Claire Moshenberg

Posts Written by Claire

By Claire Moshenberg • 11 years ago

A snake?! Lawmaker sexually harasses teen at a hearing

“I am usually a very shy person, and now I am more outgoing. I was able to teach those children about certain things like snakes that we have and the turtles that we have. … I want to do something toward that, working with children when I get older.”

These inspiring words come from a high school student, who recently testified at a hearing asking legislators to continue to fund the Connecticut State Science Center. Aren’t these all things we want for young women? Positive teenage experiences, overcoming shyness, gaining confidence, finding a passion—this girl has got it all, and not only that, but she took the brave step of sharing her experience and participating in the political system so that other teens could have the same opportunities.

Here’s how State Representative Ernest Hewitt replied: “If you’re bashful, I’ve got a snake sitting under my desk here.”

If that first quote showcased everything we want for young women, then Hewitt helped point out everything we don’t want.

“There are no words” is a saying people like to use, when something is so terrible, so outside of the realm of normalcy that speechlessness seems necessary. I’ve got quite a few words: Unconscionable, outrageous, offensive. I’ve got a few because this isn’t outside of the realm; this is what can happen when young women speak up.

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Banana Suit Gumption, or Why I Love Parenthood’s Amber Holt

I fell in love with Amber Holt on “Parenthood” during last season’s Halloween episode, when she skipped the traditional “animal ears and lingerie” costume route and showed up to a frat party dressed as a giant banana. Her friend, sporting the classic scantily clad barmaid look, balked. The older SAT tutor her friend was lusting after raised his eyebrows. But Amber didn’t care, and her sincere confidence in her banana costume was even better than her wacky appearance.

Originally presented by NBC as “a rebellious and willful teen whose only interest at present is her wannabe rock star boyfriend,”Amber has developed into one of the more honest, complicated teenage girl characters on television. Last season ended withAmber spiraling out of control after finding out she didn’t get into ...

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Parks and Recreation: Thank You for the Pawnee Goddesses

I used to babysit a house full of smart, awesome girls. They played pirates, staged elaborate kitchen science experiments, and read books by the case-full. For half an hour every evening, we sprawled out on the couch and tuned in to the ongoing exploits of a myriad of makeup lacquered, fresh out of elementary school Disney starlets. Those 30 minutes of 100%-geared-towards-girls-programming were chock full of boy craziness, feuding girl friends, and the trials and tribulations of pop super stardom (this was in Hannah Montana’s heyday). The girls on screen were nothing like the bright, playful girls who I babysat or their friends, full of personality and laundry lists of interests that went way beyond boys and looks. Every night ...

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Parks and Recreation: Thank You for the Pawnee Goddesses

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Penny Chic, Meet the Women of Walmart

Shauna Miller, the blogger behind Penny Chic, has been racking up accolades for her frugal fashion brain child. It’s not surprising: Miller’s ensembles are attractive, trendy, and hilariously inexpensive. Instead of mining Fashion week collections for pricey pairings, Miller composes her outfits exclusively out of Walmart clothing.

With post-Recession graduates still struggling to find employment, the lofty fashion visions offered by popular style bloggers feel not only out of reach, but also deeply out of touch. Appealing to an age where interview upon interview is the norm, and new jobs don’t neccesarily come with a new influx of cash, it’s no accident that Miller gives her outfits job-related titles. It’s a smart reflection of a reality faced by many at the ...

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Domestic Violence is Not Okay, and Other Lessons Left Unlearned

I am not a fan of Chris Brown. Like the rest of the country (except for a few unfortunate victim-blaming-nay-sayers), I was horrified by his assault of Rihanna, I was disgusted by his recent homophobic Twitter rant, and I was freaked out by the catchy mind control game that was his Wrigley’s endorsed track “Forever.”

The road to redemption for Brown hasn’t been easy, or successful. Since assaulting Rihanna, he has been maligned by the public, his industry, and his fans. Not even his tearful breakdown during a Michael Jackson tribute could soften the hearts of his former fans. But after two years, Brown’s career seems to be on the mend. He has had three chart topping singles over the past ...

By Claire Moshenberg • 13 years ago

Domestic violence is not okay, and other lessons left unlearned

By Claire Moshenberg • 14 years ago

Cancer: When the Personal is National

(Originally posted on MomsRising.org)

There are two pictures from my childhood that I think of often, the classic kind that live for years on family refrigerators and mantels. One shows a little boy and I, very young and impossibly blond, too concentrated on our game to notice the snap of an aunt’s camera from across the room. Then one with the same boy, the two of us side by side, toddlers dwarfed by an enormous armchair, baby-faced and grinning. We share the mischievous glee of young friendship, two baby trouble-makers who spent every Rosh Hashanah stealing fistfuls of chocolates from his grandparents candy dishes, running through the backyard until our ...

(Originally posted on MomsRising.org)

There are two pictures from my childhood that I think of often, the classic kind that live for years on family refrigerators and mantels. One shows a little boy and ...