Tag Archives: sexist

Writer Tawni O’Dell Comes Out Swinging Against Sexist Publishing Industry

Jessica WakemanNovember 22, 2010 //

A few months ago the author Jonathan Franzen published his novel, Freedom, and among bookworms, it was like a new “Star Wars” movie being released or Angelina Jolie popping out another baby. Not only did President Obama make headlines for snagging an advanced copy to read on vacation, but Franzen made the prestigious New York Times book review not once, but twice, in a single week. That was all too much for author Jodi Picoult. “Is anyone shocked?” she tweeted, no doubt rolling her eyes. “Would love to see the Times write about authors who aren’t white male literary darlings.” Everyone weighed in with their opinion — sexism? sour grapes? — including here on The Frisky. The matter was settled, at least for moi, when the blog Slate.com did an old-fashioned author byline count of The New York Times Book Review. That publication does, in fact, review more books written by men than women.

For us lady writers at The Frisky, it was all pretty disheartening. (Kate may be the only one who has published a book thus far, but there are several of us on staff who go home and peck on our laptops some more.) Now there’s more “ugh”-ness to “ugh!” deep in our bellies: Author Tawni O’Dell penned an essay for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette about her experiences navigating the publishing industry and book-reviewing culture as a female writer and they’re utterly fascinating.

I just have four words for you: “wood nymph” and “biker chick.” Keep reading »

NC Campaign Ad Shows Female Candidate Applying Mascara And Lipstick Like A Whore

Jessica WakemanOctober 26, 2010 //

Campaign commercials are getting dirty down south. North Carolina politician Wesley Meredith is challenging State Senator Margaret Dickson for her seat and ran an ad depicting a cash-carrying woman making herself up with lipstick and mascara. You know, like whores do. 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]

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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 »

Ladies, Who Wants To Rent Their Ass Out To Kentucky Fried Chicken?

Jessica WakemanSeptember 22, 2010 //

In a “creative” new advertising campaign — really, they used the word “creative” — Kentucky Fried Chicken is giving college girls $500 bucks to walk around campus wearing sweat pants that promote their Double Down sandwich across the ass. It’s a bun-less sandwich and the co-ed girls have the words “double down” across their … oh, nevermind, you get it. Shh, let’s not tell them that Victoria’s Secret and just about every college in the country has beat them to this idea!

KFC is pleased to have found so many broke college kids wannabe billboards willing to be exploited take monetary compensation for being objectified and ogled their time … Keep reading »

Remember When Ladies Were Cup Holders? Chevy Does

Jessica WakemanSeptember 17, 2010 //

Remember when men were men and women were cup holders? Chevy does and they are selling posters of their 1959 Impala to celebrate the glory days when women knew their place was in the shotgun seat. Sexist ads don’t endear the rest of the country to feel bad for your financial woes, auto industry. [ChevyMall.com via AutoGuide.com] Keep reading »

“Sexism Ed” Tries To Answer The Question “What Is Sexism?”

Jessica WakemanSeptember 17, 2010 //

What happens when someone grabs their video recorder and hits an American town to ask random people the definition of the word “sexism“? More than half of the people asked cannot define what it means and one in three say women deserve to be treated differently because of their gender. The lack of understanding about sexism and the inability to recognize it does not surprise me at all. Keep reading »

Nancy Pelosi Cast As The “Wicked Witch Of The West” In Campaign Ad

Jessica WakemanSeptember 14, 2010 //

She’s mellllllllting … and she’s the Speaker of the House. Nancy Pelosi is the cackling Wicked Witch of the West in a new “Wizard of Oz”-themed campaign commercial by Republican Congressional candidate John Dennis. An actress playing Pelosi flies in on a jet, jabbing Dorothy, Toto and pals with the end of her broom and shrieking that her flying monkey henchmen, the IRS, will come after them. That is, until John Dennis throws a bucket of water in her face. Keep reading »

Today’s Lady News: Huffington Post Taken To Task For Sexist Content

Jessica WakemanAugust 25, 2010 //

  • I love this Bitch magazine video, “The Huffington Post’s Sexist Link Bait Strategy,” by Anita Sarkeesian — and not just because my study for Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting about the lack of female bloggers on HuffPost’s front page is quoted in it. She asks why the site calls itself liberal and progressive when so much of its internet traffic comes from viewers looking at slideshows of celebrity nip slips. [Bitch]
  • Walmart is appealing an April ruling to authorize a class action lawsuit against the company for sex discrimination. Female employees past and present claim they received lower pay and were passed over for promotions. [Reuters]
  • Yesterday, Alaskan voters approved a law that requires a parent to be notified by a doctor if a teen girl, age 17 or younger, is seeking an abortion. The teen girl can skirt the law if she provides the doctor a notarized statement that she is being abused at home. Already 34 other states require that a parent be notified or give consent in order for an abortion to be performed. [Anchorage Daily News]

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