I am a proud, self-proclaimed progressive feminist. What that means is that every day, I advocate for the safety, health and advancement of women and girls worldwide. I challenge pre-determined gender roles and support the right of individuals to live according to their own definition. At a more basic level, however, I believe in equality of the sexes. You know, “anything you can do, I can do better,” and all that jazz. So you’d think I’d be appalled at any law that fundamentally treats women differently from men. Uneasy, yes. …

I just got around to seeingBridesmaids this weekend and it was a riot. The movie was the second of the day’s double-header – I sawHangover 2 first – and was unquestionably the funnier film. When the movie ended and the nearly all-female audience started pouring out of the theater, I had two thoughts; I better beat it to the the ladies’ room because this line is going to be bonkers and was Bridesmaidsa feminist flick?

I’ve started watching Ally McBeal all over again. Yep, remember David E. Kelley’s Fox series from 1997 about a young, female attorney with relationship issues up the wazoo who worked at a quirky law firm with her ex-love, his new wife, a unisex bathroom, and no shortage of dancing baby hallucinations? The show featured humorous and eccentric characters played by Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne Smith, Lisa Nicole Carson, Jane Krakowski, Portia de Rossi, Lucy Liu, Regina Hall, Greg Germann, Peter MacNicol, Robert Downey Jr., and Gil Bellows.
Have no clue …

This post is written as part of the “This is What a Young Feminist Looks Like” blog carnival. Check out Fair & Feminist on Friday, August 27th to see which other bloggers are shouting out and being recognized as young, fly and feminist.
Where Have All the Young Feminists Gone?
Did you hear? Young feminists are disappearing at an alarming rate. The only people who care about women and women’s issues are staring menopause in the face. Young people don’t care about anything and we certainly don’t care about reproductive health issues …

Sharing this so that interested bloggers may participate.
Dear blogger friends,
You’re invited to take part in a Planned Parenthood Blogger Bee!
On Wednesday, Dec. 2, Planned Parenthood will be holding a National Day of Action to lobby the Senate for health care reform that ensures women’s access to reproductive health care. In order to get the word out as quickly and widely as possible, Planned Parenthood is asking bloggers to write about the National Day of Action and the negative impact that the Stupak amendment would have on health care reform …

After a heads up from Feministing, I learned that the American Sociological Association put out the results of a recent study showing that about 70% of Americans believe that women should take their husband’s last names when they get married and 50% think it should be a legal requirement. Wow. Although I am not one to put too much stock into polls (I, nor anyone close to me has ever been polled about anything remotely significant so I have no idea where they get these people and their opinions), that’s …

I feel as though I need to begin with a disclaimer of sorts. I am not perfect. Sometimes I hold opposing ideas and views in my mind at the same time, perhaps prompting some to call me a hypocrite. I prefer to quote Walt Whitman, “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.” Whatever you call it, it’s what makes me condemn misogyny & violence yet sweat it out to raunchy hip hop music. It’s what makes me speak of feminism and …

When speakers use the phrases “baby daddy” and “baby mama” in non-colloquial contexts, do they mock African-Americans or do they embrace one way that the American vocabulary has been enriched by the contributions of African-Americans?  Both?  Neither?
The above query comes from the post “White People’s ‘Baby Daddy’”on the Feminist Law Professors blog and I must admit that I’ve often wondered the same thing – do the terms ‘baby daddy/father’ and ‘baby mama’ take on a different meaning or carry a different connotation when used by white people? I want to say …

Once again, here’s a way that you can participate in that CHANGE our new president was yapping about as well as help women and families. Please read and contact your elected officials. I will.
Swiped from Ann over at Feministing:
Both statistically and anecdotally, incidents of violence against women increase as the economy falters. As Obama prepares to release his budget, now’s the time to ask him and Congress not to reduce funding for preventing violence against women and helping survivors. According to Women’s eNews:
Congress is currently authorized to spend up to …

At least that’s what Milton Bradley and other game manufacturers must think. I was in Toys R Us earlier this week looking around. Brought back a lot of memories going down the aisles and looking at all the new toys they have. I had to go by the board games and check out the wares. This is what I found…
They will sell our girls the same old regular shit with a coat of pink paint and make money hand over fist! Worst part about it, if I was a pre-teen, …