When I was in high school, I actually said the words, “I don’t think a woman can be president.” I had internalized so many stereotypes regarding women, and I truly believed that women were less competent than men, both in positions of power and in life. As I matured, I started to believe that women […]
Read More My Love Letter To FeminismWe’re all familiar with the trope of the typical “nice guy”: the lovable boy-next-door who is just unlucky in love. Often, the object of the “nice guy’s” affections is his best female friend, who inevitably is in love with a jerk who treats her terribly. The “nice guy” then laments that he doesn’t understand why […]
Read More “Nice Guys” and Why I Can’t Stand ThemTuesday marked one of my favorite events at JMU: Take Back the Night, a night when JMU students, faculty and staff gather in Grafton-Stovall Theater to support survivors of sexual violence. TBTN was an evening filled with performances from a cappella groups, spoken word poetry pieces, a keynote speech from writer/activist/feminist extraordinaire Wagatwe Wanjuki, a […]
Read More Why Aren’t More People Taking Back the Night?“10 Things Guys Crave in Bed” “His #1 Sex Fantasy” “His Best Sex Ever” These headlines, taken from past issues of Cosmopolitan Magazine, all have one thing in common: each focus on “him” and what “he” wants out of sex. For a women’s magazine, that’s an awful lot of attention given to men’s needs. As […]
Read More Let’s Talk About Sex, BabyI’ve thought (read: fantasized) a lot about my engagement, from the location to the surprise to the magazine-worthy pictures that will be posted on Facebook the next day. And in this fantasy, the proposal always includes an engagement ring (vintage, with a unique stone in the middle surrounded by diamonds. I haven’t thought about it […]
Read More Put A Ring On It: The Tradition of Engagement Rings #AskWhyTuning into the Oscars Sunday night, I expected to be entertained and see some great movies be honored. I did NOT expect a feminist statement, and so I was pleasantly surprised when Patricia Arquette gave her seemingly inspiring speech, saying: “To every woman who gave birth to every taxpayer and citizen of this nation, we have […]
Read More Patricia Arquette and the Feminist Speech Gone WrongDon’t worry—this isn’t another blog post about 50 Shades of Grey (although I definitely recommend keeping up with the current conversation regarding the movie). This post is about the many many shades of grey that come with a seemingly simple idea: consent. The definition of consent with regards to sex seems pretty straightforward in theory: […]
Read More 50 Shades of ConsentI’m going to be honest: I watch the Superbowl for the commercials. I have even been known to talk nonstop during the actual game but aggressively shush people when commercials are on. This year, I was pleasantly surprised to see commercials that deviated from the traditional stereotypical sexist ads—and other people were too. Entrepreneur.com named […]
Read More “Fempowerment” Advertising: Progressive or Just Not Enough?From the White House “It’s On Us” campaign to JMU’s own “No More” campaign, sexual assault has been THE hot button issue on campuses across the country. And now, sexual assault is moving past the campaign stage and into the legislative chamber: Bill SB 712 dictates that faculty or staff members must report any information […]
Read More 4 Reasons Why the New VA Sexual Assault Bill Totally SucksI love the idea of R&B. The music is fun and has an amazing beat. But I have to say, I have a real problem with the lyrics in many popular R&B songs. Many are incredibly degrading to women, and the misogynistic lyrics almost turned me off to the genre completely. But then I found […]
Read More R&B with an Inclusive Twist: Russell Elliot
ShoutOut! James Madison University 