August 21, 2011
LatestTHE BIG PICTURE | Arizona, August 20: Becky Hammon, #25 of the San Antonio Silver Stars, lays up a shot against the Phoenix Mercury during a WNBA game at US Airways Center in Phoenix. The Mercury defeated the Silver Stars 87-81. [Getty]
Italian Vogue Features Unbelievably Racist “Slave Earrings”
The Vogue brand is no stranger to offensive missteps. In the past we’ve seen French Vogue do blackface, American Vogue portray LeBron James as King Kong, and Indian Vogue put a Fendi bib on an impoverished child. However, Vogue Italia always seemed a bit more enlightened than its sister publications. More »
Women Threatening To Ruin All College Fun
Stop the presses! A man is upset! In an epic mansplanation worthy of nothing short of the Wall Street Journal‘s opinion pages, Peter Berkowitz explains that a terrible menace threatens to derail the educational experience of college men across the country- new protocols of sexual assault investigation that will subject all men to horrible, evil false accusations from life-ruining women. More »
Why Don’t Asian Women Want To Get Married?
Long have advocates of the traditional family unit bemoaned the death of marriage and long have internet smart alecks made fun of their ridiculous claims that it’s being destroyed by gays, divorce, or the Kardashians. While the institution of marriage is changing in America, in Asia, it’s sharply growing more and more unpopular, and much of that is due to the choices of women. This has some experts alarmed. More »
Where Are They Now: A Love Letter To The UK Skins
Granted, it wasn’t all that long ago that the UK series Skins was on the air, but given the fact that the series cast people who were roughly the same age as their characters -this wasn’t your American casting of a 27-year-old playing a 15-year-old- a lot of them had little prior acting experience and many of them drifted off to university or other pursuits (as outlined here) after their series ended. More »
10 Things You May Have Missed On TV This Week
In this week’s compilation of pop culture crap, Anderson Cooper gets the giggles, Gloria Steinem shares her abortion story, and evangelicals who believe in the preaching powers of a toddler who can’t count. More »
A Gentle Reminder That Being Single Will Kill You
Teams of scientists around the world are all hard at work on a single subject. While we wish they were singularly focused on curing fatal diseases or giving the world the hovercraft that we so desperately need, they just can’t stop studying whether it’s healthier to be single or married. More »
Teen Model’s Parents Sue Photographer For Taking Sexy Pics
16-year-old fashion model Hailey Clauson’s parents are suing photographer Jason Lee Parry and chain retailer Urban Outfitters. Clauson’s parents are unhappy with how Clauson, who turned 15 the month the pictures were taken, is depicted — and they’re unhappy that photos taken for a magazine editorial have turned up on t-shirts for sale at Urban Outfitters. More »
Why One Day Is The Most Toxic Romance Of The Year
With the recent smashing success of Bridesmaids, much has been made about women in film. Supposedly, this one comedy proved once and for all that 1) People with uteruses can be funny 2) Female-fronted films need not be pandering 3) Men will actually pay to see movies with female leads, and 4) Carrots can be sexy. Now as much as I love Bridemaids and have steadily reveled in its worldwide success, I’m more realistic about its impact on the standing of women in Hollywood and as moviegoers. More »
Could Russell Armstrong’s Suicide Ruin The Housewives Franchise?
The second season of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills was set to premiere September 5 — but with the recent suicide of Russell Armstrong, one of the show’s stars, that’s been thrown into question. The trailer for the new season — which had hinted that the Armstrongs’ marital problems would be a major storyline — is no longer viewable on Bravo’s website. More »
Your Handy Guide To Rick Perry
This morning in Iowa, new presidential candidate Rick Perry said you should want a president “that’s in love with America.” He struck a similarly amorous note when asked about Romney, blowing an air kiss and saying, “Send him my love.” Should you be sending love back Perry’s way? In a word, no. More »
Michele Bachmann’s Hand-Written Kibbutz Letter Is Kind Of Sweet
Here’s a letter eighteen-year-old Michele Bachmann wrote in the diary of Ziva Yellin, at the end of Bachmann’s summer on Yellin’s Kibbutz, Beeri. In 1974, remarking on Yellin and her friend being bilingual, Bachmann wrote, “I feel stupid next to both of you.” More »
How To Make An Envelope Clutch
Oh, handbags. Next to underwear, shoes, and swimsuits, it’s hard to think of a fashion item with a less attractive cost-per-square-inch. But if you have a few hours, a few beers, some leather and a needle and thread, you too can make a gorgeous, top-quality bag of your own. No sewing machine required. More »
This Week In Tabloids: John Mayer’s Jealous Of Jen’s New Love, Drowns His Sorrows In Hot Pockets
Welcome back to Midweek Madness, in which we in which search for juicy secrets buried in the underwear drawers of In Touch, Star, OK!, Life & Style and Us. This week, John Mayer writes tortured Top 40 hits about Jennifer Aniston, Suri goes on a diet, and Jessica Simpson considers having a shotgun wedding. Plus, the foremost expert on big butts weighs in on Pippa’s ass. More »
Store Refuses To Sell Wedding Dress To Lesbian Bride
Last week, a New Jersey bridal store manager refused to sell a dress to a customer when she found out she was a lesbian. The manager’s reasoning is bigoted (obviously), and also extremely bizarre. More »
Porn Star Publicly Breastfeeds Her Baby, Gets Accused Of Promoting Pedophilia
Women are still routinely condemned for breastfeeding in public, and just this weekend, a mom was kicked out of an all-female gym for feeding her son. So, you can imagine what happened when a feminist porn director and actress decided to challenge the way people think about sex and motherhood with an art project about breastfeeding. More »
The Making (And Occasional Unmaking) Of Wikiwomen
We knew Wikipedia had a lady problem. But now it’s proven by science. More »
How I Got All Precious About Daycare
For rookie parents like myself, whether or not to put your kid in daycare brings up a host of hand-wringing questions: Is it OK to hate anyone who can afford a nanny? Will daycare teachers treat my child better if she’s clearly more attractive than the other gargoyles? Will they be as good at breastfeeding as me? More »
New Children’s Book Encourages Young Girls To Diet
Are you concerned that you child has yet to develop any body image issues and still remains blissfully unaware that society wants her to be as thin as possible? More »
The Ridiculous Bra For Blossoming Teen Bosoms
American Eagle’s new padded “Drew” bra promises to enhance your breasts up to two cup sizes and give you that “Double Whoa.” The problem? Some would say they are marketing directly to teenagers. More »
“You Will Pay”: The Wrath Of Michele Bachmann
You knew about the gays and the “abortion-minded women.” Add to the list of those who should beware of Michele Bachmann: A journalist, a Republican activist. Forget being afraid of her policies — apparently we should now be worried about getting roughed up by her people or, under the right circumstances, being told, zombie-like, “You will pay.” More »
Your Presidential Candidates Eating Phallic Corndogs
Over the weekend, some were outraged at a photo published in The Telegraph of Michele Bachmann at the Iowa State Fair, looking like she was fellating a corn dog. More »
How To Get Some Time To Yourself
Usually at Social Minefield we discuss ways to interact with people, but today we’ll be talking about how not to interact – specifically, how to get alone time when you need it. People who are introverted may find that they need regular bouts of solitude to recharge, but everybody needs a breather from company sometimes. Here’s how to achieve that without making your friends mad. More »
Managing Your Disgusting Mouth
If the eyes are a window to the soul, the mouth is the gaping doorway to the brain. And when that doorway is festooned with spinach-y remnants of brunch and emitting a rancid exhaust of partially digested pizza, no one wants to kiss you, hire you, or even be your friend. If you find that your breath is kicking harder than Wayne Rooney on steer hormones, there’s no need to put yourself on face probation; MacGyver your way out! More »