Jessica Coen's discussions

Slit makes me think of a paper cut. I've actually never had a nickname — not for any reason, per se, just never got around to it? — but when I was little my parents called it "patootie." Read more

I will always remember the moment I did my first aerial. SO PROUD. And then I could never do it again. It was a glorious fluke. Read more

Oh, I'm not at all blaming the film. It's a coincidence, absolutely. Just — and I hesitate to use this word because I'm not sure it has the right gravity — ironic, and it maybe has prompted a little soul-searching. :) Read more

Hit movies, endless TV coverage... Read more

"But the universally horrified reaction shows that this cartoony violence doesn't desensitize us to real violence." Read more

This story is still unfolding, details are still coming out and who knows what more awful crap we're going to learn. But the Who, What, Where, When and How of what happened — the basic elements of the story — are somewhat inextricable from pop culture and our relationship with it. If there had been a mall shooting… Read more

Absolutely. We talk more about sororities because of all the social pressures women on the whole experience — and sororities often mirror that in a more intense and focused environment — but in the Greek system men may get a small dose of it too. At least during rush. As for life after rush, I think it varies from… Read more

I think my life may have turned out differently if we'd had winter rush. Very few girls rushed as sophomores; it was just something you did as a freshman for the most part. But having to decide whether or not I wanted to be in the Greek system — nevermind what house — within 2 weeks of arriving on campus was kind of… Read more

Verrrry good point re: not standing a chance if you actually need coaching. Read more

Well technically they are, but c'mon. Snake oil. If you get along with the group for four years, that's success enough. Just keep paying those dues. Read more

Nitpick away — I say X/Y because I've seen as many claims that Gen X ends in 1979 and I know the 1980-1984 crew doesn't really consider themselves "millenials." I think the media's shift in terms also gives the impression that Gen Y and Millenials are different but have a lot of overlap. Read more

So both boomers and millennials are self-absorbed and narcissistic, if trend pieces etc are to believed. Does this mean Gen X/Y is the only good lot to come out of the gene pool over the past 60+ years? Read more

Oh no — reasons why you should feel so much better about yourself: Read more

The video — and people watching it (not you specifically) — and how it's being shared is the entire point of the article. To say "everyone is sharing this thing and it's resulting in some possible good being done, but we're not going to point you in its direction" makes zero sense. Read more

For pageants, I'd think so. Read more

Just because we're discussing the fathers who aren't present doesn't mean that there aren't millions of dads who are present. As with every discussion about Society Today, none of this stuff is a universal declaration. Given what you're saying, this article is clearly not about you. It doesn't apply to you. That… Read more

Well, parenting is obviously the mother's responsibility! Fathers are free to come and go as they please. DO NOT QUESTION. Read more

That would be interesting, actually — lock Tosh in a room with nothing but a desk, pencil and paper — all alone and without his writing staff — and see if he can write a rape joke that works. This fantasy scenario would never happen, of course, but it'd still be fascinating. Read more

Did you read our lengthy explanation on how to make a rape joke? Because you can make a rape joke if you do it right. The key is to not make a rape victim the butt of the joke, and the joke here is that Tosh does not understand what it is like to be raped. Read more

Well, like Erin said, I doubt the pilot was positively riddled with rape "humor," that could just be the source's dramatized version of the story. That said, even if there's just ONE rape joke, Tosh and/or his writers are clueless and lazy, using unfunny shit as a crutch. Which is a shame, seeing as how many funny and… Read more