On this first Mother’s Day after the loss of her son Ronan, Emily Rapp ponders what it truly means to be a mother. “He was the son of his son—he was here, he was left behind.” – Colum McCann, Let the Great World Spin In preparation for this upcoming Mother’s Day, I’ve been reading a […]
When will women stop judging their lady parts? (Some parts of this article, and individual hyperlinks, are explicit, and may be considered NSFW.) There’s a lot of pressure to have a good vagina. Rapper Missy Elliott’s mysterious “Pussycat” is a ballad from a woman to her genitals. She pleads that they not “fail her now” […]
Jenn Leyva is not a fan of marriage, but that doesn’t mean she can’t support her friend who’s getting married this summer. A close friend of mine is getting married this summer. I’ve imagined myself attending this lavish affair for years, but I’m missing all of it. I’ll be in Korea teaching English for a […]
Originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. My timing could be better. We’re just over a week away from Mother’s Day and here I am writing a post that essentially criticizes my mom. Let me tell you, it makes for uncomfortable writing. And it’s entirely Kate Winslet’s fault. More on that in a moment. […]
The talent show is not free of criticism, but this season’s all-female group of finalists is sending a strong message, says Tina Boyer. In all its corny, commercial excess, American Idol isn’t exactly the highest form of culture, but there’s something brewing in the current finalist round of the competition that’s challenging the established formulas […]
Cynthia Kane has struggled with feelings of inadequacy since she was a young girl. I was 7 the first time I realized I wasn’t like other children. In school, sitting at the round table with my classmates, I watched our teacher, Ms. Allen, scribble numbers and symbols on the chalkboard. A heavy textbook clutched in […]
Originally appeared on The Frisky. Republished here with permission. Once upon a time—before URLs, handles, likes, and shares—I put some good old-fashioned postage stamps inside an envelope and sent away for a zine (made of actual paper!) that was filled with some very big ideas. I was 16 and the zine was called i’m so […]
Rather than dealing with an issue upfront, Sydne Didier wrote about it here, and in the process, the problem only escalated. Last week, I wrote something for Role/Reboot—about the parent cliques at my son’s school—that struck a cord. And I’ve been on the verge of tears ever since. Nauseous. Sad. Worried. Anxious. And at the […]
This originally appeared on Everyday Feminism. Republished here with permission. As I come to the end of my first Minnesota winter, I have never been more excited for spring. Temperatures above 32 degrees! Sunshine on my skin! Long walks with my partner and the puppy! Even just writing this makes me freak out a little […]
Janna Payne wants to know what often well-meaning compliments from men say about the politics of body image. Midway through a mediocre domestic beer at a local bar, a stranger approached me to ask how tall I am. Having been asked about my height almost every day for the last 20-odd years, I responded, nonchalantly […]
When will people stop looking to women as “keepers of the hearth”? I will start this tale with a confession: I have never liked housework. My husband would rather read or write than dust, too, but for some reason that isn’t confession material. I started my marriage with a commitment to fairness. I would do […]
With the amount of wedding propaganda shoved down our throats by popular culture, how can women not be obsessed with it, asks Carrie Laski. “That’s it. I’m deactivating my Facebook!” I’ve heard this declaration several times over the past year from in-real-life friends who are sick of seeing engagement notices from their online-only friends. In […]
