There has been a lot of discussion within feminist circles about the lack of choices for Halloween costumes for women and girls. Almost every female costume is sexy — whether it’s sexy kitten, sexy cop, sexy nurse, or sexy ________ fill in the blank. There is nothing creative about these costumes that encourage women to fulfill male fantasies.
It’s incredibly distressing to hear slurs coming from those who speak for equality, such as when Lt. Dan Choi recently called Sen. Harry Reid a “pussy” for failing to repeal Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act during an interview for the Village Voice.
At the National NOW headquarters in Washington, D.C., we celebrated Love Your Body Day by reaching out to the community through art. In Franklin Park, we set up a table and created visual representations of what we love about our bodies and how we express that love. I love my stomach, it is my core.I am beautiful, and I embrace my body.
This campaign is a striking example of what it means to sexually exploit, objectify and commodify women. That it incorporates the identity of a troubled young woman celebrity makes it even sadder.
When my sister and I decided to do the IronGirl triathlon, we did not consider ourselves athletes. We had never done any sort of endurance activity, and we definitely had never trained for anything like this. You might even call us nerds. But we were committed to doing it, so we gave ourselves nine months to get ready.