Feminism
FTW Friday: Facebook regulates gender-based hate speech
Last month a photo depicting a dead woman, head destroyed, body surrounded by her own blood with the caption “I like her for her brains,” would be A-OK with Facebook. Women, Action and the Media (WAM) published Facebook’s response to a user who reported the image, which was pretty much along the lines of: the… More »
WTF Wednesday: Woman vs. woman, that’s entertainment!
If you didn’t hear, the Toronto Maple Leafs made the playoffs, a first since 2004. The last time they won the Stanley Cup was in 1967. This is all newsworthy stuff, history made with the youngest team in the playoffs. But it was a look between two women that made the news for days. “DRAMA!… More »
WTF Wednesday: Crest’s sexist toothpaste commercial
He could be the one, soul mate, husband, loving father to your children. But first, you’ve got to get him to say hello. These are actual words from an actual Crest 3D White Arctic Fresh Toothpaste commercial that started airing last November (and is still on air). Naturally, the commercial suggests the only way to… More »
WTF Wednesday: Katy Perry announces that she’s not a feminist
Katy Perry was recently named Billboard’s Woman of the Year, but she’d like you to know that she’s not a feminist. Billboard tweeted part of the pop singer’s acceptance speech, which goes: “I am not a feminist, but I do believe in the strength of women.” As you might have guessed, this caused quite an angry… More »
WTF Wednesday: Mark’s Work Wearhouse is “Now Accepting Women”?
Ladies, rejoice! We’re now allowed inside Mark’s Work Wearhouse! In a recent rebranding effort, the Canadian Tire-owned retailer Mark’s Work Warehouse has changed its name to just “Mark’s”—oh, and they’ve also written one of the worst ad slogans we’ve seen in a while. Posters showing sophisticated, smiling women with the tagline, “Now Welcoming Women,” have… More »
You can keep your “all,” thanks. I don’t want it.
I sighed loudly when I read the “Why Women Still Can’t Have It All” cover line on the latest issue of The Atlantic (July/August 2012). When done sighing, I wondered what the “all” was now. I hoped the “all” was a nap because I was exhausted before I even opened the issue and read Anne-Marie… More »
How to win This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt
The first year we ran the contest was 1996 (that’s the issue cover at right). That year, Toronto writer John Burton won first place in This Magazine’s Great Canadian Literary Hunt. Burton’s entry, “Sisters,” was his first-ever published story. It triumphed over some 1,000 other entries. Burton was a virtual nobody in the literary world,… More »
The sinister power and deep historical roots of the word "slut"
Weighing in with 57,184 votes, the most popular definition of the word “slut” on Urban Dictionary is “a woman with the morals of a man.” If we strip away the male punchline, hasn’t “slut” always meant that? A woman who pursues her own pleasure in spite of a pervasive double standard? The SlutWalks are challenging that… More »
42 years on, the freedoms that Bill C-150 affirmed can't be taken for granted
Tomorrow, let’s take a moment to reflect on the 42nd anniversary of the passing of Bill C-150, the omnibus bill that decriminalized abortion, contraception and homosexuality. The rights that Canadians have because of this historic bill are crucial to remember as those same rights come under attack elsewhere: on Wednesday, Indiana became the first state… More »
Some worthwhile reads to mark International Women's Day
Since today marks the 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day, we wanted to highlight some recent stuff that’s appeared in This and elsewhere on the subject of gender justice and equality. Emma Woolley at Shameless has provided a comprehensive overview of why International Women’s Day still matters. The upshot is that while the last century… More »
