Posts Tagged Wednesday weigh in

By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Trigger Warning Edition

Everyone go read Roxane Gay’s piece about trigger warnings and the illusion of safety:

There are things that rip my skin open and reveal what lies beneath but I don’t believe in trigger warnings. I don’t believe people can be protected from their histories. I don’t believe it is at all possible to anticipate the histories of others in ways that would be satisfying for anyone.

There is no standard for trigger warnings, no universal guidelines. Once you start, where do you stop? Does the mention of the word rape require a trigger warning or is the threshold an account of a rape? How graphic does an account of abuse need to be before meriting a warning? Are trigger warnings required ...

Everyone go read Roxane Gay’s piece about trigger warnings and the illusion of safety:

There are things that rip my skin open and reveal what lies beneath but I don’t believe in trigger warnings. I don’t believe ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 11 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Reddit rape thread edition

*Trigger warning*

So let’s talk about that Reddit thread. If you haven’t waded into what is sure to be a highly triggering space, I don’t blame you. But, if you can stomach it, you can check out a condensed summary over at Jezebel.

I agree with Katie that it can be useful to hear directly from people who’ve committed sexual assaults about their motivations. As we know, rapists do not usually come in the “scary strangers hiding in the bushes” variety. While most men are not rapists, most rapists are men we know and, maybe, love. As Katie writes, “We have to acknowledge that the people telling these stories and making these decisions are the men (and women) next ...

*Trigger warning*

So let’s talk about that Reddit thread. If you haven’t waded into what is sure to be a highly triggering space, I don’t blame you. But, if you can stomach it, you can check out ...
By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Male birth control edition

It’s no secret that dudes love to talk about hormonal birth control. But until now, their more direct involvement, namely, being able to take it themselves to effectively prevent against unwanted pregnancy, has been somewhat limited, as there are no options for male hormonal birth control out there just yet.

Well to all my sistas tired of being the only ones to shoulder the burden of taking hormonal birth control, Christmas may have come early this year. The LA Times is reporting that a method of birth control targeted for men is showing some strong potential:

“A birth control gel for men sharply lowered sperm counts with few side effects, researchers reported Tuesday. The gel, containing ...

It’s no secret that dudes love to talk about hormonal birth control. But until now, their more direct involvement, namely, being able to take it themselves to effectively prevent against unwanted pregnancy, has been somewhat ...
By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Exes Edition

All human relationships hold the potential for engendering complicated emotions. But in my experience—and that of many of my friends— the relationship between exes can be one of the most complicated and rocky of all.

Those of us who have exes may know this all too well. Some days we can feel totally at peace with this ghost of our past love. And some days their mere existence can inspire any number of emotions that range from sadness to nostalgia to anger to remorse.

Common wisdom dictates that your relationship to your exes says a lot about you. Are you able to remain friends with your ex after a breakup? Catch the occasional drink with a person you used to bone? Have ...

All human relationships hold the potential for engendering complicated emotions. But in my experience—and that of many of my friends— the relationship between exes can be one of the most complicated and rocky of all.

Those of us ...
By Lori Adelman • 11 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Online Dating Edition

Online dating. It’s far from an unexplored topic in the feminist blogosphere. We’ve talked before about some of the dangers of online dating.  And over at GOOD, Jill Fillipovic had a brilliant piece about how two years of online dating taught her to spot red flags in potential suitors. (Clue number one: “I’m a nice guy.”)

But it seems with every passing day, online dating is becoming more and more normalized. Exhibit A: as a single 20-something living in New York City, a good chunk of my friends are engaged with online dating in some way (most through OKCupid).  Exhibit B: a hilarious new weekly Buzzfeed column “An(n)als of Online Dating” that purports to “show the best of the ...

Online dating. It’s far from an unexplored topic in the feminist blogosphere. We’ve talked before about some of the dangers of online dating.  And over at GOOD, Jill Fillipovic had a brilliant piece about how ...
By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

The Wednesday Weigh-In: Let’s Talk About Birth Control For REAL Edition

There’s been a lot of talk about birth control lately. But much of the conversation has been centered around politics and policies, and as a result, the realities of birth control usage have fallen by the wayside a bit.

Maybe that’s why people like Rush Limbaugh make statements which seem to suggest that their understanding of how contraceptives work is subpar at best.  And maybe that’s why women’s lived realities of birth control, contraceptives and family planning in general have not been at the center of the national conversation as much as we would like them to be.

Globally, 215 million women face an unmet need for contraception and family planning, meaning they report that don’t want to become pregnant ...

There’s been a lot of talk about birth control lately. But much of the conversation has been centered around politics and policies, and as a result, the realities of birth control usage have fallen by the ...
By Lori Adelman • 12 years ago

Wednesday Weigh-In: What do you want from an Equal Pay App?

Last week, the Obama Administration launched the Equal Pay App Challenge, inviting software developers to help women ensure that they’re being paid fairly.

I’m excited to see what developers come up with. In my mind, there are so many ways that technology could help women achieve pay equity. The app could publish a list of position levels and careers with average salary figures, for the sake of comparison. Or, it could offer tips for negotiating. What about a women’s “bill of rights” to use should an employer try to deny you your fair share? The possibilities seem pretty endless!

This week’s Wednesday Weigh-In focuses on technology and the pay gap. So weigh in!

How could ...

Last week, the Obama Administration launched the Equal Pay App Challenge, inviting software developers to help women ensure that they’re being paid fairly.

I’m excited to see what developers come up with. In my mind, ...
By Maya Dusenbery • 12 years ago

Wednesday Weigh-In: Pubic Hair Edition

According to the Atlantic, it’s time for another trend piece about pubic hair grooming habits. There’s some interesting history there, although its conclusion–that some young women, especially white college students, are waxing it all off these days–is probably pretty obvious to most real young people. It should also be noted that the answer to that alarmed question in the headline, “Has Pubic Hair in America Gone Extinct?” is, “no, it hasn’t.”

The author cites a new study as evidence that “more women lack pubic hair than ever before.” And while that’s no doubt true (although there haven’t been a lot of studies on this topic in the past to compare to), what the researchers themselves actually concluded was that ...

According to the Atlantic, it’s time for another trend piece about pubic hair grooming habits. There’s some interesting history there, although its conclusion–that some young women, especially white college students, are waxing it all off these ...

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