Big Bad Feminist

So, Loanne Hizo Ostlie creates custom Barbie dolls that represent a diverse group of women and girls.

What do you think? Do you think Mattel should be doing this already, instead of someone needing to take the normal Barbie dolls and repaint them?

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Ah, Twilight series. You command a force of preteen and teenage women, and you are molding minds about relationships. Everybody wants an “Edward” for a boyfriend.

Wait a minute. Now, I haven’t seen either movie, and I have avoided the books at all costs. But based on the previews and what I’ve read about these books, Edward does not seem like a classy fellow, and Bella doesn’t seem to have much of a personality.

Indeed, it seems like her entire identity is dependent on the men she falls in love with.

Also, someone who did sit through the recent film noticed something a bit disturbing. Edward is a textbook abusive boyfriend.

Some highlights from their observations include noting that Edward isolates Bella from friends and family, threatens to kill her on their first date, controls what she says and does… among others. Supposedly, answering yes to one of these signals concern for an abusive relationship, and she points out fifteen cases that Bella could say yes to.

So is this the relationship that we want our children idolizing?

So, the Sun Maid girl got a makeover. She’s trimmer and, by the looks of it, had recent boob job.

So, the question is, did we really need to sexify the girl on the raisin box?

Above: The transformation of the “Sun Maid girl.”

This is an issue frequently speculated on in the media, as in Richard Whitmire’s recent “The Lost Boys” article. Colleges will let boys into their schools with less impressive applications than their female applicants to avoid having more women in school than men.

This article explores this situation further.

What do you think?

As a feminist, I believe that men and women should be treated equally. I do not believe that Adam Lambert is being given equal treatment as a performer.

In 2003, following the Madonna/Britney/Christina smooch at the VMA’s, CBS News ran this article, which included a very clear picture of the girl-girl kiss. Yet when Adam Lambert’s performance (in which he kisses another man) was being shown on their news, they blurred out the kiss.

Why is lesbian affection acceptable for news media to show, while gay affection is not?

According to a poll published in Time magazine’s October 26, 2009 issue…

52% of women surveyed believe that “women still bear the primary responsibility for taking care of sick or elderly parents.”

27% of men surveyed believe this statement.

Why is there such a large gap?

In 2009, the average, full-time working woman made 78 cents for every $1 that a man made over that same year.

People often argue that feminism is an extremist cause and that there is no need for it in today’s society where women are equal to men. However, this pay gap seems to argue otherwise. 

What do you think?

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This video shows how the term “rape” is used frequently in politics. The video focuses on how conservatives use the word, but the term “rape” is frequently used as slang across the board.

Does this overuse of the term take away from the seriousness of the issue rape? Does using the term so freely, even at a subconscious-level, begin to normalize it as an issue?

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Taking the husband’s last name used to show a property transaction: the woman moved from being her father’s property to her husband’s, often in exchange for goods. Today, it is common to take the husband’s last name, though some women argue that this practice is sexist and do not take their husband’s last name and either choose to keep theirs or hyphenate. Sometimes, the couple hyphenate both names, or the man takes his wife’s last name. On the flip side, others argue that taking one name eliminates complications for children and unites the family.

Also, in homosexual relationships, who should take which name? Does how masculine or feminine a partner is determine who changes their last name? What does this say about particular marriage practice?

What do you think? Sexist tradition, or necessary to unite a family?

Yahoo! Movies argues that their is a sexist double standard in Hollywood: teen superstar Miley Cyrus, then fifteen-years-old, was skewered for posing with a bare back for a magazine. Recently, Taylor Lautner, seventeen-years-old, has had one topless photograph after another released in promotion for his new film, New Moon.

What do you think? Is it sexist, or is this going a bit overboard?