Tag Archive for "Motherhood"

Posts Tagged Motherhood

Little girls and big systemic cultural problems

Good Morning America recently ran a segment on what I would term early-onset body image issues – girls as young as 5 and 6 are picking up on the cultural imperative for thinness, and the result is that girls are worrying about their weight before they’re out of the third grade. We’ve known for some time that little girls worry about this stuff, and that girls are starting to diet at younger and younger ages. GMA put together a panel of girls between the ages of 5 and 8 to ask them about diet, exercise, and how they felt about their bodies.

The adult women in these girls’ lives are seemingly all on diets – their mothers, their teacher – ...

By aclu • 12 years ago

Pregnant Women Need Health Care, Not Jail Time

By Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Staff Attorney, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project

June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the United States, and has contributed to making America the world’s largest incarcerator. Throughout the month, the ACLU has been blogging daily about the drug war, its victims and what needs to be done to restore fairness and create effective policy.

Deciding to continue a pregnancy, even if you are struggling with addiction, should never be a crime. But in the 40 years since ...

By Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Staff Attorney, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project

June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced ...

By Chloe Angyal • 12 years ago

Thanks, Mom

For keeping your last name and acting like it was no big deal, even though it was.

For marrying a feminist man who supported your career ambitions and helped you raise two feminist daughters.

For raising me with feminism in the water so that when I encountered the word and the idea, feminism seemed so unremarkable and obvious to me that I was astonished to find that there even was a word or an idea.

For not shuddering in dismay (at least, not visibly), at my childhood obsession with princesses, fairies and chasing boys.

For not shuddering in dismay (at least, not visibly), at my other childhood attraction – to really dangerous sports.

For doing your best to raise me to love my body.

For ...

For keeping your last name and acting like it was no big deal, even though it was.

For marrying a feminist man who supported your career ambitions and helped you raise two feminist daughters.

For raising me with ...

By Lori Adelman • 13 years ago

“How dare you disrespect the queendom?”: Single mothers of color in the spotlight

Last week a study from the University of Michigan was released that shows an increase in the numbers of American women having children by multiple partners.

The study shows that 28 percent of American women with two or more children have done so by more than one man, and when it comes to African-American women, that figure jumps to 59 percent. MSNBC reports that the study’s author called this trend “pervasive” and compared the number of women with multiple baby daddy’s to “the number of American adults with a college degree.”

Some people, perhaps most notably Melanie Eversley over at TheGrio, believe that these survey results — and the media attention that is sure to follow — could ...

Last week a study from the University of Michigan was released that shows an increase in the numbers of American women having children by multiple partners.

The study shows that 28 percent of American women ...

By adina giannelli • 13 years ago

Desperately Seeking Sterilization: the politics of privilege

My post-collegiate boyfriend was an affable Dane who later became a public school teacher. Children loved him, and (I think) he loved children, but he didn’t want to have any of his own. That was his story, anyway. He spoke loudly and often about not wanting to breed, or parent, or do anything involving the permanent presence of children. It may have had something to do with the fact that he was an active alcoholic who could barely take care of himself. It may have had something to do with his age, or it may have been that he simply, unequivocally did not want children.

He once told me a story about going to his doctor at ...

By Lori Adelman • 13 years ago

This is what racism looks like

“I did this for them, so there it is. I did this for them.”
– Ohio mother Kelley Williams-Bolar on her motivations for sending her children to a school in a neighboring district, where she thought they would receive a better education in a safer environment.

I can’t seem to get this story out of my head since it’s been making its round on the interwebs this week.

For those who haven’t heard, a woman in Ohio was convicted of lying about where she lived in order to get her daughters into a better school district. Her sentence? 10 days in county jail, three years of probation, community service, and payment of up to $30,000 in back tuition she could be ...

By Courtney • 13 years ago

Reflections upon seeing my best friend mother for the first time

There are moments when the future rushes in and you are suddenly faced with the reality of time passing. As I watched my best friend since third grade care for her newborn baby yesterday, the proverbial wind was knocked out of me. Megan, the little freckle-faced girl with whom I used to choreograph Madonna dances, ride bikes through Monument Valley Park, and cry on the phone from our respective colleges is now a mother, and a damn natural and inspiring one at that.

It made me think a lot about the invisible and profound transition between non-mother and mother. Megan has always been maternal, always loved babies and cared for them naturally. (We had a co-owned babysitting business as tweens; we ...

By Rose • 13 years ago

Moms and media spokeswomen rep their natural hair

Love this video. It has been making it’s rounds on Facebook racking up quite a few likes and YouTube views. I enjoyed the video so much because it is straight forward about the harms of adhering to the straight, long-haired standard of beauty and reminds me of one of the things that was so rewarding about interning at the White House.

The video makes no bones about discussing the health harms of straightening chemicals, extensions and weaves, connecting these practices to permanent hair loss and traction alopecia. Additionally, the video discusses that young black girls are harmed too, developing insecurities about their hair. One mother even transitions into a natural hair style to give her daughter a sense of pride about ...