Stories and news related to feminism
In honor of Women’s History Month, The MamaFesto, The Eloquent Woman and I created a list for The Skinny Scoop of women we admire. Whose courage, talent, and passion inspires you? Visit The Skinny Scoop to add your choices. Tell us, which of these women do you admire?
I live in a world where a bunch of high school kids witnessed two boys conducting sexual acts on a falling down, throwing up drunk girl and didn’t intervene; they took pictures. I live in a world where these kids didn’t think they’d get in trouble for what happened and shared pictures, videos, texts and tweets about the rape via social media and cell phones. I live in a world where friends of the boys recorded a video laughing about what happened and then posted it to YouTube. I live in a world where the attorney for one of the boys engaged in victim-shaming by raising the victim’s drinking and flirting as part of the defense. I live in a world where some high school football player in Ohio just tweeted about the verdict, “Considering this thing happens all the time, I’m not sure why it’s a fuss.” I live in a world where kids in my town tweet things like, “I need change. In my weekends. Hoes. I need bitches. With class,” and “pole dance on my dick hoe.” I live in a world where I am relieved but shocked when two boys are found guilty of raping a [...]
I’m wearing my red pumps today in honor of National Women and Girls HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. The Red Pump Project® is a nonprofit organization that raises awareness about the impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. The red shoe is intended to be a symbol of empowerment to represent the strength and courage of women infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. After all, Awareness is Always in Style!™ There are approximately 1.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the U.S. Almost 280,000 are women. Black and Latina women represent 24 percent of all US women combined, but account for 82 percent of the estimated total of AIDS diagnoses for women in 2005. HIV/AIDS is the fifth leading cause of death in women in the United States age 25-44 years. HIV/AIDS is the leading cause of death for black women (including African American women) aged 25–34 years. High-risk heterosexual contact is the source of 80 percent of newly diagnosed infections in women. According to a CDC study of more than 19,500 patients with HIV in ten US cities, women were slightly less likely than men to receive prescriptions for the most effective treatments for HIV infection. The largest number of HIV/AIDS diagnoses during [...]
You won’t want to miss the MAKERS documentary, founded by filmmaker, Dyllan McGee, which airs tonight, February 26 at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. The film tells the story of how women have helped shape America over the last 50 years. The film includes interviews with Gloria Steinem, Marlo Thomas, Oprah Winfrey, Katie Couric, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
In time for Women’s History Month, The MamaFesto, The Eloquent Woman and I created a list for The Skinny Scoop of women we admire. Whose courage, talent, and passion inspires you? Click on your favorites and see how your list compares to other women. Tell us, which of these women do you admire?
Here’s an interesting infographic from CityTownInfo.com that breaks down the challenges and opportunities for women interested in scientific careers. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women hold less than 25 percent of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) jobs. This, despite the fact women represent close to half of all workers in the U.S. Courtesy of: Citytowninfo.com
Today would have been Rosa Parks 100th birthday. Parks sparked a boycott and a movement when in 1955 she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on bus in Montgomery, Alabama. While best known for her bravery on the bus, Parks was a lifelong civil activist. In a proclamation marking the day President Obama said, “As we mark the 100th anniversary of Rosa Parks’s birth, we celebrate the life of a genuine American hero and remind ourselves that although the principle of equality has always been self-evident, it has never been self-executing. It has taken acts of courage from generations of fearless and hopeful Americans to make our country more just. As heirs to the progress won by those who came before us, let us pledge not only to honor their legacy, but also to take up their cause of perfecting our Union.” Also today, fifteen-year old education activist Malala Yousafzai released her first public statements since she was she was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen. Yousafzai recently underwent surgery; news outlets have reporterd that the surgeries were successful. Related articles VIDEO: Malala: ‘I am getting better’ Malala Yousafzai speaks publicly for first time since Taliban attack [...]
On Super Bowl Sunday, I imagine what it would be like to not be a feminist. I imagine being excited about “the greatest game on the grandest stage.” I wish I could find the magic in two brothers coaching against each other. I wish I could support making it a national holiday. And if I can’t support the notion it’s a spiritual event complete with divine intervention, then at least I’d like to simply enjoy a good party with beer and wings. But alas, no Super Bowl fun for me. The New York Times says, the Super Bowl speaks to all of us in different ways. For me, that means wondering if the threat of sex trafficking is real, how women can enjoy a game where the only role they’re allowed to play is half-dressed eye candy, what the long-term impact of sexist ads will be on my daughter, if people really think throwing a pigskin can lead to redemption for anyone, especially guys like Ray Lewis and, a few years ago, Ben Roethlisberger? It’s no fun being a feminist on Super Bowl Sunday. For just one day, I wish I could simply kick back and enjoy the game. It [...]
I love this clip from Ellen DeGeneres about all the lady products on the market. From BIC Pens for Her (Click here to read the reviews on Amazon -they’re hysterical.), to a car that comes in colors that “match a woman’s eye shadow,” companies think pink is the way to a woman’s wallet. Who’s behind these products? Well, here’s a picture of the BIC leadership team: And here’s a picture of the Honda Board of Directors: If that doesn’t make the case for gender diversity in the boardroom, what does?
I didn’t want to write about the rape case unfolding in Steubenville, Ohio, but it needs to be discussed. The details in this case are so wild, the incidences of rape in this country, so frequent, we need to know what happened. Last August, two high school football players from Steubenville were arrested and charged with raping a 16-year-old girl. They are awaiting a February trial. Videos and pictures of what took place that night were posted on social media sites, as were cruel tweets. Many of the posts have been deleted, but some were captured in screen grabs by a blogger at Prinnified.com. And Anonymous has been tracking them as well and threatened to go public with information about the people involved unless they issued public apologies. Wednesday, the group made good on that threat and posted a video (WARNING: it is very disturbing) of what appears to be a former high school student talking about the incident. If you’ve seen the video you’ve seen a twisted, cruel and frightening scene of a bunch of high school boys joking about the incident and the victim. One or two of the boys present muster a weak, “That’s not cool, bro,” but the rest seem [...]
Does it come in my size?
Trent Franks Plans to Expand Abortion Ban Nationwide
Memo from the media: you're not thin enough
