Some men prefer their cars to smell of panties, not pine trees. One question: Is this panty-smell smell freshly washed or just-worn? [Feministing]

New Mexico may be the next state (Texas was the first) to require young girls to get the new HPV vaccine. [USA Today]

Do birth-control pills make you fat? That and other myths debunked. [CNN]

Young women who undergo weight-loss surgery are more likely to develop a serious neurological condition "most often seen in severe alcoholics". [CNN]

On the other hand, people who weigh more are less likely to commit suicide. We believe it. When we're skinny, it's usually because we're depressed. Hate that. [NY Times]

One woman in the Times' obit section today: Edith d'Addario, former Joffrey Ballet director who, among other things, developed ballet classes for deaf children. [NY Times]

"Yep — it's true. There is a desirable shade of ass." [FabSugar]

Attention pregnant cat lovers: Your kitties' toxoplasmosis may be prepping you to bear a baby boy. [BoingBoing]

EMU masters-degree student Christina Wall is living life as it was before the 1950s. This, of course, means no fast food, no dishwashers, and no email or ATM machines. We're wondering, however, if this also means she has to wear maxipads with belts. [MinneapolisStarTribune]

Many black women don't exercise because there's not a lot of societal pressure on them to be thin. Unfortunately, it's also because they want to protect their hairstyles from sweat and heat. It always comes back to the hair, doesn't it? [Houston Chronicle]

Two obits of women in the NY Times today: etiquette-expert Marjabelle Y. Stewart (who may have slept with JFK) and singer Natalie Bodanya (who once lost her pants onstage at the Met). [NYTimes]

The Virginia Dept. of Health is issuing a comic book to combat statutory rape of young Hispanic girls. [CNN]

• A bill criminalizing abortion in the event that Roe vs. Wade is overturned is on its way to Mississippi governor Haley Barbour. [Feministing]

• Is fish safe to eat during pregnancy or not? The Brits and Americans are at odds. [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]

• Law-enforcement officials may not need seminal fluid in order to identify and convict rapists. [BBCNews]

• Your boyfriend's snoring costs you two years of life. [The Sun]

• The first large-scale exhibition of feminist art is a thrill, says critic Holland Cotter. [NYTimes]

• One woman in the Times' obit section today! Rufina Amaya, activist against slaughter in El Salvador, dies. [NYTimes]

• Apparently, we can pin the blame for some people's obsession with hairlessness and expensive clothing on body lice. [NYTimes]

• Women account for 70% of non-fiction book purchases in the U.S., yet only 15% of bestsellers on the New York Times non-fiction list were written by women. Some people are trying to figure out why. [MediaBistro]

• It's International Women's Day. No, we don't mean the magazine. [Feministing]

• More bitter truths in women's health news. You know how antibiotic treatment for a UTI can give you a yeast infection? Well, radiation for breast cancer can give you heart disease. [CNN]

• Once again, no women mentioned in the New York Times' obituaries section. [NY Times]

American women serving in Iraq are in such danger of being raped by male soldiers, military officers are telling them not to take showers or visit the bathroom without a female escort. [Salon]

Soda makers want you to believe that their diet-branded drinks belong in the "health and wellness" category. [NY Times]

Eva Longoria is one of thousands of soon-to-be brides who has picked 7/7/07 as her "lucky" wedding day. Not surprisingly, June 6, 2006 was a slow day for I-dos. [USA Today]

Finally: More justification for females who love to pick their boyfriends' zits. [NY Times, 2nd item]

Want to avoid getting HPV? Don't ever have sex. Oh, and try not to get raped. [NY Times]

30 women in Iran arrested for protesting the government's treatment of female activists. [Feministing]

Over in Egypt, a fatwa is issued, declaring the existence of a hymen not suitable evidence of a woman's virginity. This is good news, believe us. [Salon]

Liposuction on your stomach, back or waist may naturally increase your breast size. [NBC10]

The obesity epidemic in America may be causing girls to hit puberty at earlier and earlier ages. A study found that girls who were fatter at age 3 and gained weight over the ensuing years began developing breasts at age 9. [NY Post]

Sex researcher Beverly Whipple says a female subject of hers cried after having six orgasms in 24 minutes. We're crying too, but for a different reason. [USA Today]

Industrialized countries are beginning to encourage women to both work and raise families. [Feministing via NY Times]

Museum of Modern Art-approved condom applicators! [BoingBoing]

Single women do less housework. Yeah, no shit: Take a look at our apartment! [Feministing]

The percentage of female politicians worldwide has gone up 6 percent over the past decade to almost 17 percent. [NY Post]

Want to get pregnant but worried about getting fat? Turns out maybe you need fat to get pregnant. [USA Today]

Some women need to get a life. [Washington Post]

Playboy Network rumored to be closing up shop. [Jossip]

It's Jesus, not women's magazine editors, who expect you to look like a supermodel. [Feministing]

Disney's new princess dresses aren't just for grown-up gals; this October, you'll be able to put your aspiring Jon Benet in one too! [Orlando Sentinel, via BoingBoing]

1 in 4 women ages 18-59 is infected with HPV. [NY Times]

Hell on wheels: right-to-lifers staking out abortion-providing clinics in R.V.'s equipped with sonograms — the better to shame pregnant women with images of their "babies". [Salon]

We associate diaphragms with 70's-era Judy Blume books. But the contraceptive may be making a stylish comeback. [Feministing]

The Bush Administration won't go down with out a fight: Angry over the fact that Plan B was given over-the-counter approval, the FDA is decreasing funding for the Office of Women's Health. [Feministing]

One thing missing from this true/false list about female orgasms? The importance of having a man who knows how to give one. [Redbook]

One woman who obviously didn't get the Christopher Hitchens' "women aren't funny" memo. [Salon]

We've long suspected this: Old, fat and/or Catholic women have the hardest time getting dates. [NY Times]

We've long suspected this too: Sororities are full of superficial, skinny white bitches. [Salon, via NY Times]

India's health minister requests ban on gender bias in ads due to high rates of female infanticide. [Feministing]

It's the female illegals and their children who may be suffering the worst in the war on immigration: some swept up in raids are living in jail cells with inadequate prenatal care and an inability to feed their young kids. [Firedoglake]

Elderly women in America aren't doing too well, either. [Huffington Post]

More proof that blondes really do have more fun! Apparently it's more difficult to drug-test light-hued hair than dark. [Slate]

Wee! It's true! Female primates smarter than male ones. [Washington Post]