What an abysmal waste of Amy Adams, is all I can say.

I was really looking forward to this movie. I don’t know why; I guess after the string of highly enjoyable romantic comedies we had over the past couple of years (Definitely, Maybe, Penelope, PS I Love You, etc.) I was expecting, I don’t know; some sort of quality. And I absolutely adore Amy Adams—in everything from Enchanted to Doubt to Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day—so there was that factor of expectancy as well. (Spoilers ahead.)

But I should’ve known better. Didn’t I suffer through The Proposal, Valentine’s Day, and several other rom-com flops (well, flops in my opinion—many did very well at the box office) this year? Didn’t I already decide that 2010 was not going to be the year of the decent tearjerker, but of the banal, humorless waste of reel?

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I like stories with female protagonists because I find it interesting to sympathize with characters who are different from myself. Unfortunately, there aren't many male writers who take the time to actually write believable female characters. At best, most of them end up creating surreptitiously misogynistic representations of women based on their own misinterpretations of what they think modern women want to be. I call it Ally McBeal Syndrome. The symptoms of AMS is a female protagonist who pays lip service to strength and independence despite embodying every gender stereotype of the age. See, in the first episode of Ally McBeal, David E. Kelley's script has his titular protagonist just come out and say (in voiceover no less) that it sure is tough to be a smart, independent woman in a profession dominated by men. In its attempt to appeal to women, this moment does little more than patronize them. So, when USA decided to launch their girl-spy dramedy Covert Affairs I kept an eye open for the signs of AMS. It took all of 15 minutes to confirm the diagnosis.

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Anorexia and bulimia are very serious disorders—both mentally and physically. I’ve always felt such sorrow when I heard of girls who suffered from them—boys, too; males are increasingly becoming bulimic and anorexic in our society—and especially when I heard about the long-term complications and deaths that resulted from the illnesses.

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About two weeks ago, Jezebel writer Irin Carmon called The Daily Show - and Jon Stewart in particular - sexist.  I happened to read the article when it was posted.  At the time I thought it was sensationalist and more than a little flimsy.  

It raised a red flag just by its target: Jon Stewart, national treasure, and darling of liberal progressives everywhere. 

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Twilight Barbies- Bella and EdwardI am not a Barbie fan, nor a Twilight fan, but it doesn’t take a fan of either mega-franchise to realize that Twilight Barbies spell one thing: M-O-N-E-Y. So far, the two franchises have gotten together to create a Bella Swan Barbie and an Edward Cullen Barbie and a Jacob Barbie. To further capitalize on the Twilight franchise, Mattel is going to market Alice Cullen Barbies and evil Victoria Barbies as well.

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pictured: Kristen Stewart trying and failing to envision talentAccording to my doctor as of my most recent visit to his practice, I am currently not and have never been a 13-year-old girl. Perhaps this is why I have never understood the appeal of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books or their movie adaptations. What's truly baffling, though, is that I can't even begin to wrap my mind around the pop culture frenzy that has washed over our nation about the series and remained for years. I'm not some closed-minded hipster who is blind to the appeal of things I personally don't enjoy. For example, I don't give a toss about Miley Cyrus or her Hannah Montana character, but I totally get why my 5-year-old niece is enamored with her. I'd also never put spinning rims on my car, though some part of me can sympathize with the desire to do so. After all, spinnas are shiny and toy-like. As a former child, I can see why someone would be compelled to attach them to his or her vehicle unironically. But the appeal of Twilight completely escapes me. Let's break this down, shall we?

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Not Ever, a project of Rape Crisis Scotland, has launched an amazing new ad campaign.  A man in a bar glances over at a pretty girl and a short skirt and leers "She's asking for it."  

Cut to the woman shopping for skirts at a clothing store.  Unable to decide between two skirts, she explains to the clerk "I'm going out tonight, and I want to get raped.  I need a skirt that will encourage a guy to have sex with me against my will."  "Definitely the blue," the sales clerk responds.

We recently had a flurry of comments by an anti-feminist troll a few weeks ago.  One of the tactics he trotted out was to ask "wouldn't you blame the home-owner for having their house broken into, if they had left it unlocked?"  The problem is that the only thing these two scenarios have in common is that they are both crimes.  


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Cancer is an issue that remains prevalent on most of our minds these days. Whether it’s a friend, relative, or even more personal, most people have been affected by cancer. Many have lost loved ones to the dreadful illness, and statistics on the number of women who will be affected by breast cancer alone sometimes in their lives are monumental. 2,000 Americans die every single day from cancer, making it one of the deadliest things we face together as a nation.

Right now, Senate Bill 717, also known as the ALERT Act, is up for consideration. This act would help raise our current standards used to treat cancer patients, something desperately needed in these modern times. Technological advances, the latest science and innovation, and the most up-to-date medicines are crucial when it comes to saving lives.

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I read a phrase today that got me thinking.  Feministing posted a link about "How girls are socialized to be music fans, not critics."  The article it links to is interesting and well worth reading, although it's on a different tangent than the one that came to my mind.


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Please stop calling my child, “Buddy.”

I get that you don’t know if she is a girl or a boy because she has short hair, glasses, and chooses to dress in the clothes that she picks out (sporty t-shirts, anything with dinosaurs, plain blue or green patterns) rather than the ones that well-meaning relatives provide for her (princess-themed shirts, skorts, pink frilly things) as gifts. We let her choose, and we are completely happy with her interests and the way she chooses to express herself.

But you don’t have to label her just to make yourself comfortable with who she is. Then you start asking questions that relate to her as “buddy” and not “princess” or “sweetie,” as you might call a girl child. I hear you ask the girls if they like a certain princess, tell them how pretty their dresses are or their hair is. “What a pretty girl!”

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