As a former women's studies major — and a person who has eyes — I know objectifying women is nothing new. A little sexual objectification is human, and it's not just straight men who indulge in it (as the hilarious comments on Snarker's blog posts about Bitch Slap illustrate).

But every once in awhile, like today, I look around and suddenly feel like I'm in Sunnydale during the Ascension, and all the women I see are turning into zombie sex objects.

To wit: Keri Russell, who has never really recovered from HairGate, is in a photo shoot for the latest issue of Details magazine looking like a victim on Law & Order: SVU who was just rescued after trying to drown herself in her bathtub.

Really, Felicity? It's come to this?

Socio-political issues aside, I don't even understand how this drowned-rat look is sexy.

I also stumbled across the new trailer for the crime drama Powder Blue, which features Jessica Biel as a stripper who, well, pretty much just strips. … continue reading

White men over 30 living in a bygone era, and the white women who support them — that is the focus of the winning programs in the Outstanding Miniseries and Outstanding Drama Series categories at the 60th Annual Emmy Awards (John Adams and Mad Men, respectively).

Unfortunately, it's also an accurate description of this year's Emmy awards show.

The Emmys have never been known as a bastion of diversity, but watching the 60th Annual Emmy Awards tonight was like going back in time several decades, to the days when sexism was funny, and everyone important was white, male, and over 40.

I knew things were were going to take a bad turn 10 minutes in, when the Dancing With the Stars host and William Shatner physically pulled off Heidi Klum's pants suit to reveal her skimpy glittering outfit beneath.

Klum just smiled, struck a sexy pose, and said, "Now that I've got your attention..." (Because who would pay attention to her with her clothes on?)

It only got worse from there. … continue reading

I just finished watching the Tivo'd fourth episode ("Picking Teams") of ABC Family's Greek, and I'm so appalled, I had to blog about it. (Kinda like when something tastes really bad, and you say "ooh, this tastes gross, try it!")

When Greek debuted last month, I was pleasantly surprised at how decently it was written, how frankly it portrayed college life, and the fact that it included a well-adjusted black gay character. I wasn't overly impressed with the show's three lead female characters — Casey (Spencer Grammer), her best friend Ashleigh (Amber Stevens), and her arch-nemesis Rebecca (Dilshad Vadsaria) — who seemed like stereotypes of bitchy, backstabbing sorority girls, but I was willing to give the show the benefit of the doubt, especially because it was created by a gay man, Sean Smith.

The second and third episodes came and went, and the girls (and I use that term deliberately here, since that's how they're depicted) didn't get any better.

Casey and Amber discuss sex and infidelity (for a change)

Then came Monday night, and the infamous fourth episode.

The boys spent the episode discussing physics, drinking beer, playing floor hockey, and struggling with whether to come out to the fraternity.

The girls spent the episode having sex, scheming to have sex, or thinking up ways to use sex as a weapon. Oh, wait, I'm sorry: and drinking beer. … continue reading

The recent Don Imus imbroglio, in which the radio host called the Rutgers women's basketball team "nappy-headed hos," has raised a slew of issues about racism and sexism in comedy, and it reminded me of an experience I had last month when I went to a comedy club to see a friend of mine perform in an amateur stand-up contest.

The Rutgers women in action.

I wasn't surprised to find out that of the 13 contestants that night, only four were women (among them, my friend). What did surprise me was that among the nine men who performed, six or seven of them used gay jokes in their routine. And by "gay jokes," I mostly mean "homophobic" jokes. The one man who told gay jokes that were not homophobic was also the only gay man performing. … continue reading