FEM Newsmagazine – UCLA's Feminist Newsmagazine Since 1973

Feminism 101

Feminism 101: What is Pinkwashing?

Image by Emily Farag. Pinkwashing is a term with multiple meanings, but most commonly refers to the deliberate appropriation of sexual liberation movements towards regressive political ends. The first use of “pinkwashing” is credited to Breast…
Feminism 101: What is Modernity?

What began as a belief in individualism and reason led to the creation of a far-reaching and global system of neoliberalism, and there is no telling where we will next “progress.”
Feminism 101: What is Intergenerational Trauma?

Intergenerational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma from survivors to subsequent generations.
Feminism 101: What are Safe Spaces?

Safe spaces are generally intended by their creators to encourage identity-focused conversation without risk of physical or emotional harm.

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Mitsuye Yamada

Mitsuye Yamada is a Japanese American writer, educator, and activist. Her works expose the discrimination faced by Japanese Americans during and after World War II,…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Angela Davis

Davis has since become the figurehead for the prison abolition movement, a movement that calls into question what it means to be a criminal within…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Patricia Hill Collins

Patricia Hill Collins is an acclaimed social theorist known for her intersectional approach to the sociologies of feminism, Black liberation, and nationalism.

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Gayatri Spivak

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak is an Indian scholar who continues to add to many academic disciplines. She is known mainly for her work in post-colonial studies,…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Simone de Beauvoir

“One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman.” This provocative assertion from Simone de Beauvoir’s acclaimed book, “The Second Sex,” helped destroy the notion…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Adrienne Rich

In her letter to the NEA chair, Rich stated: “There is no simple formula for the relationship of art to justice. But I do know…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Gloria Anzaldúa

Throughout her lifetime of writing, Anzaldúa consistently contributed to theories countering social oppression, spanning topics that encompassed her intersectional identities. She let her spirituality and…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Assata Shakur

A teacher, healer, freedom fighter, and aunt to hip hop legend Tupac, Assata Shakur has organized against the prison-industrial complex, police brutality, discriminatory education, poverty,…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Adichie, a Nigerian novelist, is one of the latest women to join the lineage of iconic feminist writers like Maya Angelou, Adrienne Rich and Toni…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Judith Butler

In her 1988 essay “Performative Acts and Gender Constitution,” Judith Butler—philosopher, gender theorist, and professor at UC Berkeley—proposed the theory that gender is behavior, rather…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Kimberlé Crenshaw

Crenshaw’s great theoretical contribution, that of intersectionality, is a call to action at every moment. In light of the Trump regime’s past few weeks in…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Susan McClary

Susan McClary is one of the most important musicologists responsible for introducing feminist critique to musicology. Her work, though controversial, was some of the first…

Feminist Theorist Thursdays: Cynthia Enloe

Cynthia Enloe’s book was and is part of the movement to open political spaces to women, deconstructing the exclusionary structure of international relations. This remains…

Gendertainment

Boys Will Be Boys and Girls Will Be Ignored

Girls in film are either sexual or superpowered. Can’t we make room for them to just be girls?
Captain Marvel is a Female Cowboy on a Mission to Obliterate Patriarchal Exploitation

I’ll be clear: the bottom line of this article is you need to see “Captain Marvel.” Your daughter needs to see “Captain Marvel.” Your mother…
‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and James Gunn: Stop Writing Sexist Scripts

There are endless amounts of ways to make people laugh without alienating or disparaging a group of people.
Liberating Hollywood: The Celebration of the Early Entrepreneurs of Modern Female Cinema

“Liberating Hollywood” is a series hosted by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Hugh M. Hefner Classic American Film Program celebrating some of…
P.S. Biracial Representation Matters Too

Though Lara Jean’s biracial identity plays a minor role in the overall plot of the story, it plays a major role in her characterization, helping…
My Movie Valentine: ‘A Wrinkle in Time’

At the kickoff of yet another year of high-budget studio films, I find myself celebrating the anniversary of “A Wrinkle in Time” with a re-watch.

Campus Life

Race, Poverty, Justice, and Access to Health

“Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil.” —C.S. Lewis
I Sat in on a Republicans’ Meeting — Here’s What I Ascertained

Why be bored when you can be angry? If you have the time to spare, sit back and relax by listening to a room of…
Reimagining Punishment: It’s Time to See Prisoners as People

As we try to reimagine a criminal justice system that treats people as human, we should consider what will make people in the system —…
A Review of LIPS

A play that embraces feminism, challenges heteronormativity, and induces hilarity.
The Failed Revolution Club

The Revolution Club, a communist organization in the school of Bob Avakian, uses the tactics of protest and disruption to advance its goal of radical…
Featured UCLA Feminist: Jordan Holman

“There is no perfect feminist, just being aware that one’s self is not perfect is a good place to start,” said first-year English student, Jordan…

Politics

Trump Administration Continues to Provide Aid to Saudi Arabia in the Yemen Civil War, Ignoring Humanitarian Crisis

The United States government is remaining complicit in fuelling the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. Both Congress and President Donald Trump took action to avoid pulling…
Reproductive Injustice: The Life and Death Crisis of African-American Mothers

The reproductive injustice of African-American mothers is the consequence of the social and economic forces of institutional racism, and the healthcare institutions that limit the…
Jair Bolsonaro Wants to Tear Down the Amazon – What That Means Locally and Globally

Brazilian president-elect Jair Bolsonaro has plans that could potentially devastate the Amazon Rainforest. This has drastic implications for the Indigenous populations residing in Brazil’s Amazon,…
Climate Change and Women: How Global Temperature Rise Will Affect Women Laborers in the Global South

Even though the Global South has almost no responsibility in the current situation, IPCC report released in October shows that the predicted climate change would…
Midterms 2018: Meet Your New (Women-Led) Government

On Tuesday, November 6, citizens across the United States voted for change. This change was led predominantly by women from a variety of intersectional backgrounds.…
The 2018 Midterm Election: We Need to Do Better

Due to voter suppression tactics and white women again refusing the call to action, the midterm elections were disappointing. While there were definitely some major…

Dialogue and Opinion

Ecofeminism: An Incomplete Analysis of Climate Change

Ecofeminism is a form of white feminism, which relies too heavily on a single axis of patriarchy and fails to view environmental issues through an…
Feminist Theorist Thursdays: bell hooks

Image from Wikimedia Commons. bell hooks is a Black feminist theorist, professor, and cultural critic who has authored over 30 books, in addition to dozens…
It’s Time to Stop Turning a Blind Eye Toward Sweatshop Labor

Image by Jenny Dodge. When Nike released its controversial advertisement featuring Colin Kaepernick, the NFL player who began kneeling during national anthems to protest racial…
Piercing Politics: Deconstructing Beauty Norms

Design by Emily Farag. “Are we actually going through with this?” asked my longtime partner in crime, Kelli Hsu, as we strutted into Santa Monica’s Ancient…
Beta Blasting and Biceps: Women in Climbing

Women climbers quickly learn how to navigate sexism in the climbing gym in order to create a space that feels like their own.
An Honest Note on Anti-Semitism After Pittsburgh

I am heartened by the support that the Jewish community is receiving from other marginalized groups who are standing in solidarity without disclaimers. But I…

Arts and Creative

Event Review: For Her

Image by Lauren Frank Five pots in various earthy tones are placed in a formation on the stage: blue, brown, green, red, and orange. One…
Adrian Piper at the Hammer: Constructing Her Own Story

Though I did not know much about Piper upon entering the exhibit, it was abundantly clear from the outset that she is a highly skilled,…
DESMA’s Breaking the Rules Exhibit

Image by DESMA Breaking the Rules challenged mainstream contemporary art as demonstrated by UCLA’s undergraduate student artists. The interactive exhibit, which appeared from January 17…
A Shame of Being Ashamed

i was once called wanton for wearing red high heels and for the rest of the day, i limped more than walked— my head heavy…
The Ocean’s Lament

Image by Jenny Dodge Let us return to the beginning, O Great Ocean You have endured as much suffering As a mother whose wayward offspring…
Silent Conversations

There’s still an innate understanding that men are money-getters or decision-makers. There’s still an instinctive masculine generality to most environments. How many times have you…