It has taken me a year to come to grips with my sadness over the women’s suffrage centennial. Like Ellen Goodman and Lyn Scherr, I expected “confetti and cocktails, triumphant gatherings of women and men. White pantsuits and a red rose. A national shout-out to three generations of [brilliant, visionary, heroic] suffrage leaders.” But the …
Why Was the 19th Amendment Centennial Such a Disappointment? Read More »
Within seconds after she drew her last breadth, the media had a Phyllis Schlafly Festival. Pundits of all political stripes covered almost every aspect of her political legacy, from her Barry Goldwater cheerleading to her anti-feminist and anti-gay activism to her support of Donald Trump. Not surprisingly, most of the articles had wildly different “takes” …
It Took More Than Phyllis Schlafly to Kill the ERA Read More »
I started this election cycle feeling the Bern. Unlike many of Bernie Sanders’ current supporters, I’ve been watching him for years. I’ve enjoyed his passion and willingness to speak his mind, cheered his unabashed socialist tendencies and loved his determination to do what is right. I was so delighted when he announced his candidacy for …
I’m a huge Reese Witherspoon fan. That’s why when I got the chance to see Wild, the movie about Cheryl Strayed’s three-month long hike across the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT), I took it. And I wasn’t sorry. In fact, I liked the movie so much that I read the book too. I’m not an outdoorsy …
Perhaps it’s silly of me to be upset but I was practically enraged by the “lighthearted” question to the Republican candidates in the last “debate” of what woman they’d like to see on the $10 bill. This question could have been an opportunity for the candidates to prove how much they value American women and …
On that beautiful day when the women’s suffrage amendment was finally ratified, Alice Paul boldly declared, “August 26 will be remembered as one of the great days in the history of the women of the world and in the history of this republic.” Unfortunately, time has proven Alice Paul wrong. On August 26, 2015, the …
Why Was Media Coverage of Women’s Equality Day So Absolutely Awful? Read More »
Another Mother’s Day has passed. We heard that same ole paeans to motherhood from right wingers and the same ole reflections about mothers’ frustrations from progressives. In articles that haven’t changed much since Anne Crittenden penned her classic, The Price of Motherhood fourteen years ago, we saw appalling statistics about mothers, children and poverty. We …
After Dave Goldberg’s tragic sudden death on a treadmill last week, numerous condolences and accolades poured in from around the world. Many praised his leadership as CEO of SurveyMonkey. Several lauded him as a technological visionary. And of course, he was always listed as Sheryl Sandberg’s beloved husband. However, one surprise among all the tributes …
Dave Goldberg: Pro-Feminist Role Model or Super Rich Regular Guy? Read More »
One of the reasons we started Feminist Fever is because Kathleen and I desperately wanted to show people why feminism is still necessary. Far too people – women included – seem to believe, quite erroneously, that women are equal in our society. “We don’t need feminism anymore! Women today can do anything!” they cry. And …
Mansplaining: What Is It and What Is It Good For? Read More »
My friend and colleague, Riley Holden recently wrote an article for Feminist Fever about why interviewers should not ask female celebrities if they are feminists. Riley, as usual, made a lot of excellent points. Nevertheless, I still believe that interviewers should ask public figures about feminism – and do it intelligently. As long as we …