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 pertinent, as the United States appears to be sliding backwards, especially in terms of diverse representation in politics
We all want to put our money where our mouths are (and in doing so, align our purchases with our politics). But what does it mean to be a conscious consumer while also balling on a minuscule budget?
Now that the Women’s March is over, let’s hold each other accountable while making room for mistakes.
The very act of buying household products or a princess crown is not liberating; it normalizes a female social role centered on appearance and status rather than intellectual growth and financial success. The commodification of femininity reveals how various marketing practices and strategies shape consumer patterns, gender identities, and social roles that continue to perpetuate gender inequality.
Individuals need to confront the reality that sexuality lies on a spectrum, and no single person’s identity along it is invalid. Asexual, pansexual, bisexual and everything in between, all sexual identities are valid, real, and need to be respected.
It’s important to consider how this commonly used word is a slur to one of the most persecuted ethnic groups in the world, the Roma.
The bottom line is toxic masculinity harms all genders. It promotes sexism, misogyny, violence, and rape culture, while enforcing dangerous stereotypes of masculinity and femininity.
There have always been ways to chastise and police the actions of women and marginalized groups. “Daddy issues,” as a term, is yet another example of this.
Why has feminism, a movement so typically stigmatized for its disavowal of social norms, fallen under the umbrella of a term that epitomizes herd mentality?
In my friend’s straight cis male reality, one does not have to shape their individual behaviors around the avoidance of threats—or maybe one does, but certainly not during a routine trip to the restroom.