Tag Archives: sexism

Hold That Latte, Lady! Extra Pounds Could Chop $13K Off Your Salary (But Dudes, Go Right Ahead)

Jessica WakemanOctober 13, 2010 //

You know you’ll get penalized at work if you stumble in every day of the week at 11 a.m. hungover. Who knew your salary would be penalized for binging on those Mallomars in your desk, too? An analysis of two studies, one tracking over 11,000 Germans and one tracking almost 12,000 Americans, found women who clocked in at 25 lbs. less than the group norm pulled in over an average of $15,000 more per year more than women of average weight, while women who weighed 25 lbs. more than the group norm earned an average of $13,000 less than women of average weight. Boys, the opposite is true for you: thin men earn less, but a guy actually rakes in more dough as he packs on the pounds, up until the point he becomes obese. Ah, the joys of sexism. Keep reading »

Pretzel Crisps Strikes Again With New Ad Campaign

Amelia McDonell-ParryOctober 11, 2010 //

Remember a few months ago, when Pretzel Crisps debuted their “new look” with ads touting that “you can never be too thin”? And then remember how they pulled those ads after the blogosphere flamed the company for using pro-anorexia language to cheekily sell their product? Well, Pretzel Crisps has a new ad campaign and the company seems to have changed its tune and is now thumbing its nose at critics. “We’re thin and stacked so lose the old bag,” the ad campaign’s slogan, plays upon an offensive trifecta — you can never be too thin, too busty, or too young. Weak. My hummus shall miss using you as a vehicle, Pretzel Crisps. [The Gloss] Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: California Candidate Meg Whitman Gets Called A “Whore”

Jessica WakemanOctober 8, 2010 //
  • An aide for California’s Democratic gubernatorial candidate called Meg Whitman, the Republican candidate, a “whore” on a voicemail which was accidentally left on a phone. According to the transcript, it sounds like the aide was specifically trying to say Whitman is a whore for pension reform. Whitman’s campaign released a statement calling it “an insult to both Meg Whitman and to the women of California.” [KPSP, Los Angeles Times]
  • A so-called “crisis pregnancy center” in Wisconsin, which pretends to offer family planning services but in actuality dissuades women from abortion, has paid for a billboard depicting a teen girl and a fetus in her belly. A thought bubble coming from the teen girl reads, “My mom’s going to kill me” and one from the fetus said, “My mom REALLY is going to KILL ME.” Some locals said the billboard is upsetting to young children who may read the sign, but Bay Area Pregnancy Services said it does not think that it’s inappropriate. [Daily Mail]
  • Sigma Gamma Rho, an African-American sorority, has been accused by students at two different colleges (Rutgers in New Jersey and San Jose State in CA) for “hazing” pledges by beating them with wooden paddles. [New York Times]

Keep reading »

Sum Poosie: A Pink Energy Drink That Tastes Like … Cherry 7Up!

Jessica WakemanOctober 8, 2010 //

Wait, what did you think I was going to write?

Sum Poosie is a “vagina-themed” energy drink that tastes like cherry and was created by a guy who turned down a job offer from Red Bull in 1996. “Basically, it’s an energy drink, but it’s like the ‘Girls Gone Wild’ of energy drinks,” the drink’s distributor Levar Turner, who is under the impression that is a selling point, told blogger Amanda Hess at TBD.com. “There are a million and one energy drinks. We needed to stand out. What better way than with Sum Poosie?”

So. How does Sum Poosie stand out? Bottles with boobies, boobies, boobies. Keep reading »

Reader Mailbag: On Gender Equality

Wendy AtterberryOctober 6, 2010 //

I get very nice mail from readers (thank you!), every once in a while I get pretty awful mail, and sometimes I get mail like the following letter, which just makes me scratch my head and say, “Huh?”

Subject: Compliments on “Padded Underwear Gives Men A Bigger Bulge“‏

…but you’re too cynical. For years we men have stood by and watched as women have advanced on the territory we thought was our own – going to the best colleges, getting prestigious and high paying jobs, owning big houses, driving cool cars. Now it’s our turn to take some of the ground that your side has held. So look out world – dyed hair, plastic surgery, and hair plugs were only the first steps. Padded underwear is next. We’ll know that we’ve arrived at true equality when men begin anxiously asking their wives and girlfriends whether their butt looks too big. All best. xxxx

Keep reading »

Girl Talk: Go Ahead, You Can Call Me Ugly

Chloe AngyalOctober 5, 2010 //

Late last month, Republican firebrand Ann Coulter spoke at Homocon, an event organized by GOProud, an organization of gay conservatives. In her remarks, she tried to convince gays and lesbians in attendance that they shouldn’t want, or have the right, to get married. The week before that, following her victory in the Delaware GOP primary, Christine O’Donnell became a household name (and a political punch line), mostly thanks to her arch-conservative views on sex and masturbation.

More recently, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi predicted that the U.S. military’s controversial “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy would be dead by the end of this year. And in a few days, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be heading to the Balkans to attend talks between Serbia and Kosovo on Kosovar independence.

Important issues, sure, but let’s not let them distract us from what really matters, people: Are these ladies hot or not? Keep reading »

“Scrub Away The Skank” With Axe Body Wash

Jessica WakemanOctober 4, 2010 //

Axe body wash’s ad says you can “scrub the skank away” with something called Snake Peel. (Ew.) I would find this only a little less offensive if Dove sold an equal body wash that advertises it’ll “scrub the douche away” … which, you know, wasn’t actually for literal douching. [Ms. Magazine] Keep reading »

Pastor Eddie Long Teaches Wifely Submission And That “Wives And Women Can Never Rule Over Men”

Jessica WakemanOctober 1, 2010 //

If you’ve read the news at all lately, you have heard of the trials and tribulations of Bishop Eddie Long. The Atlanta mega-church pastor is accused of sexual coercion of young men within his flock. Four men filed lawsuits last week claiming Long, a televangelist, forced them to have sex. Through a spokesman, the New Birth Missionary Baptist Church pastor has categorically denied the charges against him. We will leave the sexual assault allegations to the lawyers. But even if he is found not guilty of sexual assault, Eddie Long has a well-established history of abusing power of another kind: his “relationship advice” book, What A Man Wants, What A Woman Needs, is chock full of swill that preaches keeping your trap shut, also known as “wifely submission.” Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Radio Show Says Lady Candidate Has A “Tight Little Butt”

Jessica WakemanSeptember 28, 2010 //
  • The WRKO radio show in Boston referred to Republican state treasurer candidate Karyn Polito on air as having a “tight little butt,” after a listener called in asking if she was “hot.” Polito responded that their comments were “over the line” and not “right.” Oh, damn, where’s that post I wrote earlier today about sexist campaign slurs? [Boston Herald]
  • But wait! There’s more! You know you want to hear what Rush Limbaugh thinks of Delaware Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell. “I’d rather look at [herl] than Mike Castle,” Limbaugh said. “I think she’s kind of cute.” Oof. [Media Matters for America]
  • Depression is no more likely to occur in teenagers who have abortions than with teenagers who carry the pregnancy to term, according to researchers from Oregon State University and University of California San Francisco. Researchers culled data on 289 teens and found a negative psychological outcome of abortion was not pronounced. [UPI]

Keep reading »

Study Finds Sexist Comments Hurt Female Candidates In The Polls

Jessica WakemanSeptember 28, 2010 //
Hillary Clinton photo

Sexist slurs hurt a female candidate’s campaign more than her policy stances, according to a study on voter attitudes. That’s bad news for the likes of Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and Senator Kristen Gillibrand, who have been called “she-goat,” “mean girl,” and ” “the hottest member of the Senate,” respectively. A small survey, sponsored by the Women’s Media Center, the Women’s Campaign Forum Foundation, and Political Parity, as part of their “Name It, Change It” campaign to fight campaign sexism, also found that the typical advice to women to “ignore the attacks” was misguided. Instead of ignoring sexist characterizations, Ms. Candidate X most benefited by bashing down the remarks early on. Keep reading »

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