Existing in spaces not necessarily created for you tends to be synonymous with fighting for recognition. That’s a reality known all too well by the multicultural fraternities and sororities at predominantly white institutions, or PWIs. In general, Greek-life is stigmatized as a choice for drunken and dangerous college experiences. This comes from the historical truths […]
Read More Oblivion: Greek-life EditionI know the New York abortion law that allows abortions past 24 weeks for specific reasons came out about a month ago, but I am still seeing talk about it on Facebook every day. I have seen people say that abortion is not okay in cases of rape, incest, when the mother is in danger, […]
Read More The Truth About Why We Need Abortion8 times Donald Trump has respected women more than anyone.
Read More Nobody has more respect for women than I do. Nobody.I am a Christian. To me, there is no purpose without the Lord and based on my experiences, I’ve seen and felt the presence of God in my heart. There’s no changing my mind on that. I am a Christian… woman. Now, that? That’s harder. It’s hard to be surrounded by male leadership in the […]
Read More Searching for Equality in the ChurchWe all know smoking is bad, yet it is still increasingly popular especially since Juuls and other vaping products became mainstream and yet not much is being done about it. I mean yeah, they took some of the Juul flavors off shelves and places are really cracking down on IDing people, especially kids, but is […]
Read More Tobacco, Vaping, and New LawsLast week I stumbled across the Victoria’s Secret PINK GRL PWR event at Grafton-Stovall Theatre. It featured a panel of strong likeminded women with the common goal to celebrate, support, and inspire girls everywhere. I had no idea what I had gotten myself into before walking through those huge movie theatre doors, but let me […]
Read More If You Want It, Take ItHello my friends! It’s that time of year, again. Valentines Day! It’s all about a day of getting flowers, chocolates, and diamond rings… Well, not exactly. Today, it’s a day for me to talk to you all about Instagram and the negative effects social media can have on us, and […]
Read More Am I Getting “Liked” On Valentine’s Day?!“Self-love.” How can I define it? When do I know that I truly, properly love myself? When I put on a crop top regardless of what I ate for dinner? When someone calls me a bitch and I take it as a compliment? When I adopt a “thank u, next” attitude towards life’s hardships? When […]
Read More Spilling the candy hearts on self-love: “ily even when u don’t luv urself”James Madison University Administration announced on February 8, 2019 that they will be naming the newest residence hall after Paul Jennings, a former slave of James Madison. This is a huge step in the right direction for our predominantly white institution. We are making strides in ending the long-standing and problematic tradition of white-washing our […]
Read More New dorm named after former slave of James MadisonHow many UPB-chosen movies pass the Bechdel test?
Read More Is UPB Bringing Gender Inclusive Movies to JMU?With the click of a button or the tap of a screen, women can edit themselves. With the popularity of selfies, not only do we control the picture to perfection, but we filter and edit them to create our own unattainable beauty standards.
Read More #selfienationWhen I was twelve-years-old I went to a pool party, I was always ahead of girls my age so I had wide hips, C-cups, and a full belly. The mother of the birthday girl asked me if I could call my mom to bring me a one-piece bathing suit because I was making others uncomfortable. […]
Read More Big Girls Are Not Here to Fulfill Your Sexual FantasiesTrigger Warning: Mentions of physical abuse and sexual assault. It is common knowledge that women in the workplace are treated differently than their male counterparts. The prevalence of unequal pay, barriers to career advancement, and the tendency of women’s contributions to be devalued are just a few of the issues we face, and that doesn’t […]
Read More Stop canceling women, start canceling double standardsWhy do people get their panties in a twist when someone calls them a bitch? That word can have too much negative connotation surrounding it. Honestly, the highest form of flattery can derive from being a bitch. Women have it tough because if you are too forward and assertive, you are “bossy” but if you […]
Read More YOU SAY I AM A BITCH LIKE IT IS A BAD THING—–That’s 30+ classes, 30+ professors that I’ve been exposed to and only TWO were black women… Now, as a senior at James Madison University who has been an advocate for diversity and deeply involved in the Center for Multicultural Student Services, the lack of diversity on this campus isn’t a new topic for me. Quite […]
Read More How Many Black Female Professors Have You Had? 4 Years & I’ve Had 2.Friday, February 1 marked the start of Black History Month, a tribute to the African American men and women who have made contributions to America and the rest of the world. Here are some ways that white people can celebrate Black History Month. Donate money to an organization that fights against injustice and racism and […]
Read More 5 Ways White People Can Celebrate Black History MonthOn the evening of the day we recognize and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, James Madison University welcomed Dr. Brittney Cooper to speak. As a Women’s and Gender Studies and Africana Studies professor at Rutgers University, Dr. Cooper was quite different from past guests of honor. Her message was deeply rooted […]
Read More Dr. Brittney Cooper: the SuperwomanA lot is happening in the news – both nationally and globally. Here are a few key stories this week… Green Book wins “Top Feature Film” The 2018 comedy-drama won a “Top Feature Film” award! Green Book is based on the true 1960s story of a blue-collared Italian-American bouncer and an African American classical […]
Read More Your News for THIS WEEK!Since 2011, The Lady Jane has been a staple of Historic Downtown Harrisonburg, and at the helm is Sara Christensen, local small business owner. I got her to spill the tea about life, passion, intersectionality, and entrepreneurship. Find out what advice she has for young ambitious women based on her personal experiences. (Via @theladyjaneshop on […]
Read More Entrepreneurial Empowerment: An Interview with the Lady JaneIn a recent discussion in class, we talked about how voting patterns in women have often reflected what their husbands have voted for. As a whole, married women tend to have more conservative beliefs and single women tend to lean more toward with Democrats. But is this ‘marriage gap’ still in effect? Especially after the […]
Read More Who’s Voting? (Married) Women Are!To start Black History Month off on the wrong foot, a photo of Virginia Governor Ralph Northam dressed either in blackface or as a Ku Klux Klan member in his 1984 medical school yearbook has surfaced. Black face has a long history of being used to dehumanize people of color by exaggerating stereotypes of looks […]
Read More Racism has no place in our government: a call for Ralph Northam to resign“Leave his texts on read, leave his balls on blue. Put it on airplane mode so none of those calls come through,” (Cardi B, I DO). MOOD. Sorry to break your hearts boys, but girls like sex, too. I know it’s this big misconception that we need to be saved, or we are some damsel in distress; […]
Read More Double standards? Nah. No standards? I want it, I got it.University health centers: I think we’ve all heard some differing opinions on them but, in my opinion, I think the one here at James Madison University is pretty high up there on the list of good ones. Today I’d like to focus on how JMU addresses sexual wellness for students. Personally, I have dealt with […]
Read More Let’s talk about sex… edWere any of you all taught about sexual harassment or assault in your sex education classes? Because I was not. This may sound stupid, but in turn I grew up not knowing when I was being sexually harassed and even assaulted. With the statistic being that one in five women will be sexually assaulted in […]
Read More Schools need better sex ed.Welcome back, everyone! Go Dukes!!!! JMU women’s basketball crushed it this past weekend. This past weekend JMU women’s basketball climbed their way to the top not once, but twice.The lady dukes won 65-48 against William & Mary on Friday. On Sunday, the women continued to crush it and they won 82-30 against Elon. The JMU […]
Read More What’s Happening?!The 2019 Oscar nominees are in, and I was quite pleasantly surprised by the inclusivity, especially in the Best Picture category. Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Roma, and Green Book are beautiful stories about race (and after #OscarsSoWhite, we deserve some color). What stuck out to me was that five of the films nominated for Best Picture […]
Read More Should Straight Actors Play Queer Roles?The headline in Politico stated: “Franken scandal haunts Gillibrand’s 2020 chances.” The more I read, the more the nuanced irony set in—a female politician blamed for a party’s struggles. Because she spoke out against a male colleague credibly accused of sexual harassment by a multitude of women. Because she spoke. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand lost the […]
Read More #MeToo in Blue: Ending the Myth of the Sexual Violence Political DivideLet’s face it. Everything you see is filtered by the media. And especially issues that are ‘controversial’ are especially filtered. And it’s hard to figure out your own viewpoint by all the forms of information that are vying for attention from every side. In the era of fake news, how do we discern what’s real […]
Read More Feminism & the MediaIt is 2019, and women no longer care to see the idealistic, flawless, photoshopped models that litter their Instagram feeds. In recent years, the fashion industry has finally begun taking steps toward inclusivity in advertising. Now, major clothing brands are promoting diversity by featuring models of different sizes and skin tones, challenging society’s idea of […]
Read More Challenging Beauty Standards, One Shirt At a TimeIt’s time to get what we deserve –a healthy relationship full of love and respect! Whether you found a significant other you want to spend the rest of your life with or you are single as a Pringle; I’m going to need you to take a step back. Take a long, hard look in […]
Read More Say Goodbye to Unhealthy Relationships| Know Your WorthSalutations everyone! Get excited, it’s our first newsroom of the semester! Supreme Court Supports Transgender Military Ban Some not so exciting, fun, or fresh news. On Tuesday, January 22nd, the Supreme Court announced that they would be honoring Trump’s ban on transgender individuals from serving in the US military. This comes a year and a […]
Read More We got the NEWS!Let’s talk about body hair on women.
Read More Lions and Tigers and Hair, OH MY!“I DON’T have emotions. I’m not like YOU.” My most recent relationship revolved around this concept. My boyfriend would remind me, time and time again, that I was overly emotional, which is something he couldn’t understand since he had “no emotions.” Men don’t have emotions, right? Real men don’t cry. This is SUCH a problem. Society […]
Read More MENtal health: Real Men Don’t CryFeminism and Intersectionality
Read More The Women’s March Was Problematic. Here’s Why.I kindly interrupt your normally student-led programming and casual Sunday drive to gush about the literal and figurative magic seen + felt at yesterday’s Women’s March on Washington, held in our nation’s capital. I hope you’ll join me as I wax poetic for few moments on the immense privilege it was to be joined by […]
Read More JMU Students are Showing Up and Doing The WorkI am filled with so much joy to be welcoming our new 2019 ShoutOut! feminist bloggers. In this short time as a group we have celebrated new achievements —– meeting new people, getting to know one another, and engaging in ShoutOut!’s first rigorous class structure. But we have also learned that we still have so […]
Read More Here Ye, Here Ye! Feminists are here!As someone who’s diagnosed with ADHD, it can be frustrating to hear phrases like “I feel so ADHD today” or “I’m going to need some Adderall to pass my finals this semester” from people who don’t actually deal with having ADHD. It’s something that has become normalized, especially in college culture, and I’m honestly not […]
Read More Stop Joking About Mental HealthLet me warn you, it’s not pretty…
Read More Women’s Health in U.S. PrisonsLet’s get REAL about what Operation Santa Clause is truly about.
Read More Operation Santa Claus, Part 19Just because I identify as black doesn’t mean I want to discuss my experience as being black like I’m some sort of foreign being and I want my non-POC (person of color) counterpart to “take me to their leader”.
Read More Unapologetically Black & I Don’t Need to Explain.Hey! Are you sure of your political views, but have been told you’re wrong? Are you tired of being told that you’re problematic? Have you been personally victimized for voicing your views in public because they actively harm other individuals? Are you “fiscally conservative” and “just really unsure why everything is so political nowadays?” Then I have a post just […]
Read More Skrrrrt! 6 easy ways you can cancel yourself.There has been a lot of things going on in the news and @vagibond and I are here to give you the latest scoop! 1) “Radical Gay Doctor” is the driving force behind NYC’s falling HIV Rate NYC has been known to be the center of the AIDS crisis, and Dr. Demetre Daskalaskis is […]
Read More What’s Going on in the News?!You apparently can’t be a feminist and eat eggs according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Read More “You can’t be a feminist and still eat eggs”In a society where people meet their significant others on dating apps, “Hook-Up Culture” is prevalent amongst college-aged individuals, and the phrase “Let’s keep things casual” defines many relationships. Although I am a firm believer in people expressing their sexualities freely, I do think we need to acknowledge that not all people experience intimacy in […]
Read More Let’s Have a Conversation About IntimacyDo we owe the “caravan” members anything?
Read More STOP THE IMMIGR-HATETrans Exclusionary Radical Feminists are one of the worst kinds of people out there. You’re not a feminist, so you’ve been canceled. Blocked. Deleted. …wait hold on SJS, what’s a TERF? What’s a TERF? Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminists. These are “feminists” who consistently choose to leave trans folks OUT of the conversation. Why? Because, well […]
Read More TERF Turf WarsSome important feminist lessons learned from my conservative father. Keep an open mind!
Read More Feminist Lessons From My FatherUnpacking this week’s news sack! What’s inside? A whole lot. Tell me about your day. For the first part of our knapsack, let’s talk about your day. What first comes to mind? Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Interestingly, as an opener, most *women* or AFABs (assigned female at birth) folks are taught to justify their […]
Read More Oh, would you look at the news? It’s time to update.Let’s talk about books, better yet let’s talk about voices. To be perfectly honest with you I still don’t openly call myself a feminist, because I can’t seem to privately call myself one without feeling a bit of unrest. In order to pinpoint the reason for this unrest and try to see if I can […]
Read More Their Eloquent Rage: Voices of the “Angry” Woman
