Frances Perkins was born 133 years ago today. We're big fans of Perkins here at Bitch HQ. Here's what the back of our Frances Perkins coffee mugs have to say about the incredible woman: "The first woman appointed to a presidential cabinet, Frances Perkins served as the United States Secretary of Labor from 1933 to 1945. She was instrumental in bringing the labor movement into the New Deal coalition, and was also a force behind passing the Fair Labor Act, which established laws governing minimum wage, overtime, and a 40-hour workweek."
We thought we'd offer a few suggestions for how to honor the mother of the American labor movement's birthday.
In the entertainment industry, young female stars face a unique rite of passage: the performance for which they'll bare it all. It is ironic that for a young starlet to make the transformation to a “serious” performer, she is expected to show some skin.
In light of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting that occured this past December, there's been a lot of talk about arming school officials with weapons. Here's why having guns in school in a bad idea for children. [Slate]
When President Obama called California Attorney General Kamala Harris the "best looking attorney general by far," many were upset over the comment and its reduction of Harris to her physical appearance. These are just three reasons to pay attention to Harris for her politics and not her looks. [Colorlines]
Today is Equal Pay Day, the day that the average woman in America has now made as much as the average man did in 2012. With women earning about 78 percent of men, our fiscal year needs an extra three months to make up the difference.
However, some people continue to argue that we don't have a wage gap. Instead, the discrepancy in wages between white men and all other people in America is due to motherhood. But all sorts of statistics pin the blame on far more sinister foes than babies; looking at the hard numbers, it's undeniable that racism and sexism are a core part of American economics.
Check out these nine graphs showing how motherhood is not solely to blame for the wage gap.
There are two types of cowgirl narratives: Ones with plucky girls whose horses are a symbolic extension of their inner strength (see: Brave, National Velvet) and ones where girls feel unsure in the world and connect with horses who are also healing from some kind of trauma. We talk a lot about how horses help girls with wild hearts, but how is healing a horse like healing a woman?
At the time of this writing, singer Betty Davis is most likely in the comfort of her Pittsburgh home, not having any idea of the recent concert that took place in her honor.
This article from The Feminist Wire re-examines the subject of black women’s hair. [The Feminist Wire]
JCPenney CEO and gay advocate Ron Johnson was fired and is to be replaced by his predecessor. Johnson supported Ellen DeGeneres as the spokesperson for the company and used gay couples in advertisements. [Advocate]
Michigan Governor Rick Snyder refused to get involved when a member of the state’s Republican National Committee made offensive comments about gay people on Facebook. Instead, he made vague statements condemning discrimination and bullying. [Think Progress]
Almost every woman knows why strangers hooting and hollering at people on the street is a problem. More than 80 percent of women experience gender-based street harassment: unwanted sexual comments, demands for a smile, leering, whistling, following, and groping. Many men do, too, especially in the queer community.
This week is International Anti-Street Harassment Week—a perfect opportunity to engage people who may not otherwise be aware that this is a widespread problem, especially straight men.
Here are three ideas—and resources—for ways straight dudes can be street harassment allies.
It's that time again! Mad Men is back for another stylish, symbol-packed season, and your faithful recappers Kelsey, Andi, and Annalee are here to break it down and hash it out. For those of you new to our Mad Men recaps, be forewarned that these aren't linear summaries, but rather discussions of the key plot points and most compelling questions of each episode—and yes, you can be sure there are some spoilers, so proceed accordingly.
Last night's season premiere was a two-hour mood-setting piece that took us from Oahu at Christmas to the sunken living room of the Draper's New York pad on New Year's Eve. We know that 1968 is a big year, filled with civil-rights protests, the assassinations of both RFK and MLK, and the advent of the Nixon administration. But right now, all our friends in the world of Sterling Cooper Draper Price know is that it's a time when fondue pots are on sale at Bloomingdale's and everything smells like reefer.
.gif)
.gif)
