David Brooks devoted his column Tuesday to bemoaning moral relativism. The most sensational example Brooks trots out to highlight the lack of morals among the poor and uneducated comes from Robert Putnam’s Our Kids, his new book about the opportunity divide between college- and high school-educated America. It involves Elijah, a boy with a troubled […]
I wish that I had spoken to my therapist about my fears of medication and pregnancy and seen a psychiatrist specializing in my condition sooner. I wish that I hadn’t put myself in the path of such terrible, useless suffering. I wanted to get pregnant so I decided to wean off my antidepressant. I didn’t […]
In the face of so much injustice, who wouldn’t be angry? “You’re a feminist? You don’t seem that angry.” The first time (of many) that this question was posed to me in high school, I stared blankly at the peer who asked it. I felt incapable of coherently responding: an uncommon experience for a self-proclaimed […]
When I play Grand Theft Auto, I can be a strong, powerful, virtual bad ass. The first time we played Grand Theft Auto, my boyfriend and I took turns driving a stolen black sports car down some roads and freeways. I was wobbly at first, accidentally slamming into a few neighboring cars, but got the […]
Why is vulgarity traditionally masculine, and why should feminism have to capitulate to this historically masculine trope to gain equality and respect? I’m tired of raunch culture representing equality for women. With a recent surge in women directors, writers, and actors embracing raunchy, vulgar and “unladylike” behavior for film, critics and essayists are quick to […]
Mainstream media would have you believe that eating disorders are a white-woman problem. When I was in elementary school, I started dieting. I’d drink my mother’s protein shakes and eat off-brand, low-fat frozen entrees. In seventh grade, I decided I just wouldn’t eat at all. It worked for a while, but by high school I realized I […]
In her BBC drama, Gillian Anderson is fearless and groundbreaking in her portrayal of what a smart, strong, sexy woman can be. During one of my psychiatry residency interviews, a noted psychoanalyst asked me, “Who is your favorite role model?” Feeling intimidated, I went for the safe beauty pageant answer, “My mom.” But what I really […]
The sooner we admit that nobody builds anything on their own, the sooner we fairly recognize the work of women, and anyone else crushing it behind the scenes. It’s been an interesting week in my office. I recently learned that we employ a company to come in and take care of our plants. While I’m plugging […]
