Hero, “Monster,” or “Psycho Bitch”? Television’s Female Superheroes, Hillary Clinton, and the Problem with Powerful Women. By Natalie Bograd

Supergirl saves an airplane and the citizens of National City complain about getting a “rookie superhero” instead of the Man of Steel. Jessica Jones uses her powers to fight a dangerous rapist and is labeled “rude,” “volatile,” “erratic” and a “psycho bitch.” When Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Daisy Johnson gains her superpowers, her teammates place her in quarantine while they search for a “cure”…

Musical Heroes: Time and Conflict by Gabi Tartakovsky

Fandom is often misleading. The musicians who once graced your bedroom walls, staring down from colorful teenmag posters or artsy inner sleeves usually don’t stay close to your heart forever. You might defend their honor on karaoke night but their appeal is caged in nostalgia. The ones we still hold dear are the dedicated artists who continue to fascinate, challenge and reassure us. True musical…

The Killing Joke and “Bad Timing” Only Prove the Timelessness of Patriarchal Rape Narratives

Recently, a heart-wrenching account of survival ushered forth into the land of viral media. The publication of the “Stanford Victim’s Testimony” detailed the brutal rape and utter violation of a young woman by Brock Turner who, via privilege, wealth, and access to the most corrupt legal team money can by, denied any wrong-doing and escaped the full force of his criminal sentence. Understandably,…

Harmless Banter or Full-On Sexism? by Anonymous

Most of my previous work experience has been in primary schools, an environment populated mainly by women (and of course, children). Moving to an office-based job was a shock to the system for many reasons, from sitting down all day to not having to use a mug with a lid: it had its perks and perils, but I never expected what happened to happen. Now, having left the job, I look back and wonder if…

Review of Not Otherwise Specified by Hannah Moskowitz – Joanne Stapley

17-year-old Etta isn’t gay enough, sick enough, skinny or white enough for anything, it seems. Etta is bisexual, and the Disco Dykes, her ex-clique, kicked her out for having a relationship with a boy. Despite the fact that she is newly single, they still refuse to give her the time of day, stooping so low as to go out with a guy. She’s also recovering from an Eating Disorder Not Otherwise…

Travelling to the Stars: An Interview with Nicole Marie Burton of Ad Astra Comix

By Kodi Maier At this point it seems almost inevitable: in any debate about the demand for more – for better – representation of minorities in comics, some #Gamergate nerd dudebro will disrupt the conversation, demanding, “If you care so much, then why don’t you go make your own?” Rather than furthering the conversation about representation within comics, these nerd gatekeepers only work to…

Leading Ladies are Trickling Into Games by Aimee King

In a previous post here titled Confessions Of A Gamer, a writer alluded to conversations about the role of women characters in video games. This has been a pretty hot topic for a couple years now as various statistics have emerged revealing that women are just as involved with the gaming industry as men. The question that follows is only natural: if women are playing games as frequently as men…

Music to Our Ears: The Young Women’s Music Project by Helen L.

Remember what it was like being a teenage girl? Buying your favourite music magazines and hardly ever seeing coverage of female artists in them? At best girls can feel left out of youth culture, and at worst it sexualises them and saps their confidence. For teen girls wanting to break out of boredom and find a creative outlet there have always been limited options – fun, rebellious pastimes like…

Could NXT propel the WWE Divas into a new era of wrestling? by Leigh Hewitt

One day in the early 2000s, I was flicking through the channels on our recently installed Sky box, trying to find something that could hold my attention for more than a few minutes. Then, boom! It happened. I discovered the WWE. Now I know the naysayers will tell me that it’s all fake (when actually, it’s just pre-determined, there is a marked difference), but I was instantly hooked. During this…