The references to “manly firmness” are everywhere in late-18th-century political sources. For example, Edward Dilly wrote to John Adams from […]
Hallmark Christmas Movies: Guilty Pleasure or Feminist Rallying Cry?
A woman arrives in a small American town at Christmas time. Possibly her car has broken down, or she’s there […]
Public Memory and Reproductive Justice in the Trump Era
Donald Trump’s victory in 2016 necessitated a rethinking of narratives of both self and nation, and a reimagining of the […]
“We’re Here As Women”: General Hospital, #MeToo, and the Power of Soap Operas
Split personalities and evil twins, secret babies and long-lost heirs. Soap operas provide us with stories of high drama and […]
The Dangers of the Damaged Hero: Gender and Suffering in Romance Novels
I unabashedly love romance novels. As a reader, I find that a well-crafted happy ending is a wonderful antidote to […]
Joan Scott, Liberalism, and Abortion Rights
Recently, the University of Edinburgh awarded Joan Scott an honorary doctorate in social science. The hooding ceremony seemed more like […]
“Weaponized Babies”; or, Damn, Why Didn’t I Think of Using That Term?
News that Senator Tammy Duckworth brought her baby to the Senate floor for a vote thrilled some and infuriated others. […]
Pornography on the Playground
When I was 19, I had a summer job supervising a playground. It was a pretty lame job. It paid […]
The Enigmatic Spinster
Judging from the number of books, blogs, news articles and interviews focused on the lives of single women, it seems […]
“A Basic Issue of Women’s Liberation”: The Feminist Campaign to Legalize Contraception in 1970s Ireland
On May 22, 1971, forty-seven members of the Irish Women’s Liberation Movement (IWLM) boarded the 8am train from Dublin to […]
