By Bailey Shoemaker Richards One of the most frustrating things about being engaged with media as a viewer is trying to find those sources that aren’t problematic for young women, and this includes books. Although there is no dearth of reading material for young women, the fandom around books like the Twilight series makes me…
By Eliana Buenrostro I spend a lot of time watching television and a lot of that time is spent indulging in children’s television. These days I rarely see something that is a positive influence on girls or boys. The emphasis in a lot of the shows is appearance, with very little diversity in the types…
by Julia Bluhm It’s uncommon to see magazines where a woman posing on the cover isn’t surrounded by head-lines about losing weight, clothes, or fashion. It is common to see magazine covers with woman in sexy poses, in fitted dresses, lathered in makeup. Even in athletic ads, they find some way to make the model…
We love this longer post from SPARKteam member Emma on why feminism isn’t just some spent social movement from the past (and not just ’cause she gives us a shout!): On November 25, 2011, ABC aired an episode of 20/20 concerning the sexualization of young girls and the organization SPARK (Sexualization Protection: Action, Resistance, Knowledge) which is…
By Stephanie Cole Here at SPARK, actually anywhere in the feminist movement, we get used to fielding questions. Many of them are, for lack of a better word, stupid. I have often had my self-identification as feminist immediately followed by, “So, do you, like, hate men?” I hope I don’t actually have to answer that…
by Bailey Shoemaker Richards H&M seems to have decided that the bodies of real women are no longer good enough for displaying their clothes, according to Jezebel. A photo from the H&M website reveals the identical (if racially diverse) bodies of swimsuit models, with the heads of real models pasted on. The most baffling part…
By Izzy Labbe I’m not going to lie. In fact, I’m going to be 100% truthful when I say the latest movie in the crazy-popular Twilight saga, “Breaking Dawn: Part One” is pretty far up there on the list of the most disturbing movies I have ever seen. Not only is it disgusting, graphic, scarring, and…
By Maya Brown Her eyes are crazed, her tan glows under the florescent lights, and her hair springs from its tight bun as she pushes past everyone to land that first spot in line. Every year millions of American women make their way to stores at 5 a.m., midnight — even 9pm the day before…