This originally appeared at In Our Words: A Salon for Queers & Co. Republished here with permission. Dana Norris went on 71 internet dates in the space of two years. This is the first one. It’s 8 p.m. on a Friday evening and I’m sitting at a bar, alone. “Barracuda” is playing on the jukebox and […]
When you sit down, especially with your kids, to watch TV you probably don’t want to think about gender inequality, sexism and your kids’ occupational ambitions in adulthood. I imagine you want to put your feet up, let your brain empty itself of any real substance and maybe even nod off for a bit. But, […]
“What are you going to do when Heloise is old enough to Google your name?” I’ve been asked that question at least a dozen times in the past month, as the controversy around my pre-sobriety past has grown into a moderately noticeable kerfuffle in the blogosphere. I’ve written several times—and at several different sites—about my […]
At the beginning of each year, most of us consider changes we would like to make in our personal lives. I decided to bypass the usual weight and fitness resolutions and focus on institutions I’d like to change. The list is long, but I have prioritized mass-market advertisements because they are pervasive and have the […]
This was originally posted in slightly different form at My So-Called Polyamorous Life. Republished here with permission. Now, first of all, I should say that casual sex is not for everyone. I don’t believe that just wanting to have casual sex makes you more awesome or that wanting to avoid it makes you less awesome. I […]
This week’s roundup of our favorites from across the interwebs to help you make sense of men and women. 1. Marriage: Saying ‘I Don’t’ by Stephanie Coontz of the Los Angeles Times asks: Now that only 51% of U.S. households are married couples, is marriage going the way of the electric typewriter and the VHS […]
This week’s roundup of our favorites from across the interwebs to help you make sense of men and women. 1. The Economics of Divorce by Matthew Yglesias of Slate.com analyzes the narrowing gap in income declines between men and women who split from their partners. 2. “Chelsea” Celebrates the Drunk Chick by Mary Elizabeth Williams […]
Sex work is a controversial and polarized topic, and there are many perspectives on it. My position is complex—but for me, when it comes to how we actually interact with sex workers, one important factor is whether or not they consent to and enjoy their jobs. I am absolutely in favor of giving better options […]
A lot has been written about the dangers of overexposing children to media, specifically television. Once a mantra echoed predominantly among the upper middle class, these days it seems the majority of Americans know that too much screen time can have ill effects. Whether and how folks heed that warning in their daily lives is, […]
Do we actually believe that people can change? If so, how do we want them to show us they’ve changed? Is absolution possible? Who decides the answers to these questions? I very rarely weigh in on Internet Scandals. This is partly because I’ve got lots of stuff to write that I believe has longer-lasting value […]
A few weeks ago, “Nancy” started commenting regularly on Role/Reboot. Every comment was basically some version the same mean-spirited critique: Your website is not feminist enough. When she wasn’t attacking the site in general terms, “Nancy” went for the jugular with individual writers. Soon I began to worry that the haters club was growing, as […]
So far, 2011 hasn’t been a good year to be a woman in America. Your health is under attack from Congress, your wages are in jeopardy and you’re still not at the power table. Unless, apparently, you’re a mommy blogger. This week’s New York Times Magazine featured yet another profile of Dooce, the super mommy […]
