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Gloria Continues To Give Us Meaning

By Cam Ostrow When I was 16 years old and feminism was only just beginning to dawn on me, I did what every young and aspiring feminist inevitably does: I Googled “Gloria Steinem.” The first time, I found a wikipedia page, which I could barely find the focus to skim, and the second time, I…

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Predictable Sexism In Birth Control

by Stephanie Cole Sometimes, I am unpleasantly surprised when blatant sexism pops up in unexpected places. There are, however, issues where I can always expect to see an unfortunate display of ignorance and sexism. Women’s health is one of these issues. Bring up menstruation, female sexuality, and female anatomy anywhere without a guaranteed population of…

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Hot Moms: Because What Else Matters in a Woman?

by l Because the Internet isn’t creepy enough, there’s a radio station in Connecticut that holds a monthly “Hot Mom” contest on Facebook. It’s basically exactly what it sounds like: mothers submit photos of themselves—some scantily clad and sexualized, some not—and commenters “like” the photos to vote for them. The woman with the most votes…

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Pulled Perfection

by Crystal Ogar I’m sure by now you’ve all heard about two makeup ads being pulled in the U.K. for being misleading and heavily photoshopped. Bravo. The ads were Maybelline’s “wrinkle eraser” starring Christy Turlington and the other was Julia Roberts for L’Oreal make-up. Both stars look as close to perfection as a woman can…

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CALLING ALL ARTISTS, DESIGNERS, AND ACTIVISTS!

Tired of seeing the same boring, sexist, unrealistic advertising images like this everywhere you look? Fight back and design a positive message of women/girls’ empowerment for a New York City billboard! SPARK (Sexualization Protest: Action, Resistance, Knowledge), Women’s Therapy Centre Institute and Endangered Bodies have access to a prominent billboard in New York City and…

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More than Bodies

by Stephanie Cole The new ad campaign recently released by Zappos, the popular on-line shoe store, is so exemplary of sexualization in advertising that it almost seems like a joke. The ads, which feature women going about everyday activities in nothing but shoes, promote the retailer’s clothing department. The women’s bodies are “censored” with the…

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FAIL to the V

by Ness Fraser As a general rule, I tend to be weary of companies that try to tell me that my body is not good enough — just by nature of being a body. Companies that promote hair removal products, anti-wrinkle creams, and cellulite reducing balms tend to be among the legions of corporations to…

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SPARKit with Media Education Foundation!

We were thrilled that Jean Kilbourne introduced her newest Media Education Foundation documentary, Killing Us Softly 4, at the SPARK Summit and that MEF became an early SPARK partner! The Media Education Foundation produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political, and cultural impact of American…

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