I recently rediscovered my love for Salt N Pepa. I remember singing to the lyrics of their highly sexualized songs as a child (they really hit it off when I was still learning to write in cursive), and while I didn't understand what I was singing I did know it was catchy. What I like about the music video above is the variety they show in the video. For a group that was popular in the early 90's they are pretty ahead of their time, showing Queer folks, big women, skinny women, androgynous folks and most importantly their bodies - hypersexual and yet in control.

As an adolescent I remember thinking about the lyrics (of their song Shoop in particular) and feeling somewhat empowered: was I not a woman and wasn't I entitled to express my sexuality the way boys my age did? While I did not have a ton of sex as an adolescent I was more interested in my expression. How was I treated differently depending on what I wore or how I behaved? What was acceptable for girls to do and what deemed them "bad girls"? I usually made an effort to be the bad girl, rarely brushing my hair, outspoken, assertive, completely trying to seperate myself from Orange County perceptions of womanhood.

Then I started college, and some things changed (I stopped trying so hard to counter society) and some things stayed the same (I still didn't brush my hair).  Most...

I like to think that I am fairly progressive and that simple social taboos about buying condoms or sex toys are below me..that I am, in fact, somewhat shameless. I was reminded today that I am not shameless, and in fact, I am incredibly embarassed about my period.

Greeted by my period right before I started work I had to stop at a grocery store to buy some pads. Everything started out okay, I grabbed a pack, lined up, and was ready to girl. As soon as I set my box down to check-out I realized that my entire line was men. I immediately felt severe shame. Sitting there was my lonely box of pads for everyone to recognize. I immediately began looking around the counter trying to find things to cover them with, isn't it weird to only by pads? Maybe I need a candy bar - "too stereotypical!" I think, as if they would be onto me.

Another man lines up behinds me and reaches for that plastic bar thing that seperates your groceries from the next person, he immediately used that bar thing to PUSH my pads forward and away from his groceries. I felt humiliated and disgusted. I quickly threw a magazine in with my pads, as if that would somehow distract people. When it finally came time to pay, my cashier (a woman) looks at my...

Last night, Jessica Valenti, founder of feministing.com, graced Indiana University with her presence giving a brief talk about her two books, and the third, forthcoming book The Purity Myth.  To an almost-full auditorium of young people of all genders, races, ethnicities, and sexualities, Jessica offered her take on the continued importance of feminism, especially among our youth.  Although rather subtle, one key point of her talk was that today’s feminists must continue to fight the same issues of their foremothers – sexual double standards, misogynistic representations of women, perpetual exotification and infantilizing of women of all ages, etc, etc.  But, these old issues (and many new) are tackled with new strategies – blogging.  Her website, feministing.com, has grown from a individually-led project to a blogosphere community of young feminists.  Again, though not an explicit point, Jessica highlighted that blogging and other advances of today are great ways for our rising generation to educate others and themselves and to create change.  Given the depressing decline of feminism in the US, or at least the number of people willing to identify themselves as feminists without the fear of being labeled a hairy, man-hating lesbian communist (what labels are there for men who identify as feminists?),...