However, it’s definitely not the win that is breaking the news. After the Olympic win, the men took the obvious option for them, partying with the head of the FBI and calling Donald Trump in the […]
Read More When Winning Is not enoughWhen the Epstein documents were “released” most of the internet focused on one thing: the names. Who’s on the list? And who’s not on the list… But the bigger issue isn’t gossip. It’s transparency. Yes, redactions are normal. Courts protect survivor identities. Ongoing legal matters get sealed. That’s how the system works. But when the […]
Read More Redactions and Reputations(This post was edited on 3/25/26 by wr1tergirl) I was sitting at a dinner table in Dublin with newfound friends from my study abroad program. We were drinking ciders and beers, going around the table and talking about our first times. Half of them were clumsy and laughable, the other half endearing and sweet. By […]
Read More Virginity as a Social Construct“This post was edited on March 23rd 2025 by TheTalker.” On April 20th, 2025, professional wrestlers Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, and Iyo Sky competed at Wrestlemania 41 in a triple threat match for the WWE Women’s Championship. While the result of this contest may have been staged, the emotional and professional stakes were very much […]
Read More Super Slamming the patriarchy? The surprising gender Politics of the WWE“Not all men”. It’s the phrase we’re met with all too often. Always when a woman brings up the wrongdoings of a man, never with the intent to actually discuss feminist issues. Rather, “not all men” is typically another way to say, “I would never do that” or “This conversation makes me feel uncomfortable”. This […]
Read More “Not all men”This post was edited on 3/24/26 by xoxogossipgirl Health disparities and unequal pay is nothing new to the ongoing feminism conversation. And yet, it continues to define the world we live in. The inspiration behind this post is simply the world around me telling me what I cannot do: earn equal pay as some of […]
Read More Same white coats, Unequal pay checks.In one of the most viewed athletic competitions in the world, the 2026 Winter Olympics marked an incredible chapter for the history of women’s sports. Sunday, February 22 marks the end of the winter games. Throughout the past seventeen days, viewers watched a variety of winter sports including snowboarding, skiing, ice hockey, figure skating, and many more! Beyond all the medals and ice surrounding northern […]
Read More More than a Medal: How Women Transformed the Winter OlympicsOn Wednesday, February 18, The University Program Board hosted its annual comedy act in Wilson hall with it’s chosen comedian: Andrew Dismukes. The 30 year old Texan has been a Saturday Night Live writer since 2017 and became a cast member in 2020, and if you want to dive deeper into his life, here’s his […]
Read More It’s time for a female comedian.On Tuesday 2/17, attagirl, unfilteredpanda, and dulcinea covered local, national, and global news stories to the class; consisting of the JMU ICE protests, the year of women farmers, the re-raising of the Pride flag in NYC, and a Zambian woman’s fight for her abortion. LOCAL NEWS Local news covered JMU and county happenings. The United […]
Read More Newsroom 2/17I was watching Bolivian Cholita Skaters, who wear traditional attire while fighting for gender equality, the other day, and it made me think about feminism and my culture. I sat with the idea of how they connect when the majority acts like feminism and cultural traditions are opposites. I love my culture, my country, and […]
Read More Can You Be a Feminist and Still Love Your Cultural Traditions?This post was edited on 04/24/2026 by UnfilteredPanda. From the time we were little girls to now, there has been these impossible standards we are expected to follow. It’s like we were handed this invisible rulebook about how we’re supposed to look like. Thin, but curvy. Fit, but not too muscular. Flawless, but natural. And […]
Read More The Invisible RulebookWhy does my razor cost more than my brother’s? The higher pricing frequently imposed for goods and services offered to women as opposed to those marketed to men is known as the “pink tax.” It’s not a real government tax, despite the name. This discrepancy in pricing has its roots in consumer targeting and gendered […]
Read More The Pink TaxFrom a young age, girls are taught how to stay safe around men. Boys are rarely taught how not to be dangerous. Most girls grow up with rules. Don’t walk alone at night. Text when you get home. Cover your drink. Don’t lead him on. Share your location. Be polite, but not too friendly. Be […]
Read More Boys Suppress and Girls PrepareIt may surprise you to learn that the United States has a higher maternal mortality rate than comparably developed and wealthy countries. It may surprise you even more to learn that, in spite of medical advancements, pregnancy and childbirth in our country have become more dangerous in recent years. For example, in 2021, 1,205 American […]
Read More Why are Black Women More Likely to Die in Childbirth?This post was edited on 3/24/2026 by livelaughlovecows. Growing up as an only child, I always felt as though I was three steps behind everyone else. While my classmates had started “dating” in 5th grade, I still didn’t fully understand the concept of what a boyfriend was. In middle school, when the boys in my […]
Read More Learning to Advocate for My Own Body in CollegeThis past weekend I watched Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime performance. Before Apple Music announced the performer, I didn’t know how the Kendrick Lamar show would be topped. When they announced Bad Bunny as the performer, I was excited and proud. His performance would be historical, as he would be the first artist to perform […]
Read More Here’s What You Missed: Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl PerformanceAmerica runs on celebrity. From pop stars to politicians, we, the many, are highly invested in the lives of the few. It’s an evolutionary impulse: famous figures keep us non-celebrities aspirational, striving to match their happiness and success with our own. We steal their makeup routines, make their music the soundtrack to our lives. America’s […]
Read More Hind Rajab and Liam Ramos: Celebrities of RevolutionDid you miss us?!? Because we missed you! Get ready for a semester full of hot takes, deep thinking, pop culture analysis, and essential feminist consciousness raising! Before we get back into it, let’s give a big SHOUTOUT to our newest cohort of bloggers: attagirlHi there! I’m a 21-year-old Virginian who loves pop culture, being […]
Read More reactivating In 3… 2… 1…In the midst of the Trump administration rolling back DEI initiatives, I’m going to shed some light on my experiences as a mixed Black woman. DEI makes a way for me to thrive and survive in spaces that weren’t created with people like me in mind. I can’t count on my fingers and toes the […]
Read More Your Favorite DEI HireShows and movies are important in the media world in today’s society. One of the main things film media is meant to do is entertain. This can be shown in many forms, whether the form is fantasy, science fiction, documentary, etc., they are meant to draw you in and show viewers things/situations they may have […]
Read More Love on the Spectrum: Exploiting or BeneficialTurning 22 often feels like the expected launching point into the “real world” with a job neatly secured post-college. Yet, as I blew out the candles, my reality looked distinctly different. There wasn’t a corporate email address waiting, no orientation schedule tucked beside my diploma. Instead, there was a profound sense of open space, a […]
Read More 22 is for me.It’s 2025, and I’m 22 years old, still navigating the treacherous waters of body image. Growing up, my generation was bombarded with critical commentary on women’s appearances, and it has left its scars. Growing up, I was on a cheer team, and I thought at the time being assigned as a base was my worst […]
Read More When Will We Stop Talking About Women’s Bodies?: Selena gomez takes the brunt of this again!Late one night last week, my roommate and I were working in silence, an old video of our favorite YouTuber playing in the background, when it hit me: we only have a few more nights like this. The quintessential college experience, having a roommate, will be over for me in a matter of days, and […]
Read More The Secret to College Survival: Not Hating Your RoommateThere’s a common misconception that the summer “it” job is working at a Golf Course as a beverage cart girl. Well, as someone who has done that job for two straight summers, I can tell you it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Golf is a male-dominated, sport so making young girls the norm […]
Read More The Reality of Being a Beverage Cart GirlAs a senior graduating in less than three weeks, I have been reflecting on my time here, wondering what my college experience would have been like if I hadn’t gone to school 10 hours away. If I stayed at home, I would have gone to the University of New Hampshire, which is 20 minutes from […]
Read More Goodbye, hometown: my experience going to college out-of-stateThose who know me know I love live music. I don’t just love it, going to concerts is my absolute favorite thing to do. It’s where all my money goes and how I spend most of my weekends. There are so many things I love about live music. The pageantry, excitement, and performance are a […]
Read More How live music restores my faith in humanityOn Monday 4/21, tyrannosaurus_flex and Steelersfan shared local, national, and intergalactic news stories to the class; including JMU graduation, the 2025 WNBA Draft, and the all-female Blue Origin space flight. All eyes were pointed to the sky on April 14th as Jeff Bezos’s private aerospace company, Blue Origin, completed its 11th human space flight. This […]
Read More 4/21 Newsroom: Blue Origin Space Flight, WNBA Draft, & GraduationWelcome back. If you’ve made it through the first half of this story and lived to tell the tale, prepare yourself because the last seven tracks don’t just pick up where we left off, they chuck you headfirst into the abyss. This is where things get darker, louder, and unbearably real. So if you’re still […]
Read More Part 2 of “Preacher’s Daughter” AnalysisAfter watching the women’s tournament this year, I have a lot of things to say about it. First of all, why are the women playing back to back when the men have multiple days to rest and recover? There is no reason why women should not be getting the same treatment. I saw a TikTok […]
Read More 2025 Women’s March Madness TournamentOn April 22, a high-stakes law enforcement operation unfolded quietly within Harrisonburg. There was an arrest warrant issued to twenty-two-year-old Katelynn Ann Hipes, wanted for second-degree murder and use of a firearm in the commission of a felony in connection to the death of Kevin Small. Hipes was taken into custody on Lee Ave. Harrisonburg […]
Read More When safety Meets silenceLet’s be honest: the beauty industry has been the moment for years. Our feeds have been overflowing with skincare hauls, 10-step routines, and bottles so pretty they practically beg for a selfie. But 2025 is shaping up to be the year we collectively say… yeah, we’re done. Reports from top beauty insiders show that skincare […]
Read More No One’s Buying It: Why Gen Z Is Breaking Up With BeautyFollowing the release of the new Hunger Games book, Sunrise on the Reaping, I was one of the many people itching to get their hands on it. If you know Suzanne Collins then you know that she doesn’t release a book without it having a deeper meaning. She often touches on gender, race, and political […]
Read More Pretty Privilege and how it Connects to The Hunger Games SeriesOn Monday, Travelqueen7 and Princessgoose shared local, national, and global news stories about DEI being eliminated, Rory McIlroy winning the Masters, and global tariffs with the class. On April 11th, James Madison University announced the removal of the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Charlie King, the President of JMU, expressed that this decision was […]
Read More NEWSROOM 4/14: JMU DEI, The masters, and tariffs