Archive

If there is one thing the US is more obsessed with than guns, it is telling women what to do. Baby politics, dress codes, mothering expectations, hair policies, communication critiques, mandatory smiles, fashion dos and don’ts, and even fucking bangs. People can not help obsessing about telling women how they are doing it all wrong. […]

“Qualifications should be the only thing that matter.” “Why do we have to divide on the basis of race?” “Isn’t it silly to keep talking about gender?” “Why all the labels?” Oh man, do I just love these questions. They always seem to float to the surface when someone who has been marginalized on the […]

Mimi died today. Mimi is the Italian matriarch of my ex-husband”s family, and although I did not keep in close contact with her after the divorce, I loved that woman so much. I met her when I was 30 and she was in her 70’s and we instantly liked each other. For seven years she […]

I am an American living in Costa Rica and my Spanish skills are best described as “emerging”. One day in the supermarket, I had my usual lively exchange with the butcher, in Spanglish-centered charades, and then moved on to another aisle of the supermarket. Then a man came up behind me and said: “I like […]

I had a stroke. I am a healthy 47-year-old with no prior history and no warning signs and I likely escaped permanent brain damage at the 11th hour when I was administered anti-ischemic medications after my husband drove an hour to the nearest hospital that could help me. It was terrifying. It continues to be […]

Freshman orientation. My husband and I sit together – never a good idea in situations that require decorum. But… this was for the fifth kid and, quite frankly, we were over it. But my ears perk when the speakers turn their focus on the subject of dating violence. It’s been an issue at this high school, […]

Here’s the letter the Stanford victim read aloud to her attacker, Brock Allen Turner: Your Honor, if it is all right, for the majority of this statement I would like to address the defendant directly. You don’t know me, but you’ve been inside me, and that’s why we’re here today. On January 17th, 2015, it was […]

Folks are talking about how “ignorant” and “stupid” people are for riot-protesting in Ferguson. Some are casting judgment on citizens who “have no respect for their own communities” and are participating in “senseless destruction“. And while I understand the desire for peace, rational thought, and non-violence, I have to ask myself: “What would it take […]

(just kidding – same old shit…) I am a feminist who usually considers Barbie to be a pretty good role model. Sure, she has proportions that in real life would not allow her tiny neck to hold up her enormous head, or accommodate full sized organs – but aren’t we in favor of representing unique […]

(of the negativity cycle surrounding women and their sexuality) When J.Law and company had their private, nude photos hacked and leaked onto the internet a few months ago, there was some serious anger. Not so much anger at the criminals who hacked into these women’s accounts, violating their basic rights – that’s actually the kind […]